Herb Cuttings Smell Bad

Have you ever tried rooting herbs in a glass of water? I've tried it with a good number of herbs: sweet basil, cinnamon basil, Thai basil, Swiss mint, chocolate mint, Japanese mint, lemon mint, tarragon, rosemary, stevia, lavender, cat's whiskers and some others.

In some cases, it would work. When it does work, I would usually see roots within a week. I don't usually remove a lot of the leaves (you'd usually read something like retain only the top four leaves) so the cuttings generally wilt for a few days without perking up.

If it's been a couple of days and the leaves look fresh, those cuttings will probably root.

In some cases, the leaves start to look wilted or just dry. Chances are, that will not root.

Herbs Are Flowering

About a month ago, I successfully propagated my Stevia.  It was fairly simple.  I just cut a couple of long branches, placed the cuttings in water, put the cup in an area with some sun and waited for about a week and a half.  Voila!  They all rooted.    The first time I tried rooting Stevia cuttings, it didn't work.  I think it's because my mother plant wasn't healthy enough when I did it.  Anyway, after the cuttings rooted, I planted them in a grande plastic cup using grade A organic soil (excellent drainage!)  Guess what?  Within a month, the new plants have grown so much and have started to flower.  They're even healthier than the mother plants.  What's the difference?  The healthier ones are in the front yard where sunlight is abundant.   That said, I'm officially shooting down the advice I found that should be in partial shade.   Anyway, I've pinched off the Stevia flowers because I read that flowering takes away from the plant's sweetness.

As for my other herbs, a couple of my Thai Basil plants and Cinnamon Basil plants have also started flowering.  I was tempted not to pinch them off because I just wanted to experience letting an herb go to seed.  A day later, I pinched them off anyway.  I just won't let them die.  I've read that once an herb goes to seed, it generally dies.   Oh man, I have a lot of Cinnamon Basil plants now.  On another note, I'm looking to trade a couple of my Cinnamon Basil plants for other herbs.  I'm looking for Parsley, Rosemary, Lavender, Dill and Sage.   Oh, I'm also looking for a Purple Basil.   Let's meet up in Quezon City!

---

Three Basil Plants in a Row - Update

A couple of months ago, I posted about my three basil plants in a row (sweet basil, cinnamon basil and Thai basil).  Well, these plants have already matured and I've taken several cuttings from them.  One of my favorites is what I call the triple basil pot.  In this picture, I've combined the three cuttings in one pot.  And look how lush it has become after a few months.  So how do you tell which is which?  Start at the bottom of the picture.  The ones with the relatively crumpled leaves is Sweet Basil.  Don't ask me why but they tend to be more crumpled in appearance.  On the left side is the Thai basil; on the right is the Cinnamon Basil.   Here's the coolest thing though.  So it looks like they've outgrown the pot, right?  Indeed they have.  When I moved this pot a couple of days ago, I found that roots have already penetrated the bottom holes.  The plants have actually rooted to the ground!  Cool huh?  I guess that means the plants will survive even if I get sick for another week and fail to water them since they'll be getting moisture from the ground too.

---

Three Basils in a Row

I've loved sweet basil ever since I discovered that it's the main component of pesto.  But here's a revelation.  I'm pretty old and I just found that out since I started gardening again.  How crazy is that?  Anyway, you'll always read that basil loves full sun.  Since I've had all sorts of basil fatalities in the past, I just decided to put them all in the front yard where the sun is strongest.  Guess what?  I now have three different basil plants lined up (left to right, sweet basil, Thai basil, cinnamon basil) and they're all doing fine.  Combine the sun with the raised platform that keeps the pots from being flooded and it's all good.

---