For cooking, we often use all kinds of herbs and seasonings. Among spicy aromatic plants , rosemary is worth highlighting. It is used in the kitchen quite often. If you always want to have fragrant seasoning in stock, you can plant the plant on your window. In our article we want to talk about growing rosemary in the open ground and in the apartment.
Plant description
Rosemary is a shrubbery evergreen of the Lanaceae family. In the wild, it is common in northern Africa, Cyprus and southern Europe. Rosemary was introduced into our country in the century before last. Since then, the plant has been loved by people and is actively grown in homes and in garden plots. In the wild in Russia, rosemary does not occur, because it does not tolerate our climatic conditions. Growing rosemary is possible at home.
Externally, the plant is a voluminous bush, the height of which reaches 50-200 cm. The stems of rosemary have a tetrahedral shape. Small leaves are very reminiscent of needles. Small flowers of the plant have a purple hue. They are located on small shoots of inflorescences. After flowering, fruits are formed in the form of brown nuts. Rosemary blooms in April-May, but can release inflorescences in February. By mid-September, seeds are ripening on the bushes.
Growing rosemary from seeds at home
Rosemary at home is grown from seeds, using seedlings, cuttings, cuttings and the method of dividing the bush. Each of the methods has its own characteristics. Growing rosemary from seeds is a rather troublesome affair. In general, seed nuts have good germination capacity and are perfectly stored for up to three years in paper bags. Before planting them in the ground, additional processing is not required.
Growing rosemary from seeds will require patience from the hostesses. Seeds can be sown in early March. The first shoots in boxes will appear no earlier than in a month. The reason for this is the peculiarity of the seeds of the culture to germinate for a long time. To speed up the process, you can prepare them for planting by placing them in boiled water for swelling for five hours.
To grow rosemary, you need to prepare the right soil. To do this, mix two parts of ordinary land of neutral acidity with part of sand and compost. You can also purchase a ready-made substrate in the store.
In addition, you need to prepare pots for sowing. Their height should not exceed 15 centimeters. At the bottom of the containers, we certainly lay out expanded clay or small crushed stone for the drainage layer. Next, fill them with a substrate. Swollen seeds are scattered on the surface of the soil, and then slightly sprinkled with earth. After sowing, the substrate is moistened from a spray bottle. On top of the drawers or pots we cover with a film to get mini-greenhouses. The containers must be placed in a warm place so that the seeds begin to germinate. The optimum temperature is about 20-25 degrees. Growing rosemary in an apartment from seeds is just one of the possible solutions. The process is quite lengthy, since seedlings, as we have already said, appear no earlier than in a month. During all this time it is necessary to maintain the optimum temperature for crops. Mini-greenhouses regularly ventilate and moisten the surface of the soil from the spray gun. After the emergence of seedlings, the film is removed so that delicate plants are not exposed to such a disease as a black leg.
Crop Care
Successful rosemary cultivation is possible only if certain care rules are followed. For the normal development of seedlings, heat and lighting are necessary. The best option is to place the pots on the south window. On cloudy days, you will have to illuminate the plants with a lamp. The temperature of the content should not be below +18 degrees. Moderate watering is best done through a spray bottle.
Seedlings can not be dived if the distance between plants is three centimeters. With good lighting, seedlings can develop well within a month and without thinning. In the same case, if your shoots are very thick, you will have to dive them. This can be done immediately after the first two leaves appear. Dive plants in separate cups or pots with a nutritious mixture.
After the seedlings grow to three to four centimeters, it can be a little tempered. In the beginning, you can just put the plants in an open window for a few minutes. But at the same time, it is important to prevent drafts that are terrible for seedlings. Gradually, the hardening sessions can be increased, subsequently take the plants to the balcony, and then to the street. Outdoors, you need to choose a calm place. Seedlings must be protected from direct sunlight, as it is very vulnerable.
Landing at a permanent place
Fortified seedlings that have reached eight centimeters can already be transplanted to a permanent place. It is possible to grow rosemary at home in a pot or in the open ground. If you plan to plant a plant in the open, then you should first choose the right place. The land should have good lighting, drainage and nutrient soil. In a draft, in the shade or in the lowlands, the plants will simply die, therefore such places should be avoided.
For planting, they dig a hole, make organic fertilizers. Seedlings are carefully removed from the containers and lowered into the recesses. Plants are watered and sprinkled with soil, compacted and re-added soil.
When group planting, it is necessary to maintain the distance between the bushes. This will allow you to organize the proper cultivation of rosemary, because over time, each bush will significantly increase in size and volume.
