The days are warming up and it's the perfect time to get out in the garden. This week we're here to help you get more plants by using propagation.
If you're looking for an organic, natural, chemical-free option to help propagate your plants head on over to your pantry and grab a jar of honey.
Did you know that honey acts as a natural rooting stimulant?
The reason honey works well as a natural rooting hormone is because it has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.
Honey protects the cuttings from pathogens and allows the natural rooting hormones in the cutting to stimulate root growth.
Some plants will root well on their own without the need of rooting hormones, whereas other plants need a little help.
It’s rare to achieve a 100% success rate when propagating cuttings, but rooting hormones can help to increase your chances of success.
The natural antibacterial and antifungal properties in honey are destroyed when honey is heated, which is why it’s best to use Raw Honey or Manuka Honey as it has great antibacterial and anti fungal properties. Regular honey from the grocery store has been heat treated, so it won’t help with propagation.
Want to increase your chances of success - you can also add a pinch of cinnamon to the honey. Cinnamon has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties that help to protect the cutting and allows the natural rooting hormones that are found in the green growth of the cuttings to produce roots.
Today we used rosemary cuttings. I got mine from our local daycare who left rosemary out for our local community to use. You can also use the fresh rosemary you get from the supermarket. Or if you have a neighbour or friend with a rosemary bush they're normally more than happy to give you a few cuttings.
Choose a nice woody stem and make a clean cut with sharp scissors. Remove leaves from the bottom of the stem, dip in your honey, and place in some potting mix. I like to do several pieces as not all of them will take. But I've found rosemary is an easy plant to start with, and it's also a yummy addition to your garden that you can use for lots of tasty dishes.
I've also had success with propogating fruit trees and other plants this way too - just give it a go and have some fun!
