Rooting rosemary

 I understand that rosemary is very difficult to start from a cutting.
I think I'm halfway there, and I need some advice.

I put a young shoot in a pill bottle filled with water several weeks
ago. It is still alive, and has grown a little, but so far, no roots.
Is there anything I can do to encourage it?

My email address is LLM041103 at earthlink dot net.

 Jonathan Sachs wrote:

Use a rooting hormone, or put some willow bark in the water with the shoot.

Lee Valley sells a rooting hormone in gel form, you dunk the end of the
shoot in it, and then plant the shoot in growing medium. The gel keeps
the hormone where it will do the most good. Go to www.leevalley.com.

HTH

 On Tue, 08 Nov 2005 11:47:48 -0500, Wolf Kirchmeir


I've got rooting hormone in powder form, and dipped the stem in it
when I started. I have no instructions for using it this way, though,
so I don't know whether I used enough... or need to use it
repeatedly... and if so, how often... and so on.

My email address is LLM041103 at earthlink dot net.

 
Jonathan Sachs wrote:

I have never had any trouble rooting rosemary.  I have started two
rosemary bushes from fresh rosemary sprigs purchased at the
supermarket.  I have seen roots begin to break the wood when you place
cuttings in plain water.  Yes, it can take weeks.  I encourage you to
change the water regularly, and to try multiple cuttings at a time, if
you can get them.  You only need one to work to get going.

I also stuck a cutting from one of the plants that I started straight
into the ground.  I had it staked, and I watered it for a while. Six
years later, I had a shrub that was too big to transplant.
Regrettably, I had to kill it instead of following through on my
intentions to relocate it.

Your climate may affect your results.  Rosemary is a Mediterranean
plant, and I am gardening in a Mediterranean climate.  San Jose,
California; USDA zone 9; Sunset zone 16.

Once you have the rosemary going, don't baby it. In its native
environment, rosemary grows in lean soil.  If you provide too much
organic matter or fertilizer, you will get a lot of woody growth and
the shape of the plant will become unappealing.  Also, it is not
necessary to water much.  Don't water at all, unless you live in an
arid climate.

Good luck!

+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
|   Ladasky Home Solar, Inc.:  blowing sunshine up your   |
|       power grid since March 24, 2005.  Fiat lux!       |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
|   Uptime    Downtime    kWh generated     kWh consumed  |
|   227 days    none          5018             4075       |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+

 

That means anyplace with heat running in the winter. It needs a little
water, but not much.