How to grow rosemary from seeds at home

Rosemary (rosmarinus) is a herb that is used in cooking. With it, dishes become more aromatic. Also, this plant is used for medicinal purposes and as decoration. Rosemary can be purchased or grown independently. The article will talk about how to grow rosemary from seeds at home.

Rosemary variety selection

Rosemary: how to plant

The choice of rosemary is not that rich, there are five types of plant in total. But it is worth noting that only two types of rosemary can take root in our climate.

Types of rosemary:

• drug;
• prostrate.

Medicinal rosemary is a shrub that grows up to 2 meters in length. Its leaves are thin, have an elongated shape, green above and white below. It is used to make tinctures for medicinal purposes and essential oils for cosmetology.

The most suitable varieties for growing at home are Doctor, Tenderness, Rosinka.

Spread rosemary is a bush that grows mainly in width, but in length it reaches no more than 0.5 meters. The leaves are slightly curved, fragrant, blue or purple in color. Used as a spice.

The most suitable varieties for growing at home are Corsican, Creeping, Lavender varieties.

Rosemary seeds can be purchased at any gardening store.

Sowing dates

To grow rosemary from seeds, you need to prepare seedlings. In order to have time to plant a plant and harvest, seedlings are prepared in February-March. Seeds germinate for quite a long time - within a month and a half.

Selecting a container for sowing

For sowing seeds, you need to prepare seedling boxes or pots. The container should be wide and spacious, up to 15 cm high. If the container is a pot, it is better to take a terracotta or clay pot.

"Tank for planting seeds"

Soil preparation

For planting seeds, you can buy soil for indoor plants, which is sold at any gardening store. If it is not possible to buy, then you can prepare the mixture yourself.

For a soil substrate you will need:

• garden land;
• river sand;
• rotted compost.

A ratio of 2: 1: 1 is made, where 2 is garden soil, 1 is river sand, 1 is rotted compost.

But that's not all! To create ventilation and prevent the appearance of stagnant water in the tank, the bottom is covered with drainage material. It can be pebbles or expanded clay. You need to pour about 1/3 of the box or pot.

Sowing seeds

Here's how to plant rosemary seeds at home. Seed sowing stages:

1. For better cultivation, the seeds need to be prepared. This is done by soaking the seeds in water. They are poured into a glass, filled with warm water and infused for about five hours;
2. Next, a container with prepared soil and drainage material is taken;
3. Infused seeds, which have swollen during this time, are distributed over the surface of the container and lightly sprinkled with soil;
4. It is necessary to moisten the soil with plain water, or better with honey.For this, one teaspoon of honey is used for half a liter of water. Humidification is carried out from a spray bottle;
5. The container with seeds is covered with foil and placed where the air temperature is at least 25 degrees.

"Rosemary seeds: what property they have"

Sowing in peat tablets

By using peat tablets, the quality of the sprouts can be improved and the process of planting rosemary can be greatly facilitated.

The main advantage of such tablets is that not only all the seeds germinate in them, but also the fact that they do not decompose in the ground for a long time. Also, these tablets contain a large amount of nutrients.

The process of using peat tablets:

• a plastic container is being prepared;
• it is necessary to put peat tablets there;
• peat is moistened with warm water;
• you need to wait until the tablet swells and increases in volume;
• seeds are laid out in the middle of the peat;
• the container is covered with a film;
• you need to put on a windowsill in a bright place.

Peat tablets can be purchased at any gardening store.

"Sowing rosemary in peat tablets"

Seeds sown in this way also need careful maintenance. The container with seeds should also be placed on the sunny side, but not so that direct sunlight falls on them. Another important point is maintaining the moisture in the containers and periodically airing them.

When does the sprout appear?

Sprouts will begin to appear no earlier than a month later. This is provided that the correct air temperature is maintained and there is sufficient humidification.

What affects germination?

In order for the sprouts to sprout, you need to take proper care of the seedlings. The plant needs:

• good lighting - it is better to put boxes with seeds on the sunny side, and if there is little light, then use a lamp;
• optimum temperature - rosemary seedlings do not tolerate temperatures below 18 degrees;
• normal humidity - with a lack of moisture, the substrate is periodically moistened from the spray bottle.

"Rosemary sprouts"

Transfer to a permanent place

Fortified seedlings up to 8 centimeters high can be transplanted to a permanent place. Both open ground and a large pot are suitable for them. If the transplant will be carried out on the garden bed, then you need to choose a sunny place with light soil.

Transplant stages:

1. It is necessary to loosen the ground, make a depression and add a small amount of fertilizer;
2. It is necessary to separate the seedlings from each other and take them out together with a handful of earth so as not to damage the roots;
3. Each seedling is placed in a separate hole, sprinkled with earth, lightly fertilized, watered and tamped a little.

What if the rosemary seeds won't germinate?

Rosemary may not come up if:

• poor quality seeds were planted;
• after disembarkation, the temperature regime was not observed;
• the sprouts were exposed to direct sunlight.

If all the deadlines have expired, then you need to be patient and sow the seeds.

Basic rules for watering

One of the important conditions for the successful cultivation of rosemary is proper watering of the plant. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the land. It is important that it does not dry out and is not too flooded.

Watering is carried out directly on the ground, since you do not need to water the rosemary leaves.

With good care and proper sowing, you can easily grow rosemary at home. It can be grown both outdoors and in pots. Moreover, if the cultivation takes place in a pot, then you can see how rosemary sprouts even in cold weather, it will be possible to harvest the crop in winter.