Growing oregano (oregano) from seeds at home

Oregano is a fragrant spice, which is also valued for its healing properties. Therefore, many gardeners prefer to plant this plant in the country and home gardens. But not everyone knows that, if desired, you can grow oregano in a pot at home on the windowsill. To do this, you only need to provide favorable conditions for keeping, taking into account the requirements of culture. And then fresh fragrant herbs will always be at hand.

Oregano as a spice is suitable for meat, vegetable dishes and desserts.

Varieties of oregano for growing at home

For home cultivation, you should choose low-growing varieties of oregano with compact bushes. In this case, the plants will look organic on the windowsill. After all, oregano is characterized by long flowering, so when it is grown on a windowsill, you can get not only a spice, but also a highly decorative flowerpot.

Popular varieties of oregano for home use:

1. Aurea (Aureum). Plant height reaches 30-40 cm. A characteristic difference of the variety is the golden hue of the leaves. The color of the flowers of this homemade oregano varies from light pink to lilac, depending on the intensity of the light.

   

2. Compactum. This variety is characterized by low bushes, the height of which, when grown at home, is 20 cm. This is achieved due to short internodes and densely spaced small leaves. Oregano Compactum is undemanding to care. Blooms from June to mid-September, forming pink paniculate inflorescences.

   

3. Golden Shane (Golden Shine). The height of the bushes of this variety of homemade oregano reaches 30 cm. The leaves are half golden in color. The variety is characterized by pale pink flowers. It does not respond well to sudden temperature changes.

   

4. Acorn Bank. English variety of oregano. The height of its bushes reaches 45 cm when grown at home. It is characterized by large leaves about 2,5 cm long. The color of the plates is yellow-green without sharp transitions. The edges of the leaves are slightly wavy, wrapped inward. The color of the petals is white, and the stamens are pink.

   

5. Country Cream. The height of the bushes of this variety of domestic oregano varies from 10 to 45 cm. A distinctive feature of the perennial is the light beige framing of the leaves. Flowering lasts 3 months, the color of the petals is pink-lilac.

   

How to grow oregano (oregano) at home on the windowsill

Successful cultivation of homemade oregano from seeds on the windowsill depends on the correct planting. This procedure implies compliance with certain rules that should not be ignored.

Soil Preparation

Oregano belongs to the category of undemanding plants to the composition of the soil. However, in order for this perennial to grow lush bushes on the windowsill, nutritious soil with good air and moisture permeability is needed. You can buy a suitable substrate in the store, choosing marked “Universal” or cook it yourself.

To do this, you need to mix sod, peat, leafy soil, sand, humus in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1: 1. Additionally, 100 g of wood ash must be added to the resulting soil mixture for every 10 liters. After that, the substrate must be mixed well.

A few days before planting homemade oregano, the soil must be disinfected. To do this, use any of the proposed methods:

1. Ferry. The substrate must be kept in a water bath for 10-15 minutes, gradually stirring throughout the time.
2. In the oven. Pour soil on a baking sheet with a layer of 2-3 cm. Place in the oven for 30 minutes and turn on the temperature at 60 degrees.
3. Potassium permanganate. Water the substrate with a bright pink solution. Before planting, it must be slightly dried until flowability.

Seed preparation

Oregano seeds do not need special preparation before planting. But in order to accelerate germination and strengthen the immunity of future sprouts, it is necessary to soak them in a solution of “Epin” or “Zircon” for a day. After that, the seeds should be slightly dried and immediately sown.

Planting material of oregano is very small. Therefore, for the convenience of sowing, it can be mixed with sand. This will evenly distribute the seeds on the surface of the soil.

Prepared oregano seeds cannot be stored

Planting tank selection

For sowing, choose wide containers 10-12 cm high. They should have drainage holes to remove excess water. You can also use plastic cups or peat tablets.

Site Selection

Until sprouts appear, the pot with seeds should be kept in a dark place. And in the future, oregano seedlings must be grown on the eastern or southern windowsill. This plant tolerates direct sunlight well, so there is no need to additionally shade the seedlings.

With a lack of light, the sprouts of homemade oregano stretch out and turn pale. Therefore, the northern window sill is not suitable for growing.

Rules of landing

Sowing seeds of oregano is carried out according to the standard scheme. Therefore, anyone, even a beginner grower, can cope with this procedure.

