Thanks to their wonderful aroma, rosemary sprigs have been used in cooking for many decades to prepare various dishes. The substances contained in the spicy plant elevate your mood and help fight stress. Translated from Latin it means freshness of the sea.
Choosing a rosemary variety
Before planting rosemary at home from seeds, you need to choose the appropriate variety. It is customary to use two varieties of the plant:
- Common, it is also called medicinal.
- Spread rosemary.
Rosemary blossom
Popular varieties of rosemary:
- Rosinka is a bush up to 60 cm high. It is well leafy. Rosinka's flowers are bluish-lilac. The plant has a spicy, rich aroma. Dewdrop is known for its beneficial properties.
- Tuscan Blue - can grow up to 180 cm. The bush has dense foliage. It requires regular formative pruning.
- Tenderness - reaches a height of 70-100 cm, prefers plenty of light and does not tolerate cold. The leaves resemble bluish needles. The flowers are blue.
A well-known variety of prostrate rosemary is Lavender. It has a pleasant pine aroma. This variety blooms in May.
Structure and application
- In the photo of rosemary you can see a plant that reaches a height of 50 to 200 centimeters and has extremely powerful roots that go 3-4 meters into the soil.
- The color of rosemary shoots depends on their age: young ones are light, and long-term ones are dark gray.
- The length of the linear leaves with curved edges varies within 4 centimeters, and the width is 4 millimeters. Most often, the flowers are dark purple and form dense inflorescences in the form of panicles.
In describing the types of rosemary, the main differences are in the shape of the leaves and the color of the flowers.
Fresh shoots, flowers and leaves of rosemary are eaten as a seasoning for soups and meat dishes. In addition, the medicinal properties of the plant have been known since ancient times. It was taken for many ailments, including: rheumatism, colds, radiculitis, hypotension and many others. It is also believed that rosemary normalizes blood pressure and stimulates the rejuvenation of cells in the human body.
It is very important to remember that taking rosemary in any form has contraindications. It is prohibited for pregnant women, epileptics, hypertensive patients and children under the age of nine years to take it.
Selecting a container for sowing
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For sowing, you need to prepare a glass of slightly warm, settled water. Rosemary seeds are placed there and kept for 5-6 hours. As a result, they will absorb some water, and this will increase their germination rate.
It is convenient to use plastic containers for germination. These can be rectangular containers. Their height cannot be less than 15 cm. A drainage layer is made of small pebbles or expanded clay at the bottom. Pre-prepared soil is poured over the drainage.
Rosemary seeds
Sowing seeds
To grow, the seeds are placed on the ground and sprinkled with about 4 mm of soil. After planting, apply light moisture using a spray bottle.
The top of the container must be covered with glass or plastic film. You can use an empty upside down plastic container for this purpose. To germinate the seeds, place the container in a relatively warm place. For example, it can be placed next to a radiator.
On a note! The suitable temperature for seed germination is +25… +30 degrees.
Sowing in peat tablets
Instead of using a container to grow sprouts, you can use peat tablets. Seeds are placed in them and watering is provided. Growing is similar to how it is done when using containers.
When a flower sprouts
With regular watering and warming up the seeds, you can see rosemary sprouting in about a month. The seedlings will become full-fledged after another 2-4 weeks.
Important! After the sprouts appear, the film covering is removed.
When the height of the sprouts reaches 3-4 cm, you need to start hardening them daily. To do this, in calm, warm weather, open a window and place a container with sprouts on the windowsill. At first, it is enough to harden for just a few minutes. Gradually this period should increase.
When carrying out ventilation, it is necessary to exclude drafts and rain on the sprouts. Direct sunlight is not allowed. In hot weather, light shade should be provided for sprouts.
The appearance of sprouts
How to plant rosemary on a windowsill - features, conditions and step-by-step instructions
When growing rosemary on a windowsill, it is important to comply with all agrotechnical requirements. Only a bush growing in a favorable environment will serve as an interior decoration, a storehouse of useful substances and will add a unique aroma to your dishes.
