How to grow and care for rosemary at home from seed

For lovers of medicinal and spicy plants who have come to us from the southern regions of the globe, there is an opportunity to grow them at home. Rosemary bushes, spreading the smell of freshness and the sea, will decorate the window sills of the room and will benefit human health. Growing rosemary in an apartment must be carried out competently, observing the requirements for growing conditions and caring for a perennial.

Description and useful properties of the plant

There are two main types of rosemary that are grown both in the garden and on the windowsills in the apartment.

In ordinary, or medicinal, rosemary, the bush has a powerful root system. Erect shoots with hard dense leaves reach a height of up to 1.5 meters. The plant blooms from March to June, covered with fragrant pink, purple, purple, white inflorescences.

The spreading appearance of the plant is low, but it differs in the spreading crown of a bush in the form of a ball.

The value of the herb and perennial flowers is in the high content of vitamin A, which is an excellent antioxidant and is necessary to keep teeth and skin in order. Vitamin has a beneficial effect on the functions of the eyes, tissues of the whole organism.

The plant is rich in iron, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, calcium. By supplying a person with them, the herb contributes to:

strengthening the heart muscle;
the formation of hemoglobin;
calming the nervous system;
normalization of blood glucose levels;
strengthening the skeletal and muscular system.

The fatty acids in the essential oil of rosemary leaves are beneficial for men by toning their reproductive system. Carnosic acid in the oil improves blood circulation in the brain, delaying human aging, preventing tissue degeneration.

The herb is used in the treatment of problems with the intestines and stomach, as its use reduces pain, spasms in this area. The antiseptic properties of the plant are known. No wonder lotions and compresses with rosemary infusion help with abscesses, eczema, purulent wounds.

What varieties are suitable for growing in an apartment

To successfully grow rosemary in an apartment, you need to choose varieties that are suitable for development at home:

The variety Tenderness is distinguished by a bush height of up to 1 meter and an amazing aroma.
A plant with a sweetish-spicy smell and a unique taste of the leaves provided the Rosinka variety with popularity.The height of the stems of rosemary is 40 centimeters, it is suitable for culinary needs from the 2nd year of life.
The Blue Jerboa variety grows low and is covered from March to May with fragrant panicles of inflorescences.
Evergreen lavender rosemary has a spicy aroma and medicinal properties. The variety can be grown in pots in an apartment or garden.
Tall Roseus will delight you with large flowers and a bush height of up to 1.3 meters. We'll have to prune the crown to give the bush a beautiful shape.
The Corsican Blue container culture thrives indoors, but you can take the pots outside for the summer. Differs in fragrant blue flowers, perennial shoots with leathery leaves. The upper leaf plate is smooth light green, the lower one is pubescent.

All varieties of rosemary are used in cooking, medicine, and cosmetology. The indoor plant is decorative and will become a decoration of the house, bringing happiness and tranquility to its inhabitants.

Choosing a place for rosemary

Florists know how difficult it is to grow a tropical plant in an apartment, to create suitable conditions. Long-term illumination is important for rosemary. Without the sun's rays, the plant will wither. It is best to place the crop pot on a southern windowsill. If such a place cannot be allocated in the apartment, then you will have to think over the organization of additional lighting. For this, fluorescent lamps are attached over a container of rosemary.

We select the optimal soil and pot

Before planting rosemary, choose a soil substrate that is nutritious, well permeable to air and moisture. Leafy ground is suitable, but with the addition of sand, fine gravel. In terms of acidity, the soil for a plant is suitable with a neutral or slightly alkaline pH.

The best formulation is one with equal amounts of garden soil, compost, and humus.

Rosemary needs a spacious container, so that the root system has enough room for full development. The material for the pot can be clay; in rare cases, wooden tubs are used.

Be sure to pour drainage from expanded clay, pebbles or crushed stone to the bottom. To prevent moisture from accumulating in the container, holes are drilled at the base to drain excess water into the pan.

Planting a plant

Like any indoor flower, rosemary must be planted so that the bush will begin and develop successfully. In addition to creating conditions, it is necessary to think over the rules for caring for the plant.

