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Growing rosemary at home in a pot is a multifunctional process. An exotic plant will decorate your interior, add to your collection of indoor flowers, it can be used as a seasoning for meat dishes, the plant has medicinal properties. In order for rosemary to take root and not lose its decorative value, it is necessary to plant the plant correctly and create a favorable environment for the growing season.
Is it possible to grow rosemary at home?
The homeland of rosemary is the Mediterranean; two types of crops grow in the wild - ordinary rosemary and prostrate rosemary. Common rosemary is suitable for growing at home in an apartment. The low-growing herbaceous shrub is heat-loving and does not tolerate low temperatures. The perennial will bloom in a home environment only with sufficient light. These features are taken into account when determining the location.
The plant perceives high temperatures normally; it is recommended to take rosemary out to the balcony or veranda in the summer; it can be placed in an open area with periodic shading. The culture in winter should be at rest in a home environment with an air temperature of +160C.
The optimal place for growing rosemary at home is on a windowsill on the south or east side. If this is not possible, western or northern will do; in this case, it is necessary to create additional lighting. Photosynthesis requires significant amounts of ultraviolet light to produce healthy foliage.
Another condition for normal cultivation of crops at home is a sufficient supply of oxygen. In the warm season, rosemary is placed near an open window. During flowering, the herbaceous shrub does not tolerate the change in night and day temperatures, so close the window in the evening. Care must be taken to ensure that the indoor flower is not in a draft.
Growing herbaceous shrubs on a plot in the Russian climate is a rather labor-intensive process. Rosemary with low frost resistance requires additional shelter in the fall to protect the roots from freezing. Even protection from frost does not guarantee that the crop will not die. Therefore, the best option is to grow rosemary at home on a windowsill.
Methods for growing rosemary at home on a windowsill
At home, growing shrubs is possible in several ways:
- cuttings;
- seeds;
- branches or tops of shoots.
Planting material is purchased in specialized stores or seedlings are obtained independently from seeds.The optimal and effective option for home propagation is cuttings. Growing rosemary at home from seeds is a long process; planting material does not always sprout. If the young shoots have sprouted together, some of the shoots may die due to improper care:
- unsuitable soil composition;
- excessive watering;
- moisture deficiency;
- low temperature in the house.
How to plant rosemary at home
In order to plant a crop, seedlings are first prepared. Instructions on how to grow rosemary from seeds at home:
- 48 hours before placing in the soil, the seeds are soaked in a manganese solution, then carefully laid out on a damp cloth.
- A prerequisite for germination at home is that the fabric and seeds must be constantly moist.
- After 4 days, sprouts will appear, the material is ready for growing seedlings.
- The seeds are deepened into the soil 1 cm.
- Cover the top with film and make holes for air to enter.
- Cleaned in a room with a constant temperature of +200 C.
- Every day moisturize with a spray bottle.
Seedlings for further cultivation of rosemary at home are sown in February. After approximately 21 days, the seeds will sprout.
You can grow rosemary at home from cuttings in the following way:
- cut off last year's branch;
- Leaves are removed from the bottom;
- make an oblique cut, place it in wet sand or in a glass of water;
- the sand is constantly moistened.
The cutting will give roots and can be planted.
For home cultivation by layering:
- in spring, bend the lower branch towards the ground;
- fixed with staples;
- The top is covered with soil.
By autumn the cuttings will take root and will be ready for replanting next spring. The method of growing rosemary at home using the tips of shoots is rarely used; it is less effective.
Landing dates
The planting time for growing rosemary at home is determined by the readiness of the planting material. Seedlings from seeds are suitable for planting when they reach 10 cm in height. The cuttings should produce enough root shoots for home cultivation, and the cuttings should take root. As a rule, work at home is carried out from spring to mid-summer. The plant is not planted in the fall, the crop slows down its growing season in winter, and there is no guarantee that the seedling will take root.
Preparing containers and soil
The root system of rosemary is branched and superficial. The first year a young seedling forms a root at home, then the crown begins to grow. Choose a container for rosemary with an average height of approximately 20 cm, always wide. For the first year, the seedling can be placed for home cultivation in a container 10 cm wider than the root system. After a year, rosemary requires replanting, choose a permanent pot with the same condition, it should be 15 cm wider than the root. For better oxygen enrichment, preference is given to natural materials: wood, clay. There must be a hole for drainage at the bottom of the container.
Before planting, the pot is treated with boiling water. Prepare a nutrient mixture consisting of the ratio of parts:
- turf layer – 2;
- coarse sand – 1;
- organic – 1;
- peat – 2.
Planting soil can be purchased at the store.
How to plant correctly
If rosemary is planted from seeds at home, the seedlings are planted from a common container when they grow to 10 cm. A separate pot is determined for each seedling; together they will not be able to fully develop due to the branched root system; one plant will displace the other.
In the case of propagation at home by layering, the rooted branch is cut off from the mother bush, carefully transferred to a pot with soil, and the top is cut off. When transplanting a cutting with a well-grown root system into a pot, the top part is also cut off. This measure is necessary for the formation of lateral processes. The crop is less commonly grown at home using the tip of an annual shoot. They cut it to about 6 cm and immediately place it in the ground; the survival rate of rosemary is within 45%.
