How to Root Basil

3 Materials
1 Week
Easy

Basil is the most popular herb grown, and it's easy to root more plants for yourself or friends!

First, take some cuttings from your growing basil plant. (Use a good pair of pruning shears.) These can be simple cuttings from pruning. The more you prune, the larger and more abundant your plant will be! (Check out how to prune basil here.) Be sure the stem of your cutting is at least a few inches long.

Next, grab a clear jar or glass and fill halfway with water. Take your cut end of basil and place it in the jar so that the end is submerged in the water, but none of the leaves are touching the water. (You may need to remove a few lower leaves if they're too close to the water.)


Allow cutting to sit in the water for 5-10 days, refreshing the water every few days, and checking to make sure the end of the cutting is still touching water.

Place cutting in water and wait.

After 5-10 days, your cutting should have at least one small root growing from the bottom of the cut end! You can leave your cutting in the water for a longer amount of time if you're not quite ready to plant or gift to a friend or neighbor. But once the root reaches 2 inches or longer, it is ready to be planted.


Keep in mind the environment that your plant has been in. If you've kept the cutting inside during the rooting process, be sure to give it time to acclimate to the outdoors before leaving it out there full time.


Small root showing after only 5 days!

Enjoy rooting new basil plants from what you already have!

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Courtney |The Kitchen Garten
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  3 questions
  • JeanMarie Sullivan JeanMarie Sullivan on Jul 29, 2018

    I wonder what other herbs can be doe this way?

  • Jan Jan on Aug 23, 2018

    WhaT is the wall color on the room? Is it beige, gray or latte? Whatever it is, I love it!

  • Is it possible to have too much basil? The answer is a resounding NO!! 😂😂

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  • Jeanienne Jeanienne on Aug 07, 2019

    I have basil in my freezer for the next year. But I always let them sit in water for 2 or so weeks for more roots and I mean alot of roots and I put it where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade, i live in south Carolina so its pretty hot here, it seems to grow better and bigger that way

  • Gabrielle Falk Gabrielle Falk on May 05, 2020

    I actually discovered this trick by accident! I accidentally broke off a stem of basil, and just put it in the top of one of my outside pots, with a little fountain (solar powered). Never thought any more about it, until I discovered that the broken stem, had indeed sprouted a multitude of roots. Have planted with my mint; but it's starting to get cold so what I've done in the past with other plants (ferns) etc., is put some little stakes around the plant, and wrap plastic film around it and over the top; just watering from underneath. That is until one of my little dogs, Wendy (a Tibetan spaniel) finds the sticks and pulls them out!

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