How do you feel if you don’t have to visit the store to get chives, instead visit your backyard to harvest fresh Chives to make your dish delicious?
It’s amazing! I know this is why you’re here to grow chives at home.
There are two main ways by which you can grow this herb, one if through seeds which takes time obviously, and second method is through propagation.
Can Chives be grown from cuttings?
Chives are not stems which can develop roots, even if you soak in water.
It is difficult to grow chives from cuttings. But, don’t worry you can propagate by root clump diversion.
To grow chives from existing plant, you’ve to separate the clump and transplant it to another container or garden. While separating, ensure that the new plant do have strong and long roots.
Chives deliver a unique sense of pleasure and comfort to those who look at them. Having chives planted in your backyard is something that everyone wants.
However, it is easier said than done. This is because chive plants have a lot of expectations from their gardeners that are required to be met.
While watering it right, giving it a good potting mixture and fertilization are some of them, most people are stuck in the part where they have to harvest chives and expect new plants to sprout from these cuttings.
If you are someone who is looking to grow chives from cuttings, this article is for you. We’ll be discussing a guided step by step procedure to grow chives from cuttings, and a few other tips to keep your plant happy.
Growing chives from cuttings is a pretty common practice, and while there are plenty of methods that people suggest to grow them from cuttings, we have accumulated the best for you. Read to know more.
Also Read: How To Grow Cilantro (Coriander) From Cuttings?
How to Grow Chives from Cuttings?
If you put chives cutting in water or soil in a hope that roots may pop-up, you may fail miserably.
Instead, separate the root clump from the existing chives plant and transplant it indoors or in a container.
However, if you are doing it for the first time, you might need some assistance as to how one should go about it.
It all starts from harvesting the chive plants using the right techniques. Most people are quick to lose hope or give negative decisions about the ability of chives to grow from cuttings.
However, if you want to grow it successfully, you should be aware of the do’s and don’ts as and when you begin the harvesting process.
Also Read: How To Grow Mint From Cuttings?
Step-by-Step Method to Regrow Chives from Cuttings
Regrowing chives from cuttings is a complicated process. But with the right information and some experience, you cannot get it wrong. Here is a step by step guide to regrow chives from cuttings.
Step 1: Start Harvesting Chives
No one can tell you when is the best time to harvest your garlic chive plants. You have to keep a track of their progress in an attempt to do so.
Usually, chives are ready to be harvested once their shoots reach the height of at least 6 inches. In order for chives to reach this height, you need to give them 1 to 2 months.
Step 2: Do not hesitate to harvest frequently!
No, you won’t leave your chive plants in a bad condition if you keep harvesting them time and again. It does not work like this.
The forgiving nature of these plants allow you to harvest them many times, thus giving you a lot of chive cuttings to choose from.
Also Read: How to Propagate Broccoli?
Step 3: Removing the flowers
Do not let your chive plant leave a trail of seeds behind, or soon, you’ll see a lot of chive plants growing in your backyard.
Make sure that you remove the flowers before you set them for regrowing purposes. Flowers that have bloomed to their fullest potential can be pruned and used in salads or other cooking purposes.
If you want to, you can also throw away these flowers. But, this is the most time saving method that ensures zero wastage of your yield.
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Step 4: The Final Stage
Collect all the chive cuttings in one place and divide them into batches. Next, hold one batch together, in a way that they do not remain uneven in length.
Put them down to the soil level and cut the clump using a sharp pruning shear. Trim these clumps up upto 2 inches above the ground level.
Next, dilute a balanced fertilizer in water, put them in a spray bottle and spray it on the trimmed cuttings of your plant. Repeat the same with other batches of chives cuttings.
Water them mildly, not in a way to wash out the fertilizer. Leave them as they are and come back after a period of 3 to 4 weeks to meet your newly grown garlic chive produced from cuttings.
Also Read: How to Grow Thyme from Cuttings?
