How to Propagate Basil
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I love love love basil! I could put basil in anything! I was on pinterest a couple weeks ago and saw how to propagate it so I had to try! Its really simple and take barely any work (my kind of style)! If I can do it anyone can! I have a brown thumb!
I picked up a bunch of basil at my local farmers market for $2.50. (not bad but I rather grow my own for free right??)
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P.S I have also done this with green onions. You can just snip off the green part at where the white and green meet and stick it in water and it will grow new shoots! Also, I’ve heard it works with celery but haven’t tried that yet!
So cool and fun right! Has anyone tried this with other types of herbs?
Works well with rosemary also!
I tried doing the lettuce cores last week at work. And they have sprouted new leaves. Nothing like really fresh lettuces !!
I didn’t know you could do this with lettuce too! Basil is the only thing I can keep alive so I haven’t tried a ton else! Maybe I will give this a shot!
I just put the leeks and celery that were rooting on my countertop, into the ground and last week I planted some mint that rooted nicely.
I tend to be a lazy composter and just bury my veggie scraps…I usually get some squash, carrots and tomatoes but some of the more unusual treats that I have had are ginger, purple potatoes and little chestnut trees that sprouted up!
How fun! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, always great info! I have celery and bok choy in saucers with water — they are both growing beautiful leaves. The leek is also growing, but I don’t expect anything edible from it since the growth is dark green. I keep cilantro, parsley and basil growing year round (indoors in winter).
The green part of a leek is just as edible as the white bits, they are just not so soft, so they need to cook longer and remain a bit more chewy. I love the green parts! To get the white part you’ll have to shield the stem from sunlight.
P.S. Thank you for posting this article! I will definitely give it a try! 🙂 I love to grow herbs but havent tried rooting them this way. Great information!
Great idea about the sweet potato! I’ve heard they make beautiful plants!
I have done this with a sweet potato. I was supposed to break off one of the shoots for planting after a few weeks but I never did. The season wasnt right for planting the shoot so I just let it be my sweet potato plant. It’s a nice plant. It’s been growing for about a year.
I did it with garlic and now have them in an egg carton with no soil just feeding with water, hydroponicly. Snip the top greens and the keep growing.
I never knew you could do this with garlic! I will definitely have to try it! Thanks!
Hi! I didn’t know that this worked with herbs. It does work with celery. Just cut the base of the clump (not individual stocks) about 2-3 inches from the bottom, put in a small amount of water (not to much or it will rot) and within a week it will start to grow roots and leaves. Be sure to check it often for water. You can then put into soil and grow new stocks. I heard about this so decided to try and was shocked that it really does work!
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
When you plant the celery base in the soil, do you cover it completely with the soil or do you just stick the bottom part of it in the soil with the top exposed? I’d love to try this.
Celery is fast to grow. I cut off the bottom of a stalk and placed in a bowl of water. Refreshing it daily. And within a few weeks noticed in the middle, little shoots were popping up!
Thank you for the tutorial, I plan to implement it soon.
I’m learning (re-learning) about growing all kinds of herbs & vegies. My whole family has made menu changes (I refuse to use the word “diet”) & we are putting in a vegie garden & kitchen garden for the first time this year.
How exciting Beth! Way to go! Good luck with your new way of eating!
Silly question (and maybe I’m being really dim), but I saw to cut the top leaves and flowers off and the bottom…are we leaving on leaves in the middle for photosynthesis or sticking a stem in the water? I’ve never done this before so I needed to ask. Thanks!!!
I think it is to help encourage new little leaves to sprout. Also, You always want to cut off the flowers so that it continues to grow up and out!
I have been growing the little green onions from the grocery store this way for years. I have one I planted in my back yard that is now about three foot high and three feet around! Just from one tiny green onion. I keep them in water in the fridge and just cut off the tops as I need them. After a few months of this, I stick them in the ground. : )
I’ve done this too! Works super great! Thanks for sharing the how to!
Celery works! I just did it. Cut the base off about 2 inches from the root, plant in soil and water! I had baby celery stalks in about a week.
I’ve heard you can do celery! I haven’t tried it yet because well I don’t like it haha! Thanks for sharing!
I didn’t know you could do this with basil. I’ve tried growing several herbs from seed this year and basil has seemed to be the best one as far as growing quickly and putting off a bunch. Good luck!
Yep glad you learned something new! Good luck to you too!
I love basil too, thanks for the tip!
I was wanting to bring in my basil for the winter but I read it doesn’t transplant well, so I’m going to try this.
I did do the onions one year and they actually grew. That was exciting! I love the idea of bringing it in the home, especially for the winter.
Thanks for the tips and inspiration.
Regular onions or green onions? I’ve don’t green onions before. I bet it will make the kitchen smell great too! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad that I’m following you! This is great to know. Thanks for sharing on the COM link party!
Katie
http://www.funhomethings.com
Thank you for following much appreciated!
I have read about doing this, but never have tried in the winter! Hoping to try and keep some basil going for awhile…thanks for the post!
livininthegreen.blogspot.com
Exactly I would love fresh herbs all year long! It would be amazing and all the food I cook would taste a lot fresher! Good luck!
Thanks for the tip! I love basil and have some growing in my garden, but am going to try to start some in a pot for this winter.
That would be perfect if you already have some growing! Yay for fresh basil all winter!
This is awesome to know I love love basil! Hi I am Ashlee I am new here and I am super happy to meet you!! Great blog!
Hey Ashley thanks for coming by! I will definitely checkout your blog!
I’m a little confused. It said to pick a stem with several leaves but then cut them off? In the picture it shows leaves. Do I only cut a few leaves off and leave, like, four?
Why is there no reply to this question it seems the only one that was skipped over?