*short 6 days update here: https://steemit.com/gardening/@costopher/cloned-mint-6-days-update-and-more
It's always nice to have a little pot of mint, basil, rosemary, 'insert herb name here' around the house ready for you to pick whenever you want. They take little space, can live on the windowsill and most of all, they look good and are delicious.
Multiplying or cloning a shop bought plant is really easy and it can be a great little experiment to try out with children as well.
The easiest method is the one I'm going to show you and it works just fine with most herbs. I find that basil can be a bit tricky, getting a lower rate of successful clones but 1 out of a few is still a new plant I get for free so it's no biggie.
My pineapple mint needed a haircut and the cuttings were used to make new plants.
I cut the stems just above a leaf node and then I take off the bottom leaves, you want the stem to be a couple of inches long.
Then you take them, put them in a mug/jar/glass with plain water and forget about them for a few days. A mug is better as it blocks out sunlight; the roots don't really like growing in the light.
In a few days the cuttings will start growing tiny roots. Mint sets new roots really fast; other plants might take a bit longer but in about a week you should see the first signs.
Then you take some containers, fill them up with the soil of your choice (I used coco coir here) and you just drop the little cuttings in there; pat the soil down a bit to make sure there aren't any big air pockets and you're pretty much done.
Now all you need is to give your new plants a few days for their roots to set in the soil and you can use them. After you can see new growth simply top them, cut their main stem just above a leaf node. It might seem drastic but you're going to get a stronger healthier plant. Also, you're basically doubling it, whenever you cut a stem, 2 new ones will start growing between the leaf and the stem. You can actually play architect with your plant, making it grow in particular patterns.
In this pic you can see the new stems growing wherever I cut one of the old one.
That's about it. Happy cloning!
Thanks
Cos