Rosemary: indoor and outdoor cultivation

Rosemary at a glance

Rosemary is a perennial evergreen shrub with dense branches, olive or grayish leaves, similar to the needles of a spruce. The bush has a dense crown, flowers are small, white or light blue. If you rub the twigs with your hand, you can feel a bright characteristic aroma. On open ground with good care and watering, you can grow a bush of about two meters.

It grows wild on the Mediterranean coast. Rosemary is especially actively used by residents of Western Europe and Morocco. There, the shrub is grown as a spice for meat, fish, poultry, mushrooms, soups, salads, and even baked goods. Eucalyptus, camphor, lemon, pine - all of these scents together resemble the smell of rosemary.

Rosemary is renowned as a medicinal source. The plant is used to treat diseases of the respiratory and digestive systems, as an antiseptic for small wounds and fungal diseases. Bush twigs help fight insomnia, increase blood pressure, stimulate the brain and activate memory. Essential oil is used as an ingredient in many shampoos and in rubbing. Care should be taken with rosemary for people suffering from epilepsy and hypertension, as well as pregnant women. It is worth growing a bush in an apartment as a disinfectant, it neutralizes an unpleasant odor, kills germs and viruses. Often, sacks filled with rosemary are used to control moths.

Planting and leaving

Although rosemary is an exotic plant, it can be grown safely in your garden at your dacha or on your windowsill. But it is worth remembering that the plant has a strong root system. Therefore, he needs a pot wide, but not very deep, with drainage. In the summer, the pot with the plant must be taken out to the southern and calm part of the garden.

The bush loves care, timely watering, systematic weeding and loosening. As a top dressing, you can use a solution of water and mullein in a 1: 5 ratio. Mineral and organic fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus are also used. Watering-feeding is enough to carry out once every 30 days. Nitrogen fertilizers are best used in the spring. They contribute to the intensive development of the root system. Phosphate fertilizers are best used in the fall to grow green mass.

To rejuvenate the bushes, every 7-8 years, the plant is cut to the level of the soil. This pruning is most often done in commercial production. When grown at home, rosemary sprigs are pruned to form a beautiful shape. It is best to carry out this procedure in late March - early April. But you should not prune more than once a year, otherwise the plant will revive for a long time, and the garden shrub may die.

Video "Everything you need to know about the scented plant"

Informational video in which you can hear all the necessary information and the beneficial properties of rosemary.

Growing rosemary

Seed, cut, cut or cut are the main methods of growing rosemary.The best and most successful option is to grow rosemary from seeds with the upcoming planting of seedlings in the ground. Before sowing, the seeds must be wrapped in damp gauze and kept for about a month. It is not recommended to allow the seeds to dry out or rot. As a safety net, seeds can be spread in groups and periodically turned over. The optimum temperature for seed germination is +12 - +22 ° С.

You can sow seeds in late February - early March. The sowing depth is 0.3-0.4 cm, since the seeds are small. The main thing is that you do not need to fill the soil with water, it should be moderately moist. You can just spray the crop. After a month, the matured plants can be planted in separate pots. After the last frost, the seedlings can be planted in the garden after 50 cm. If you plan to grow small bushes, then 10 cm between the plants will be enough.

When planting a plant in a garden, a mixture with river sand, fertile soil and peat in equal parts is added to the pit to the rosemary. Also, for each kg of the resulting mixture, add crushed chalk (1 tbsp. Spoon).

To propagate rosemary by cuttings, you need to cut off young twigs from the bush at the end of June. The length of the seedlings should be from 8 to 10 cm. At an angle of 45 °, the lower tips of the cuttings are planted in the ground to a depth of no more than 5 cm. The optimal spacing between the cuttings should be 10 cm. The branches root quickly and begin to grow actively. Propagating a shrub by layering, it is necessary to dig in the shoot of the plant. After flowering, the young plant is separated from the bush, transplanted and provided with the necessary care and watering.

Growing conditions

Rosemary is a heat-loving, light-loving and frost-resistant plant. Planting outdoors is best when there is no threat of frost. An adult plant can survive frosts, but not below -4. Rosemary needs a lot of sun in summer, and in winter - coolness up to 10-13 ° C, otherwise the bush will not bloom. In winter, the dose of light should be 6-8 hours, so rosemary often needs additional lighting. Due to the lack of light, the upper leaves of the bush will become less dense, stretch out.

The plant loves loose and moisture-permeable, calcareous soils. He does not like too wet or acidic soils. Although this bush is picky, it is not afraid of diseases. Also, he is not afraid of pests.

In the suburbs, given the climate, rosemary must be covered in order not to freeze out. To do this, you can use sawdust or dry foliage. Alternatively, you can transplant the rosemary into a pot for the winter. In the spring, after the last frost, the plant is planted again in the garden or in the country. For indoor growing of rosemary, you need to buy a terracotta or clay pot. You also need to provide good drainage, you can use pebbles or expanded clay. It is necessary to periodically rotate the plants to form a uniform crown.

Ventilate the room regularly. In summer, you can put a pot with a plant on the balcony or plant it in the ground. It should be borne in mind that rosemary does not like sudden changes in temperature. The bush gets along with basil, thyme, laurel, parsley, so they can be grown in one container.

Growing outdoors, rosemary is a strong plant. He is not afraid of pests. Indoor shrubs are weaker, so it can be affected by downy mildew, whitefly, and aphids. To get rid of pests, it is enough to buy a rosemary bush several times in mile water (we must cover the soil).

Watering the plant

Watering the rosemary should be systematic and moderate. The plant does not like strong moisture, it tolerates drought more easily. If the leaves of the bush began to turn yellow, it means that the plant does not have enough moisture. If there is a lot of water, it can massively shed leaves, and the root can rot. If the leaves have faded, they began to dry out, and the bush is under the sun's rays, then this means it is time to transfer the plant to the shade.

Only timely care can avoid these mistakes.Since rosemary loves the alkaline balance of the soil, it can be watered without fear with tap water. Occasionally, you can spray the leaves of the plant - it gives a beautiful look to the crown.

It is necessary to collect fragrant greens during flowering in hot weather. It is plucked, then dried and the seasoning is ready to use. Growing and caring for rosemary is difficult, but anyone can do it. If you provide the bush with the necessary care, then he will thank you with a spicy harvest.

Video "How to plant rosemary from seeds"

An illustrative video that will help you figure out how best to plant a plant from seeds.