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It is better to plant a spicy herb for the home in the summer or at the end of winter, a month before the plant starts growing. A drainage layer is poured into the pot, then a nutrient layer is laid. Having filled the pot by a third, place a seedling there. Carefully spread the roots of the plant, previously treated with a growth stimulant. Then sprinkle them with soil, lightly tamping.

After planting, the plant is watered and placed in a warm place with good lighting.

Rules for caring for a plant at home

The rapid growth of grass and the possibility of using it depends on the competent agricultural technology of the plant. The attractiveness of the bush's appearance will indicate whether the flower is being properly cared for or not.

The rosemary should always have moist soil in the pot. Feeding the plant with the use of fertilizers is also a concern. Without creating the appropriate light for the grass, the air temperature, it will not bloom, and there will be little benefit from it.

It is not difficult to take care of a perennial, but it requires some attention.

Temperature, humidity and lighting

From early spring to autumn, rosemary is actively growing. During this period, the plant needs:

air temperature 23-25 degrees;
indoor humidity within 80-85 percent;
plenty of fresh air, but no drafts;
daylight hours at least 12 hours.

In a well-lit place, the rosemary crown develops magnificently, but one-sided.In order to avoid this, it is necessary to constantly turn the pot of spicy herbs 180 degrees. In the summer, when the sun is especially active, the tree is shaded by covering the window glass with sheets of white paper. In this case, less light enters, and the leaves do not get burned.

Watering the plant

The homeland of rosemary is the territory of the Mediterranean coast, where the humidity of the air and soil is high. You need to water the fragrant bushes regularly, using settled soft water at room temperature. But waterlogging is dangerous for a plant. Stagnant water in the pot will lead to root rot and the death of the perennial. It will more easily survive a mild drought than swampy ground.

The plant will signal if it needs moisture when the tips of the leaves begin to turn yellow. When the top layer of soil in the pot dries up, be sure to water the plant. In intense heat, sprinkle rosemary in the morning and evening with warm water.

Top dressing and fertilization

During the growing season, rosemary must be provided with nutrients. As a top dressing, ready-made fertilizer complexes are suitable. They are bred according to the instructions and the plants are watered. Every 20 days, the soil should be shed with a 1:30 solution of bird droppings.

The soil for rosemary needs calcium, this must be taken into account when choosing fertilizers for the grass.

Pruning plants

Tall plant varieties must be pruned every 7 years. The procedure is carried out in order to rejuvenate the bush, to help the regrowth of new shoots. Annual tree pruning is needed to give the crown a beautiful shape. Decorative pruning is carried out at the beginning of the growing season of rosemary, after the flowers have fallen off. During the procedure, use scissors, secateurs, which are pre-disinfected. The first time you can cut it when the bush reaches 15 centimeters in height. After the formation of the crown of the plant, the cut branches are used in cooking, adding spice to various dishes.

Transfer

Rosemary needs to be transplanted annually in the first 5 years of life. It is necessary to do the procedure in April. For this, a new pot is selected, which is 5-7 centimeters wider in the diameter of the previous container. After 5 years, the grown rosemary is best transplanted every three years. In this case, the diameter of the container increases by 10 centimeters.

Plant care in winter

From November to March, rosemary at home has a dormant period when the growth of the bush fades. Plant care changes at this time:

Watering the perennial should be less, avoiding overdrying the soil in the pot.
When growing rosemary in an apartment, the air becomes dry. To increase the humidity of the room, it is necessary to keep pebbles or moss moistened with water in the pallet.
There is not enough light for the spicy grass in winter, so it is necessary to organize supplementary lighting with phytolamps, placing them at a distance of 25-30 centimeters from the bush.
The air temperature in the room should not fall below 16 degrees Celsius.
The wintering of the grass is successful when the plant is fed at least once with a mineral complex. Fertilizers are especially needed for those plants that were not transplanted on time.

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The resting period is the best time to prepare rosemary for active growth and development.

