Stop Buying These Plants! Propagate Them Instead!
15 Garden Plants You Can Propagate Instead of Buying Again
If you're trying to build a productive garden without spending a fortune every season, propagation is one of the easiest skills you can learn.
Instead of buying new plants every year, many common vegetables, herbs, berries, and flowers can be grown from cuttings, divisions, runners, or slips. In many cases, one healthy plant can provide several new plants for free.
The best part? Most of these methods are beginner-friendly and require little more than a pair of clean scissors and a little patience.
Here are some of the easiest plants to propagate at home.
Basil
Simply snip a healthy stem about 4 to 6 inches long, remove the lower leaves, and place it in a glass of water. Within about a week, roots usually begin to form. Once the roots are an inch or two long, plant it in soil.
This is one of the fastest and easiest herbs to multiply.
Rosemary
Rosemary is another excellent herb for propagation.
Take a soft green cutting from new growth, remove the bottom leaves, and either root it in water or moist potting soil. Because rosemary grows more slowly than basil, expect roots to take a few weeks.
Mint
Simply dig up a rooted section or place stem cuttings in water. Mint roots very easily and will quickly produce another healthy plant.
Just remember to keep it in a container unless you want it taking over your garden.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes produce "slips," which are baby plants that sprout from the potato itself.
Place a sweet potato halfway in water until sprouts appear. Once the slips are several inches long, gently twist them off, root them in water, and then plant them in the garden.
One sweet potato can easily produce dozens of slips.
Green Onions
Don't throw away the white ends after cooking.
Place the root end in a small glass of water, and fresh green tops will begin growing within days. You can harvest them repeatedly or transplant them into your garden for larger plants.
Strawberries
Strawberries naturally produce runners during the growing season.
Allow the runner to root in a nearby pot or section of soil while it's still attached to the mother plant. Once rooted, simply cut the runner loose.
It's one of the easiest ways to expand your strawberry patch for free.
Potatoes
Save healthy seed potatoes or even pieces of larger potatoes that contain at least one eye.
Allow the cut pieces to dry for a day before planting to reduce the chance of rot.
Garlic
Instead of buying garlic every year, simply save some of your biggest bulbs from harvest.
Separate the cloves and plant them in the fall for next year's crop.
Ginger
Purchase one healthy ginger rhizome and plant it in rich soil.
As it grows, the underground rhizomes expand. At harvest, simply save part of the harvest to plant again next season.
Turmeric
Turmeric grows much like ginger.
Save a healthy section of rhizome each year and replant it after the weather warms.
Lemongrass
If you buy fresh lemongrass from the grocery store with the base intact, place the stalk in water.
Roots will begin to form, allowing you to transplant it into a pot or garden.
Aloe Vera
Healthy aloe plants naturally produce baby "pups" around the base.
Once the pups have developed their own roots, gently separate them from the parent plant and transplant them into their own containers.
Egyptian Walking Onions
These unique onions produce little bulbils on top of their stalks.
As the stalk bends over, the bulbils root themselves, creating new plants. You can also harvest and replant the bulbils wherever you'd like.
Comfrey
Comfrey can be propagated from root cuttings.
Even a small piece of root can grow into a full-sized plant, making it easy to expand your patch for mulch, compost, or homemade fertilizer.
Blueberries (Advanced)
Blueberries can be propagated from softwood or hardwood cuttings.
While they take longer than herbs, they can eventually produce new fruit-bearing bushes without buying another plant.
Tips for Successful Propagation
Use clean scissors or pruning shears.
Start with healthy, disease-free plants.
Keep new cuttings moist but not soggy.
Bright, indirect sunlight works best while roots develop.
Be patient—some plants root in a week, while others may take a month or more.
Why Learn to Propagate?
Learning to propagate plants is one of the simplest ways to save money in the garden. Instead of spending money replacing herbs, berries, or vegetables every season, you can grow new plants from the ones you already have.
Over time, one healthy garden can practically multiply itself.
Whether you're trying to stretch your grocery budget, build a backyard homestead, or simply enjoy gardening, propagation is a skill that pays for itself year after year.
Final Thoughts
Every plant you propagate is one less you have to buy. Start with easy favorites like basil, mint, or strawberries, and before long you'll have enough new plants to fill your garden or even share with friends and neighbors.
A thriving garden doesn't have to be expensive. Sometimes, all it takes is one healthy plant and a little patience.
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