Editorial Chef
Like many plants, anyone can grow Rosemary herb whether you live in an apartment or a home with a yard. The most common reason for growing Rosemary at home is that you can get an endless supply of herbs for your cooking. It also blooms with beautiful blue flowers and produces a distinct aromatic flavor.
The flavor makes it ideal as a herb to use in your cooking. There are also several benefits to the Rosemary herb as seen here.
Rosemary is the ideal plant to grow in a pot in areas like windowsills with plenty of sunlight or in a rock garden. For those living in tropical areas, Rosemary is also great at warding off mosquitoes from the home. For better success with this shrub, there are just a few steps, you will have to take.
Before you Grow Rosemary Herb at Home
- You will need a small container and a slightly larger pot. In either case, there must be holes at the bottom to help drain the water.
- A mix of loam soil and sand in equal amounts to help improve drainage.
- Composed manure to help add nutrients to the soil.
- Mulch to condition the soil and keep weeds from growing as well as to preserve moisture.
- A healthy Rosemary stem.
You can grow Rosemary from seeds or propagate it from a shoot. In this case, we will be using the propagation method.
Step 1: Prepare the Cuttings From the Parent Plant
Select the best-looking, healthy-looking plant from which to take the cutting off. To ensure the cutting is not dormant, choose your point of cutting from new growth. Cut a few stems about 2.5 inches in length.
Step 2: Prepare the Bed and Plant the Cuttings
Prepare the soil mentioned in the prerequisites above in a small container. remove the lower leaves from the cuttings, and wet the cutting. Make a hole in the soil with your finger and stick the cutting into the soil. Spray the surface of the soil and stem to keep it moist but not very wet. Place the container on a windowsill or place it where it can get roughly eight hours of sunlight daily.
Step 3: Transplant the Shoots into the Pot
After three to four weeks your Rosemary shoot will be ready to uproot and transplant into a larger permanent pot. The pot should preferably be clay with the same soil mixture as above. Tease (loosen) the roots lightly before you transfer. The transfer hole should not be deeper than the soil in which the shoot has grown. Water the pot lightly and leave the plant to keep growing.
Step 4: Tend to the Plant
Water the plant whenever the soil feels dry to the touch. Remember to grow a Rosemary herb, it thrives best with little water. Prune the plant regularly to promote growth and to avoid lankiness.
Step 5: Harvest and Enjoy Your Rosemary (Bonus Step)
Harvest stems as needed by cutting with a sharp knife or scissors. You do not want to break off the stem of cut jugged edges as those do not heal as readily as clean cuts. Slow healing will risk fungal or other infections. Cutting from the top ensures your plant continues growing. Remember Rosemary can grow for several years so you want to keep your plant healthy throughout.
