Rosemary is a Mediterranean herb, so it needs full sun. Keeping it indoors is not an option. Rosemary also prefers dryer soil and likes to dry out between waterings, So watering more once or twice a week(or when soil is dry to first knuckle of finger). I don't think it really "likes" humidity. I've never had rosemary dry out, so i'm guessing the wind is dry out the plants faster. Mulching is a great idea for the wind, but try making a windbreak, like hanged panes of plexiglass or planting things like bamboo. Keep using plastic if plants dry out faster. Feeding with a weak fertilizer once in a while might help the plant to be stronger.

Thanks. Even when I was on a ground floor and wind was not an issue, my rosemary still would always eventually turn into a dry stick after a few months time. It has never really thrived (though also in my old place, I didn't have as much sun). Could the LACK of sun have caused the plant to sort of dry out (die really) over a few months time? Normally I'd think the sun would be the cause of a plant looking all dried out and stick like but maybe in this instance it was the opposite...not enough sun was what caused it to look that way?

I always fertilize every so often with fish fertilizer or else that superthrive stuff.

I'll suggest some other possibilities. First is that you might be watering it too much. I consider Rosemary an almost xeric plant, really preferring to dry somewhat between waterings. If the root system is kept too wet for too long, it will rot. When that begins to happen the plant will begin to exhibit symptoms of dessication....drying out.

Also, I strongly suggest that you leave the compost OUT of your potting mix. It will only fill the macropores with small particles, one more thing that can make it difficult for a plant to take up water and access oxygen at the roots. Gravel serves no purpose at all in a container, but does eliminate some of the root space that the plant might need. Not necessary, not for any containerized plant.

Another thing to look into is that Rosemary can be a real spider mite magnet. If you aren't aware of that, all you will notice is that your plants just turn into dry sticks before you know it.

Please ditch the dome idea, too. Any plant would broil under a glass dome if placed outside for even a few hours. considering that rosemary is a full sun plant....yikes!

Thanks for the idea about my watering it too much. I'll try to keep it more dry between waterings.

As for no compost, I thought it was always good to add compost to any and all plants no? Or are you saying compost is not good for CONTAINER plants for some reason, but that it can be good for in-ground plants? And rocks in a container I also heard that you should always do, to help with drainage...? So I'm perplexed as these were things I always heard to be true....

Myths and old husband's tales abound in the wonderful world of gardening....just like anything else. Many long lived practices are wonderful, don't get me wrong! Many others aren't helpful, but not harmful...like plant misting. Still others can really get in the way of plant health and those are the ones we should consider evaluating.

Rocks do absolutely nada-zilch-zip-zero to help with drainage. Your potting soil should take care of that by itself. Rocks simply take up valuable real estate in that container. All you should be putting in the bottom on your containers is something to keep the potting soil from evacuating from the drainage holes. Stones may even impede the water and you sure don't want that to happen. Personally, I use a little piece of that plastic needlepoint/cross stitch canvas/grid that you can find in craft stores. Some people use window screen.

Though compost offers terrific benefits for in-situ or in- ground plantings, it can cause some problems within the workings of a good potting medium in a container. Compost, as it continues to decompose, will become finer and finer (as in smaller) in texture (as in size). That's just what it does. That's not a problem in the garden, but exactly what we want to avoid in a container.

Our goal for a functioning potting medium should be to provide something coarse textured (larger components, not smaller) so that water drains freely and we can be assured that the root system has access to plenty of oxygen. The tiny particles of compost and even some peaty mediums muck up the works, so to speak.

A lot of people don't realize how important oxygen is to developing plant roots. Those roots HAVE to regenerate all of the time, as the functioning parts don't live very long. All of that activity means that a great deal of cellular respiration goes on constantly. Respiration requires oxygen. Carbon dioxide is given off as a by product of respiration. A porous potting medium facilitates the gas exchange absolutely necessary for plant growth and development. In a decent outdoor soil, the soil SYSTEM works on its own, unless it has been ruined by compaction or other physical/chemical factors.

In the SHORT run, adding compost won't be of much concern, but it is simply not necessary. A commercial potting mix doesn't have the billions of microbes that feed on compost. It's those little bacteria and other critters that 'feed the soil'. WE provide the soluble nutrients for our potted plants, right?

Rosemary can take a lot of different conditions if grown in the open ground. It thrives all year round where I live but no way could my conditions be said to be xeric. But as rhizo says, the key is the drainage and air, rather than the amount of water. In the ground it can regulate itself much better than in a pot so I would go for the largest size container you can accommodate to give the rosemary the best chance. You also need the free draining open textured potting mix rhizo recommends. As long as it drains you can water it plentifully. I would not put a dome over it - in fact if it thrives you'd be hard pushed to find a dome big enough.

