rosemary cuttings

[LaLoose]

This post should be preceded by: I kill everything. I don't possess green fingers, but I definitely have a black thumb.

Years ago, Mum gave me a rosemary bush grown from one of her cuttings. Amazingly, it grew, despite her trusting it to me. I am a keen cook, as is she (but she is a good gardener, too!), and we both appreciated the strength of this particular rosemary.

She has now moved house and so left her rosemary bush behind. I have tried and failed twice to make cuttings of the same rosemary bush to give back to her. They were supposed to be presented on her birthday (Halloween). They all died - about a dozen of them.

I took cuttings in the manner described on the Gardener's World site, stripping off leaves under the part to be buried and dipping in hormone rooting powder, then placing in a damp rooting compost and covering with a plastic bag.

Why have they all died? Obviously I won't make it for her birthday now, but I'd like to be able to give her back some of the rosemary (alive) one day. Is it just too late in the year? Is it something more garden-genius-y that I have missed?

I really would appreciate any ideas here.

[WowOoo]

I just left mine in a glass of water for ages. It rooted loads and I planted it in the late summer. it's not dead yet. My friend was binning hers and I took loads. I think I left in in water for at least a couple of months - it had lots of strong roots in the glass.

Try to take a 'branch' of a main stem. That's what I did.

[aircooled]

Have a look at the base of the plant - if you're lucky some of the stems might have layered themselves i.e. rooted into the soil, you can just cut off the rooted bit and pot up as a new plant. Even if the stems haven't rooted you might find small bumps which will grow into roots if you treat those as cuttings (or you can press one of the less woody stems down into the soil with a stone, by spring it should have rooted). I often propagate sage plants this way too.

[shovetheholly]

Hormone rooting powder is your friend! It will encourage those roots to grow much more rapidly. You want to be taking the cutting just below a leaf, and not in the long woody bit of the stem with no leaves towards the bottom. Once planted, they need occasional watering the same as any other plant (avoid too much water, though, as this will encourage all kinds of fungal problems).

[aircooled]

Forgot to say, you could try heel cuttings - sometimes more successful with woodier stems.

www.greenplantswap.co.uk/grower_tips/heel-cuttings

[shovetheholly]

Good point aircooled - OP there are different 'bits' of plants you can take for cuttings! But the method with each is a bit different - maybe try both since it seems emotionally important to get your Mum this plant?!

[aircooled]

Maybe as your mum is a good gardener you could ask her to come and take cuttings herself...?

[funnyperson]

Do you think there is enough grit in your cutting compost?
Rosemary likes good drainage and cuttings grow better when there is a bit of grit in the compost so Use j arthur bowers seed and cutting compost as that has a bit of sand in it
Also Carol klein always puts a layer of grit over the top of the pot round the cuttings which looks pretty and I think probably helps the plant tell up from down iyswim so the roots know which way to go more easily
It is not too late to grow cuttings and I think if you brought them indoors in a sunny spot and kept them watered but not drenched you might even get rootlets by Halloween!
Carol puts her cuttings round the edge of the pot, so about 6-7 cuttings per 9 inch pot, each one about 3-4 ins.
As someone said upthread though, if you look at the base of your plant you might find some little rootlings already growing there.
Another way to propagate rosemary is by layering. You bend a pit of theplant down so that a green bit touches the ground and pin it into the soil with a steel u shaped pin thingy so that a bit of it is under the soil and the rest sticks out and it will root.

[Bolshybookworm]

I find heeled cuttings work well with rosemary. Then a bit of careful neglect over winter e.g. Leave them in an unheated greenhouse, cool windowsill or sheltered spot near the house. Water sparingly and ignore until spring!
I left my cuttings outside last year as the toddler was a liability. They were right next to the house and sheltered from the worst of the cold and rain, but not covered. They were all rooted come spring!
I find the plastic bag just makes them rot.