How Hyssop is propagated
How Hyssop is propagated
Hyssop officinale (Hyssopus officinalis L.) is a herbaceous aromatic plant of the Lamiaceae family and has been cultivated since ancient times for its therapeutic properties (expectorant, digestive) and for uses in the kitchen.
Hyssop is native to southern Europe and western Asia. Hyssop, spontaneous in many mountainous areas of northern Italy, sometimes also appears in the plains in the rest of Italy.
For the propagation and cultivation of hyssop you can start from both seeds and cuttings; remember that the plant grows well on calcareous, loose soils, preferably in the hills. In addition, hyssop is a very resistant to cold and dry plants.
As far as the soil is concerned, it is not a very demanding plant, but prefers stony, rather dry and well exposed soils. Hyssop can also be successfully grown in pots.
For the details of the cultivation technique, refer to the following sheet.
Propagation by seed –
If you have to multiply the plant by seed, the optimal period for sowing is the beginning of spring, around the month of June-July in the ground seedbed or in containers.
The sowing must be carried out in a substrate composed, preferably, of two parts of sand and one of organic soil, in pots or boxes, and then planted in the period of September.
Sowing can also be carried out in the open field and in this case it is advisable to proceed by postarelle. The sixth of the plant is 70-75 cm between the rows and 30-35 cm on the row. Once the seedlings have emerged, only one plant is left, the most robust one.
Propagation by cuttings –
Agamic propagation is carried out by cuttings or also by division of tufts.
In the multiplication by division of the tufts, it is carried out in late spring, or at the beginning of autumn.
When propagating by cuttings, cuttings 5-7 cm long are taken from the basal shoots of the plants in the period of April-May.
The cuttings must be obtained with a transversal cut and with a well sharpened and disinfected blade.
At this point the basal leaves are removed and the cuttings are introduced into a substrate obtained in the same way as that used for sowing. After that the soil is compacted slightly around the cutting.
This substrate must be kept constantly humid but without stagnation for the entire period in which the cutting has to root.
When you see that the cuttings have released the first leaves, it means that these have rooted and, at that point, after a few days they can be repotted or placed directly in the open field.