Hi.

I'm Elsa Sanchez, a professor in plant science at Penn State.

And in this edition of Year Round Gardening, we'll lear how to grow herbs from cuttings.

I'll show you how simple it can be to take a cutting from a friend, or from your garden to grow new herbs.

Let's take a look.

A cutting is a piece of a plant, a root, a stem, or a leaf that can be used to grow a new plant.

Probably the most common cutting is a stem cutting.

In the case of most herbs.

The cutting should be taken from green, succulent stems.

Make sure the cutting is soft and pliable.

Some herbs that are easy to propagate by stem cuttings are rosemary lavender, basil, time and mint.

If taking herb cutting from your outdoor garden, it's best to take them in the morning when it's cool.

You can take cuttings at other times.

The key is to avoid the plant wilting.

Select a stem and make sure it's healthy with no damage.

Take a piece of the stem about 4 to 6in long, depending on where the leaves are.

You may need to remove the lower ones.

it's best to use pruners for a clean cut.

Make sure your pruners are washed and sharp.

Take cuttings as close to planting them as you can.

If you need to wait before planting, you can place the cutting in a plastic bag to help prevent them from drying.

Select a pot with drainage holes and use high quality potting soil with good drainage for your cuttings.

Fill your pot with the potting soil.

I like to wet my potting soil at this point, but you can also wate it after setting your cuttings.

Insert the cuttings into the media so that about 1 to 2in of the stem is covered.

Set the cuttings firmly in place.

If the potting soil is not wet, give it a good watering.

You can place several cuttings in a single pot.

Place the cuttings in a warm and humid place to promote rooting.

You can cover the pots with clear plastic bags to increase the humidity around the cuttings.

While they root.

Cuttings should get plenty of light, but avoid direct sunlight until they're rooted.

Water frequentl to keep the potting soil moist.

Cuttings usually take a few weeks to root.

Once the roots fill the pot, the plant is ready to be transferred to a larger pot.

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