When lowering, the young plants are only separated from the mother plant when they have formed roots and are growing independently. This propagation method is quite easy to carry out, and it also offers several advantages over propagation from cuttings.
How do I propagate rosemary by lowering?
To propagate rosemary offshoots by lowering them, choose a flexible shoot, cut it diagonally, treat the interface with rooting powder, place it in a pot with a sand-soil mixture and keep the substrate moist. After 4-6 months, the young rosemary can be separated from the mother plant.
Advantages of lowering over cutting propagation
Although lowering is not necessarily a quick way of propagation, the grown plants are much stronger than cuttings. In addition, they are already used to the soil in which they are supposed to mature. Furthermore, this method is not nearly as labor-intensive because, in contrast to cuttings, the new plants do not in principle need to be cared for. Cuttings require fairly intensive care to ensure strong rooting and growth and to keep disease at bay. Furthermore, no special equipment is necessary. You can lower plants at any time and do not have to sacrifice space on the windowsill or in the greenhouse.
Propagate rosemary via lowering plants – this is how it works
Essentially, a distinction is made between three types of lowering: With air lowering, the growth medium (e.g. B. a flower pot) raised up to the shoot. Another set of techniques is based on piling the soil under a shoot and another in which the entire shoot is placed in the ground. When propagating rosemary, the air method is particularly recommended in order to plant the small rosemary offshoots straight away in the pot. After all, young rosemaries should not spend at least their first winter outdoors.
- Fill a clay pot (important: drainage hole in the bottom!) with a sand-soil mixture.
- Dig this pot slightly under the selected sinker.
- Now choose a flexible and he althy shoot.
- Dig a shallow hole in the flower pot.
- Cut the shoot once diagonally at the point to be lowered.
- Treat the interface with a rooting powder (€7.00 on Amazon).
- This not only makes rooting easier, but also prevents fungal diseases.
- Place the shoot in the potting soil and anchor it, e.g. B. with a metal clip.
- Fill the hole with soil and water well.
- Keep the substrate evenly moist.
- The lowering plant can only be separated from the mother plant after four to six months at the earliest.
Tips & Tricks
Rosemary can also be excellently propagated by division. This also has the advantage that older and woody bushes can be rejuvenated more easily in this way.