By the way! Rosemary is usually planted in the spring.
Growing location: light and temperature
Before acquiring a spice plant, you need to familiarize yourself with its requirements for growing conditions in advance.
Temperature
The optimal temperature for growing rosemary at home in the summer is +20....+25 degrees.
But in winter it is better to provide rosemary with a cool environment, preferably below 15 degrees (a range of 10-15 degrees is quite suitable.
Important! In order for rosemary to bloom well, it needs coolness in the winter when keeping a house, and some sources even indicate a temperature of 5-10 degrees.
Illumination
In order for rosemary to form leaves more actively, in winter the light-loving plant should be placed on a southern (or southwestern or southeastern), western or eastern window sill.
By the way! If you only have space on a north-facing window sill, there are simple tricks to increase the amount of sunlight entering the room. For example, slopes can be covered with mirrors or something shiny. Plus, you can always add backlighting.
Indeed, in winter you cannot do without additional lighting for indoor greens and vegetables. For this, of course, phytolamps are best suited, but more budget-friendly full-spectrum LED lamps are an excellent option. On short winter days, rosemary responds gratefully to morning and evening supplementary lighting.
By the way! The pot needs to be periodically turned to the light, first on one side or the other. In this way, deformation can be avoided when the plant bends to one side of the light, which often happens when growing light-loving plants on a windowsill.
In summer, the container with rosemary is transferred to the balcony (loggia): simply taken out into the garden or planted on the plot (if it has grown very much). And if you decide to leave a pot of spicy herbs on a south-facing window, you should definitely shade it with something from the bright rays of the sun.
Growing pot
Due to the fact that the root system of rosemary is highly branched, the plant must be planted in a spacious (preferably clay) pot. Optimal dimensions of the planting container: height 15-20 cm, width 25 cm.
Advice! Initially, it is better to sow the seeds in common containers, from where, when 1-2 true leaves appear, plant them in separate small containers. Then, as it grows, transfer it to a permanent place in a large, beautiful pot.
At the bottom of the pot, do not forget to lay a small layer of drainage (expanded clay, pebbles or vermiculite), and also make holes through which excess water will flow into the pan.
What soil to plant in (substrate)
The most convenient way is to purchase a universal soil (or better for seedlings) at a garden store and then mix it with river sand or perlite (1/3 or 1/4) to make it looser.
Idea! You can add hydrogel to the soil mixture, then you will not have to water frequently in summer and winter.
Of course, instead of purchased soil, you can use garden soil. The main condition is that the soil must be loose, moisture- and breathable.
Advice! to disinfect any land, even purchased land, by spilling it with a solution of potassium permanganate or Fitosporin . Alternatively, you can steam it in the oven or microwave.
Seed preparation
Rosemary seeds take a very long time and germinate poorly: seedlings make their way to the surface only 2-4 weeks after sowing. To speed up the emergence of seedlings, it is advisable to pre-soak the seeds (so that they swell) for 1-2 days, remembering to maintain the moisture of napkins or cotton pads (the material in which you usually do this).
By the way! If it is written on the packet of seeds that they do not require any pre-planting preparation, then you don’t need to do anything! Straight to the ground!
Preparing cuttings for planting, their germination
By the way! You can either cut the cuttings in the garden if you are already growing rosemary, or buy them at the supermarket or market (fresh), just be sure to trim the tip.
cuttings are required .
Preparing rosemary cuttings for subsequent cultivation on a windowsill is carried out in the following sequence:
- On a healthy bush, trim the tops of young shoots to 8-10 cm in length.
- Next, the lower part needs to be cleared of leaves.
- Place the cuttings in water for rooting.
- When the roots appear (after about 2-3 weeks), you can transplant the cuttings into the ground.
Interesting! The author of the next video plants the cuttings directly into the ground.
Video: how to grow rosemary from cuttings at home (without germination in water)
Direct planting: sowing seeds and further rooting cuttings
Rosemary is sown as follows:
- We filled the common containers with soil.