Algorithm of actions:

1. Lay drainage on the bottom of the container with a layer of 1 cm.
2. Fill the remaining volume with nutrient soil mixture, not filling it up to the top edge of 1 cm.
3. Water the soil well and wait for the moisture to be completely absorbed.
4. Level and lightly compact the surface of the substrate.
5. Evenly sow oregano seeds mixed with sand.
6. Sprinkle them on top with a layer of earth 0,5 cm thick.
7. Moisten the soil from above with a spray bottle.

After planting homemade oregano, the container must be covered with glass or film to create favorable conditions for seed germination. Then you should move the container to a dark place with a temperature of + 22-24 degrees. This mode of maintenance should be until friendly shoots appear, and only then rearranged on the windowsill. During the entire waiting period, the pot must be ventilated daily and the condensate collected on the glass removed.

Oregano seeds germinate 7-10 days after planting

Necessary conditions for growing oregano

Homemade oregano sprouts at the initial stage of development are very delicate and fragile. And any, even minor errors in the care and maintenance of the grower, can cause their death. To prevent this, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for their development.

After the appearance of friendly shoots, the pot with sprouts must be transferred to a bright window sill and the maintenance regime should be reduced to +20 degrees. This is necessary to prevent the elongation of the aerial part of the homemade oregano sprouts and to stimulate the development of the root system.

A week after this, the temperature must be raised to +22 degrees and daylight hours must be provided for at least 14 hours. Watering seedlings of homemade oregano should only be done with a spray bottle until it has grown stronger. For irrigation, use settled water at room temperature. It is necessary to moisten the oregano on the windowsill as the topsoil dries up, avoiding moisture stagnation.

When the seedlings grow up, they must be adapted to external conditions, and then the film or glass must be completely removed. At the stage of four true leaves, the plants need to dive into separate cups. This must be done with a clod of earth to minimize stress.

At an early stage, oregano seedlings develop slowly

Caring for oregano (oregano) at home

For the successful cultivation of oregano at home in a pot on the windowsill, you must follow the standard care rules. This plant is considered unpretentious, but in order for the bushes to grow greens well, the basic requirements of the culture should be taken into account.

Watering

As the homemade oregano seedlings grow older on the windowsill, their root system grows and deepens significantly. Therefore, you need to take this into account when watering. Moisturize plants on the windowsill rarely, but plentifully. After watering, it is necessary that the water remains in the pan for half an hour. And after this time, the remains must be poured.

During hot periods, moisturizing homemade oregano on the windowsill should be carried out 2-3 times a week, and at other times – once every 7 days.

Fertilizers and fertilizing

In the first season after planting, there is no need to fertilize oregano, as the plant will use the nutrients that are in the substrate. It is recommended to start top dressing only in the spring of next year. During this period, you can use organic matter, namely mullein 1:10 or chicken manure 1:15. Such top dressing is recommended to be carried out in April once.

The second time fertilizers should be applied before flowering homemade oregano on the windowsill. During this period, superphosphate (15 g) and potassium sulfide (10 g) should be used per 5 liters of water. At least 0,5 liters of nutrient solution must be added under each bush.

The third time you need to apply fertilizer for homemade oregano is in the fall, namely, in mid-September. During this period, wood ash should be used. To do this, pour 100 g of the component into 1 liter of boiling water and leave for a day. After the time has elapsed, bring the total volume of liquid to 5 liters, mix and strain. With the resulting solution, you need to feed the oregano bushes on the windowsill at the rate of 0,5 liters for each bush.

Fertilizers with a high nitrogen content cannot be used for domestic oregano

Protection against diseases and pests

Any mistakes in caring for oregano on the windowsill negatively affect its immunity. As a result, the plant becomes susceptible to diseases and pests. To prevent this, it is necessary to regularly inspect the bushes of domestic oregano and, if alarming signs appear, remove the affected seedlings.

You should also periodically loosen the soil in pots to prevent the development of root rot.

To prevent damage, it is necessary in the spring to spray homemade oregano bushes with a Bordeaux mixture at the rate of 20 g per bucket of water.

Conclusion

You can grow oregano in a pot at home without much difficulty. After all, this culture requires increased attention of the grower only at the initial stage of development, and in the future it needs only minimal care. This makes it possible to have fresh spicy herbs on the windowsill, which are ideal for main courses and salads, as well as desserts.