The rosemary plant is one of the most popular culinary herbs in the world. It is used as a garnishing and as an essential ingredient in a variety of different dishes, and it is widely used in many different dishes.
You can buy the rosemary herb online, but a lot of people prefer growing it at home as well. If you like growing plants on your own and have a small garden in your house, you should definitely consider growing the rosemary plant.
It’s an incredibly popular culinary herb that is grown by people in their home gardens. You can either plant the rosemary plant in your garden, or you can place it in containers.
However, you should know that the watering frequency will differ depending on how you have grown the plant. Rosemary is one of the plants that is incredibly easy to grow on your own.
The rosemary plant grows really well in the ground, primarily because it is quite tolerant to drought. You don’t need to worry about the plant dying so easily, even if you forget to water the plant. There’s a lot of misinformation circulating on different channels about how to plant rosemary and how to care for it.
You need to understand that the rosemary plant is native to the Mediterranean region. What this means is that the plant is able to tolerate drought, and the winters are generally wet and quite warm.
Therefore, you should know that the rosemary plant isn’t averse to the water. It gets quite a bit of it during the winter months.
More importantly, you should know that the rosemary plant is considerably hardier and isn’t going to wilt away so easily.
Watering Your Rosemary in the Ground
When you have just planted the rosemary plant, you should know that it’s going to require more water than usual. A newly planted rosemary plant must be watered frequently for at least the first two weeks to allow it to establish itself in the ground and flesh out its roots.
However, once the plant establishes itself in the ground, it doesn’t require as much water. In fact, many rosemary plants can do well by simply getting the water from rainfall.
As mentioned, the plant is completely drought tolerant, and can easily go a long while without requiring any kind of water supply. In fact, in most cases, what actually ends up killing the plant isn’t the lack of water, it’s the excess.
Most people tend to overwater their rosemary to the point that the plant starts to die. One very important thing that you should know is that the plant is quite sensitive to drainage.
The plant hates growing in soil that has poor drainage, and it won’t be long before your rosemary falls prey to root rot. To prevent this from happening, you need to make sure that you plant the rosemary in soil that drains perfectly well.
Once you have established the plant, you should only water it in case of a severe drought. After every two or three weeks, a slight spray is also a good choice.
There are some pretty obvious signs that you should look for that indicate overwatering. Root rot is caused due to a fungus, and usually occurs when the soil remains damp for long periods of time. As root rot affects your plant, it won’t be long until sections start to die.
You will notice certain sections of the plant turning blue or black and dying over time. Eventually, entire branches are going to die and fall off. If the root rot reaches an advanced stage, there isn’t a cure, and your plant is going to die.
However, if you identify the signs at an early stage, you can get the soil to dry out quickly and the plant will recover.
Another sign that your plant is affected by excessive water is the development of powdery mildew. Powdery mildew usually occurs as an indirect symptom to overwatering. The fungus tends to thrive in areas where excessive moisture is present.
As the powdery mildew advances, leaves will begin to die and fall off. To prevent this from happening, you should always plant the rosemary in dry soil with proper drainage. Make sure that the plant is set in a dry sunny area.
Watering the Rosemary in Containers
You have to adopt a different strategy when watering rosemary in containers. As mentioned, the rosemary grown in the ground requires very little water from the gardener.
However, when you grow the plant in a container, you have to take a different approach.
In a container, the rosemary plant doesn’t get the opportunity to flesh out its roots and develop an extensive root system to seek out the water like its counterpart in the ground.
As a result of this, the plant is much less tolerant to drought and must be watered much more frequently. However, if you do not have a container with proper drainage, it won’t be long before your plant succumbs to root rot.
When you grow rosemary in containers, you should always water it when you notice that the soil is dry to the touch at the top.
It’s incredibly important that you prevent the soil from drying out completely as these plants are unable to provide signals such as drooping leaves to indicate a lack of water. It’s best if you keep the soil slightly moist at all times to prevent the plant from drying out.
You have to keep a close look at the plant and make sure that there are no symptoms that indicate excessive water or lack of it.
If you notice the leaves dying prematurely, it’s probably an indication that the plant is dying due to root rot. This means you have to take action as quickly as possible.
These are just a few important things to keep in mind when growing the rosemary plant and the importance of maintaining a proper watering schedule along with it to have healthy plant growth.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.