Rosemary

[peachdejour]

Someone told me that rosemary can take a year to mature and it is best grown in a pot you can bring inside. Is there any truth to this? I know that it does take a while, but does it take a whole year? Should a put it in a larger pot or is a small starter pot okay? I have the seeds, I just don't know where to plant them for the best growth.

 

[Chuck]

I don't know where you are located but my rosemary plants have been outside in the ground going on 20 years. I have both the upright and the trailing. They have been through droughts and temps in the single digits and they do fine. As for taking a year to mature? I wouldn't cut much off of it for the first year, just let it grow and get established but a sprig here and there shouldn't be a problem. I would start the seeds in a seedling pot and when they are big enough transplant into a larger pot or into the ground

 

[gata montes]

To be honest as rosemary is best propagated from cuttings rather than seed - I think you may find you have quite a challenge ahead - as not only do rosemary seeds have a very low germination rate but they can also take up to 3 months to germinate too - as well as the added problem of the plant when grown from seed taking at least a year before you have enough leaves to harvest.

I would also just add that rosemary plants are best grown outside - as they don't normally do well very well indoors -
due to a lack of sunlight and the temperature being too warm - as its not the heat that is crucial to their survival indoors but sunlight - especially as rosemary requires at least 6 - 8 hours of sunlight or very bright light during the winter months.

Which is why I too grow my all rosemary plants outside and although they have to cope with both extremes of temperature - extremely hot or extremely cold I haven't lost any yet - even though we sometimes experience long periods where the winter temperature ranges from between -6 to -12 centigrade.

 

[marlingardener]

Peach,rosemary is easily started from cuttings. If you don't know someone with a rosemary plant, get a small one from a nursery, let it grow a season, and then take cuttings.
We had rosemary in-ground in upstate NY zone 6a, and here in Texas, zone 8b. The rosemary in both locations did very well despite temperatures from below zero in NY to above 100 here in Texas.

 

[ChanellG]

Someone told me that rosemary can take a year to mature and it is best grown in a pot you can bring inside. Is there any truth to this? I know that it does take a while, but does it take a whole year? Should a put it in a larger pot or is a small starter pot okay? I have the seeds, I just don't know where to plant them for the best growth.

I don't know what you mean by "mature". I bought a smallish rosemary plant maybe two years ago, and it's always lived outside. I don't use rosemary often so I've not had to worry about how much it grows. Occasionally, the plant has become too dry in summer (watering it is funny, you don't want to overdo it) and I've had to prune the branches, but it bounces back and it just does it's thing with little attention from me.

 

[peachdejour]

I'm not sure what the person meant by mature either. That's why I asked. I've never grown it before with this being my first house. However, I am gathering from this thread that it should be decently established before taking too many cutting from it. That makes perfect enough sense to me. I think I will start my seedling inside and hope they are large enough to transplant by spring. Thanks guys!

 

[Mika]

I'm not sure what the person meant by mature either. That's why I asked. I've never grown it before with this being my first house. However, I am gathering from this thread that it should be decently established before taking too many cutting from it. That makes perfect enough sense to me. I think I will start my seedling inside and hope they are large enough to transplant by spring. Thanks guys!

I hope it goes well for you! Make sure you let us know how it goes. I bought a few seeds to try myself but I've heard they're really difficult to grow (it was only a dollar anyways). I bought a plant from Home Depot a few months ago and it sure is easy to keep alive. I water it like once every other week and even when it got only indirect light it lived! My basil didn't though. Oops. They deffinitely like having more light though because once I moved mine it shot up like a rocket.

 

[peachdejour]

I hope it goes well for you! Make sure you let us know how it goes. I bought a few seeds to try myself but I've heard they're really difficult to grow (it was only a dollar anyways). I bought a plant from Home Depot a few months ago and it sure is easy to keep alive. I water it like once every other week and even when it got only indirect light it lived! My basil didn't though. Oops. They deffinitely like having more light though because once I moved mine it shot up like a rocket.

