How to Propagate Thyme for Maximum Herb Yield, According to an Expert Gardener.

The scented and tasty thyme is a staple food in the kitchen, whether to roast the chicken or to flavor sauces and salad seasonings. This perennial plant is also very easy to multiply by cuttings or sowing.

Here’s how to spread it thyme with stem or seeds, according to a herbalist professional.

Although it is technically possible to propagate thyme plants by cutting in the ground, Linda Shanahan, herbalist and co -owner of Bluestem Botanicals, advises against this method to gardeners.

“I do not recommend the use of land or vermiculitis for the spread of the stems, because I found it less reliable in a domestic setting,” she said. Shanahan rather recommends that a method of spreading new plants from a still alive thyme specimen. Here’s how to do it.

1. Start with a living thyme plant that still grows in the ground.
2. Choose a healthy rod on the mother plant and fold it towards the ground surface. Use a flower pin or trombone to fix the stem so that it remains in contact with the floor. You can also cover the earth rod and a small stone or another weight.
3. After a few weeks, check if roots grow on the part of the stem that was in contact with the ground. When the roots have formed, you can cut the new plant and put it in pot.

“Thyme is a plant of the mint family, and many plants from this family easily spread by cutting in water,” explains Mr. Shanahan.

You will get better results by multiplying freshly cut stems. It is possible to use thyme stems purchased commercially, but they will be less reliable.

1. Examine a healthy and lively thyme plant and choose some non -wood rods to remove.
2. Use clean and well -sharpened scissors or pruning shears to take cuttings at least 10 cm long. Eliminate the leaves of the lower third of the stem.
3. Place the stems in a clean and transparent glass or jar with fresh water, ensuring that the leaf -free parts of the stems are submerged. Place the pot of cuttings in a warm place, sheltered from direct sunlight.
4. Change the water every three days about. You can expect the roots to grow after about a month. Shanahan recommends occasionally using willow tea as DIY root hormone instead of ordinary water to promote root growth.
5. Once the roots have emerged, plant the cuttings in a mixture of standard interior plants, sprinkling every two days to maintain the culture medium uniformly humid.

When to spread thyme

It is in the spring or summer that you will best succeed in spreading thyme by cuttings of rod in the water. The cultivation of new thyme plants by walking is preferably done in summer for faster results, but you can also stop plants in the fall to remove and replant them the following spring.

If you grow thyme from seeds, Shanahan recommends doing it indoors in the middle of winter, about 8 weeks before the last frost date in your region.

Advice for the multiplication of thyme

• After planted rooted cuttings or thyme sowing outside, Shanahan recommends to wait for significant harvests Until the end of the first season of growth. “I like to make sure that there are a lot of sheets on plants, especially the first year, before winter, so that the plant has a lot of energy to survive in the cold season,” she said.
• If you grow thyme from seeds inside, Shanahan recommends doing so in platforms or take-out containers with drainage holes to gain space and maintain regular humidity. Use culture lamps and keep the space at a temperature of 70 ° F to get the best results.
• Plan to repot thyme sowing two or three times before planting them outside. Growth plants will benefit from the nutrients contained in the new repotting mixture.
• Whether you harvest thyme to use it in the kitchen or make cuttings for spread, avoid removing the mother plant too much. “The thyme is easy to cultivate, but it can easily die if it is too harvested,” explains Mr. Shanahan. “Always leave enough greenery at the base for the plant to recover.