rosemary

[tracy]

hi guys i have a well establised rosemary that i need to move i intend to take some cuttings in case the worst happens and it doesnt make it !!! my 2 questions are one do the cuttings root in water ok or is rooting powder best and two has anyone moved a large rosemary before ie will it survive the move and any tips on how to move it ah i think that is more than two questions never mind
cheers tracy

[BrideXIII]

Cutting:

dead easy to root in water, just cut a 4 inch peice, pale green so its new growth, carefully strip the leaves back from the bottom half, stand several in a glass of water and leave on the kitchen windowsill, change water once a week, and soon you will have rootlets, I do this all year round, although they are slower in the winter.

as for moving one, never tried it to be honest so can't comment.

[rustylady]

Never tried rosemary cuttings in water, Bride. Do my fuchsias and bizzy lizzies that way with good results. Have always done rosemary and lavender with hardwood cuttings in pots of sandy compost. Will definitely try your way - do you think it would work for lavender too?

[tracy]

thanks have taken about 10 cuttings and will try to move the plant next weekend i plan to give it a reaaly good soak before i do and lets hope eh i would be gutted if i lost it
cheers tracy

[crazy_red]

Hi Tracy,

I moved a very large, twenty year old rosemary and it was fine!!

It's really best done in spring when it warms up, apparently. But sometimes needs must, if you have to move it now, bearing in mind that i'm no expert, I would suggest:

prep new hole first, so old plant is out of ground for shortest time possible;
fill planting hole with water and let it soak in;
dig up plant with as much rootball as poss;
re-plant straight away, firm in really well (high winds cause rocking which can uproot it);
mulch

Then say nice things to it and cross fingers

Oh, and of course choose a frost-free day when ground isn't frozen to move it and, odd as it sounds in winter, check regularly to make sure it doesn't dry out.
If it seems to need to water, do it on a non-frosty day in morning, avoid wetting foliage.

At least that's how I did mine .

Hope this helps.

Good luck!

[BrideXIII]

Never tried rosemary cuttings in water, Bride. Do my fuchsias and bizzy lizzies that way with good results. Have always done rosemary and lavender with hardwood cuttings in pots of sandy compost. Will definitely try your way - do you think it would work for lavender too?

never tried lavender, the stuff hates me whatever i do , let me know how you get on if you try it.

[crazy_red]

Hi again Tracy,

According to my friend Arthur, there is apparently a method called 'stooling' that you can use for thyme, rosemary, lavender etc.

It is more a propagation technique or if something has gone leggy but he reckons you could adapt it to transplanting to increase your chances of success.

It involves planting so the lower branches are covered, encouraging new roots to form (i think!).

I'm sure some brainy Grape could tell you exactly what he means......

Red x

[BrideXIII]

Hi again Tracy,

According to my friend Arthur, there is apparently a method called 'stooling' that you can use for thyme, rosemary, lavender etc.

It is more a propagation technique or if something has gone leggy but he reckons you could adapt it to transplanting to increase your chances of success.

It involves planting so the lower branches are covered, encouraging new roots to form (i think!).

I'm sure some brainy Grape could tell you exactly what he means......

Red x

well i get the gist of it, i'll let you know in the spring, wehn we put the raised borders in this year i had to avoid digging up the lavender, so the bottom 1/3 which was quite leggy is now under soil, it seems to be doing just fine. I assume what he means is digging it up, digging down into the hole, and then replanting it so that the bare part is now underground.
this should work ok if you are careful, as layering is often used to propogate lavender.

[tracy]

thanks for all the advice i dont think frost will be a problem cause of where i live..i will try to do that stooling idea sounds sensible..then obviously say kind words to it and maybe even sing it a happy song! er is that going to far....!
cheers tracy

[FionaH]

If I sang to my plants Id kill em! Been caught chatting to them though

[aud]

I have moved a big rosemary before now, i cut it back and its doing fine But i moved mine early spring. I have taken cutting from the base of the plant before, because i seem to get many small plants pop up next to the large plant.

[tracy]

silly question when did you cut it back before you moved it ? or after ?

[maytreefrannie]

Cutting:

dead easy to root in water, just cut a 4 inch peice, pale green so its new growth, carefully strip the leaves back from the bottom half, stand several in a glass of water and leave on the kitchen windowsill, change water once a week, and soon you will have rootlets, I do this all year round, although they are slower in the winter.

as for moving one, never tried it to be honest so can't comment.

Thanks Bride, I've started off some rosemary shoots following your directions - they're on the kitchen windowsill, not rooted yet but looking good.

[Mcbee]

Stooling sounds a bit like layering!

[aud]

silly question when did you cut it back before you moved it ? or after ?

er...

before i moved it.........i had to think about that then