Growing rosemary herb outdoors
Rosemary is an aromatic spice used in the preparation of meat, fish and vegetables. You can buy spice in many supermarkets and spice stores, but we'll talk about a more interesting activity - growing rosemary yourself in the open field.
How to plant?
Rosemary can be grown in three ways:
- seeds;
- cuttings.
The choice of planting method depends on the personal preference of the gardener. In any case, with proper planting and caring for rosemary in the open field, it will be possible to grow wonderful bushes up to 150 cm high. The only difference is how much time and effort will be spent on growing.
Growing by sowing seeds
It is impossible to plant seeds directly in open ground, since the air temperature at the designated time of the year is usually still too cold.
Before planting, it is advisable to soak the seeds for a day in water, since they usually go off hard and for a long time. It is necessary to carefully plant each seed separately, evenly distributing the rosemary around the entire perimeter of the container. More seeds planted this way will come off.
Seeds usually go off for 6-8 weeks, but, depending on the manufacturer, the terms can be slightly longer or slightly shorter. There is no need to rush to be upset if the seeds do not come off at all for a long time. Growing rosemary from seeds is an exercise for the patient.
The resulting bushes from their seeds must be planted in the garden or in the garden to give them more room to grow.
Rosemary by cuttings
Growing rosemary outdoors using cuttings takes less time, so if you can cut a branch from an adult plant, it's better to use it. It is better to cut the lower leaves of rosemary from the cuttings, leaving only a few leaves on top of the branch. Put the prepared cuttings in water until the root system is formed, which occurs after 3-4 weeks. In this case, the liquid should constantly cover about a third of the length of the cutting.
It is better to use filtered water or from natural sources, but not tap water.
Ready-made rosemary bushes in pots are available in stores. Such a plant is already ready for transplanting into open ground. The gardener should not forget only about the permissible temperature for plant growth (at least 10 degrees Celsius). Growing rosemary outdoors in Ukraine is permissible since March.
Sand can be added to the soil, peat (neutralized only) as well as compost and fertilizers. Like many other plants, rosemary loves loose soil.
Disembarkation dates
In temperate climates, it is possible to grow rosemary outdoors from around mid-spring, when the soil temperature is at least 5-10 degrees Celsius. In the northern regions of the Russian Federation, especially in the far north, transplanting rosemary into the ground does not make sense due to the peculiarities of the climate, so it is better to grow the plant in spacious pots in greenhouses or greenhouses.
It should be remembered that at a temperature of -5 degrees Celsius, rosemary dies and planting a plant during periods when warm weather can change dramatically is unacceptable.So, growing rosemary in the open field in the Moscow region is best practiced after the 20th of April.
Rosemary grows constantly throughout the year. The periods of growth activity vary depending on growth conditions and seasonality.
Circumcision and grooming
There are several basic principles for planting and caring for rosemary in the garden:
- Do not water the plant too often, as it does not like moisture stagnation. In the rainy season, you don't have to worry about watering at all.
- You need to cut the bushes by tearing off the top of the stalk so that they grow even more.
- It is advisable to plant rosemary on the sunny side, since the plant is very sun-loving.
Wintering
When grown outdoors, rosemary will not survive the winter. The root system of the plant begins to freeze at the onset of the first frost, therefore, the bushes must be transplanted into pots for the winter.
It is better to store rosemary in frosty weather in cool rooms with an average temperature of 10-15 degrees Celsius. So, for the winter, the bushes can be taken to the basement or utility room without heating or with minimal heating. If it is not possible to keep the plant in suitable conditions, you can put it in a living space. At room temperature, rosemary can also survive the winter successfully. It is possible to grow rosemary again in the open field in the Rostov region from the very beginning of April.
If the bushes are kept in the most suitable conditions in winter, they will bloom with beautiful blue flowers in February-March.
Rosemary is a perennial plant. With proper care, rosemary will retain its spicy taste and smell for a long period, but if the recommendations given in the article are not followed, it will be susceptible to disease and may die.