Landing algorithm:
- A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the pot: expanded clay, small pebbles or gravel.
- On top is coarse sand.
- Divide the mixture into 2 parts, ½ of the total mass is poured into the pot.
- Make a depression along the width of the root.
- The plant is placed vertically, the roots are separated so that they do not intertwine.
- Add the remaining soil, compact it, and water it.
A polyethylene dome with holes made is installed on top. Place in a warm, bright place. After a week, the cover is removed; if the plant has taken root at home, it no longer needs the greenhouse effect.
How to care for rosemary growing in a pot at home
Rosemary cannot be called an unpretentious plant; it requires certain criteria for home cultivation. If the bush begins to bloom, this is the first sign that all the rules for growing have been followed.
Creating a microclimate
In summer, rosemary is in the vegetative stage, the optimal temperature for the formation of leaves and flowers is +25... +280 C. Caring for rosemary at home in winter, when the plant has stopped growing, involves lowering the temperature to +150 C. It is not easy to create the necessary microclimate at home. To reduce the temperature, the flower is placed on the windowsill closer to the glass and away from heating devices. To cool, place a container of ice or snow near the pots.
Humidity when growing at home in the winter is a necessary indicator. Central heating dries out the air greatly. The bush begins to hurt, the crown loses its decorative effect. To increase humidity, the plant is sprayed, placed in a tray with expanded clay or pebbles, and water is poured.
Overwatering can cause root rot and death of the bush. If installed correctly, the water evaporates and creates the necessary humidity near the rosemary.
If, when growing at home, rosemary is taken out onto the site for the summer, periodic shading is normal. In the room, herbaceous shrubs should not be in the shade. When growing at home, lighting is required for at least 8 hours a day. If necessary, install fluorescent lamps; they can be left on at night; rosemary responds well to daily lighting. To ensure that the crown develops evenly at home, the pot is turned with the opposite side from the window once every 5 days.
How to water rosemary in pots
Rosemary requires watering in the same way as all biological species.Here you need to decide on the mode. Too waterlogged soil is destructive for shrubs, and lack of moisture slows down the growing season. Constantly moist soil at home does not allow air to pass through well, and the root system of rosemary is demanding of sufficient oxygen supply. If after watering in the pan for 30 minutes. there is water, the procedure is too frequent and the amount of moisture is plentiful. Watering must be reduced in frequency and volume.
Rosemary, when grown at home, feels best if the top layer of soil dries out between waterings. The watering regime depends on the location of the crop. Outdoors, daily spraying in the morning and evening and one watering every 10 days is sufficient. If rosemary in a pot is placed on the window at home, care becomes more difficult. It is not advisable to spray the plant; if there is poor air circulation, a fungal infection may develop. To determine the frequency of soil moisture at home, gardeners use the following method. After the procedure, do not water the rosemary until the leaves begin to wither. Calculate the time and subtract 2 days. In winter, watering at home is reduced to a minimum - once a month will be enough.
Why does rosemary dry in a pot?
When grown at home, a shrub may stop growing and begin to dry out for several reasons:
- lack of moisture - it is necessary to increase watering;
- poor air ventilation - the room must be ventilated;
- the pot for the plant is too small - it needs to be replanted in a larger container;
- waterlogging of the soil - the root system rots. The plant is dug up, the roots are washed, missing fragments are removed, the soil is changed, and watering is reduced.
In winter, shrubs dry out at home at high temperatures and low air humidity; these problems must be eliminated.
Feeding schedule
To care for rosemary at home, be sure to include feeding the plant. The volume of soil in the pot is small, the root system intensively absorbs nutrients, and the soil is depleted. For proper cultivation at home, you cannot feed the crop throughout the year; an excess of microelements can have the opposite effect - rosemary loses its decorative effect, stops growing and does not bloom. Feeding schedule for home growing:
- in the spring, nitrogen fertilizers are dissolved and applied along with irrigation for 3 weeks;
- in summer, at home, fertilize with phosphorus for 2 weeks, a solution at the root along with watering;
- then they give potassium according to the same scheme;
- In the fall, granules with microelements are placed in the soil; they are purchased in a store, and the composition is selected taking into account the fact that home cultivation in acidic soils is undesirable.
In winter, when the shrub is at rest, fertilizers are not applied.
When can you cut rosemary?
Growing at home requires the formation of a crown. The first pruning of rosemary is carried out when the bush grows to 20 cm. During this time, the central branches become stiff and woody. Young shoots are cut off in the spring, after flowering. In this way, a crown is formed, and the cut shoots are used in cooking. The culture retains the qualities of a spicy seasoning if the shoots are dried in a shaded, well-ventilated place. In the fall, pruning is not carried out at home.
Conclusion
Growing rosemary at home in a pot, subject to proper care, is not difficult.Mandatory requirement: compliance with the temperature regime, a sufficient amount of ultraviolet radiation, fresh air and frequency of fertilizing. A plant with a decorative crown and bright purple flowers will be a worthy decoration for your home interior and will complement your diet with spicy seasoning.
