Replace a Woody Herb by Layering Instead of Taking Cuttings

The Problem

Herbs like thyme get long, woody, and bald in the middle, and eventually die back — they're not permanent plants. Taking cuttings to grow a replacement works, but cuttings are needy: they have no roots, so they need constant moisture, sheltering, and a fair failure rate comes with the deal.

The Technique

Layering is a cutting that never leaves life support — the new plant stays attached to the mother until it has roots of its own:

1. Fill a small pot with potting mix and set it on the ground right next to the plant.
2. Take a few low, flexible stems and bury a section of each in the pot's soil, leaving the growing tips exposed. Don't cut anything — the stems stay attached to the mother plant.
3. Set a small rock on top of the buried section to hold it in place.
4. Keep the pot moist. Over the following weeks the buried stems root into the pot while the mother plant keeps feeding them.
5. Once rooted, snip the connecting stems — the creator calls it cutting the apron strings — and you have an independent, established plant in its own pot.