A Gardeners Forum
Posted By: tkhooper Topping Sage - October 21st, 2006 at 06:07 PM
One of the sage plants has become rather leggy. So I'm wondering if I can top it like I would a tomato or coleus plant. Thanks for your help and advice.
Posted By: comfrey Re: Topping Sage - October 22nd, 2006 at 09:37 AM
Topping it will not help the leggy look, but you could root the top that you cut off and when you have it rooted and potted, havest anything left on the leggy one and then toss it, as you have a brand new plant to work with.
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Topping Sage - October 22nd, 2006 at 09:43 AM
Does sage come up from the roots?
I just got mad last month at my raggy looking echinacea and hacked it to the ground. To my surprise it's coming back and looks really good.
I cut my lemon verbena to about 2 inches and it comes back too. I do this in the fall when it's losing leaves.
Rather prune it back than have zillions of old leaves all over my patio. I never dry the leaves.
I just enjoy the fresh fragrance and good tea of the plant when it's green.
Posted By: tkhooper Re: Topping Sage - October 22nd, 2006 at 07:44 PM
Thankyou for the advice. I just dried the sage I ended up with. It smells so good. And I so needed it for the italian seasoning. I was running very low.
Posted By: comfrey Re: Topping Sage - October 23rd, 2006 at 08:39 AM
Sage is very hardy, and each year, usually in the spring all the old stems or the woody ones should be cut out and new growth will appear, but cutting it all the way to the ground, would proable work also. I have cut mine pretty radical before when it was huge and over grown to about 4-6 inches and it formed new growth. Also sage will live outdoors in the winter and be green, I love being able to go out at Thanksgiving & Christmas to harvest fresh leaves to season my turkey and also my dressing. Nothing beats fresh sage when it comes to seasoning in the winter months.
Posted By: tkhooper Re: Topping Sage - October 23rd, 2006 at 09:18 AM
thankyou for the information Comfrey. I wanted to bring it in because of the damage that was occurring to the plants out there. And if I have to move during bad weather I didn't want to have to be out in the snow trying to dig up a sage plant lol.
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