Thyme ordinary: description and cultivation

Description of common thyme

Thyme ordinary is a perennial herbaceous shrub, a popular representative of the Thyme genus and the Yasnotkov family. All plants of this genus are distinguished by a high content of essential oil and tannins, phenols, terpenes, fatty acids, which explains the pungent spicy taste and characteristic aroma of the herb. In addition, thyme contains organic pigments, minerals and vitamins that are very important for health.

The genus Thyme includes about four hundred different species. Only on the territory of the CIS countries, up to two hundred of them are known and grows. Depending on the variety, shrubs differ in the shape and color of the leaves, the color range of the inflorescences. Some of them are in the form of a compact decorative bush with a height of 15 to 30 cm, while others are elongated creeping shoots about 5 cm high, tightly covering the ground.

The most famous species of this genus is common thyme, which includes undersized subspecies, and on the basis of which many different hybrids have been bred. Outwardly, the plant is quite compact, has the shape of a low (up to 15 cm), spreading bush with light green leaves and white or light purple small inflorescences.

The stems of the grass are ligneous at the base, well branched, abundantly covered with small leaves along the entire length, with a slight grayish pubescence on the lower part. Depending on the variety, the grass can have long shoots that twist close to the ground, strengthening in it with roots. Flowers, collected in elongated or spherical inflorescences, are located at the tops of the branches.

The taste of thyme is sharp, spicy, slightly bitter, the aroma is subtle, a little spicy, somewhat reminiscent of a mixture of caraway seeds, lemon and anise. The grass blooms throughout the growing season from June to September. And only in the middle of autumn, fruits develop from the inflorescences. Thyme seeds have a slightly elongated or spherical shape and are located in a box of 3-4 pieces.

The high concentration of essential oils in thyme endows the herb with disinfecting and antispastic properties. With its help, they treat gastric, pulmonary, hepatic pathologies, take in inflammatory processes. Thyme is found in many herbal remedies for asthma, bronchitis, cough, mouth and throat inflammations. Tea with thyme improves appetite, normalizes sleep, relieves pain, has an expectorant effect.

Video "All about thyme"

Demonstration video with information about thyme.

Cultivation and reproduction

Growing thyme is possible anywhere, and in any way. If there is a land plot, the grass can be sown in the spring in the garden. In winter, as well as in harsh climates, this culture is not difficult to grow in the house. In a flower pot on the windowsill, spicy greens will not only always be at hand, but will also create coziness in the room due to its decorative appearance.

It is not difficult to grow thyme, however, in order to obtain high-quality fragrant greens, it is necessary to create suitable conditions:

• common thyme is a very light-loving herb, so it should be planted in the lightest place where there is no shade - if the spice is grown in the house, then the pot should be placed by the window overlooking the sunny side;

• germination of thyme seeds occurs faster in warm and moist soil, in this regard, sowing is best done not earlier than May, while the soil must be well watered - to get an early harvest, it is worth resorting to planting spices from seedlings, while choosing early varieties of grass;

• thyme does not tolerate excessive moisture - it requires moderate, but frequent watering, after which there should be no stagnation of water, since it tolerates drought more easily than an excess of moisture;

• Thyme is a fairly frost-resistant crop, and in winter it easily tolerates low temperatures while in the open field, therefore, growing at home also requires artificial cooling (up to 15 ° C) in winter.

The soil for thyme should be fertile, with neutral acidity. Preparing the soil for planting spices in the garden should be done in the fall. The site needs to be dug, deepening by about 30 cm, after which the ground must be thoroughly cleaned of weeds, lumps and other unnecessary components. With digging, organic fertilizers, compost, manure, humus are introduced into the soil.

Cultivation of a culture is carried out in several ways: from seeds and, accordingly, from seedlings, by cuttings and dividing the bush. Planting from seeds is the longest and most troublesome way, since the planting material does not have a high germination capacity, and the germinated shoots develop very slowly. The best option in this case is sowing seeds for seedlings in a pot in early spring. In this case, an already strong young plant can be planted in open ground in May.

Growing seedlings is carried out in any pot, plastic container, or other container. The earth needs to be loosened, moistened well, and then spread on the surface of the seeds. Next, the planting material is covered with a 1 cm layer of earth, watered again, covered with glass, and sprouts are expected to appear, which, under the right conditions, appear about 20 days after sowing. As soon as the sprouts began to appear, the glass was removed. Now all the care of seedlings consists only in timely watering.

To sow seeds directly into the ground, you need to wait until the earth warms up. To get the harvest of thyme on time, you should choose varieties with high germination and an early ripening period. The planting material is sown in shallow rows or holes to a depth of 0.5-1 cm at a distance of 3-5 cm. Next, the bed must be leveled, and the soil must be watered well. With this method, seedlings usually appear by the end of the month, but it all depends on the weather conditions.

Care

Further care for thyme is as follows:

• about 2 weeks after the emergence of shoots, the seedlings need to be thinned out, leaving the strongest shoots at a distance of 15 cm - the extra ones can be planted in another place;

• systematically, at least 1 time / 2 weeks, the beds need weeding and loosening;

• watering is carried out as needed, but regularly - it is important to ensure that the soil does not dry out, since this is very bad for young plants;

• fertilizers are applied several times per season: mineral mixtures (superphosphate, potassium salt, saltpeter) are applied during planting and before harvesting - this is without taking into account the autumn feeding of the soil with organic matter;

• for the entire growing season, thyme requires a lot of heat and light - otherwise it will grow very slowly, and the content of ethers in the ground part will be low;

• pests rarely appear on thyme bushes, but if this happens, the ground part of the bush must be treated with insecticides.

Reproduction of culture by dividing the root is permissible not earlier than the second year of the life of the bush, when the root system is fully expanded. Harvesting is carried out during the flowering period (June-August). The most suitable for harvesting thyme is July - during this period it blooms especially magnificently, and the maximum amount of active substances is concentrated in the shoots.

The flowering bush is cut with a sharp knife at a level of 5-7 cm above the ground - you cannot pick it off with your hands or twist the plant, as you can easily damage the roots. For the winter, the bushes need to be covered. Despite the fact that thyme is a cold-resistant crop, you still need to cover the roots with a layer of dry foliage to avoid freezing.

Video "All about landing"

Informational video where you can hear everything about planting thyme.