Do you have any large, uncontrolled container herbs? Not
sure what to do with overgrown herbs such as these? Keep reading because there
are a few things that you can do to solve your out of control plants.
Managing Unruly Herbs
If your indoor herbs are too big, there are a few things
that you can do. Some of the options include pruning them back, propagating
them, and providing better indoor growing conditions to encourage stronger
growth.
Prune Back Overgrown Herb Plants
Don’t be afraid to prune back your plants if your indoor
herbs are too big. You can use the clippings for cooking or to make tea.
Pruning your herbs will keep them growing well, which means more for you to
use!
Pruning them back will also delay the plant from going to
seed, which means more leaves for you to use too. Herbs like basil
and cilantro
are grown for their leaves, so if you prune back the plants, they will produce
more leaves for you to use.
Propagate Your Herbs
You can take advantage of any overgrown herb plants by
propagating them to give to friends, or to make more for your garden or new
pots.
Propagating
herbs is very easy. Herbs like basil,
sage,
oregano
and rosemary
are easy to root from tip cuttings. Simply snip the cuttings right below the
node. The node is where the leaves meet the stem and where rooting will occur.
Cuttings are best taken on newer growth, so late spring to early summer is
ideal.
Remove any of the lower leaves, and insert into a moist
potting mix. You can also use moist perlite or vermiculite. If you prefer water
propagation, this is an option too. It is best to increase the humidity as
cuttings are rooting, so place them in a plastic bag, or enclose them under a
plastic dome, but be careful not to let the leaves touch the plastic.
Within a short time, your cuttings should root. Keep them in
a warm, but shaded, area while rooting.
Divide Your Herbs
If you have uncontrolled container herbs and you don’t want
to take cuttings, you can simply take your plant out of the pot and divide the
herbs at the roots to make new plants. This way, you don’t have to wait for
rooting to occur and you can easily pot up the divisions in new pots.
If your herbs are leggy and weak, be sure to prune them back
a bit to encourage new growth.
Give Your Herbs More Light
If you are growing your herbs indoors and they are weak and
leggy, chances are that they need more light. Light intensity indoors is much
weaker than outdoors, even in a sunny window. Herbs need a lot of sunshine
indoors in order to grow strong. So choose a window that has several hours of
sunshine.
If you do not have enough sun indoors, considering using
artificial light for 14-16 hours a day.
Do you have any large, uncontrolled container herbs? Not
sure what to do with overgrown herbs such as these? Keep reading because there
are a few things that you can do to solve your out of control plants.
Managing Unruly Herbs
If your indoor herbs are too big, there are a few things
that you can do. Some of the options include pruning them back, propagating
them, and providing better indoor growing conditions to encourage stronger
growth.
Prune Back Overgrown Herb Plants
Don’t be afraid to prune back your plants if your indoor
herbs are too big. You can use the clippings for cooking or to make tea.
Pruning your herbs will keep them growing well, which means more for you to
use!
Pruning them back will also delay the plant from going to
seed, which means more leaves for you to use too. Herbs like basil
and cilantro
are grown for their leaves, so if you prune back the plants, they will produce
more leaves for you to use.
Propagate Your Herbs
You can take advantage of any overgrown herb plants by
propagating them to give to friends, or to make more for your garden or new
pots.
Propagating
herbs is very easy. Herbs like basil,
sage,
oregano
and rosemary
are easy to root from tip cuttings. Simply snip the cuttings right below the
node. The node is where the leaves meet the stem and where rooting will occur.
Cuttings are best taken on newer growth, so late spring to early summer is
ideal.
Remove any of the lower leaves, and insert into a moist
potting mix. You can also use moist perlite or vermiculite. If you prefer water
propagation, this is an option too. It is best to increase the humidity as
cuttings are rooting, so place them in a plastic bag, or enclose them under a
plastic dome, but be careful not to let the leaves touch the plastic.
Within a short time, your cuttings should root. Keep them in
a warm, but shaded, area while rooting.
Divide Your Herbs
If you have uncontrolled container herbs and you don’t want
to take cuttings, you can simply take your plant out of the pot and divide the
herbs at the roots to make new plants. This way, you don’t have to wait for
rooting to occur and you can easily pot up the divisions in new pots.
If your herbs are leggy and weak, be sure to prune them back
a bit to encourage new growth.
Give Your Herbs More Light
If you are growing your herbs indoors and they are weak and
leggy, chances are that they need more light. Light intensity indoors is much
weaker than outdoors, even in a sunny window. Herbs need a lot of sunshine
indoors in order to grow strong. So choose a window that has several hours of
sunshine.
If you do not have enough sun indoors, considering using
artificial light for 14-16 hours a day.