How to Propagate Basil From Cuttings
Are you just starting to explore the world of plant propagation and maybe aren’t sure where to begin? I can empathize. It wasn’t until recently that I started down this path and now that I’ve had some success, I want to help you get started as well! I’m going to show you how to propagate basil from cuttings. Why basil? Because it re-roots easily and, who doesn’t love unlimited fresh basil?
Where to Get Your Basil Plants
Basil is very resilient and this makes it a great place to start when learning how to propagate. When you are searching for basil plants to propagate, you don’t need to waste your time and money going to a nursery. In fact, you can usually go right to the produce section of your grocery store to find them! I bought the plant in the green pot at a local farmers’ market and the two little black pots right at my grocery store.
I’ve even seen people cut basil in the store and successfully propagate it!
Pruning You Basil Plants
When pruning your basil plants, it’s important to leave at least one leaf node behind so the mother plant can continue to perform photosynthesis and produce leaves.
When to Prune Your Plants
Typically, you want to prune your basil plants when they begin to grow tall and leggy. You can see the plants in the black pots are tall, and there are large areas of stem without and leaves or nodes.
The green pot wasn’t as tall, though you can see a little bit of stem, but I probably could have left it a bit longer. For the sake of this project though, I decided to go ahead and prune it back.
Where to Cut
Take your pruning or kitchen sheers and cut the stem of the basil just above the bottom set of leaves.
By pruning them just above a lower leaf node, this will allow the plant to focus more energy on leaf production instead of just growing taller. This helps the plant to bush out instead of getting tall and leggy.
Next, take your cutting and remove all of the leaves from the lower leaf nodes. Leave a few of the top leaves intact. The cutting will need these to continue to perform photosynthesis during the rooting process.
Bonus:
Use those excess leaves for something delicious! Learn how to make Homemade Pesto, right HERE!
You will also want to clip the excess stem off, about 1/4-inch below the lower node. The excess stem will make it more difficult to transplant. Leave at least 1 node intact because this is where a majority of new root production will occur.
How to Soak Your Basil Cuttings
Once you are finished taking your cuttings, submerge the stems in non-chlorinated water with the leaves resting above the rim. They still need to be able to absorb sunlight so spread them out the best you can.
I placed about 5 cuttings in each container which is about the max I would suggest, or else the leaves may be too crowded.
I love to use mason jars for soaking my cuttings. They work great, and you get to watch the roots as they develop!
Place them somewhere sunny. You can use a sunny windowsill or artificial light for this. I put them on my grow rack under LEDs.
Finally, just change the water about once a week, shuffle the leaves around every few days to ensure they can get light, and watch the magic to happen!
Weekly Photo Progression of Root Production
1 Week
Roots are starting to emerge from the leaf node tissue and the cut on the bottom of the stem. It is always super exciting to see new roots!
2 Weeks
Many more roots have formed and smaller, more intricate root hairs have begun to develop.
3 Weeks
The roots are continuing to grow and get more intricate.
Week 4
The cuttings have developed very intricate root systems and are ready to be transplanted.
Transplanting Your Basil Cuttings
After examining all of my basil cuttings, it looks like about nine of them are about ready to transplant. I’m going to plant 4 of them in one pot and 5 in another.
It’s important not to take the cuttings out of the water until you are ready to transplant quickly. Don’t let the root hairs dry out or they may not survive.
For this reason, you want to make sure your soil and pots are prepared and ready for transplanting beforehand.
Preparing Your Soil and Pots
You will want a medium size pot about 5 or 6 inches in diameter, with a drainage hole.
I recommend placing a coffee filter in the bottom of the pot to prevent soil from escaping and making a mess. The water will still be able to drain but the soil won’t.
Some people use larger pebbles in the bottom for this reason but I find coffee filters to be just as effective, if not more. Plus they’re lighter!
Make sure to wet the filter so it conforms to the pot nicely.
Now take your potting mix of choice and fill the pot about half full.
I am using a homemade combo of sphagnum peat moss and organic gardening soil. (I didn’t have any perlite, or I would’ve used some.)
Potting the Rooted Basil Cuttings
Take your basil cutting and gently tease out the roots so they cover more surface area in the soil.
Make sure the soil is nice and loose, and set the rooted cutting on top of it, gently working some of the roots into the soil.
DON’T FORCE THE CUTTING DOWN INTO THE SOIL OR YOU MAY KILL THE ROOTS.
Repeat this process for the rest of the cuttings you plan to put in the pot.
Slowly fill in the pot, building up the soil around the roots of the cuttings. The cuttings may fall awkwardly at first but as you build the soil up you will give them enough support to stand on their own.
This is the finished product after transplanting 9 of my cuttings.
Once you have finished planting all your cuttings, give them a generous watering to jumpstart those roots into working and prevent them from drying out.
Finally, just find them a sunny windowsill or artificial light to bathe in and water them every couple days!
Conclusion
Basil is a super easy to propagate, especially for beginners. I just grabbed a few basil plants from the grocery store, took some cuttings, and made two brand new pots of basil for myself!
In another couple months, I’ll be able to repeat this whole process and keep increasing my basil production to my heart’s content. Say goodbye to paying for basil!
Hopefully this article took a little bit of the uncertainty about how to start propagating plants away, and gave you a little inspiration to experiment and try something new.
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Happy Propagating!
Cody
Thistle Downs Farm