Growing thyme at home: secrets and rules

Possibility of growing thyme in a pot

How to grow thyme yourself? An unpretentious plant that does not require careful care, it feels good on the windowsill, so planting it will not be difficult for novice gardeners who have not previously cultivated spices.

To grow thyme at home, you need to select a suitable container, plant the plant in it and place it in a well-lit place. Caring for the plant consists of regularly moistening the soil and periodically applying fertilizer.

Planting a plant

Thyme is grown in light, loose soil. Sunlight has a beneficial effect on its development, so planting in open ground is carried out in a well-lit place.

In order for perennial plants to take root well, the site must be carefully dug up in the fall. And add organic fertilizer (compost or manure). In the spring, when the weather is warm outside with a temperature of at least 13°C, the soil is dug up again and the seeds are sown.

Advice! After the thyme has been sowed, you can sprinkle the seeds with river sand. It will provide young shoots with additional nutrients and prevent water from stagnating on the surface.

After the seedlings sprout and grow a little, it is necessary to thin out the planting. The ideal distance between plants is 30-35 cm.

Fertilize and dig up the soil before planting thyme

In open ground, planting can also be done using seedlings. To do this, at the end of winter, thyme is sown in prepared trays. Watering the seedlings is carried out regularly, but not abundantly. Thyme grows under glass, which creates a greenhouse effect. After 3-4 weeks, the seedlings are taken out into the open air for hardening, and after another 2 weeks they are planted in a permanent place.

Choosing the right variety

There are more than 400 representatives of thyme in nature, but not all of them are suitable for indoor conditions. To grow thyme at home, it is preferable to choose low-growing representatives with a high growth rate. Such plants take up little space and serve as wonderful decorations.

The following varieties are most suitable:

1. Common thyme. Its height is up to 7 cm, so it is very convenient to grow it in an apartment. The season for collecting spices is at the end of summer.
2. Creeping thyme. This plant is considered low-growing, although its height is up to 14 cm. Flowering occurs in July, and the fruits form and ripen in August.
3. Lemon thyme. The variety is universal. You can grow thyme in a pot on a windowsill or in a garden bed. A month after planting, the plant will reach 18 cm in length. Branches of this variety are valued not only in cooking, but also as indoor decoration.

Thyme in the home medicine cabinet

The use of thyme in folk and traditional medicine is based on a large number of biologically active substances in its composition, which have antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects.

For what diseases is thyme used?

• bronchopulmonary diseases - as an expectorant;
• diseases of the oral cavity - as an antiseptic and antimicrobial agent;
• Gastrointestinal diseases and rheumatic diseases – pain relief;
• diseases of the nervous system - decoctions and tinctures relieve tension and calm;
• skin diseases – antimicrobial and antiseptic;
• vascular diseases – antispasmodic;
• diseases of the male genital area.

Interesting!

The smell of thyme, placed in a fabric bag in a closet, repels moths.

A suitable place for thyme in an apartment

Due to lack of experience, many novice gardeners do not know how to plant a plant correctly or why it does not develop well. They believe that thyme will grow well in all rooms. This leads to thyme growing poorly at home, withering or drying out. To avoid this, you need to choose a room for growing thyme with an optimal level of light, the desired temperature and level of humidity.

Lighting

This plant loves plenty of light. Therefore, when thinking about how to grow thyme at home in a pot, it is placed on a well-lit windowsill on the sunny side of the apartment. In the winter months, when the length of daylight hours is reduced, sources of additional light are used to create conditions for quality development. Lack of sunlight negatively affects the quality of the spice. Thyme grown in the shade is significantly inferior in aroma strength to that grown in conditions of sufficient light.

Air humidity and temperature

In the summer months, you can grow thyme from seeds at your usual room temperature. Therefore, it can be placed in any suitable location. In winter, the plant needs coolness, so the pot with thyme is moved to a room with a temperature of +5 to +13 degrees.

Important!

When growing at home in a pot, it is permissible to transfer the plant to a glazed loggia or balcony during cold weather, but care must be taken that the temperature does not drop below the minimum established limit. Otherwise, the thyme will inevitably die.