Rosemary breeding methods

The evergreen can be planted with seeds and cuttings. The grass takes root quickly when it is propagated in April-May. You can plant rosemary for the winter, but there is a high probability that it will be sick and will not have time to get stronger.

Seeds

Seed propagation is considered time consuming, patient and time consuming. But the seeds retain the varietal characteristics of the plant.

For breeding by seeds, they purchase planting material in specialized stores. It is better to germinate them in advance by folding them in layers of wet gauze or paper napkin.Exposed in a warm place, they will sprout quickly.

The seed containers are filled with nutritious soil and laid out on the soil surface, sprinkled on top with a thin layer of earth.

When everything is planted, water abundantly using a spray bottle. The containers are closed with foil and placed in a warm room with a temperature of 18-20 degrees. It is necessary to ventilate the planting every day, and spray the ground with water at room temperature.

Seedlings appear after 20-30 days. The film is then removed and the pots are placed on well-lit windowsills.

It is better to plant seedlings in separate containers after they get stronger.

Cuttings

Easier propagate rosemary by cuttings... Side shoots are taken from adult plants, their leaves are removed in the lower part and placed in a container with water. Rooting of cuttings takes a long time - up to 1 month. During this time, it is necessary to change the water in the vase every 3-4 days so that it does not stagnate.

The planting of branches with roots occurs immediately in individual pots. A drainage layer is poured into the container, filled with soil mixture by a third. Having placed the stalk there, sprinkle with earth and moisten. The pot must be placed on a sunlit windowsill.

Cuttings root well immediately in the ground. In this case, the shoot is deepened by 3-4 centimeters. The top is cut off, then the rosemary will begin to form a powerful root system.

Diseases and pests

Improper plant care leads to fungal diseases, among which downy mildew is often found. The spicy aroma of rosemary repels pests. But infection with aphids, spider mites, and scabbards is possible.

Spider mite

A spider with 4 pairs of legs is so small that it is difficult to notice it with the naked eye. Settling on the underside of the leaves, it sucks the sap from the plants, braiding them with cobwebs. The pest is determined by it. A heavily infected plant is treated with Tanrek, Actellik. You can get rid of the mite by spraying with an infusion of onion husks, which is prepared from 20 grams of raw materials per 1 liter of water. Processing is carried out three times with a break of 10 days. After applying the chemical, the herb should not be used for food.

Aphid

The small sucking insect is quite common and causes great harm to indoor plants. When a parasite appears on rosemary, it is necessary to spray the bush with a decoction of tobacco. 1 kilogram of shag or tobacco dust is diluted in 0.5 buckets of water. After a day, the solution is boiled for 30 minutes. For one procedure, you need 0.5 liters of broth, diluted in 10 liters of water. The broth sticks better after adding 100 grams of laundry soap to it.

Mildew

The appearance of white spots on the leaves indicates a plant infection with a fungus. It is especially active when the room is humid and there is no access to fresh air. It is necessary to fight downy mildew with fungicidal agents such as "Fitoverma". Processing is carried out up to 3 times.

Plant application

Medicinal rosemary is actively used in medicine. Valuable raw materials are prepared from the shoots by cutting them off before or at the beginning of flowering.

1 tablespoon of plant leaves is poured with hot water in the amount of 400 milliliters. Insist on the medicine for 2 hours and use half a glass before meals. It will help eliminate spasms of the intestines and gallbladder. A folk remedy is prepared from rosemary, which can be used for nervous disorders, with a general breakdown, insomnia. Helps the drug for people with impotence, colds, chronic bronchitis, epilepsy. Infusion is used for inflammation of the throat and oral cavity in the form of rinsing. They rub skin areas affected by eczema, inflammation. Apply the infusion to fight acne.

Rosemary oil is used for rubbing and compresses in the treatment of rheumatism. Wine made on the basis of the herb serves as an excellent tonic; it dilates blood vessels and relieves nervous tension.

In cosmetology, rosemary leaf oil is added to ointments and creams to improve the skin of the face, shampoos to induce hair growth and strengthen its structure.

In cooking, herb is added to various dishes and drinks.