Are you talking about coir-lined baskets? I've never used them, but they might serve the purpose. I've heard they can dry out very quickly. I have rosemary in a terracotta pot, which also dries out quickly (especially in my climate), but the plant doesn't seem to care.

What I do with rosemary is wait until it's very dry, and then I drench it. Lots of water, but less often. Pick the pot up and you'll be able to tell from the weight how dry it is.

You can certainly trim away any damaged roots if you want. If the plant is root-bound, you might want to do that anyway. But trimming is not likely to be
much help with root rot unless it's a very early stage of infection. The pathogen will be
in the soil. Cutting away a damaged root means that you remove
vulnerable tissue, but you also leave a fresh wound that will serve as
an entry point until it dries up. And unless you sterilise the scissors
between each cut, you're potentially just spreading it. So better drainage is more important.

Rosemary seems to be able to cope pretty well with a harsh cutting to the roots. But make sure that you also prune back the foliage to keep the proportions right.

Good luck. Rosemary is a really non-fussy plant once you get the watering right.

I'm assuming QueenJenna is attempting to grow this indoors if the 6 represents her zone. We need more info about the situation. Any chance of pictures? I really don't hold out much hope of growing rosemary, which wants to be a large shrub, in wall hung pockets, especially indoors. A picture of the envisioned pockets would help.

I also use Terra cotta pots for rosemary. I'd recommend transplanting it to a larger pot (8 inches minimum) that is as tall as the diameter of the pot at the top.
If you've been (over)watering it and the tips of the leaves are turning brown, that's an indicator of root rot. I would not trim the roots if you have symptoms of root rot. That could make it worse.

I ended up replanting and trimming the roots. I don't think there was root rot after all, but root bound. I didn't think to take pics before I replanted. This is what it looks like now. I got a grow light as the plant is indoors. Any help in how I might be able to bring it back to life would be great!

ps - I am not sure of why there is a 6 in my user name, lol. It wasn't there before Houzz took over....

Unfortunately, the temperature gets too cold to grow it outdoors (Michigan). There are a few drainage holes in the bottom. I stuck my finger in the dirt last night to the middle knuckle and it did feel a little damp. I think . I don't think it could be anything else, a little dirt did stick to my finger. Do I let it get even more dry? Do I start with a new plant? We have started using the Rosemary in everything, I would hate to go back to store bought dried...

Even in Michigan I would still put it outside from Spring to Autumn for as long as possible. What are your current outdoor temperatures? Rosemary isn't a tropical plant. It can take cool temperatures down to 32f, or a little lower if it's in the ground.

The container needs to be very free draining as does the potting mix. What mix did you use? Also, although it's hard to tell, it looks as if your plant is rather deeply planted. Are the lower parts of branches under the soil? The container would be better made of something breathable like terracotta than that metal pot.

To be perfectly honest I really think yours is finished. But that's no reason not to try again.

I agree with floral_uk. Too much water, and very likely not enough light.

A terra cotta (clay) pot would be much better for rosemary.

Indoor lighting (normal indoor lighting) is at best "shady" light for plants. You need much brighter lighting for Rosemary, which really needs "full sun."

Here are some pics of my rosemary in a hanging planter I made for it.

Common Cents' Creations · More Info

Common Cents' Creations · More Info

I have a 9 watt LED grow light (which seems about as bright as a 90 watt halogen spot light, but much cooler temperature, and only red and blue light) about a foot above my plant. This lives in my kitchen, hanging below a normal kitchen 4 tube T8 fluorescent fixture. Both the fluorescent and the grow light operate at least 12 hours a day on a timer switch (and have some "on time" at night beyond the timer when we're in the kitchen late).

If anyone wants a hanging planter like that, I can make more. ;) Just message me here.

You might want to try to root a (few) cutting(s) to start (a) new plant(s). Cut 4 to 6 inches from the top of some of those branches. Pull off all the brown leaves, and only keep 3 to 5 green leaves at the very top of each branch. Make a clean, diagonal cut at the bottom, right at one of the leaf nodes. You can do this with fresh rosemary cuttings from the grocery store, as well, if you want. If you have access to "rooting hormone" or "rooting powder" (available at Walmart or Home Depot), put some of that on the end of the cutting. I usually root rosemary in a glass of water at first. I used to change out the water daily. My latest batch, I just put a drinking straw in the glass, along with the cuttings, and I blow bubbles once or twice a day in the glass, to keep the water oxygenated. You don't want the water to get stagnant, it needs to stay oxygenated.

After a few weeks, you'll see little roots develop on the bottom and along the stripped part of the cutting. At that point, you can transfer it to potting mix.

I am now using "bonsai potting mix" for my rosemary and sage, and that seems to stay drier than regular potting mix. I water once or maybe twice a week only, but I do give it a soaking when I do water.

For the plant you have now, I'd put it in a dark, dry corner of the basement (or closet), let it dry out, hope it survives and goes dormant, and bring it out and water it after the spring thaw. It might survive, it might not.

I have to disagree with Common Cents' final paragraph. Rosemary is an evergreen shrub. It doesn't grow much in the winter but it never goes dormant under natural circumstances. In fact it flowers in late winter. Putting it in a dark place will surely kill it completely. I don't hold out much hope for the OP's plant but it needs masses of light if it is to stand any chance at all.

I don't know anything about growing indoors. But I will just mention that if you do put it outside you might want to choose a different pot if it's that cold out there. Metal (if that's what that pot is indeed made out of) is not a good idea if you're trying to protect it from the cold. The temperature drops are likely to shock the roots, I would imagine.

for me, when I see my rosemary having brown leaves or bare stems, i know something is wrong. Unless a particular branch is old and has seen several seasons of growth, which is not the case for your plant, you should really have green leaves on pretty much the entire branch.

However, all is not lost. One of the fun things about gardening is to learn about cuttings. You can take a 4-6" cutting off of that rosemary plant and make a new plant. Check this forum or "plant propagation" forum for more info. If you can't find it, just post here again about it if you're interested and someone will point you in the right direction.

Rosemary is such a great plant! And they sell it everywhere in tiny pots! Take one home, put it in a 20 gallon pot full of well draining soil and stick it right in the sunniest spot. Done!

Plants don't grow indoors except weird house plants.