Rosemary - a beautiful plant, which decorate the kitchen, but in addition it is also used for food as a fragrant seasoning. It is not necessary to buy this plant in dried form, because you can try to grow it on your windowsill, although it's not quite simple.
Germination of Rosemary Seeds
To seed rosemary seeds with success, and grown strong green plants need to properly work with seed material. The fact is that seeds have a very weak percentage of germination and only one plant can grow from a dozen. To increase the chances of a larger yield, the seeds are pre-soaked.
So, growing rosemary from seeds begins with soaking, for this it is convenient to use a transparent container to observe the process of water absorption. Technology, when watered seeds come to the surface and are discarded here is not suitable, because after spending some time in the water, they come to life and have the full right to germination.
Warm water should be poured twice as much as the seeds themselves and cover with a lid so that the liquid does not evaporate. A day later, when the inoculum was saturated with liquid, and the hard peel slightly softened, it is possible to start seeding in the substrate.
How correctly to plant a rosemary with seeds?
A very light and loose soil will be required to plant the seeds, which does not retain water. Best for this purpose is a mixture of perlite (vermiculite) and river sand of coarse fraction. It is poured into cassettes consisting of small cups, because in them it is most convenient to grow rosemary from seeds. But there will not be a big problem if there are no such containers, and the seeds are planted in a regular seedling box.
The soil is slightly soaked, but so that it is not wet and waterlogged and seeds are placed at a shallow depth. It is advisable to put 2-3 seeds in one glass, because, due to low germination, one can not ascend, and the cell will remain empty.
Sprinkling a small groove with seeds in the soil, you need to moisten it from above with a spray gun.
After the sowing is completed, the drawer or cassette is covered with a film (glass) and placed on a sunny and maximum warm place. If the window sill is cold, then a hot water bottle is placed under the cassette, which is constantly maintained in this state. The ideal temperature for germination of rosemary seeds is 28-30 ° C.
We must immediately be prepared for the fact that the shoots will appear soon and not very well. Some cells in general can remain empty - this is the specificity of this plant. The first hints of germination can be noticeable in a month and a half. As soon as they embark on growth, the shelter should be removed.
Transplantation of rosemary
As soon as the plant reaches a height of 10 centimeters it becomes cramped in a small container and it is possible to start transplanting, or rather, to transfer to a large container or to an open ground. It is desirable not to open the root system and do not shake the soil from it,
If you plan to grow rosemary indoors, then for this purpose the clay pot is best suited, in which the plant will look very harmoniously in any kitchen. But, being in the room, the plant in a warm period needs fresh air and warm sunshine. Therefore, he needs regular airing, and maybe a summer room on the balcony.
In the open ground raster rosemary on any fertile solar patches, the main thing is that watering and loosening are carried out on time. Rosemary is not only a fragrant seasoning, but also a beautiful perennial plant that will delight the eye for many years and complement the dishes.