Pineapple Sage can be propagated by cuttings. You can find out here when the best time is, what you need and how to proceed.
The benefits of pineapple sage (Salvia rutilans) are obvious. The spice plant is easy to care for, attractive, robust and vigorous. So it makes sense to try the propagation of pineapple sage. The hobby gardener will achieve good results and can enrich his herb garden with young plants or simply give away the aromatic spice plant. We will now tell you how the cultivation is guaranteed to succeed.
Propagating pineapple sage by cuttings
The plants can be propagated with the help of cuttings. This is the most common method of plant propagation in pineapple sage. Even laypeople can try it and grow new plants in just a few simple steps.
When is the right time
You should bring some patience with you. The cuttings are cut in late summer. The cuttings then hibernate indoors, where they have enough time to root well. Next spring the young plant will have developed to the point where it can be planted outdoors in a bucket or outdoors.
What is required?
■ pineapple sage■ sharp knife
■ jars■ Foil
■ Planters
■ Substrate
How is the cutting cut?
First, a well-developed plant is needed. If there are several well-developed shoots, several cuttings can also be cut without any problems. This increases the guarantee of success and also allows you to grow vigorous plants by placing several rooted cuttings in a planter.
Cuttings are taken from shoots that are not yet woody. The knife is applied at an angle a little more than one centimeter below a knot.
➔ Tip: A sharp knife should be used to ensure a smooth cutting edge. Furthermore, the cutting tools must be sterilized with alcohol.
The cutting should be between eight and ten centimeters long. In the lower area, which will later be underground, are all the leaves andto remove any buds so that these parts of the plant do not rot later in the ground. The leaves remaining in the upper third are cut in half so the plant can save energy and concentrate fully on rooting.
What happens next with the cutting?
In order to root the cuttings as quickly as possible, they are first placed in a glass with water. The water level should be about two inches.
➔ Tip: The cuttings root faster if pasture water is used instead of tap water.
Warning:
The water in the glasses should be changed daily.
The development of the roots can be observed well on a bright and warm window seat. The glasses are to be provided with foil or a glass cover.
After about two weeks, the first roots appear. Leave the cuttings in the glass of water until the roots have reached a length of about two centimetres.
Potting pineapple sage cuttings - step by step
- Provide planters
- Have substrate ready
- Take the cuttings out of the water glass
- Fill the potting soil into the planter
- Pot the cutting in the middle
- pay attention to the tender roots
- Fill up potting soil
- Press the base lightly
You can use a separate planter for each cutting or place several cuttings in a larger plant pot. A sufficient planting distance should be maintained, otherwise the plants will hinder each other and lag behind in growth. Conventional potting soil is suitable as a substrate. This can be mixed with compost or made more permeable by adding coarse sand, thus ensuring that the irrigation water can drain away easily.
Pineapple sage - overview of cuttings propagation
| Measure | Explanation |
| Cutting | ▶ The cuttings are cut in late summer. ▶ The cut is made from a shoot that has not yet lignified. ▶ A cutting should be between eight and ten centimeters long. ▶ The cut is at an angle, just below a knot. |
| Prepare the cuttings | ▶ All leaves and any buds are removed from the lower third of the cutting. ▶ Any leaves remaining in the upper area are halved. ▶ First, the cutting is not planted, but in one Water glass rooted. ▶ The water should be changed every day. ▶ Rooting takes about two weeks and will be accelerated by using willow water. |
| Plant cuttings | ▶ When the roots have reached a length of about two centimetres, the cuttings are placed in planters. ▶ Potting soil can be used as substrate. ▶ The cuttings are overwintered in a light and warm place and has grown into a vigorous plant in spring. |
What should be considered when caring for the cuttings?
The cuttings are now overwintered in the planter. This is done in a bright and warm location, away from direct sunlight. The substrate should be kept slightly moist evenly. Less is more here, because the earth must not be soaked. This would attack the roots and cause the plant to die.
Tip:
Pineapple sage grows quite quickly. Therefore, the plant pots should be checked during the winter, if the roots are sticking out of the plant pot, they have to be repotted and the plant pot was probably too small.
What happens to the young plant after winter?
A well-developed young plant should have emerged over the winter. It is easy to check whether the plants have developed a strong root system by pulling on the plant. If a clear resistance is felt here, a stable root ball can be assumed.
After the ice saints, from mid-May, the young plants can move outdoors. There are options for planting in tubs or planting out directly outdoors.
➔ Tip: Pineapple sage is not hardy and should be kept in a bright and cool winter quarters indoors in autumn.