How to properly grow and care for thyme (thyme) at home in a pot
Many housewives are engaged in growing thyme at home in a pot. This plant is considered an excellent spice, which is often used in cooking during the preparation of various dishes. Before planting thyme, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of planting and growing it in an apartment.
Can you grow thyme in a pot?
Many are interested in whether it is possible to grow spices at home. Thyme is great for growing in an apartment, as it is not too whimsical and does not require special care. Therefore, even inexperienced people who have never grown thyme can cope with planting and growing spices.
For disembarkation, it is enough just to pick up a suitable container for the spice, plant it and place it in a well-lit room. When growing a plant in an apartment, you will have to periodically water it so that the soil does not dry out, and feed it with fertilizers.
Suitable varieties
Before planting, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the most suitable plant varieties that can be planted at home. These include:
- Common thyme. This undersized spice variety grows up to 5-7 cm in height and is therefore excellent for growing in an apartment. You can harvest the ripe spice at the end of August.
- Creeping thyme. The variety belongs to undersized and grows during ripening up to 10-15 cm in height. The bush blooms in mid-summer, after which fruits are formed on it.
- Citric. This is a versatile variety that can be planted both indoors and outdoors. Adult bushes grow up to 15-18 cm 3-4 weeks after planting. It is used for cooking dishes as a decoration for rooms.
Choosing a place for indoor thyme
Some inexperienced housewives pay little attention to choosing a suitable landing site, as they believe that the spice will grow in any room. However, this is not the case and therefore you should familiarize yourself with the features of choosing the best place for planting thyme.
Lighting
Thyme is considered a light-loving plant that grows best in the sun. It is recommended to place the pot with the plant on windowsills that are well lit by the sun. If the spice is planted in winter, you will have to take care of additional lighting and install special lamps.
Temperature and humidity
Thyme grows best in cool rooms with an air temperature of no higher than 20 degrees Celsius.In autumn, you can take the pot out to the glassed-in balcony during the day and bring it into the apartment only in the evening, after sunset. In winter, it is impossible to take the spice out onto the balcony, as it will die from low temperatures.
Preparing for planting thyme at home
Growing thyme is not so difficult, especially if you familiarize yourself with the preparation for planting it. It is recommended to take care in advance about the optimal conditions for planting spices, a container for planting and a suitable soil.
Choosing a container for planting
Preparation for planting begins with choosing the optimal container for planting and growing spices in the apartment. Some people use plastic cups or plastic flower pots for this. However, such containers are not very suitable for growing thyme. Clay pots are considered the best choice, which greatly simplify the further process of planting a plant in other containers.
When choosing a pot, it is recommended to pay attention to its depth. It should be deepened by 10-15 cm, since it is this depth that is considered suitable. In deeper containers, the spice will grow much worse and longer.
What should be the soil for planting?
In order for thyme to grow well at home, you need to take care of the soil mixture. For the cultivation of spices, a balanced and fertile soil is selected, which contains useful trace elements. The soil should be porous so that water and air can better penetrate it. The acidity level of the soil should not be higher than 6–7 pH.
To create a soil mixture, you will need to prepare sod land or ordinary garden soil in advance. Then organic dressings are added to it in the form of eggshells, peat and humus. To make the thyme grow faster, turf ash is added to the ground.
Also, inorganic components are added to the soil, which will increase the yield. It is recommended to mix the soil with washed sand to loosen it and absorb moisture better. Perlite is added to the soil to prevent rotting of the root system.
How to plant thyme at home?
There are several common methods for planting thyme. To cultivate spices in an apartment, use planting cuttings or seeds. To choose the most suitable landing method for yourself, you should familiarize yourself with each of them in more detail.
From seed
Most often, the spice is planted with seeds, as it is easier. To do this, a soil mixture mixed with vermiculite is poured into previously prepared containers, which improves the retention of moisture in the soil. Then the soil in containers is watered with warm water and holes are made in the ground. Place 2-3 seeds in each hole and cover them with earth. The planted plants are transferred to the windowsill and watered regularly. When the first shoots appear in the pots, they are thinned out for better growth.
From cuttings
Some people prefer to propagate thyme bushes using cuttings. First you need to start harvesting cuttings for planting. After the end of the flowering of the thyme, the shoots are cut off from the bush and completely cleared of leaves. Cut off often the shoot and will be a cuttings that are planted in a pot.
Planting thyme cuttings in the ground is quite simple. For this, the pots are completely covered with soil and depressions are made in it 1–2 cm deep. Then the processes are placed in the holes and sprinkled with earth. The planted cuttings are watered 1-2 days before the first leaves appear on them.
Caring for thyme on the windowsill
In order for young seedlings to grow quickly, they will have to be properly looked after. During the care, each bush will have to be periodically watered and loosened the soil. Also, when leaving, you must periodically monitor the amount of light in the room and the air temperature.
If the spice dries up with regular watering, you will have to feed it. For this, organic and mineral fertilizers are added to the ground.
Thyme bushes need periodic pruning to remove excess shoots. This procedure is carried out with small sharp scissors in the first half of spring. During pruning, a third of the shoots are cut from the plants.
Harvesting
At the final stage of the thyme life cycle, the ripe crop is harvested. For this, all shoots with leaves are carefully cut with a knife. It is recommended to carry out the procedure in the second half of summer, when flowers appear on all plants. The harvest harvested during this period is considered the most fragrant and therefore it is best to use it for cooking. All harvested spices should be stored in an airtight container so that the sun's rays do not fall into it.
Conclusion
Thyme is considered one of the most common spices and is therefore often grown by housewives. Before planting and growing this plant, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of planting and caring for thyme.
My thyme grows everywhere - this is the most unpretentious plant that I know, so it is not necessary to install additional lamps for light in winter.
Any soil can be, and it is not necessary to buy it in the store, I just took mine from the dacha and grows beautifully.