How to Store Chives?
Storing plants in the right manner helps us maintain its sanctity for a long time, thereby helping it thrive in the long run. In the following actions, we’ll be considering two things. Let us begin!
Storing Chive Cuttings
If you have just harvested your chive plant and want to store it for further use or for purposes of regrowing chives from these cuttings, here is how to store them.
One simple way of storing chives cuttings is to take a normal glass of water and fill it close to the brim of the glass. Next, put your cuttings in the glass such that they are completely immersed in water.
That’s it! This simple method is the easiest to keep your chive cuttings from getting damaged. One consideration while storing the chives cuttings in water is to change the after every few days.
Keeping cuttings in the same set of water for long is not a healthy option. Another trick is to constantly watch the growth of the cuttings. If the stems start to look scrappy, take a pair of scissors and trim them a little from the end.
Also Read: How Often to Water Pepper Plants?
Trimming scrappy stem growth promotes healthier growth. This is especially helpful if the cutting is used to regrow chives.
Remember, any alterations during the storage process can severely mess up the entire task of regrowing new chives from those plants. While your plant cuttings are stored, they remain healthy and more able to give good results.
Also Read: Growing Sweet Potatoes from Scraps
Storing Regrown Chives
If you are able to regrow chives from chives cuttings, congratulations! But don’t take the breath of relief now! The tough part is over, but another important step is still left.
To ensure that the regrown chives plants remain perfect in the long run, make sure to introduce them to a good habitat.
A good habitat includes a good amount of watering, ample amount of sunlight, fertilizers, and so much more. Do not try and overdo things in an attempt to make things right. It can do more harm than good.
Prepare a potting soil and add peat moss and perlite to ensure good drainage properties in the potting mixture. Next, plant them in soil and water it for some days consistently.
Once the bulb starts to form, slow down the watering process and fertilize it regularly to get good results.
Once the chives become ready to harvest, do not keep them in the potting mix for long. Instead, prune them out immediately, chop them, and use them for whatever purpose you like.
If you want to preserve chives before consuming them, you can do so by layering them and giving them time to dry.
Spread them over a baking tray and turn them over once in a while to keep them ventilated from both sides.
Do not keep them under direct sunlight. Once they are dried out completely, pick them up and store them in airtight containers for future use. Note that they shouldn’t be used after a week of storage.
Also Read: How to Grow Zucchini from Scraps?
Can I Regrow Chives in Water?
Regrowing chives in water is the simplest option for regrowing chives. In fact, most people list chives as the herb that can be regrown forever, provided that we don’t mess with its itinerary.
Long answer short, yes, there is a way of regrowing chives in water and many people opt for it. Here is a way of how you can do it too.
One of the most convenient ways of regrowing chives in water is to take a glass or a shallow dish, fill it with water and place the chives clove in the dish.
Be sure to not submerge the entire chive clove in the water or it will lead to root rot and other plant and leaf damage.
Wait for a few days to see beautiful results. If you do not see any visible change, replace the water and check after a week.
Also Read: How to: Growing Leeks from Scraps?
Regrowing Old Chives in Water
If you have old garlic chives available, you can regrow them in water too. Follow the aforementioned trick and place the chives in water for a few days.
If you see your old garlic chive cloves sprouting, do not throw them or treat them as waste. You can place it in water and regrow it as a brand new plant.
Regrowing chives in water is easier as compared to soil. The rate of growth is high. It follows this pattern while growing. Starting from garlic scapes to roots to shoots.
You know what to do when the green stems have fully formed. Use them in salad dressings, to enhance the aroma of your personal space or for any other purpose you like. It is very easy.
Conclusion
If you are a beginner gardener and are looking for something easy to grow, your search ends at chives. They are perfect to grow as they do not attract pests and other diseases, and dispense the gardeners with easy watering and other caring measures.
As far as the question of growing chives from cuttings is concerned, we have got you covered in the aforementioned sections.