Potted rosemary planting tips

Disclaimer: All information below are based solely on personal experiences and opinions. These do not indicate to treat any disease in all plants.

I recently got asked tons of questions, and "complaints" of how tricky those rosemary plants are. To be honest, I was a little bit surprised, not that I'm a super expert in herbs planting, 'cuz believe me, I killed numerous easy-to-grow mint, oregano, and parsley plants, but those rosemary, thyme and basil seem to stick around for a pretty long time. There was one time I accidentally killed my rosemary because I forgot to poke holes at the bottom of the pot, and it was very rainy for days (I was lazy to check on it) so it just died away. Enough rambling, let's get to the point right now.

A couple of rules when it comes to taking care of potted rosemary:

• Number one: Choose a reliable plant shop

  • I loved herb planting for quite a while now, a lot longer before those Western herb plants became popular here, and I always get very picky to choose where to shop from. Choosing the wrong shop, the plants just seem to get weak really fast.

• Number two: Potting mix

  • It's okay to keep your plants in the original plastic pot for a while, but after a few weeks when your plant gets stronger, it is time to transfer to a larger pot so they will have more space to thrive.

  • Making easy potting mix: 7:3 ratio, 7 for soil and 3 for coir or rice husk

  • Fertilization: Just as how humans need food, plants also need nutritions. Fertilize your plant once every 1-2 months or whenever your plant is slacking nutritions.

• Number three: Regarding natural light

  • Do not plant your rosemary indoor because they must have natural light. In the city, planting them on the balcony is good enough, or rooftop - even better.

  • How much sunlight is enough? This depends a lot on how strong and old your plants are. If you just got them from the shop, make sure you keep an eye on it for the first few weeks. New plants have younger branches, which might react with harsh sunlight, hence be sure to move them to a more shaded area if they seem wilted. Once they get bigger and stronger, just leave them be. Don't worry, rosemary love sunlight!

• Number four: Watering your rosemary

  • This is pretty much one of the most important things about taking care of you rosemary. Most of the time when they die, it is because they are waterlogged. They rarely die because of the heat. If they do, it is mainly due to slack of ventilation in the soil - well, which is pretty much the same thing I said earlier.

  • Knowing when to water your plants is crucial. Especially now that it's rainy season, you just can't apply the rule "water your plants once daily", nah ah that's not gonna work. You should check your soil before watering, poke a finger into your pot (poke deep to feel their heartbeat, just kidding): if soil is sticky - they are still moist, if soil is discrete - they are try and it's time to water.

  • Water your plants early in the morning (before harsh sunlight) or later in the evening. Do not water them at noon time when the heat gets too crazy!

  • How much water? Once you've determined it's time to water, no need to stress yourself out. Water your rosemary until water starts to drip from the bottom of the pot.

Those are all the tips I have. Just relax and chill when you plant, don't stress yourself out. Buy one or two plants home, and start practicing and you'll gain more experiences. Don't go crazy and get a bunch of plants at first! You'll end up with a bunch of dead plants, and unlimited depression! Keep calm, and slow down!!

Above are my personal opinions. If you have any more tips, please comment down below so we can all discuss.