I have a greek oregano plant that I would love to make new starts of, as I only have one, and would like to have a spare, and be able to share with others. It is one that is nice and spicey, does not propagate by seeds, so is not invasive. What is the best way to make new starts of this plant?
I stick a stem of Basil in water and when the roots are nice and full, plant it in a pot. Pull off the leaves hear the end of the stem so that there are leave nodes for the roots to grow from. Keep the water fresh too. I would think Oregano would respond the same.
I have propagated oregano, intentionally and otherwise, by having a strand touch the ground. If intentional, I scratch the bottom of a long stem just enough to expose the "green" undercoating, make sure the scratched part touches soil, put a pebble on top of it to keep it in contact, and a the stem forms roots. When you judge that the plant has sufficient roots, you can cut it from the mother plant and move it. I agree, Greek oregano is a wonderful herb!
Thanks, Marlingardener. My dad did something like that with his rhododendrons, waited about a year, then severed the "umbilical cord" stem, then about a year later dug it up to give to our church or school sales. Does there need to be a leaf node? or just the woody stem?
I hate to admit it, but I don't know! I just scratch an area and weight it down. Maybe there is a leaf node, probably there is. Anyway, do it with several of your longer stems and see what happens. Usually, it takes about 4-6 weeks for the roots to form, and then I leave it for a couple of weeks more to make sure there is a good mass of roots, then sever it from the mother plant.
Oregano volunteers by seed and root. It was so willing for me that I didn't quite have to beat it back with a hammer, but close.
Hi Coppice, yes some do and can get very invasive. The true greek oregano or var. hirsum, does not. I have had this plant for 7 years now with no spreading by root or seed. It is a perennial, and dies back each winter to the root ball, starts to leaf out again very early, and some mild winters I have oregano all winter long.
If it has more than stem erupting from the ground, could it be divided while dormant? I don't know, just asking.
I think it can, but would not want to damage it by doing something wrong. I am going to try rooting a stem, as am familiar with that from what my dad did, and would not touch to main root system.
Easy to try. I'm just worried that it's late in the year. Lots of plants start to die right about now.
