basil cuttings

sinderyt151R93x17HK

what do i do wrong to them, they are looking like they are drying while in water. i want to take some cuttings and try to grow a new batch faster, but the cuttings keep dying after few days. they have light,heat and room temp water, Any ideas? 

Fairygirl

I'm not sure anyone grows basil from cuttings. Perhaps someone else has got experience of that though. 
Seed would be the usual method.

sinderyt151R93x17HK

Fairygirl said:

I'm not sure anyone grows basil from cuttings. Perhaps someone else has got experience of that though. 
Seed would be the usual method.

seed would take a few weeks longer, ive read about basil cuttings so its possible, but for me the cuttings doesnt survive to grow roots in the water and rather looks like dying

Fairygirl

Not something I've ever done I'm afraid, or would do. I'd just sow seed and wait for it 

Buttercupdays

The simplest way is to buy a pot of basil from the SM and then split it. You can then grow on the separate clumps. I'd say it is a bit early to be doing it though. It is a Mediterranean plant and needs plenty of warmth and some sun to do well. Not much of either round here at the moment!

Pete.8

I'm sure there's even less warmth and sunshine in Norway atm too.
When you take the cutting, you should snip just below a leaf joint (just a couple of mm) - that is where the new roots will grow from.
Put the cuttings in a jar/glass of water and leave them in your growing area with the led lights you use and see what happens.
I've never tried cuttings from basil as I only grow it during the summer from seed, but some people seem to have success with cuttings.

Fairygirl

Indeed @Buttercupdays!
I sow mine in March, but it stays indoors. I split the clumps, rather than pricking out. It's the best way of doing it. I also freeze some for winter use.
Never bought supermarket basil, but I know that's a good way of doing it if you want it at unfavourable times of year. 
I think @sinderyt151R93x17HK is in a cold part of the world though, so growing plants is different. Grow lights etc.
I'd have been inclined to do the method of splitting, cutting back, and growing the parent plants on separately, rather than cuttings . Seed could have been sown a while ago, and could then have taken over if the parent plants became exhausted. Would you not have considered that, sindery?

KayJ

I take cuttings from shop-bought basil plants, much quicker than seeds for me. Cut back to just below a leaf node and remove all but the top two or three leaves and the growing point, as with any cutting. Mine have always rooted in water pretty quickly, but I usually do it in the spring/summer, when temperatures and light are optimal....maybe it's just too cold or dark at the moment? Never had much luck keeping pots of basil alive on a windowsill for long over winter...

Fairygirl

I think @sinderyt151R93x17HK uses grow lights etc though, because of the location. I expect that makes a difference with growing plants of any kind. 
I certainly couldn't sow seed at this time of year without extra heat, even indoors, and I simply wouldn't do it. Even the south-ish facing kitchen would rarely be warm enough to germinate seed. Once my supplies of frozen stuff run out in winter, that's it until I sow in March.
I've never bought basil from a supermarket either, so I can't comment on how well it would work with cuttings 

KeenOnGreen

Agree with @KayJ It's super easy to grow Basil from cuttings (grown in water) taken from supermarket bought plants. We never bother with seed anymore, although it does feel a little bit like cheating.

I think it's simply too cold and dark now, which is why your cuttings are not taking. Give it another month or two, I'd say. 
 

LeadFarmer

Maybe you need to strip off a few of the leaves, as they could be putting demands on roots that haven't grown yet?

I was kindly sent an African blue basil plant by a member on here last year. I was advised to take cuttings, cut below a leaf node, strip the leaves off apart from the upper most leaves, and stand in a jar of water on the window cill. Pretty much every single cutting rooted perfectly and I ended up with quite a few plants they eventually lived outside on my patio.

I may have been a little late putting them into the greenhouse last autumn as I think a frost may have harmed them. I did then put them in the greenhouse over winter but not sure if they have survived. They had beautiful flowers all through the year and the bees loved them. Fingers crossed they have survived.