
Let’s say you have a healthy thyme plant at home (or your neighbor has one) and want to grow an entirely new one. Rather than buying seeds, planting them, and waiting for them to grow, you could learn how to propagate thyme from cuttings instead.
Doing so is incredibly powerful, as the cutting already has some growth on it. If you can make it set roots, then you basically have a baby plant that’s ready to go.
Plus, any thyme propagated this way will be a clone of the parent plant. This is perfect if you’re interested in a specific variety of thyme or love the flavor of the parent thyme plant.
Don’t worry if you’re a novice in the garden – thyme isn’t tricky to propagate at all. You could even develop your own at-home herb garden this way and feature other favorite herbs, like basil, sage, and rosemary.
How To Propagate Thyme From A Parent Plant

Let’s begin with the idea of taking a cutting and using this to grow a new plant. Cuttings aren’t the only way to propagate thyme, but they are a common and powerful approach.
1. Select Your Desired Stems
Not surprisingly, you’re going to need some thyme cuttings. These are simply sprigs of thyme cut from the parent plant.
Try for sprigs that are between four inches and six inches long, ones that haven’t started flowering. Sprigs that show signs of new growth are ideal, as these have the best chance of forming roots.
You should take more cuttings than you think you need, as these won’t all take root.
Be aware of the parent plant as you do so. If you take more than a third of the plant’s growth as cuttings, there’s a good chance that you’ll kill the plant. It’s often best to take just two or three cuttings per plant.
2. Prepare The Sprig
Each thyme sprig should then be prepared by stripping leaves off the bottom two inches of the stem. Hopefully there are a few nodes on the sprig, which will be the source of new root growth.
Right before propagating, it’s best to cut the base of the sprig at a 45 degree angle with scissors. This provides the most surface area for root growth, giving you the most chance of success.
Optional. Add Rooting Hormone
Rooting hormones aren’t essential when propagating herbs. Most herbs will still successfully set roots on their own. However, these hormones help roots emerge faster and improve your chances of success.
Many people skip the hormone, partly because thyme will grow without it and partly because rooting hormone powders often use synthetic ingredients. These ingredients aren’t ideal, especially as you’ll end up consuming the thyme.
Look for natural rooting powder instead (or even make your own) to bypass this issue. The thyme should be safe to eat when using these approaches, although you should still look out for any warnings.
4. Start Root Growth

This step is arguably the most crucial; you need to start root growth in your thyme. There are two ways to do this and both work well.
Using Soil As The Medium
The simplest approach is to plant your thyme stem in soil, then allow it to develop roots this way. You’ll only need a small pot or container, as the sprig is so tiny (or, you might choose a larger container and include multiple sprigs within it).
Whatever you use, make sure that there’s plenty of drainage. Insufficient drainage can lead to issues like root rot, which ruins your chance of success.
You’ll need soil with good drainage too. Some people stick with potting mix here, while others use a 50/50 mix of potting mix and horticultural sand to create extra drainage.
Using Water Instead
The other approach is to root the thyme sprig in a glass of water. Here, the portion with leaves removed should be kept under the surface of the water, while the rest can poke out above.
Spring water is a fantastic choice here, as it contains plenty of natural minerals. You could go with mineral water too. However, this sometimes contains additives that aren’t helpful for the plant.
There’s also the option of tap water. This can work as long as the water in your area is of decent quality and isn’t too high in chlorine. You’ll probably know whether this is the case.
Once the sprigs are in water, it’s simply a matter of keeping the glass in a warm sunny place and allowing the roots to develop. You should change the water once every couple of days and remove any sprigs that turn brown.
5. Be Patient
You’ll need to wait at least a week for the roots to start developing. You could transplant your thyme at this point, but it’s best to wait until the three to four week mark instead. This way there are plenty of roots and the sprig stands a better chance of establishing well.
Keep watering your soil or changing the water in your glass regularly until this point.
6. Transfer It To A Suitable Environment
Once the root system is well-established, it’s time to transplant your new herb into potting mix. Keeping the soil very moist helps with this transition, as the new plant is coming from a moist environment anyway.
Humidity also helps at this stage. Some people place a plastic bag over the plant to help with humidity. Covering the plant with a clear plastic container or even half a soda bottle can also help. Of course, if you’re in a humid state, it might be enough to simply plant the thyme outside.
It may take around six or even eight weeks before you see any new growth from the thyme plant. This is to be expected, just keep taking care of it and the plant will come to life before long.
When Should You Take Thyme Cuttings?

