I have a 20 x 20 community garden. I purchased a number of plants, but being on a budget I wanted more plants than I could buy. Several ways to handle this are to grow from seed, make cuttings from existing plants, or layer existing plants to create 'children.'
When I was planting the oregano I noticed that it had gotten a little leggy. The late start to the season this year meant that plants stayed in small pots on the patio waiting to be planted far longer than normal. In the case of the oregano instead of a compact low growing plant you normally see, it had long branches. I decided I could use this "stretching," as it is called to my advantage by taking the legs or branches of the plant and rooting them to create new plants. This technique is called layering.
Layering
Layering is taking the branch of an existing plant and without cutting it from the mother plant, bury it in soil and allow it to create a new root system. Later you cut it from the mother plant and have a new plant you can transplant to another location in the garden. The oregano with its long branches was perfect for this. I planted the plant at an angle so the long branches laid along the soil. I chose two longer healthy branches to use for layer and trimmed off the other long branches. I used the clippings to make spaghetti sauce with that night.
You need a sharp knife or blade to do layering and sometimes a device to hold the branch down against the soil. I keep my clippers very sharp for cutting herbs so this was the perfect tool to use for this task. I made a slit in the bottom side of the branch. The slit was then laid in the dirt and covered with soil.
Because the soil is rich and dense and the plant was placed at an angle to begin with, I did not need anything to hold the branch down in the soil. However, if you are using an established plant and bending the branch down to the soil against its desire to reach toward the sun, a bit of help will be needed to hold the plant down. A bent paperclip or hairpin work wonders.
I chose to layer two different branches on this oregano plant. Once the soil was in place I gently watered it, being careful not to wash away the soil covering my cut area. I then trimmed all the reaming long branches to keep the plant bushy and to give these two longer branches less competition for nutrients. Still connected to the mother plant, these branches will get extra food from that plant until they develop a root system of their own. This should take about 2 weeks. It is important to keep the soil moist to encourage the root growth.
You can see the two branches lying in the soil and the mother plant, now trimmed. In a week I will revisit this so you can see the signs it is working.
More about Italian Oregano
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| Italian Oregano (Origanum x majoricum) |
Layering
Layering is taking the branch of an existing plant and without cutting it from the mother plant, bury it in soil and allow it to create a new root system. Later you cut it from the mother plant and have a new plant you can transplant to another location in the garden. The oregano with its long branches was perfect for this. I planted the plant at an angle so the long branches laid along the soil. I chose two longer healthy branches to use for layer and trimmed off the other long branches. I used the clippings to make spaghetti sauce with that night.
You need a sharp knife or blade to do layering and sometimes a device to hold the branch down against the soil. I keep my clippers very sharp for cutting herbs so this was the perfect tool to use for this task. I made a slit in the bottom side of the branch. The slit was then laid in the dirt and covered with soil.
Because the soil is rich and dense and the plant was placed at an angle to begin with, I did not need anything to hold the branch down in the soil. However, if you are using an established plant and bending the branch down to the soil against its desire to reach toward the sun, a bit of help will be needed to hold the plant down. A bent paperclip or hairpin work wonders.
I chose to layer two different branches on this oregano plant. Once the soil was in place I gently watered it, being careful not to wash away the soil covering my cut area. I then trimmed all the reaming long branches to keep the plant bushy and to give these two longer branches less competition for nutrients. Still connected to the mother plant, these branches will get extra food from that plant until they develop a root system of their own. This should take about 2 weeks. It is important to keep the soil moist to encourage the root growth.
You can see the two branches lying in the soil and the mother plant, now trimmed. In a week I will revisit this so you can see the signs it is working.
More about Italian Oregano
- Light: Full sun to part shadeType: Perennial in zones 5 to 10Planting time: Spring, fallFeatures: Strongly aromatic and flavorful, dark green leaves, small white flowersSoil: Moist but well drained, pH 6.5 to 8Plant spacing: 12 to 18 inches apartPlant size: 12 to 18 inches tallGarden use: Herb garden, containersPlant use: Major ingredient in Italian cuisine
- Savor classic Italian cuisine with the flavorful leaves of this oregano. An easy-growing plant for the garden or container, Italian oregano hails from the Mediterranean region. It thrives with lower humidity and well-drained soil. In the garden, use this oregano as an edging plant. Plants spread when happy, rooting along the stems. Harvest leaves or stems anytime during the growing season. Flavor is most intense just before plants flower. Trim plants often to keep flower formation at bay.
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