I planted my Rosemary in full sun by the gate.
After 10 years it is still growing, when it is hot & powder dry in the bed, I water my day lilies, then the Rosemary get some water. That is all the care it gets, other than pruning it out of the gate once a year.

I couldn't kill my extra rosemary. I think it loves benign neglect! Say hi in passing, but don't love it to death. ;)

Good luck! Let us know how it goes this year for you.

My rosemary seeds are not germinating and it's been a month now. I finally decided to cover the pot with a cling film to create a warmer temperature for the seeds to germinate even though here it's 35 degree centigrade and above outside with sunlight throughout the day. Should I wait more or just ditch the idea and plant something else in the pots?

I've never had trouble growing rosemary in the ground, but in a pot, indoors, I had repeated failures due to drying out. Then, one year, I placed the pot on a wide shelf behind the kitchen sink in good light. The soil was well drained and, whenever I was at the sink, I tossed a cup of water on it. I think the combination of humidity from the sink and having it under my eye where I would remember to water it was the difference. It lasted happily there for 3 or 4 years.

I will give it another try with the cling film and then use the pots for something else if nothing grows. Maybe with some company it might germinate in a few months. Not giving up hope though :)

abhilasha27 - rosemary is not easy from seed. Even if/when it germinates, being a woody shrub, it will take a long time to grow to a harvestable size. Since you will probably never need more than one plant it is really more efficient to just buy one, or take a few cuttings.

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

I would have bought potted plant but it's not available online in India. I bought rosemary seeds after reading about it and thinking the climate is appropriate for them to grow. Can't say it is. Outside is moist, humid, warm but still nothing.

I see. I didn't realise you were in India. Rosemary is a Mediterranean herb, so although it can take heat it is not wild about heat plus humidity. It likes sharp drainage.

I'll wait a few more days and then update you with the progress on it. Not every day is humid here but yes when it does, it's extreme. But by using cling film on my pots I am doing exactly that...giving a green house effect of hot and humid environment for seeds to germinate.

I am growing mint from cutting. The roots are coming out so hopefully it should be ready soon. Rosemary is still a big mystery.

I very much agree on above counts. My mother and I have a rosemary plant in a tiny pot and we take turns watering it and make food with it. It loves our clay soil and when the air is dry that is when it becomes yellow, and then my mother and me spray it with water and water it more with a slow drip including much liquid fertilizer for a boost. This plant is very delicious and it smells good too especially before the sun is too hot. But it need much draining water as it is from the Mediterranean probably on the Italian side of things. It especially benefits from nitrogen and potash, as well as magnesium, sodium and zinc. Human urine has nitrogen but it's better diluted in rain water so that you don't burn the roots, but also you want to avoid the leaves so that they stay clean and fragrant.

abhilasha27, mint is not comparable with rosemary in terms of ease of care or preferred conditions. Mint originated as a waterside plant of a wide range of climates, including quite cool ones. It can take some shade and heaps of water and roots incredibly easily. It dies down in winter.

Rosemary is evergreen, needs lots of light, warmer conditions and very good drainage. It roots relatively easily from cuttings but nothing like as fast as mint.

Just an FYI and a picture.

I put 8 cuttings in water back around the start of October. I've been changing out the water daily.

Right now, 3 of them are showing some root growth. Here's a picture.

Root development on Rosemary cuttings is much slower than on mint (or oregano or several other herbs that grow from cuttings).

I haven't given up (yet) on the other 5 cuttings. I plan to transplant the three that developed roots (and any others which develop visible roots in the next week or so) to small nursery pots with starting mix in them on November 12 (or soon after that).

Can they be kept in water forever? Since the root system is growing in water so maybe they can live without soil. I am curious to know because I have been keeping a rooting mint in water at home. I do not have land for growing plants, so pots and containers are my sole options.

> Can they be kept in water forever? Since the root system is growing in water so maybe they can live without soil.

There's two questions there. Can they be kept in water forever? Not really. Water lacks nutrients, and standing water lacks oxygen.

I change out the water daily, so they get fresh water from the faucet, with aeration (lots of little bubbles that are in the water as it comes out of the faucet and falls in the jar). The roots get oxygen from these tiny bubbles that are in the water. That's important, and they wouldn't develop without that oxygen, which is why I change out the water daily.

Can they be grown without soil? That's a different question. I don't know anyone growing rosemary in a hydroponic system, but I imagine it could be done. You would need a system with a nutrient rich solution and pumps to keep the solution moving and aerated/oxygenated. I'm not doing any hydroponic growing (other than this very basic rooting), so I'm not the one to ask. There's an entire forum here dedicated to hydroponics, if that interests you.

Got it. I change water everyday but yes constantly moving / oxygenated water is something I will think about. My mint is still fresh and green in water. I might add some water soluble nutrients and wait for a few more days before I decide if I need to put it in soil.