I was asked in a PM how I go about taking salvia cuttings, and since it’s of general interest, I thought I’d post my response in the open forum. (Also, photos can’t be attached to PMs as far as I can tell).

The attached photo shows how a cutting with two nodes would be taken from a large salvia plant. From each node on a cutting, there are two potential branches. So a cutting with 2 nodes will have up to 4 branches. A 3-node cutting could be taken, but it’s rare for all 6 possible branches to form. Here are the steps:

First, cut off the top of the branch. The top will NOT be used as a cutting – it will grow too slow and produce only a single branch.

Next, cut off below the second node, right above the third node. In the photo, it shows the cut higher on the branch than it should be – I did this just to make the cut line clear.

Snap off the large leaves – hold the cutting gently by the stem, grab a leaf and give it a quick pull down. It should snap off without damaging the side shoot.

Immediately put the cutting in water. I provide support for my cuttings so they don’t tip over and damage the side shoots (I use “twisty ties” taped to the sides of the glass used for rooting.)

Keep water level constant, slightly below the second node (the node closest to the bottom.) After 10-14 days, roots should emerge. I let the roots get about an inch long before transplanting into soil. If all goes well, the cutting in the photo should produce a plant with 3 or 4 nice branches.

thank you for that gibran2 but I need get the plant first Its not easy to get it in UK and the guy I know who sell salvia plants here is very expensive.

I like that plant it looks so good I hope I will be able to get hold of one one day.

There is a other guy who would send me a cut but he does not know how. I did pm you about it but did not get any answer. Do you have any experience with sending it as well ?

Thanks gibran - I love the pictures you post...very helpful.

Just to be clear...when the cutting is in the water, there are no nodes underwater?

I totally trust you because you obviously produce such beautiful plants, but the accepted wisdom is that you should make your bottom cut just below a node - is that complete nonsense, then?

Thanks - really appreciate your help (...just made some tincture from my plant's leaves last week, which was very pleasing, and very effective ).

I have no experience mailing cuttings, but if an unrooted cutting is wrapped in damp paper towels and then wrapped in plastic, it should survive for a few days.


That’s correct – no nodes in the water.
I always make the cut just above a node. It roots in 10-14 days. (I don’t think it really matters too much where the cut is made - salvia roots very easily.)

Very helpful thread. You're the man gibran

Gibran, thank you so much for posting this information and for being so thorough with your explanation. The picture helps a great deal. I will be putting this knowledge to good use this evening. Many blessings!

Just out of curiosity, why the necessity to cut in that order? I don't always lop the tops off (and I understand why it is done), but when I do I do so after I put it in a glass of water, so I am just wondering if the designation 1st and 2nd cuts are arbitrary or have a horticultural explanation.

Thanks again Gibran, always informative and clear posts and teks!

JBArk

No particular reason. When I take cuttings, it’s always done in conjunction with harvesting the entire plant. So I remove all of the branches from their base, remove all the big leaves, and then make the two cuts. Depending on the length of a branch, it’s possible to get up to 3 good 2-3 node cuttings. So a plant with 5 large healthy branches can yield up to 15 cuttings!

Thanks! I wish my plants and cuttings looked as healthy as yours - I have been battling white flies, aphids AND spider mites for over a year now - they come in waves, even indoors in the winter. I think I am finally getting a leg up though!

JBArk

For your viewing pleasure, I've attached a photo I just took of my largest plant (put in soil around March 25th). It's three feet tall and about 3.5 feet wide and has 5 branches. In another month, it should be over 4 feet tall and close to harvest. (Photo taken from the shady side of the plant.)

... great, thanks - now I have to both hang my head in shame

... and change my shorts !!

JBArk

WOW!!! That's an amazing plant! Just curious do you use that same sized pot for the whole life of the plant. What size pot is it?

It looks kinda small to me but then again your plants speak for themselves...

very nice gibran,really..beautyfull plant there!

Yes, it stays in the same pot up until harvest time. (By the time I harvest, the plant is quite pot-bound – see attached photo of a plant harvested last summer.) Growth begins to slow when the plant gets pot bound – that’s the sign it’s time to harvest.

edit: The pot is 8" tall and 7" in diameter.

One more photo and a short story:

If you've grown salvia, you know that once a branch gets to a certain size, it will easily snap off the plant unless supported in some way. I have a plant whose branches are getting bigger, and I was planning on tying them "soon". Well, it wasn't soon enough, and this morning I found a branch had snapped off.

So I took a series of photos to show how I take a cutting. The attached image says it all I think.

Very informative Gibran2, and it's true your salvia are very healthy !! They love it there.
Which strain is it if you know ?

Hofmann-Wasson

This elegant thread has been really helpful for me, and a lovely place to come and look at healthy plants! Thanks for taking the trouble. Not only do you raise beautiful plants, you take a gorgeous photo as well!

Hey gibran,

Just curious what kind of soil do you use for your plants. Also do you use any kind of fertilizer? If so what kind and how often?

I use Miracle Grow Moisture Control Potting Mix and I fertilize with a bit of Miracle Grow all-purpose plant food once every 2-3 weeks.