Growing Salvia Divinorum for Purposes of Cloning
Follow This Easy Step-by-step Guide to Grow Salvia Plants for Clones
Aug 7, 2008
Once you have a rooted Salvia plant growing in soil, place it in a bright area with little or no direct sunlight.
Propagating Salvia
If growing outdoors, keep the plant bushy by pinching all growth tips with more than two nodes. Once the secondary stem has elongated to a length of three inches it can be cut close to the primary stem and it is ready to be rooted (see Growing Salvia Clones).
When growing indoors, an effective method of propagating salvia is to allow the mother plant to elongate along its main stem up to a length as wide as the pot it is growing in. The stem then bends naturally toward the soil and will grow roots along its length.
Salvia Indoor Cloning Method
- Choose a rectangular or long oval pot. The pot should be at least 20 inches long, but need to be only about six inches wide.
- Fill with loose soil that retains a good deal of moisture. Hummus or watering crystals can be used.
- Place the mother plant at one end of the pot, leaving a long, empty space.
- Put it a few feet away from a southern facing window that provides bright light but not direct sunlight. The empty end of the pot should be placed closest to the window.
The mother plant will rise a few feet tall but, due to phototropism, will bend towards the window. If it does not grow perfectly horizontal that is fine. Unless the stem is exceptionally thick and stubborn or the plant does not have many leaves, no interference is necessary. This is how Salvia naturally propagates in the wild.
If the stem is leaning but not growing close enough to the soil, you can rest a small weight on top. Rubber bands or paper clips are good for this purpose. Add the weights slowly (one per hour or so). The goal is to not break the stem but to gently bend it until it touches the soil.
When a significant amount of the stem is touching the dirt, cover it lightly with soil and rotate the pot away from the window. It helps to leave just the very top of the stem exposed above the soil. Keep the area of contact moist by misting or watering lightly every few days.
Within a week, there should be some rotation of the leaves toward the window. The plant will root along the main stem and send up secondary shoots – these make excellent clones.
After this the plant will go through periods of growth and stem browning in odd spaces. At some point it will be necessary to retire this mother plant because healthier clones could be obtained from previously cloned plants.
About Salvia
Salvia Divinorum is a member of the mint family (Labiateae). It has a square stem and spends most of its time in vegetative growth. It can reach heights of up to six feet. The two accepted strains of salvia are Blosser and Hofmann & Watson. It is impossible to tell them apart visually, although the Hofmann & Wasson strain may have a more bitter taste to it. For more information, see Growing Salvia Indoors or Outside and Growing Salvia Divinorum Clones.
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