I sure have done a lot of opps in learning how to garden myself the last few years. That's why I'm excited to find this forum. Sometimes I feel like I'm fumbling around in the dark. I want to start to get some seedlings going, but my house still looks like Christmas threw up on it. I feel like I have been cleaning for days and it's still glittery and full of pine needles!

 

[sirrogate]

Hi guys! Similar question here:

I live in the Southeast US, and my rosemary plant lived in a pot indoors for about a year before I planted it outside. It only lasted maybe six months in the ground though. I'm pretty sure it's completely dead... I know absolutely nothing about any of this. What should I do next time to make sure it lives longer??

(Also, Peach, I feel you on Christmas glitter. It looks like a really festive unicorn threw up in my living room. )

 

[Mika]

Hi guys! Similar question here:

I live in the Southeast US, and my rosemary plant lived in a pot indoors for about a year before I planted it outside. It only lasted maybe six months in the ground though. I'm pretty sure it's completely dead... I know absolutely nothing about any of this. What should I do next time to make sure it lives longer??

(Also, Peach, I feel you on Christmas glitter. It looks like a really festive unicorn threw up in my living room. )

I don't know much about rosemary, but I've had a lot of success leaving mine in a container inside. Even when I forget to water it and after keeping it in a completely indirect light window for 3 months in a cold room, it's still alive, it even was growing. I would have to guess that yours might not have gotten enough water, because I don't seem to be able to kill mine lol.

 

[sirrogate]

I don't know much about rosemary, but I've had a lot of success leaving mine in a container inside. Even when I forget to water it and after keeping it in a completely indirect light window for 3 months in a cold room, it's still alive, it even was growing. I would have to guess that yours might not have gotten enough water, because I don't seem to be able to kill mine lol.

I'll make sure the next one gets plenty of water! I gave it a normal amount out of fear of drowning it, but I suppose it just needed more. Poor little guy, I dehydrated it!! What a dumb mistake. Oh well. Next time!!

 

[Mika]

I'll make sure the next one gets plenty of water! I gave it a normal amount out of fear of drowning it, but I suppose it just needed more. Poor little guy, I dehydrated it!! What a dumb mistake. Oh well. Next time!!

Ah, are you sure you didn't over water it then? I'm not really sure of how your soil is, I just know I can't seem to kill mine.

Here's some information I found on this Rosemary Guide:

"Rosemary requires only sunlight, good drainage and ample air circulation. A sandy, well draining soil and 6 to 8 hours of full sunlight daily will have the plants off and running in no time.

There is little need to fertilize the plants. A basic 5-10-5 fertilizer applied in the spring and perhaps a foliar spray mid season will keep the plants healthy and happy.

Where winters are somewhat severe and sustained temperatures are well below 30 degrees F., rosemary plants will have to be brought indoors for the coldest months.

Grown in a sheltered area with a southern exposure, my plants have survived short periods of temperatures in the low teens.

If low temps persist, bring a few plants indoors. Put plants in terra-cotta pots and water only as needed to prevent drying out. Rosemary doesn’t need a lot of water whether indoors or out, but it does need to be put in front of a sunny south facing window. If this is not possible, use artificial light. Heat is not critical. A cool room will do fine. Move the plants back outdoors once the frost-free date has passed."

 

[peachdejour]

Hi guys! Similar question here:

I live in the Southeast US, and my rosemary plant lived in a pot indoors for about a year before I planted it outside. It only lasted maybe six months in the ground though. I'm pretty sure it's completely dead... I know absolutely nothing about any of this. What should I do next time to make sure it lives longer??

(Also, Peach, I feel you on Christmas glitter. It looks like a really festive unicorn threw up in my living room. )

Well, we did not know that you had to make a second cut on the tree before setting it in water. That tree did not have a single needle left on it when we got it too the curb. However, I happen to like festive unicorns. They visit after I take my nighttime meds.

 

[Melissa Smith]

Is it possible that my rosemary is getting too much sun? Its not in real big pots and I have been watering it almost everyday because the soil is just so dry
I don't think I should have to be watering it so often

 

[Melissa Smith]

Here it is