Rosemary: cultivation in the Leningrad region in open ground and in a pot

The climate in the Leningrad region is transitional - from maritime to continental, the weather is unstable. For the eastern regions, the average temperature in January is -10 °C, in the west it is about -6 °C, so the cultivation of rosemary in the Leningrad region has its own characteristics.

Specifics of growing rosemary in the Leningrad Region

Rosemary is growing in popularity. Gardeners appreciate it for its decorative qualities, medicinal properties and original spicy taste. As a seasoning, it is used in the preparation of fish and meat dishes, it is part of a mixture popular with culinary specialists - Provence herbs.

Rosemary comes from warm Mediterranean countries, so only enthusiasts grow it in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. The shrub does not withstand winter in the open ground even under shelter; short-term frosts down to -5 ° C are fatal for it.

Seedlings (bushes) of rosemary are planted in open ground in the spring after the onset of warm weather, and in the fall, before the onset of the first frost, the plants are dug up, planted in pots of a suitable size and sent for wintering.

It is important to choose the right time for the autumn transplanting of rosemary into a pot, not to wait for low temperatures. To prevent the plant from being stressed by the temperature difference, transplant when the average daily temperature is around 10-12 °C.

The mistake of many novice gardeners is to keep the plant in rooms with temperatures above 20 ° C.Such conditions are detrimental to rosemary. It winters well in bright, cool rooms where the air does not warm up above 10 ° C (maximum 15 ° C). If it is possible to create such conditions for wintering, then there will be no problems with growing.

Method of plant propagation

The shrub propagates vegetatively (cuttings, dividing the bush, layering) and seeds. You will have to spend a lot of time to grow seedlings from seeds. As practice shows, you need to purchase planting material from different manufacturers. Their quality is different, and there are many complaints about poor germination.

For example, the seeds of one firm sprout unevenly and after 3 months, and the other - amicably and after a month. We conclude: sowing material from different companies increases the chance to grow seedlings. For sowing you will need:

landing containers (transparent plastic cups with a volume of 0.5 l are suitable);
floral primer (neutral, slightly alkaline);
vermiculite;
seeds;
lamp for additional lighting.

The soil is mixed with vermiculite (1:1), moistened, the surface is slightly loosened with a needle or a toothpick, seeds are scattered over the surface. Before closing the containers with a transparent film, pour a thin layer of vermiculite on top and moisten it from a spray bottle with water at room temperature.

Cups with future seedlings are placed on a window (preferably south), after the appearance of sprouts, turn on the lamp. Illumination is needed in the morning, in the evening and in cloudy weather during the day. The soil must be periodically moistened. Seedlings dive into separate containers when the seedlings grow up.

Important! 2-3-month-old seedlings of rosemary are planted in open ground, so seeds should be sown in early February, the temperature for germination is from 25 ° C.

Vegetative propagation methods are easier to master. Most gardeners are engaged in cuttings. Cuttings are cut in autumn from an adult plant. The apical part of the shoot is required, about 10 cm long. It must have at least 3 internodes. The lower part of the cutting is cleaned of leaves and placed in the stimulator for a few seconds.

The cuttings are rooted in water or in a mixture of light soil and vermiculite. The second option is preferable. Until the roots appear, the container with the cuttings is kept in a warm room. It is necessary to exclude direct sunlight and ensure that the substrate is constantly moist. A sign of rooting is the appearance of young leaves. Rooted shoots are planted in separate pots.

Layers are obtained from an adult rosemary bush. You can form them from early spring to mid-July. The lower shoots of the bush are bent to the ground and pinned, sprinkling this place with earth.When the layer begins to grow leaves, it is separated from the mother bush and transplanted to a permanent place.

Rosemary grown indoors is propagated by dividing an adult bush. In the fall, you can divide plants growing outdoors when transplanting them into pots for winter storage.

Landing

Grow rosemary outdoors or as a pot culture at home. Seedlings grown by any of the methods described above are used as planting material.

Outdoor

Gardeners of the Leningrad region begin to plant rosemary in the ground at the end of May. When choosing a place, the following rules are followed:

no draft;
no shade most of the day;
drainage;
loose soil.

Large seedlings are placed according to the scheme 5050 cm, small bushes - at a distance of 10 cm from each other. The planting hole is made according to the size of the root ball. The bush is not deepened. It is recommended to pinch the tops of the shoots a few days after planting. This will increase the decorative effect of rosemary, will become an incentive for the formation of new shoots.

At home

Planting rosemary in pots for growing at home will be mastered by a beginner grower. You will need:

pot (diameter 10cm);
expanded clay;
ground.

Optimal if the soil will consist of the same parts of soddy and leafy soil with the addition of sand and humus. Many prefer ready-made soil (universal) mixed 1:1 with vermiculite.

Crop care

Caring for the crop in the ground and on the windowsill differs only in that the home plant must be rotated periodically so that the bush is evenly lit. In spring, a pot with a plant is best placed outdoors (terrace, loggia, balcony). All other procedures are identical. In addition to watering and fertilizing, rosemary bushes require shaping pruning.

Irrigation

Requires moderately moist soil for root development. Insufficient watering has a bad effect on the appearance - the leaves on the lower shoots turn yellow. With excessive moisture, the plant sheds leaves. Water only under the root. Soil loosening is required when growing rosemary outdoors.

Feeding

Rosemary growing in a pot, start feeding in March, finish in September. Use mineral fertilizers containing calcium. Street bushes are fertilized with the same complex preparations throughout the growing season. At the end of the season, nitrogen is excluded from top dressing, the emphasis is on products containing phosphorus.

Diseases and pests

Do not be afraid of pests if the plant is he althy. It produces natural insecticides that repel pests. A weak, diseased plant is threatened by a spider mite, the appearance of a scale insect is not excluded.

With sharp fluctuations in temperature and humidity, the immunity of the plant suffers. Leaf spot is one of the most common rosemary diseases. They fight it with preparations containing copper.

Harvesting

Flowering is harvest time. It lasts about 3 weeks. The flowers are small, blue-violet. Young, tender shoots go to the harvest, they are cut off while they are with flowers. The raw material is dried and used to make homemade medicines.