Rosemary: growing in an apartment at home on a windowsill from seeds with a photo

For lovers of medicinal and spicy plants who came to us from the southern regions of the globe, there is an opportunity to grow them at home. Rosemary bushes, spreading the smells of freshness and the sea, will decorate the window sills of the room and will benefit human he alth. Growing rosemary in an apartment must be carried out competently, observing the requirements for growth conditions and perennial care.

Description and useful properties of the plant

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

In ordinary, or medicinal, rosemary, the bush has a powerful root system. Upright 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 prostrate view of the plant is low, but differs in the sprawling crown of the bush in the form of a ball.

The value of grass and perennial flowers is high in vitamin A, which is an excellent antioxidant and necessary to maintain he althy teeth and skin. 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, spicy grass contributes to:

• strengthening the heart muscle;
• hemoglobin formation;
• calming the nervous system;
• normalize blood glucose levels;
• strengthening the bone and muscle system.

Fatty acids in the essential oil of rosemary leaves are useful for men, toning up their reproductive system. Carnosic acid in the oil improves blood flow to 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.

Which varieties are suitable for growing in an apartment

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

1. Variety Tenderness is distinguished by a bush height of up to 1 meter and an amazing aroma.
2. A plant with a sweetish-spicy smell and a unique taste of the leaves provided the Rosinka variety with popularity. Rosemary stems are 40 centimeters high and are suitable for culinary needs from the 2nd year of life.
3. Variety Blue jerboa grows low, covered from March to May with fragrant panicles of inflorescences.
4. Evergreen lavender rosemary has a spicy aroma and medicinal properties. The variety can be grown in pots in the apartment or in the garden.
5. Tall Roseus will delight you with large flowers and a bush height of up to 1.3 meters. You will have to trim the crown to give the bush a beautiful shape.
6. Corsican Blue container culture grows well indoors, but for the summer you can take the pots out into the garden. Distinguished by 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, cosmetology. The indoor plant is decorative and will decorate the house, bringing happiness, peace to its inhabitants.

Choose a place for rosemary

Flower growers know how difficult it is to grow a tropical plant in an apartment, to create the right conditions. Long-term illumination is important for rosemary. Without sunlight, the plant will wither. It is best to place the culture pot on a southern windowsill. If it is impossible to allocate such a place in the apartment, then you will have to think over the organization of additional lighting. To do this, attach fluorescent lamps 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. Suitable sheet earth, but with the addition of sand, fine gravel. According to the acidity, the soil for the plant is suitable with a neutral or slightly alkaline pH.

The best composition will be one that consists of an equal amount of garden soil, compost and humus.

Rosemary needs a spacious container, such that the root system has enough space 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 its base to drain excess water into the pan.

Planting a plant

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

Spicy grass for the home is best planted in summer or at the end of winter, a month before the start of the plant's growing season.A layer of drainage is poured into the pot, then a nutrient layer is laid. Having filled the pot by a third, a seedling is placed there. Carefully straighten the roots of the plant, previously treated with a growth stimulator. 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 appearance of the bush will tell whether the flower is properly cared for or not.

In a pot, rosemary should always have moist soil. Care also includes feeding the plant with the use of fertilizers. Without creating the appropriate lighting for the grass, the air temperature, it will not bloom, and there will be little benefit from it.

Caring for a perennial is not difficult, but it requires some attention.

Temperature, humidity and lighting

From the beginning of spring to autumn, rosemary grows actively. During this period, the plant needs:

• air temperature at 23-25 degrees;
• humidity in the room within 80-85 percent;
• lots of fresh air but no drafts;
• daylight at least 12 hours.

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

Water the plants

Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean coast, where air and soil humidity is high. Fragrant bushes should be watered regularly, using settled soft water at room temperature. But waterlogging is dangerous for the plant. Stagnation of water in a pot will lead to rotting of the roots and death of the perennial. It will survive a mild drought more easily than waterlogged soil.

The plant will send a signal if it needs moisture when the tips of the leaves start to turn yellow. When the top layer of soil in the pot dries out, the plant must be watered. In strong heat, spray rosemary in the morning and evening with warm water.

Feeding and fertilizer

During the growing season, rosemary must be provided with nutrients. Ready-made fertilizer complexes are suitable as top dressing. They are bred in accordance with the instructions and watered plants. Every 20 days it is necessary to shed the soil with a solution of bird droppings in a ratio of 1:30.

The soil for rosemary needs calcium, this must be taken into account when selecting fertilizers for 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 growth of new shoots. Annual pruning of the tree is needed to give the crown a beautiful shape. Carry out decorative pruning at the beginning of the growing season of rosemary, after the flowers have fallen. During the procedure, scissors and secateurs are used, which are pre-disinfected. The first time you can cut when the bush reaches 15 centimeters in height. After the crown of the plant is formed, the cut branches are used in cooking, adding spice to various dishes.

Transfer

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

Care of the plant in wintertime

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

1. Water perennial should be less, avoiding overdrying of the soil in the pot.
2. When growing rosemary in an apartment, air dryness increases. To increase the humidity of the room, it is necessary to keep pebbles or moss moistened with water in the pan.
3. Light in winter is not enough for spicy grass, so it is necessary to organize additional illumination with phytolamps, placing them at a distance of 25-30 centimeters from the bush.
4. The air temperature in the room should not fall below 16 degrees Celsius.
5. Grass wintering 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.

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

Methods of propagation of rosemary

Evergreen can be planted from 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 get sick and will not have time to get stronger.

Seeds

The seed method of propagation is considered laborious, requiring patience and time. But the varietal characteristics of the plant are preserved in the seeds.

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

Seed containers are filled with nutrient soil and laid out on the surface of the soil, sprinkling a thin layer of earth on top.

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

Shoots appear after 20-30 days. After that, the film is removed, and the pots are put on well-lit windowsills.

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

Shanks

Easier to propagate rosemary cuttings. Side shoots are taken from adult plants, their leaves are removed in the lower part and placed in a container with water. Rooting 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.

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

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

Diseases and pests

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

Spider mite

Spider with 4 pairs of legs is so small that it is difficult to see it with the naked eye. Settling on the underside of the leaves, it sucks the juices from the plants, braiding them with cobwebs. According to it, the pest is determined. A heavily infected plant is treated with Tanrek, Actellik. You can get rid of the mite by spraying with an infusion of onion peel, 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 agent, the grass cannot be used for food.

Aphid

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. A day later, the solution is boiled for 30 minutes. For one procedure, you need 0.5 liters of decoction diluted in 10 liters of water.The decoction sticks better after adding 100 grams of laundry soap to it.

Downy mildew

The appearance of white spots on the leaves indicates the infection of the plant 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 against downy mildew with fungicidal agents such as Fitoverma. Processing is carried out up to 3 times.

Using the plant

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

1 tablespoon of plant leaves is poured with hot water in the amount of 400 milliliters. Infuse 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.The drug helps people with impotence, colds, chronic bronchitis, epilepsy. Infusion is used for inflammation of the throat and mouth in the form of rinses. They wipe the skin areas affected by eczema, inflammation. Apply infusion to fight acne.

Rosemary oil is used for rubbing and compresses in the treatment of rheumatism. Wine made from herbs is an excellent tonic, it dilates blood vessels and relieves nervous tension.

In cosmetology, rosemary leaf oil is added to ointments and creams to improve facial skin, shampoos to stimulate hair growth and strengthen their structure.

In cooking, herbs are added to various dishes and drinks.

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