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Let's be frank. Rosemary is a difficult plant to winter. If you live in an
area where the winter temps don't go below 10 degrees Farenheight, cross your fingers and leave
it in the ground. If your ground freezes, a mulch of something really airy, like evergreen boughs
(recycle
your Christms tree!) or straw will be a good idea. If you live somewhere
where the ground doesn't freeze.....man, we're coming to spend January with you! LOL!
If, however, you live in a chilly spot like New England, you can overwinter
rosemary inside IF you've kept it in a pot during the summer. (If you planted it in the ground, digging it up is going to make this MUCH
more difficult -
we recommend buying a new rosemary plant at your local greenhouse to winter
over in
the house.) Here's what you need to
know:
-
During the late summer/early fall, make sure the plant is in a big enough
pot -
rosemary will die indoors if it is potbound. Terra cotta pots are a good choice for
rosemary and
other cranky plants. Use a good quality, light, well drained potting mix -
ProMix
is really good, if you can find it.
- Keep rosemary in a room with bright light but cool temps (50 degrees is
perfect).
Yes, that 's tough to find in most modern homes , but you were warned
this
was a cranky plant!
- Despite the needle-like leaves, rosemary is NOT related to the cactus
family. Water when the surface of the soil dries out. If the air is
really dry, it
doesn't hurt to mist the foliage occasionally.
- Don't worry much about fertilizer from November through January - light
levels
are too low for plants to grow much. If you'll feel better feeding your
plant, use
1/2 strength fertilizer once or twice a month. Once we get to February,
start
feeding plants once a week.
- Keep an eye on the roots, especially once the days start to lengthen, and if
they
get crowded, repot the plant pronto! Repeat after me: "Potbound rosemary
dies!"
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