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“Freshness of the Sea” or rosemary is a bush of the blue-flowered or lamb family, originally from the Mediterranean coast. Since ancient times, the shrub has been used as a seasoning or medicine. In some countries it is a sacred bush. Today, this fragrant spice is distributed throughout the planet. The article tells about rosemary: growing at home, outdoors in the garden or in the country, planting, care and watering.
Briefly about rosemary
Rosemary is a perennial evergreen shrub with dense branches, leaves of olive or grayish color, similar to spruce needles. The bush has a dense crown, the flowers are small, white or light blue. If you rub the branches with your hand, you can feel a bright characteristic aroma. In open ground with good care and watering, you can grow a bush about two meters.
On the Mediterranean coast, it grows wild. Rosemary is especially actively used by residents of Western Europe and Morocco. There, shrubs are grown as spices for meat, fish, poultry, mushrooms, soups, salads, and even pastries. Eucalyptus, camphor, lemon, pine – all these aromas together resemble the smell of rosemary.
Rosemary is famous as a medicinal source. The plant is used to treat diseases of the respiratory and digestive systems, as an antiseptic for small wounds and fungal diseases. The branches of the bush help to overcome insomnia, increase blood pressure, stimulate the brain and activate memory. Essential oil is used as an ingredient in many shampoos, as well as for rubbing. Caution with rosemary is necessary for people suffering from epilepsy and hypertension, as well as pregnant women. It is worth growing a bush in an apartment as a disinfectant, it neutralizes an unpleasant odor, kills germs and viruses. Often, with the help of bags filled with rosemary, they fight against moths.
Planting and care
Although rosemary is an exotic plant, it can be safely grown in your backyard garden or on your windowsill. But it is worth remembering that the plant has a strong root system. Therefore, he needs a pot wide, but not very deep, with drainage. For the summer, a pot with a plant must be taken out to the southern and calm part of the garden.
The bush loves care, timely watering, systematic weeding and loosening. As top dressing, you can use a solution of water and mullein in a ratio of 1: 5. Mineral and organic fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus are also used. Watering-top dressing is enough to carry out every 30 days. Nitrogen fertilizers are best used in the spring. They contribute to the intensive development of the root system. Phosphate fertilizers are best applied in the fall to grow green mass.
To rejuvenate the bushes, every 7-8 years, the plant is cut to the level of the soil. Such pruning is carried out most often in industrial cultivation. In home-grown conditions, rosemary sprigs are cut to form a beautiful shape. It is best to carry out such a procedure in late March – early April. But you should not prune more often than once a year, otherwise the plant will revive for a long time, and the garden shrub may die.
Video “All you need to know about the fragrant plant”
Informative video in which you can hear all the necessary information and useful properties of rosemary.
Cultivation of rosemary
Seeds, cuttings, division or cuttings are the main methods of growing rosemary. The best and most successful option is to grow rosemary from seeds with the upcoming planting of seedlings in the ground. Before sowing, the seeds must be wrapped in damp gauze and kept for about a month. It is not recommended to allow the seeds to dry out or rot. For safety net, the seeds can be laid out in groups and periodically turned over. The optimum temperature for seed germination is +12 – +22 °C.
Seeds can be sown in late February – early March. The sowing depth is 0,3-0,4 cm, since the seeds are small. The main thing is that you do not need to fill the soil with water, it should be moderately moist. You can just spray the crop. After a month, mature plants can be planted in separate pots. After the last frost, seedlings can be planted in the garden after 50 cm. If you plan to grow small bushes, then 10 cm between plants will be enough.
When planting a plant in a garden, a mixture with river sand, fertile soil and peat in equal parts is added to the rosemary pit. Also, crushed chalk (1 tablespoon) is added for each kg of the resulting mixture.
For propagation of rosemary by cuttings, young branches should be cut from the bush at the end of June. The length of the seedlings should be from 8 to 10 cm. At an angle of 45 °, the lower tips of the cuttings are planted in the ground to a depth of no more than 5 cm. The optimal gap between the cuttings should be 10 cm. The branches take root quickly and actively begin to grow. When propagating the shrub by layering, it is necessary to dig in the shoot of the plant. After flowering, the young plant is separated from the bush, transplanted and provided with the necessary care and watering.
Growing conditions
Rosemary is a heat-loving, light-loving and non-frost-resistant plant. It is best to plant outdoors when there is no threat of frost. An adult plant can survive frosts, but not below -4. Rosemary needs a lot of sun in summer, and in winter – coolness up to 10-13 ° C, otherwise the bush will not bloom. In winter, the dose of light should be 6-8 hours, so rosemary often needs additional lighting. Due to the lack of light, the upper leaves of the bush will become less dense, stretched out.
The plant loves loose and moisture-permeable, calcareous soils. He does not like too wet or acidic soils. Although this bush is picky, it is not afraid of disease. He is also not afraid of pests.
In the Moscow region, given the climate, rosemary, in order not to freeze, must be covered. To do this, you can use sawdust or dry foliage. As an alternative, you can transplant rosemary for the winter in a pot. In the spring, after the last frost, the plant is planted again in the garden or in the country. For indoor growing rosemary, you need to buy a terracotta or clay pot. You also need to provide good drainage, you can use pebbles or expanded clay. It is necessary to periodically rotate the plants to form a uniform crown.
The room must be regularly ventilated. In summer, you can put a pot with a plant on a balcony or plant it in the ground. It should be borne in mind that rosemary does not like sudden changes in temperature. The bush gets along with basil, thyme, laurel, parsley, so they can be grown in one container.
Outdoor rosemary is a strong plant. He is not afraid of pests. The indoor shrub is weaker, so it can be affected by downy mildew, whitefly, and aphids. To get rid of pests, it is enough to buy a rosemary bush several times in miles of water (we must cover the soil).
Watering the Plants
Watering rosemary should be systematic and moderate. The plant does not like strong moisture, it tolerates drought more easily. If the leaves of the bush began to turn yellow, then the plant does not have enough moisture. If there is a lot of water, it can massively drop leaves, and the root can rot. If the leaves faded, began to dry out, and the bush is under the sun’s rays, then this means it’s time to move the plant to the shade.
Only timely care can avoid these mistakes. Since rosemary loves the alkaline balance of the soil, it can be watered with settled tap water without fear. Occasionally, you can spray the leaves of the plant – it gives a beautiful look to the crown.
It is necessary to collect fragrant greens during flowering in hot weather. It is plucked, then dried and the seasoning is ready to use. Growing and caring for rosemary is a difficult task, but anyone can do it. If you provide the bush with the necessary care, then he will thank you with a spicy harvest.
Video “How to plant rosemary from seeds”
An indicative video that will help you figure out how best to plant a plant from seeds.
