This ensures that the cuttings are as firm and fresh as possible. If the weather has been dry, water the plant the day before. It’s best to take cuttings in the morning.
Sift some dry sand over the surface, or cover with vermiculite in order to reduce the chance of the stem rotting at the point where it submerges. However, I found that this remained dense and wet and I’ve had little success without combining it with compost. Rooting relies on the energy in the cutting, not nutrients in the soil. Sand is cheaper, but you could use vermiculite or perlite instead. I generally mix potting compost with about the same volume of horticultural sand. It needs to be open and well-drained, to allow oxygen to reach the stem, and to remain moist but nowhere near waterlogged.
Using the right growing medium is important. However, you can increase the chances by giving them optimum conditions. In fact, it’s quite unusual if every one of your cuttings succeeds. The exact time depends on how early or late spring arrives, but you want young growth of several inches in length. Shrubby herbs, like rosemary, thyme, lavender, sage, marjoram and oregano, are all suitable for taking cuttings, and although you can do it later in the year, when the stems are more mature, I prefer to take softwood cuttings in the spring, when the bushes are bursting with new energy and fresh growth.
When you think about it, it’s quite awe-inspiring that you can stick a twig into a pot and grow a whole new plant. Vegetative propagation-plant cuttings, to you and me-is one of nature’s marvels.
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