Pineapple sage has uses for humans and animals alike. Rooting hormones aren’t necessary to kickstart this process. Tip cuttings that are taken in fall or spring will readily begin rooting if placed in water or any rooting substrate. Simply harvest them in the fall when the flowers have finished blooming and plant in fertile, well draining potting soil. With seeds, it’s fairly self explanatory. Pineapple sage can be propagated in two ways: by seed or cutting. Watch closely for aphids too, and consider trying to attract more ladybugs to your garden to combat them. If it seems like it won’t grow or isn’t thriving, it could be overwatered. If the leaves are curling, it may be getting too dry. The most pressing problems pineapple sage experiences are improper watering and aphids. Always provide a bit of extra fertilizer to ensure solid new growth. You can cut your sage back, leaving just a couple inches of stem above the soil and it will regrow in spring. In zones 10 and 11, it will remain evergreen and possibly flower all the way through winter and into spring. If you live in zones 8 and 9, your plant will not be evergreen and will die back each winter. Pineapple sage isn’t hard to care for, but there are a couple tricks you can employ to keep it doing well year after year. If you live in zones colder than hardiness zone 8, you can bring your sage indoors during the winter. Ensure that a well draining, fertile soil is used. Using standard garden potting soil is fine. Your plant will grow up to 4 feet tall and will need a strong, healthy root ball to ensure that it can stand up properly. Pineapple sage does very well when grown in containers, but it’s advised that you plant your sage in a very large pot. Planting non-native plants can carry risks. It is native to parts of Mexico, so if you live outside of its natural range, plant with care. When planted in full sun one plant will get about 4 feet tall and around 3 feet wide.Pineapple sage is not considered to be invasive and is easy to control. You can also easily propagate it via green stem cuttings. This salvia variety will propagate itself via underground runners so if you have a wildflower style garden these will slowly spread around and reproduce. Pineapple sage is perennial here in our subtropical climate where it won’t get frozen over winter, and is a fun specimen plant in a diverse garden. Pollinators like hummingbirds love salvia flowers because of their share and color so take some for projects and leave some for your feathered friends. Sage is the common name for plants in the “salvia” family, and there are tons of them out there, some edible, some not. While we love this plant we don’t want the word “sage” to confuse you into thinking this plant smells anything like the culinary sage you are familiar with. The flowers are also edible and are a beautiful bright red color. While the leaves aren’t commonly used as an herb fresh they are edible and are a good source for things like specialty syrups, or other fragrance based culinary uses. Pineapple sage is a fun tropical sage variety that has leaves that are slightly scented like pineapple, thus the name. Harvest notes: harvest flowers for use fresh
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