Propagating Oregano

I have become slightly plant crazed the past two years. Last spring I decided to attempt a small vegetable and herb garden. I love to cook, so the idea of growing my own food and knowing where and how my ingredients were grown sounded appealing. Not to mention anything fresh from the garden to the plate brings another level of satisfaction in overall flavor.

To my surprise gardening turned into something more than just enjoying some fresh herbs here and there….to be honest my first year gardening yielded a lot of learning and a lot less harvesting than I had anticipated. However, working in the garden brought me so much tranquility and peace. Watching seedings sprout and grow into luscious green plants was addicting!

To help my limited plant budget I started experimenting with propagating. Some plants propagate very easy while others tend to be a hit or miss, at least for this novice gardener.

I found oregano is very easy to work with and thrives in my garden.

How to Propagate Oregano

Step 1:

Using kitchen shears cut about a 6 inch stem from your oregano bush. {Too short its hard to keep in a glass of water} Avoid the woody stems and look for soft green growth. Then strip the leaves from the bottom.

Step 2:

Place in water and put on your window seal. Add water as needed.

If the water starts turning colors I drain and replace with fresh clean water.

Step 3:

Once your oregano cuttings have grown long roots it’s time to transplant into soil.

I had some root hormone on hand so I dipped the roots into the powder first before potting my cuttings. Root hormone stimulates the cuttings encouraging new growth. It is suppose to simplify the propagating process.

I will be trying to transplant without the hormone to see what it does this time around. Online there is a bit of controversy as to if root hormone is necessary or not…. we shall see!

I took several cuttings and planted them all together for a bushier plant. No need to plant them individually into the pot either just bunch them up and plant together.

This is a pot I did last spring and it has just grown like crazy. I have to give it a hair cut weekly. I have 3 plants in my garden this year in hopes of being able to dry a bunch for cooking and for gifts, but it so nice to have this one on my window seal in arms reach as I cook. It’s also pretty to look out added bonus.

Have any propagating tips? Let me know in the comments!

-Ann