The best time to take cuttings is while the plant is actively growing. The growth season runs from spring to fall, so any time within this window will work.
That said, spring is the ideal time, as this gives you most of the growing season to help your new thyme plants get established.
Thyme cuttings are also the most tender in spring. If you wait until later in the year, thyme stems will often be woodier. These stems can still grow roots, but they’re less likely to do so.
Other Ways To Propagate Thyme
Use The Plant’s Own Offshoots
Growing thyme from cuttings is a common approach, but this isn’t always necessary. When thyme grows, it spreads out, and the offshoots can develop their own roots.
If your thyme plant is doing well, then you should already have some of these rooted offshoots. Once they are well established, they can simply be cut from the parent, gently extracted from the soil, and planted on their own.
Dividing Thyme
Old and well-established thyme plants can also be promoted by division. Here, you need to first dig up the old thyme plant, being careful not to damage any roots in the process.
Then, you need to carefully remove the plant’s middle section and any diseased parts. Then, with a sharp knife, divide the thyme into smaller plants. Each of these tiny plants should have its own distinct root system.
After division, you can then plant these new thyme plants. If you leave enough space between them and water the plants well, they should establish and start growing before long.
Growing Thyme From Seeds
You can harvest thyme seeds yourself or buy them from the store. Harvesting seeds will save you the most money, but the thyme you grow may not be the same as the parent plant, due to cross-pollination.
The issue of cross-pollination is true for other cultivated herbs too, but is particularly relevant to thyme, as the herb cross-pollinates so easily.
While thyme will grow from seeds, this is best considered a last resort. The seeds germinate slowly and the new plants are difficult to establish, making the whole experience frustrating.
It’s much better to use one of the approaches we’ve already talked about.
What If You Don’t Have Access To A Thyme Plant?

We’ve been assuming that you have access to a healthy thyme plant that you can take cuttings from. But that mightn’t be the case.
If you don’t have access to a plant, you could try using a fresh bundle of thyme from a local farmers market or a container of fresh thyme sprigs from the grocery store. As long as the thyme is fresh, these sprigs should develop roots exactly like a cutting you took yourself.
However, the rate of success here might be lower than with fresh cuttings.
You could also buy a thyme plant from a local garden center. This is much easier than growing thyme from seed and gives you a much higher chance of success.
Once this new plant is well established and growing happily, you can propagate it. Thyme is a perennial, so there’s no hurry. You might end up propagating your thyme a year or even two after it was planted.
Types Of Thyme
According to some estimates, there are more than 300 varieties of thyme, many of which can be easily grown at home and included in your recipes. Most have similar requirements too, such as needing plenty of drainage and full sun.
Here are some of the most fascinating types of thyme. Who knows? You might add some of these to your garden.
- Common Thyme. Not surprisingly, this is the most popular version of thyme, the one that’s sold in grocery stores and found in many herb gardens. It has the scientific name Thymus vulgaris and is an attractive starting variety for home gardeners.
- Lemon Thyme. This thyme variety has a distinct lemon scent and variegated yellow-green leaves. The lemon flavor is an excellent addition to many recipes, particularly those that rely on chicken or fish.
- Elfin Thyme. Elfin thyme is much smaller and grows more slowly than other thyme varieties. The leaves are edible and can be used like common thyme. The variety is also useful in gardens, particularly when grown to fill gaps between stones.
- Sicily Thyme. As the name suggests, this thyme variety hails from Sicily. It’s difficult to find, except in the dried form, but is worth pursuing, as the thyme is highly aromatic. The flavor profile naturally complements olives and many Mediterranean dishes.
- Italian Oregano Thyme. This thyme variety gets its name from its flavor, as the herb is zesty and does taste much like oregano.
- Wooly Thyme. This variety is often used ornamentally, as it has tiny leaves, creeping growth, and makes excellent ground cover. The leaves are edible, so you can still include them in recipes. However, the small size makes this a tricky herb to use for cooking.
Final Thoughts

Thyme is versatile, delicious, and surprisingly easy to grow. Propagating the plant from cuttings is a fantastic way to produce more thyme plants at no cost.
You might also use this approach to establish new varieties of thyme in your garden. So, if a friend has an interesting variety, why not take a few cuttings and grow the thyme yourself? You might even be able to find a club for gardening enthusiasts, where members regularly share tips and swap cuttings.
Once you have plenty of thyme, there are endless ways to use the herb. You can even dry any excess and save it for later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Thyme Spread?
Thyme doesn’t just spread; it’s often considered highly invasive. This means it can easily end up in unwanted parts of the garden. Using natural barriers like rocks can help ensure the herb doesn’t spread further than you want.
With Thyme Come Back Every Year?
As a perennial plant, thyme survives in the garden for multiple years. However, the plants will typically become dormant over winter. So, if you still want to collect leaves for cooking, you’ll need to move them to a kinder environment (like an unheated greenhouse) to protect them from the harsh winter days.
Does Thyme Need Full Sun?
Thyme does best when planted in full sun, with well-draining soil. It needs at least six hours of sun a day to thrive. Sunlight even intensifies the flavors of your herb, making it much better for cooking.
Should You Prune Thyme?
Pruning thyme keeps the plant compact and encourages fresh growth. You can do this by periodically trimming leafy stems or by doing a more dramatic pruning once a year. One approach is to wait until the plant has flowered, then cut back roughly two-thirds of the oldest stems.
How Often Should Thyme Be Watered?
This depends on the climate, as you’ll need to water thyme much more often in hot and very sunny environments. However, you’re usually looking at watering between every second week and once a month.
When doing so, allow the soil to dry completely, then give it a good soak. You don’t need to stress too much about the timing, as thyme is drought resistant and can survive periods of low water availability.
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