Description of the Marshall thyme variety, features of cultivation and care
In nature, there are more than 400 species of thyme; in Russia, creeping thyme and Marshall thyme, used in traditional medicine, are widespread. These are beautiful semi-shrubs with lilac flowers in capitate-shaped inflorescences.
Features of the variety
Thyme is a semi-shrub with a height of 10-35 cm, leaf blades of an oblong-elliptical shape, a ready-made inflorescence with spaced rings of an intermittent shape. Perennial air corollas release a lavender tone. After the end of the lush flowering, the fruits ripen - miniature nuts. The total height of the shrub is 10-35 cm. These are the general characteristics of the variety of life-giving thyme.
Perfect flowering period: from half of warm May to the end of sultry August. The distribution area of life-giving thyme is the Far East, Western Siberia, the European part of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine. Perennial prefers rocky slopes, found among shrubs in lighted forests, on picturesque edges, spacious steppes.
Benefits of Marshall thyme
This life-giving herb is often used in folk recipes. The ground part of the perennial is collected. Natural infusions of perennials based on skim milk are used for diagnosed amenorrhea, in the presence of acute respiratory infections, severe toothache.
In sunny Bulgaria, natural herbal infusions in the form of small lotions are used as an excellent wound healing composition - from bad breath, with diagnosed stomach cancer.
In Kyrgyzstan, fresh infusion of life-giving thyme is drunk internally as a remedy to relieve sciatica, to quickly relieve spasms.
Outwardly, a decoction of fresh thyme is applied in the form of light lotions, aromatic baths are taken on the basis of life-giving infusion, and healing compresses are made. In Altai people know that a fragrant infusion of thyme helps against severe headaches and fever. On the territory of the Middle Volga region, this healing agent is actively used as an expectorant drug during whooping cough, a progressive respiratory infection.
On the basis of Marshall thyme, a light essential oil is made, suitable for further use in perfumery and cosmetology, it is also used as a fragrant spice when frying fish.
Features of growing thyme
To grow this perennial, no special effort is required, any novice gardener can handle this. Fresh thyme perfectly tolerates dry summers and harsh winters. In order for a perennial to grow and develop intensively, it needs a sufficient amount of moisture. Fresh thyme is unpretentious to the soil composition, grows poorly on clay soils with an increased level of acidity.
Landing dates
On the garden plot, the selected thyme seeds are sown in the spring-autumn period. The optimal time for planting ripe perennial seeds is spring, after the end of the frost. On the day of planting, the weather should be sunny and warm. To keep a perennial in an apartment, ready cuttings and seeds are planted in the ground at any time.
Landing site preparation
Before planting the seeds, the site should be prepared, the following actions are performed:
- A hole is being dug, the optimal size of which is 2 times the diameter of the pot.
- A suitable soil composition is prepared: the earth and sand are mixed in equal proportions, part of the finished mixture is poured into the pot.
- Carefully remove the finished seedling from a plastic pot, fluff a strong rhizome.
- Place the thyme in a pit, the permissible depth of the initial planting is the same as in the pot.
- Sprinkle a hole with a nutrient mixture, trample and watered abundantly.
Landing
During the initial planting, an unassuming thyme does not require special conditions. In order for a life-giving plant to grow well and develop in a new place, the following conditions are met:
- Choose the right place for its placement.
- The specified dates of the initial landing are observed.
- Watering and feeding.
For the initial landing, choose a sunny place that is not blown by cross winds. Thyme is afraid of constant drafts. The selected soil in the area for the normal development of the plant is light, drained, with a neutral level of acidity. If the soil in the gardening area where the initial planting is planned is heavy, with a high moisture content, then it is diluted with sifted sand.
Care
It is easy to care for an unpretentious thyme, it is enough to follow the rules of watering, periodically loosen the near-trunk circle, and weed weeds.
Watering
Thyme is drought-resistant, it will not survive stagnant moisture - the roots will begin to rot, be affected by various diseases. In a dry period, young thyme is provided with moderate watering, in a dry spring and during active growth, it also needs moderate moisture. To avoid stagnation in rainy times, the trunk circle is sprinkled with fine gravel.
Top dressing
Thyme does not need constant nutritional formulations. Before the initial planting, high-quality humus must be added to the selected soil. In this case, the seedling does not need additional feeding for a whole year. In late spring or early summer, a liquid mineral composition is added annually.
Diseases and pests
With vegetative development, perennials are weeded, the near-trunk circle is loosened, the delicate soil around is mulched so that there is no stagnation of moisture, so destructive for it. Fresh thyme exudes a scent that repels insects. In case of violation of the basic rules for caring for fragrant thyme, pests can attack:
- The meadow moth spoils fresh leaves and buds, when the slightest signs of damage appear, it is treated with an insecticide solution.
- Sandy sludge - affects the aerial parts of the perennial. To fight it, bait with poison is successfully used.
- The dangerous weevil prefers young greens and fresh buds. The method of disposal here is similar, only treatment with potent insecticides is additionally done.
- Aphids spoil fresh leaves, fragile stems, and die after careful treatment with potent insecticides.
By following all the care recommendations, you can grow healthy thyme, which is then harvested for the winter.
Harvesting and storage
When a lot of lilac inflorescences appear in the thyme, the collection and preparation of medicinal raw materials begins.The herb is harvested during warm, dry weather, from morning to 5 pm. The plant must dry out from the dew, otherwise mold may form on it. Immediately after collection, life-giving tea is made from the collected herbs. For this, they do not wait for flowering, because the leaves of thyme have a unique aroma.
The collected material is dried in a ventilated room, in the attic or veranda. After complete drying, the ready-made collection is packed in cotton bags.
