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!

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How to Care and Propagate Stevia

Stevia (Stevioside) is useful because it's a herbal substitute for sugar.  It's said to be 3x as sweet without the calories and the impact on blood sugar.  How cool is that? Well I got me a little Stevia plant and I've done a little reading on its care and propagation.  It's actually quite different from other herbs.  Let me tell you why.

Stevia Care:

• Sun - Unlike most herbs (including Lavender, Thyme and Basil), Stevia should be kept in partial shade.
• Water - Most plants appreciate deep infrequent watering.  Stevia has fairly shallow roots and would benefit more from light, frequent watering.
• Soil - Most herbs like poor soil with good drainage.  Sand is usually good.  Stevia appreciates loam soil with lots of organic material as mulch (again because it has shallow roots).  Good drainage is still a must. PH of 4-5 works best (lowest I've seen for herbs!)
• Fertilizer - Low Nitrogen fertilizer works best (important to keep sweetness) 
• Pruning - Pinch of the tips to maker it bushier

Stevia Propagation 

• Best propagated via cuttings since the seeds don't germinate well.  Seed germination doesn't assure you that the new plant will be sweet.  It's kinda the same reason why mangos are better grafted than just grown from seed.
• I'm trying out cuttings in water.  I placed them outdoors but fairly hidden from the sun.  Let's see what happens in a few days.

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Welcome Rosemary, Stevia and Parsley

Oh look!  There are a couple new pets in my garden.  From 12:00 to 6:00 (clockwise), you have a Rosemary (where my dead Gerbera used to reside), a Stevia (where my Lavender was) and Parsley (where one of my dead mums was).   Oh boy, there's so many of them now!  I hope I can still give them personalized attention.  Next time, I'll talk about their care and propagation. 

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