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Sage is not just a spicy culinary herb. It also has healing properties and attracts many insects with its flowers. Unfortunately, it often lignifies over time. We show you how to rejuvenate sage by pruning.
In a nutshell
- most sage varieties belong to the subshrubs
- Sage woody in the lower area
- gets balder with age
- Only cut back carefully
- correct cut depends on the sage variety
Sage Growth
The Mediterranean culinary herb usually grows as a perennial subshrub, rarely as a perennial or shrub. Due to its growth characteristics, older shoots will lignify over time. These usually do not form new leaves and remain bare. As the plant grows, the older parts become bare. Sage also tends to break apart because of its brittle wood. This can lead to the "stem" tearing apart close to the ground, for example due to snow loads in winter, and the shoots then lying on the ground. Although the plant usually sprout again, it no longer grows as nicely upright and forms a lignified, bare center.
Cut sage cuttings
Notice: Such a plant can still be saved by rooting and replanting the shoots lying on the ground.
Recognize old sage
The following characteristics indicate that the plant is over-aged and needs to be dealt with urgently:
- old wood inside the bush
- bare shoots
- Wood cracks and becomes brittle
- Willingness to bloom decreases
- weak or hesitant new growth
Rejuvenate by cutting
So that major interventions are not necessary in the first place, the kitchen herb should be cut regularly. This is the best way to prevent lignification. However, if you have an older specimen in the garden that has received little attention and is already lignified, you can no longer avoid a more complex rejuvenation cut.
Periodic pruning keeps the sage in shape.
time
The right time depends on the type of sage on the one hand, but also on the type of growth on the other. Perennials can be cut back after flowering so that they bloom again. Common sage (Salvia officinalis), which is not only the most common in gardens but is also the most vulnerable to aging, is best pruned in spring. The heaviest frosts should be over by now, so the end of March to mid-April is the best time.
tool
The same tools are suitable for cutting a sage bush as for other pruning work in the garden:
- secateurs
- maybe a small saw
- gloves
- normal kitchen scissors are also suitable for daily harvesting
Notice: Because of the brittle wood, the tool should really be very sharp so that the shoots are not ripped off but cut.
manual
It is best to rejuvenate old woody sage step by step. Our guide explains how to properly perform the taper cut.
- When pruning back, the non-lignified shoots should always be shortened by at least one third, better even two thirds. If this pruning measure is implemented consistently from the start, the sage does not lignify so quickly and rejuvenation may not be necessary at all.
- It is very difficult to rejuvenate an old shrub. To do this, the old, dead shoots must first be removed. Proceed carefully, especially with a strong lignification, the branches break apart easily.
- Then a strong clearing is carried out. In particular, cut out areas of the shrub that are slow-growing and have few leaves.
- Take a closer look at the remaining shoots. If younger, still green side shoots are present, the woody branches are derived from them. Simply cut off the shoot a few millimeters above the branch.
- The most difficult thing is to rejuvenate branches that do not have younger shoots, as sage does not sprout well from old wood. If the shoot can be dispensed with, it is simply cut off at the base.
- If the branch is to remain, a dormant eye can be searched for at the woody spot. This is characterized by a small thickening in the bark. If there is such a place, the shoot is shortened just above. With a bit of luck, the plant will sprout again at this point.
Post-cut care
Especially when the old wood has been cut, sage drives out again very slowly. The plant needs a lot of time to recover. It is important not to become impatient and not to try to speed up the process with too much care. It is enough to water the plant thoroughly once and fertilize it with some compost. A layer of mulch keeps weeds from overgrowing the pruned plant. Harvesting should be suspended for the time being until strong shoots have formed again.
frequently asked Questions
Does this guide also apply to other older herbs?Other herbs that grow as shrubs also tend to age, such as lavender. Regular pruning is therefore just as important for him. A rejuvenation pruning is done similar to that of sage.
Are there sage varieties that do not age?These include the varieties that do not become woody, such as steppe sage (Salvia nemorosa). It is a perennial and not a subshrub.
What mistakes can you make when cutting?If certain varieties are cut into the old wood, the sage will no longer sprout. In addition, it is not good to prune in winter, then frost could endanger the plant.