Thyme (thyme): growing at home in a pot on the windowsill and care

Growing thyme at home in a pot is done by many housewives. 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 features 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 indoors as it is not too picky and does not require much care. Therefore, even inexperienced people who have never grown thyme will cope with planting and growing spices.

For planting, simply choose 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 variety of spice grows up to 5-7 cm in height and is therefore excellent for growing in an apartment. You can collect ripe spice at the end of August.
• Creeping thyme. The variety belongs to undersized and grows in the process of maturation up to 10-15 cm in height. The bush blooms in the middle of summer, after which fruits form on it.
• Lemon. This is a versatile variety that can be planted both in the apartment and on the street. Adult bushes grow to 15-18 cm 3-4 weeks after planting. Used for cooking as room decor.

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 full sun. A pot with a plant is recommended to be placed 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 better in cool rooms with an air temperature of no higher than 20 degrees Celsius. In autumn, you can take the pot out to the glazed balcony during the day and bring it into the apartment only in the evening, after sunset.In winter, you can’t take the spice to the balcony, as it will die from the low temperature.

Preparing for planting thyme at home

Growing thyme is not so difficult, especially if you familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of preparing for planting it. It is recommended to take care of the optimal conditions for planting spices, planting containers and suitable soil in advance.

Selecting capacity for planting

Preparation for planting begins with choosing the optimal capacity for planting and growing spices in the apartment. Some 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 the 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 growing 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 into it. The acidity level of the earth should not be higher than 6-7 pH.

To create a soil mixture, you will need to prepare in advance soddy soil or ordinary garden soil. Then organic top dressings in the form of eggshells, peat and humus are added to it. Sod ash is added to the ground to make thyme grow faster.

Also, inorganic components are added to the soil, which will increase productivity. It is recommended to mix the soil with washed sand so that it becomes looser and absorbs moisture better. Perlite is added to the ground to prevent rotting of the root system.

How to plant thyme at home?

There are several common methods for planting thyme. For breeding spices in an apartment, they use planting cuttings or seeds. To choose the most suitable disembarkation method for you, you should familiarize yourself with each of them in more detail.

From seeds

Most often, the spice is planted with seeds, as it is easier. To do this, the soil mixture mixed with vermiculite is poured into pre-prepared containers, which improves the retention of moisture in the soil. Then the soil in the containers is watered with warm water and holes are made in the ground. 2-3 seeds are placed in each hole and covered with earth. 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 prefer to propagate thyme bushes with cuttings.First you need to start harvesting cuttings for planting. After the end of thyme flowering, shoots are cut off from the bush and completely cleared of leaves. Cut off often shoot and will be a cutting that is planted in a pot.

It is quite easy to plant thyme cuttings in the ground. To do this, the pots are completely covered with soil and deepenings are made in it 1-2 cm deep. Then shoots are placed in the holes and sprinkled with earth. Planted cuttings are watered after 1-2 days before the first leaves appear on them.

Caring for thyme on the windowsill

In order for young shoots to grow quickly, they will have to be properly looked after. During care, each bush will have to be periodically watered with water and loosen the soil. Also, when leaving, you should periodically monitor the amount of light in the room and the air temperature.

If the spice dries with regular watering, you will have to feed it. To do this, organic and mineral fertilizers are added to the ground.

Thyme bushes need periodic pruning from 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 off from plants.

Harvesting

At the final stage of the thyme life cycle, the ripe harvest is carried out. To do 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 crop harvested during this period is considered the most fragrant and therefore it is better to use it for cooking. All collected 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 features of planting and caring for thyme.

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