Today, rosemary is used primarily as a seasoning for various dishes, as well as a medicinal plant. An important feature is Rosemary can be grown at home on the windowsill, though not without difficulties.
Did you know? In ancient times, the Greeks, Egyptians and Romans used rosemary. Its homeland is considered the Mediterranean region and the southern part of Europe. Today, this plant with tiny blue flowers and narrow leaves resembling conifer needles is available for cultivation and at home.
How to find a place for rosemary in the apartment, lighting and temperature
If we decide that we grow rosemary at home, we need to find a suitable place for it. They can be a windowsill on the east or south side. It is important to provide him with good lighting so that healthy and strong leaves are formed, more essential oils are produced.
In addition to abundant light, rosemary likes a lot of fresh air. Therefore, in winter, more often ventilate the room where the plant pot is located, and in the summer it should be taken out to the balcony, a loggia, and even better - stuck in a garden or a vegetable garden.
The plant is ready to withstand relatively low temperatures. It feels good in a cool room at 10-12 ° C and retains its vitality even at -12 ° C. The only thing, even in these temperature limits should not be sudden changes.
Planting rosemary on the windowsill
Now let's take a closer look at how to plant rosemary on the windowsill.
How to choose the right pot for rosemary
A wide terracotta pot is ideal for a plant, but you can also take an earthen vessel. It is only important to take into account that the root system of it is very extensive and requires a lot of space. At the bottom it is necessary to fill the clay or small pebbles in order to provide good ventilation and to avoid moisture stagnation.
Important! There is a huge number of varieties of rosemary that grow everywhere, but you can grow on the windowsill the only variety - fragrant rosemary.
What should be the soil for planting
The next question in the solution of the problem, how to plant rosemary correctly, is the choice of a suitable soil. This should be a neutral or slightly alkaline permeable soil, which allows air to pass through well - gravelly, sandy, calcareous soils, in which it is desirable to add sand or peat.
This will facilitate loosening, which requires agrotechnika plants. In any case, before planting or seeding, they must be treated and disinfected.
Although rosemary is undemanding to the ground, it should be regularly fed. Supplements are made with regularity every other week. In winter, this procedure is sufficient to carry out once a month.
How to grow rosemary from seed
It is rather difficult to grow rosemary from seeds at home, since seeds have poor germination. But with due effort you can achieve the desired effect.
Seed preparation
Sowing should be planned for autumn or spring. Before sowing the seeds, it is desirable to pre-treat them and prepare for germination. First you need to wet the gauze, wrap the seeds in it and leave them for a couple of days.
Only after that they are sown in the ground, not sprinkling earth on top. Instead, the pot is covered with plastic wrap, making several punctures in it. In this way, you will provide planting material with a microclimate and a sufficient supply of fresh air.
Periodically, the seeds must be moistened with a spray. Shoots should appear maximum in a month. If this does not happen, it is necessary to sow a new batch.
Did you know? Translated from the Latin name "rosemary" means "freshness of the sea" or more precisely - "sea dew". The rosemary flower served the ancient Greeks as a talisman that kept youth, attracted happiness, scared away evil spirits and so on. But by the XIX century, its use was reduced to use as a means of a cold in the form of snuff.
Care of seedlings
Saplings need an adequate level of humidity, good lighting and fresh air. Therefore, keep spraying them with a spray bottle, watering often, but so that the water does not stagnate, and periodically air out.
When the shoots reach a length of 7-9 cm and acquire not less than three leaves, they can be swooped down, but with extreme caution, since the shoots are very fragile. Watch for rosemary growth.
It grows quite quickly, but as soon as it becomes crowded in the old “house”, it must be transplanted into a pot of larger diameter. Otherwise, it will lose its decorative properties.
How to grow rosemary on the window sill of cuttings
If it was not possible to grow rosemary from seeds at home, it is worth trying to grow it from cuttings. You can buy it in the garden center already established or try to root a cut branch from another pot.
It is necessary to cut already stiff twig, but from the top of the rosemary. From it, the lower petals are cut, and the cutting itself is placed in a peat substrate with perlite or vermiculite, or in the soil with sand. You can not look for a suitable soil, and put the cutting in the water.
Even if the stalk will stand in water, it must be periodically sprayed, paying special attention to the stem. A container of water should stand in a lighted place, but away from the direct rays of the sun.
As soon as the roots appear on it (after about two or three weeks), rosemary can be planted in a pot.
Do not forget to pinch the top at the same time so that the plant thrives, and does not go up.
Rules for the care of rosemary in room conditions
The main rules for growing rosemary at home are good drainage, watering, ventilation and lighting. In the summer, when the fluctuation of night and daytime temperatures is insignificant, the plant should be placed in fresh air.
Important! The greatest difficulties with caring for rosemary occur when the room where it is located is poorly ventilated. This provokes the emergence of such a fungus, such as powdery mildew on the stems and leaves. But too dry air is an ideal environment for the appearance of a spider mite. The latter is sprayed with insecticide, but then the leaves of the plant cannot be eaten.
Watering and feeding plants
When choosing an irrigation mode for rosemary, please note that it prefers more arid soil than overmoistened soil. But still it is desirable to water it regularly.
With an insufficient amount of moisture, the leaves turn yellow, and when they are excessive, they fall off altogether. In the latter case, the moisture stagnates in the pot, and the root system rots. At the same time, if the pot is on the south side, then in the summer it should be watered often enough. It is important to observe the balance: to prevent the land from drying up in a clump and stagnant water.
Transplanting and pruning a plant
In the summer, the plant is recommended not only to put in a more lighted place, but also transplanted into the open ground. In a garden or garden, choose a place that is sufficiently lit and reliably protected from strong winds. But for the winter, rosemary should definitely be returned to the room.
A plant with strong, stiff stalks should be trimmed regularly. It stimulates the growth of the side branches and helps to form a lush and beautiful shrub.
The first pruning can be done when the plant reaches about 15 cm in height. Do it usually in the spring, after flowering. But in the fall, experts recommend discarding pruning.
Important! Trimming the woody shoots and forming a bush, note that fresh tops from the annual shoots are used as food. To do this, also remove the flowers of the plant.
Secrets of successful cultivation: how to make rosemary blossom
Rosemary is planted including for the sake of flowers for use as a seasoning, but growing a house from seed is not always crowned with a flowering plant.
There are several recommendations from experienced growers to help you get rosemary to bloom. First of all, you can try to transplant it into peaty, deciduous or sod soil with the addition of humus and sand. This procedure is recommended to do every spring.
Secondly, the plant must necessarily survive a cold period when the temperature of its environment drops to 5-10 ° C. During this period, it is necessary to reduce watering and not touch the plant, tearing off the leaves or cutting it. Flowering should be expected in April - May.
As you can see, to grow rosemary at home on the windowsill is quite realistic, but for this you need to be patient and knowledge. But your efforts will pay off with a beautiful lush plant that can be used as a seasoning for your favorite dishes.
