Rosemary is incredibly resilient… truly very robust! If you have ever had the unfortunate experience of adding too much to a dish, you know that powerful flavor that overwhelms all the other ingredients and can ruin the entire meal. This is precisely what makes rosemary so unique: just a small touch is enough to infuse any dish with an intense flavor.
But let’s set aside rosemary in cooking and focus on the plant itself.
This article will guide you on how to propagate rosemary through cuttings. Yes, there are other methods, such as germinating from seeds, water propagation, or layering.
However, cuttings remain the simplest and most reliable method. So why not choose the most efficient and least demanding technique?
Propagating Rosemary in 4 Simple Steps

1. Gather the Necessary Materials
As with any plant propagation process, you will need:
A pair of scissors
Some pots
Appropriate potting soil
A mature, healthy rosemary plant
Begin by snipping vigorous, fresh stems from your mother rosemary plant. Each cutting should measure between 12 and 18 centimeters and contain several nodes—the spots where roots will eventually grow.
2. Plant the Cuttings

Once your cuttings are ready to be planted, it’s time to start potting them.
Fill a pot with potting soil and level the surface. Then place your rosemary cuttings with the base down, keeping them straight in the soil. A fairly large pot can accommodate several cuttings at once.
If you wish, a quick dip of the cuttings’ ends into rooting hormone powder can encourage faster root growth and save you time.

Another tip: you can also submerge your cuttings in clear water for 10 to 15 days to promote rooting. This significantly increases their chances of survival when transplanting to soil.
3. Watering and Care After Planting
After placing the cuttings in the soil, make sure to water regularly to keep the soil moist.
Young cuttings need a humid environment to properly develop their roots, but be careful not to overwater, as too much moisture can cause root rot.
Light exposure is also crucial. Avoid direct sunlight! Indirect light, such as that from a well-ventilated and bright room, is ideal during the rooting phase.
4. Transplanting into Larger Pots or Open Ground

Surprise: a small pot is not sufficient to grow a fully mature rosemary plant!
Once the roots have grown sufficiently, you will need to transfer the cuttings into a larger pot or directly into the garden, so they have room to grow and develop into strong, healthy plants.
Transplanting is straightforward: gently remove the cuttings, keeping the roots intact, from the initial pot, then plant them where they have more space.
After this step, exposure to direct sunlight is fine, but continue to water moderately to maintain balance.
In Conclusion
There you have it—you have successfully propagated your first rosemary plant!
From now on, you will enjoy an endless supply each year, perfect for flavoring your Christmas turkeys or enhancing soups and stews. Rosemary always adds a distinct new dimension to savory dishes. Happy growing, and you’ll thank me later!