Tarragon on the windowsill: home care, planting
Tarragon on the windowsill (tarragon) is a real decoration of the kitchen. This is a long-liver among spicy herbs that will grow for 10-12 years, delight its owners with a piquant taste. The plant can be added to dishes as a condiment or as a delicious refreshing drink. How to grow tarragon at home, you can find out in this article.
Description of the plant
Tarragon foliage has no cuttings. The upper plates and those located closer to the roots differ significantly in shape. The lower foliage is slightly incised along the edge, and the upper foliage is slightly forked. Depending on the type of plant, the plates have different shades: from dark emerald to grayish-silver color.
Tarragon foliage contains many essential oils. They give the culture a taste a bit like anise. At the same time, tarragon is completely devoid of the bitterness inherent in its relative wormwood.
Tarragon buds are small. They can be green or pale yellow. Flowers are often collected in narrow panicles, which are located at the very top of a tall stem. The flowering period is late summer and September.
There are several types of tarragon:
- Common tarragon. Representatives of this species have an unpleasant odor that repels even insects. In addition, it has a pronounced bitter taste. The plant is large, with irregularly shaped leaves.
- Russian tarragon. This variety is used in cooking, more often fresh grass is used because of its pleasant aroma. The plant is large, has large foliage, blooms with pale green panicles.
- French tarragon. It is a smaller variety of tarragon with miniature leaves. Has a spicy unobtrusive aroma, is used for cooking as a seasoning.
Tarragon care at home
Lighting. Tarragon is not a very picky crop, it can be grown on any windowsill. East and south windows are preferable for more light. Otherwise, you will have to turn on for tarragon additional lighting... With a lack of sunlight, the plant slows down its growth, the green foliage turns pale. At the same time, tarragon greatly loses its taste.
Do not pour tarragon, otherwise it will lead to decay of the roots and death of the plant.
Watering. Tarragon prefers moderate watering. If you provide him with regular spraying, once a day, or even better twice, then he will have to irrigate only twice a month. It is important to water young sprouts very carefully so as not to erode the soil near the roots.
Top dressing. Fertilizers should be applied when the plant is in its second year. Better use mineral feeding complex composition. It takes a little. It is necessary to systematically loosen the soil at the base so that a crust does not form on the soil.
Breeding tarragon
The spicy herb has a small root system. Therefore, you can grow tarragon right on the window in flower pots or containers. It will not take up much space.
Seed propagation
Growing tarragon from seeds at home is easy. It's important to follow simple guidelines. Before starting the reproduction procedure with this method, it should be remembered that tarragon seeds are very small. To make them convenient to plant, it is better to mix the grains with river sand. Then sowing tarragon with seeds will be more even.
To sow 10 square meters with tarragon, 0.5 g of its seeds is enough. After all, each gram includes about 5 thousand grains.
To begin with, a layer of drainage is placed on the bottom of the pot. The soil mixture is poured on top. At home, it is obtained by mixing three components (turf, humus, sand) in equal amounts.
Tarragon grows well on soils such as sandy loam. Clay soil is too poor for it, therefore it must be enriched by the introduction of humus, sand, peat mixture. The main condition is that the earth should not be sour, tarragon does not like this. To adjust the pH, lime, dolomite flour should be added. Ash or crushed chalk can be added. Good ingredients are vermiculite or perlite, which can regulate soil moisture.
The planting material is sown, covering the top with a thin layer of soil. The earth is moistened. It is best to keep tarragon seeds in a greenhouse, under a can or plastic wrap. At a favorable temperature of + 18-20 °, the first shoots will appear in 20 days.
Reproduction of tarragon cuttings
Cuttings should be separated on the 20th of May. The height of each should be within 15 cm. They are kept for a day in a solution of root or any drug that stimulates the formation of roots. Then the tarragon twigs are planted in a mixture of earth, humus and sand, taken in a 1: 1: 1 ratio. The cuttings are deepened by 5 cm, they must be covered with a film, and greenhouse conditions are created for them. If you keep the soil mixture in a moist state all the time, then after 3-4 weeks the cuttings will root well.
Tarragon propagation by layering
Near the tarragon bush, shallow grooves are made in the ground. In them, 1-2 year old shoots are bent and strengthened. They need to be sprinkled with earth and watered constantly for rooting. The next spring, the cuttings are separated from the mother bush and planted separately.
Tarragon in the apartment will help the hostess to give even the most ordinary dish an incredible taste. With proper care, the plant will delight you with its beautiful appearance for a long time.