It’s a natural brain food, hair growth herb, immune system support, soup flavour enhancer, skin rejuvenator that’s also rich in antioxidants – rosemary. This herb has been used throughout centuries, generations and in several different locations and traditions. Today it’s all about re-growing or propagating the fragrant rosemary from cuttings taken from a healthy plant. Basically, we’re multiplying one plant by providing a natural environment for a clipped part of it to spring roots and become its own plant.
I’ve re-grown things like tomato plants and other herbs before but this was my first try with rosemary. These cuttings from a healthy plant in the yard took longer than others to sprout roots – weeks longer. There was a point I was starting to wonder if they were actually catching or if to try again with a fresh batch, but that’s when I noticed one with a tiny lavender-coloured flower and the start of a root.
With a sharp pair of scissors, clip some 6-8″ pieces of healthy stems and set them in jars of water on a kitchen sill (or somewhere else with sunlight.) Not a place where they will swelter but in an area with a decent stream of light, cool ambience. Take a couple more cuttings than you’re aiming for, just in case. Refresh the water every few days (making sure it reaches up to a few inches of the stem but not the leaves) and be patient. If the jars are transparent you’re more likely to notice root growth.
Once the roots get to a length where they can sit nicely in a pot of good well-drained soil, you can transplant them into their new home, let them settle in and hopefully they’ll spring up over time with enough (not searing) sunlight and intermittent watering.
Among other things, rosemary can be used for:
- herbal tea
- seasoning and cooking
- hair-growth serums
- essential oil/infusion oil
Its Joy Within 