- The seeds were evenly scattered over the moist substrate.
- We moistened it with a spray bottle and that’s it!
Important! No need to fill it with soil! Even 0.5 cm.
- Next, the container with the crops is covered with glass or film. And then they put it in a warm place where the temperature is kept around +25 degrees.
Lighting does not matter at this stage, so you can place the container in a dark place, for example, on a cabinet or refrigerator.
- As soon as the seedlings hatch, the film is removed from the planting container and quickly moved to a bright (even bright) and cooler place (18-20 degrees).
Video: how to plant rosemary from seeds - 4 secrets to successful germination
Planting sprouted cuttings at home is done as follows:
- Bury the cuttings into moist soil (3 centimeters).
- Water.
- Cover the top with a bag.
And don’t forget to make small holes in the mini-greenhouse so that fresh air can still reach the cuttings. Or just open it periodically for a few minutes.
- Place in a warm and bright place.
- As soon as new leaves begin to appear, gradually remove the cover (after 3-5 weeks).
- Pinch the top so that the side branches begin to grow.
Video: how to grow rosemary from cuttings
Transplantation to a permanent place
You can replant seedlings whose height has reached 7-8 cm. Rosemary is grown both in open ground and in a container in an apartment.
In the first case, it is important to choose the right site for growing rosemary. The soil should be well drained and light. It’s good if there is a slight admixture of limestone in it. The area should be well lit. Shading will not allow the plant to fully develop. Avoid low-lying areas where moisture tends to accumulate. Rosemary should not be planted where there are drafts and strong winds.
Procedure for transplantation:
- When planting in a permanent place, the plants are fed with organic fertilizer. It is enough to take no more than a handful of rotted manure.
- The seedlings are removed from the previous container along with a lump of earth. Such a transplant will avoid injury to the roots.
- The sprout is carefully placed in the hole and held with your hand. Then carefully pour the required amount of soil onto the roots.
- After sprinkling the sprout on all sides, water it.
- Then the soil is added again and the soil is lightly compacted by slamming it down with your hands.
When planting in open ground, the minimum distance between sprouts should be at least 10 cm if the purpose of cultivation is decorative use. If harvesting is planned, then the distance should be at least half a meter.
To grow indoors, you need to use a pot that has one or more holes in the bottom. This is important to ensure good drainage. When the transplant is done, the rosemary is placed in the shade for two days to make it easier for it to adapt to the new conditions.
Growing in a pot
Growing and care in open ground
To prepare for planting rosemary, you need to decide where it will grow. An ideal area on the site would be sunny and protected from strong gusts of wind.
The optimal soil should be loose and light. The distance that should be left between the bushes in the garden bed depends on how much you plan to allow the plant to grow.
After 7-8 days after planting, it is advisable to pinch the top of the bush, this will increase tillering. In severe frosts, the bushes need to be trimmed to the very ground and covered with sawdust.
Rosemary care includes:
Watering should be moderate. You can determine whether the watering schedule is correct by the behavior of the plant. If there is excessive humidity, the leaves will begin to fall off, and if there is not enough humidity, the lower leaves will begin to turn yellow.
Feeding - at the beginning of the season it is advisable to feed the plant with nitrogen fertilizers, during the season with mineral fertilizers, and in the fall it is advisable to enrich the soil with phosphorus.
Periodic weeding and loosening of the soil.
Pruning – every seven years you need to prune rosemary bushes at ground level, this is necessary to rejuvenate the plant. It is also possible to carry out formative pruning in the spring to give the bushes the desired shape.
Basic rules of watering
When watering the sprouts, do not allow them to become waterlogged. This will cause the roots to rot and the plants may die. It is important not to allow the top layer of soil to dry out completely. As soon as the soil becomes barely moist, you need to water the sprouts again.
Growing on a windowsill
If you germinate the seeds correctly, rosemary can not only provide your family with a tasty and healthy seasoning, but also become a decoration for your home. To do this, it is enough to properly care for the plant.