Planting in flowerpots
If you plan to organize the cultivation of rosemary at home, then planting seedlings in pots, in fact, is no different from planting in open ground. Holes for pre-drainage are made in the tanks. Further, flowerpots are filled with light soil or a ready-made substrate, not forgetting to place expanded clay at the bottom. Next, the seedlings are planted and watered. Immediately after planting, rosemary can be placed in light partial shade, so that it is easier for the plant to take root.
In the leaves of the culture are tannins, acids and alkaloids. In addition, greens are valuable in essential oils, which are actively used in cosmetology and medicine. Their greatest content in the plant is observed precisely during the flowering period.
Rosemary at home: cultivation and care
The main issue in care is proper watering. Wherever the plant is located - in the garden or in the pot - the earth should not be dry or wet. You can navigate in the amount of necessary moisture directly by the plant itself. If the lower leaves began to turn yellow, then the roots are clearly not enough moisture. Falling leaves indicate excessive moisture. A stream of water is sent directly to the soil so that the greens remain dry.
If you plan to use rosemary for food, then you can fertilize it only with organic matter. Top dressing is carried out no more than twice a month. The culture is quite resistant to many diseases and pests, but damage to plants by scale, spider mite, and spotting is still possible.
Diseases and pests
In the early stages of the appearance of the tick, it is enough to rinse the foliage with a soap solution. In more advanced cases, you will have to use Agravertin and Fitoverm. When spotting occurs, the bushes should be treated with preparations containing copper.
Care Features
Under indoor conditions, the plant should receive enough sunlight. Periodically, the pot must be deployed so that all shoots are well lit. Home plants must be ventilated. They can be taken out to the balcony or kept outside in the warm season, starting in spring. Rosemary gradually grows and requires pruning. You can give his crown the desired shape. Pruning should be done at least twice a year - in spring and autumn. With the advent of cold weather, plants are brought into the house. For normal development in the room in winter should be at least +10 degrees. And at the same time, the plant does not like high temperatures. The best option is +16 degrees.
In summer, the plant withstands higher temperatures, but with strong heat, yellowing of the foliage may occur. In winter, it is better to provide the plant with lower temperatures (from +10 to +16). If the rosemary is in a too warm room during the cold season, it is highly likely that it will not bloom in the future. A pot with a plant can be placed near a cold window or taken out during periods of thaw on a covered balcony.
Rosemary, planted in open ground in the southern regions, can overwinter on the street if there is shelter. The soil at the roots is sprinkled with dry foliage and sawdust. Shelter is prepared before the onset of the first frost. You can cover the plant itself with a spruce top or wrap it with other materials so that it does not suffer from wind and snow. When growing rosemary in the open ground, careful preparation for winter is indispensable. Many gardeners plant plants on the site for the summer, and with the advent of autumn they put them in flowerpots and clean the house so as not to risk it.
Propagation by cuttings
It is very convenient to propagate rosemary cuttings. The quick method gives good results. On the plant, choose good shoots and cut them into cuttings (10 centimeters in length).
Next, for planting, prepare the soil from a mixture of peat, sand and sod land in a ratio of 1: 2: 1. The resulting mixture is disinfected. You can use the finished substrate. Expanded clay is placed at the bottom of the pot, and the rest of the space is filled with soil and filled with water.
The lower part of the shoot is dipped in "Kornevin" or any other stimulant. Cuttings are immersed three to four centimeters in the soil and instilled. On top of the seedling is covered with a jar or bag with holes for ventilation. Pots are placed on the western or southern windowsill. In bright light, you should definitely consider protection against direct rays. Young plants take root for at least three weeks. During this period, it is necessary to observe the plant. Rotten branches are removed. After the roots are already formed, rosemary can be transplanted into individual containers. At this point, you can already use a little larger pots.
Harvesting raw materials
You can collect rosemary foliage for cooking already in the second year. By this time, enough useful substances will accumulate inside the plant, and it itself will grow stronger and grow. For drying, foliage is collected during the flowering period of rosemary. You can cut only healthy young twigs. The shoots are dried in a ventilated room with a normal level of humidity. It is better to dry the greens separately from other aromatic herbs so that the aromas do not mix. After the stems are crushed and stored in glass containers with lids.
Some housewives freeze greens by placing it in bags. This option is also good. In this case, rosemary does not lose its properties at all for several months. In dry form, foliage can be stored for up to two years. If you have such a beautiful plant in your house, then you can always use fresh leaves from it. They contain much more essential oils and nutrients than in dried or frozen foliage. Accordingly, the aroma of a dish prepared with rosemary will be stronger.
Instead of an afterword
Culture is of interest not only in terms of spices for cooking. Beautiful and voluminous bushes look very impressive not only on the window, but also on the site. Their decorative appearance is an adornment of any garden or flowerbed. In addition, the plant looks very similar to conifers.