How to cut and multiply sage
Sage, with the Latin name Salvia, is a member of the labiate plant family. It is a low-maintenance plant that thrives in sunny conditions. The Salvia species can be found across the globe and encompasses over 800 diverse varieties. True Sage, renowned for its delightful aroma and valuable essential oils, serves both culinary and medicinal purposes. When properly situated in a garden, sage can expand across multiple square meters due to its spreading nature.
Pruning sage during early spring is recommended. If the leaves are trimmed before winter, the plant may struggle to survive the cold season. In February, it is advisable to cut back the shoots to approximately 5 cm. Following the pruning process, as weather conditions improve, the sage will generate fresh sprouts and become denser in growth. It is important to note that if new shoots have already emerged prior to planning the pruning, it is best to refrain from any further trimming.
If you want more of the perfumy sage in your garden, a multiplication via cuttings is best.
This is quite easy. The best time for the multiplication of sage is from July to the late summer. The plant should not bloom. Otherwise, you should remove the flowers and buds. After the sage has grown new shoots and leaves in spring, you can use the fresh sage leaves for a sage tea, for example, or to flavour meals.
First, use a sharp knife to cut off a young shoot approximately 6 centimeters below the leaf crown. Then strip off the lower leaves so that the cutting is left with at least three pairs of leaves. Now plant the cutting into compost soil and water it carefully. Make sure that the soil is always moist. Since the cutting will grow even better when humidity is high, you can use half a plastic bottle as a greenhouse and place it over the pot with the cutting carefully. Should the bottle get steamed up, simply turn off the lid. When the cutting has built roots and grown stronger, it can be planted from the pot directly into the bed outside.
You can also put a cutting, right after having cut it off the sage plant, into a glass of water.
After about 2 weeks the cutting should have developed sufficient roots so that it can be planted directly into the soil.
