Rooting Store Bought Herb Cuttings

Hi There Y'all. 

Sorry for the long break in postings. I have just finished this experiment and still working on some others. I am glad to say that this one is a success and I am happy to share with you how I did it. 

For many, being impatient is an issue, so growing your own herbs is like pulling teeth. The wait for it to grow, the maintenance of the soil and plants, the days to water, the days not to water, seems like a burdensome prospect. Well for those that do wish to start their own little herb patch, i will gladly share my experience.

Here in Malaysia, our climate is not suitable to grow many things outdoors in full sunlight. The sun is sometime too intense and extra care needs to be taken. Many sites will say that certain herb thrives on full sunlight etc etc. Those reading those posts must understand that the writer is talking about cooler climates or multi-season climates. we have to adjust what we read and be weary of the affects of our scorching temperatures or our long rainy spells. One thing is for sure, the heat and rain will not dampen our spirits in trying.

I recently bought this lovely herb from our local supermarket. It is Pineapple Mint - Mentha suaveolens 'Variegata'. It has a clean and crisp pineapple-ish bouquet and snappy taste. Should be good in salads, spritzers and also cocktails. 

I for one am a sucker for any variegated plants. Therefore it was a challenge to root it. Yes there are much more simpler ways by just sticking it in water, but where is the fun in that. So here is what I did, try it if you like.

Store bought organic herb Pineapple Mint - Mentha suaveolens 'Variegata'

Chanced this in a store so I bought 2 bags to ensure the experiment works well. Make sure you choose nice fresh looking leaves and branches to increase the chance of success.

Removing it from the bag, you must make sure the contents DO NOT get wet. When the leaves get wet, they deteriorate very quickly and rot sets in if it is kept wet. Once you have removed the contents pluck away all the dead leaves and also trip away the rotting parts of the stems. Select nice fresh stems with good leaves. In this way you know the plant is strong enough to root. You may try with the others too. Prepare stems that are about 3 to 4 inches long. Allow the bottom end of the stems about 2 inches clean of any leaves. i found that the shorter the stems the easier it is to take root. 

Prepare a planting bowl or container. I am using a plastic take away container. They are sold in supermarkets and are quite cheap too. I buy them in bulk because I also use them in seedling propagation. They come is bags of 20s and 50s..around MYR 17.00 or equivalent to USD 5.00 for a bag of 50s. 

The planting base as you can see is basically just reconstituted Coco Peat. You can buy them in dried compressed blocks. When you add water, the block will swell up to at least 10 times its original volume. It is somewhat inert, and sometime towards mild acidity levels. I tested the one I use with a little tester tool I found during a recent trip to the US. It reads near neutral. I do not see the acidity level affecting the plants at all. 

Layer about an inch of moist Coco Peat at the bottom. How moist should it be, well i soaked the whole thing in water, then allowed it to sit for a while so that excess water could drain out. The only moisture that is left is only what the coco peat can absorb and carry. 

Lightly compress the material so that the mint plant can get a good footing as it root, but do not over compress lest the roots will find it difficult to grow and spread. Use a toothpick, a satay stick or some thing similar to poke a hole in the coco peat. Insert the the bottom end of the herb stem into the hole and gently press the sides in. It does not matter if it will not stand upright. It will soon enough once it takes root. Continue until you have planted all the selected mint stems. 

Let it sit in this coco peat for a couple of hours. You will notice that some rather limp leaves would start to perk up and open up. This is a good sign. If it doesn't then let it be, and hope it will later. The faster the leaves perk up would indicate the plant is lively and can be easily rooted. 

The next thing, using another base cover over the plants and try to keep the mouths of the container together. There should not be any holes that will allow moisture to leave. You can either put  some with weight on the top or even put another filled plastic container above it to hold the lid down. Leave it be for a week and see what happens. Check it daily to make sure the coco peat is moist and that there are no rotting or dying leaves. If there are any dying leaves just use a small scissors and cut it away. 

After about a week of sitting in the moist coco peat the mint stems will slowly take root. The good thing about using these containers is that it is transparent and that you can actually see root forming at the base of the container. Once you see roots that you know you are on your way to planting a nice little herb plant. Just let it be. Keep a watch on the coco peat material so that it stay moist (NOT WET). If it is too wet the stems would rot and die. Too dry and the roots will dry out and that will be the ned game too. At this stage it is critical to make sure the mint is growing and waiting to be planted. As soon as you can see the roots from below. You can sprinkle some fine grain compost into the mix. This compost will feed the plants and help them grow bigger. I did this about 10 days into rooting this set.

This is what it looks like when it is ready to be transplanted into a planting pot or ground. ensure good drainage but also it must have good soil that retain some moisture. Mint and other herbs just love moist soil with good drainage. Dry soil will make it week and impedes growth. hence perpetuating the growth for future harvest will be difficult. 

They look nice and strong and green and perky. All the qualities of a nice healthy and ready to transplant herb. 

As a footnote, this little box has been sitting outside on my window sill. In is under the verandah. has bright light and not exposed to any direct sun or rain. It thrives on this bright light.

Good Luck in your own attempt. Let me know of your success or failure and we will work at it together. Till the next post... Happy GardeningY'all