Humidity conditions are not as important when growing thyme in a pot at home. But if the plant is used as an additional decoration, it must be sprayed regularly. This improves the appearance of the bush and makes the plant branch more. When the temperature in the room is low enough, you cannot spray thyme, as this will negatively affect its health.

Caring for thyme on the windowsill

This fragrant plant feels comfortable indoors. It grows unpretentiously in a pot and is easy to care for. You will need to follow a few simple rules:

1. Lighting. Thyme loves sunlight, so it is best to place it on a lighted windowsill. A slight darkening is also acceptable. Phytolamps can make up for insufficient daylight. For comfortable growth, the plant requires 6 hours of good lighting.
2. Watering. It is enough to moisten the soil 1, maximum 2 times a week. It’s okay if the soil dries out; thyme is adapted to drought. But it is better to ensure timely watering.
3. Temperature. Doesn't really matter. Acceptable limits: 10-20 degrees Celsius.
4. Feeding. It is recommended to fertilize once a month. Liquid fertilizer will do.
5. Replanting is required taking into account the growth rate. 1-2 times a season will be enough. A sign that it is time to change the pot to a larger one is the appearance of roots in its lower part. Thyme tolerates replanting well and even produces more greenery.
6. Protection from diseases and pests. With proper care, thyme is not susceptible to harmful factors; the essential oils it contains repel pests. It can be affected by spider mites.

Preparing to plant thyme

To prevent difficulties in care, before planting thyme at home, it is important to create suitable conditions for growth from the very beginning, select a pot and prepare high-quality soil. At the bottom of the selected container, it is necessary to lay drainage made of broken brick, expanded clay or gravel in a layer of 2 to 3 cm to prevent moisture stagnation at the roots.

Selection of capacity

Experienced flower growers, when answering the question of how to grow thyme on a windowsill, advise starting with choosing the right pot. For single plantings, narrow clay containers are suitable. If you plan to plant a small bed, then take plastic boxes for balconies. In both the first and second cases, the depth of the container should not be more than 15 cm. Otherwise, the plants develop poorly and often get sick.

Soil preparation

For rapid growth of the spice, fertile, balanced soil containing useful microelements is suitable. For better penetration of moisture and air, the soil is light and porous with an acidity level ranging from 6 to 7 pH.

The specified parameters correspond to a mixture of ready-made store-bought soil for succulents and black soil in a 2:1 ratio. It is allowed to mix a soil mixture of equal parts of turf soil, peat and sand. Such soils are ideal for growing spices.

Advice!

To increase productivity, it is useful to add inorganic elements to the finished soil. Washed river sand makes the soil loose and promotes better moisture absorption. Adding perlite to the soil will protect the root system from rot.

Growing thyme

You can grow a variety of thyme - creeping thyme, or thyme - in the same way: from seeds, from cuttings or using cuttings.

Propagation by seeds

It is advisable to keep the seed material in water for ½ day, place it in a fabric bag, dry it and, for convenience, mix it with sand - it’s better to scatter it this way.

When sowing in the ground, the soil should be prepared in the fall (the same as when planting thyme), and if sowing for seedlings, then a sand-peat mixture (equal parts) or a mixture of black soil and soil for cacti will do.

On a note!

In March, seeds are sown for seedlings, in May - directly into the ground.

Containers covered with film are placed in a warm place with diffused light, and plantings on the ridge are covered with film until shoots emerge.

Two months later, when the seedlings in the container have already been thinned out and the sprouts have become stronger, they can be transplanted into the ground, and those grown on the ridge will need to be thinned out when they grow a little.

Propagation by cuttings and dividing the bush

Growing thyme from cuttings is very simple and convenient - they can be cut during the entire growing season from strong, healthy shoots. Their length should be 5-6cm or slightly longer if the bush is tall.

How to plant cuttings - directly into the ground in a greenhouse or on a ridge by building a simple greenhouse from a jar - depends on the season. In constantly moist soil, the cuttings will take root after 2-3 weeks. Then the seedlings are transferred to the place prepared for them.

It is recommended to divide the bush in the spring at the beginning of the growing season - the plant will more easily endure a traumatic operation for it and the root system will recover faster when planted in the ground.

The dug up bush is divided into parts with a sharp tool and the sections are planted in holes, adding a little humus and compost. The distance between the holes depends on the variety and on the purpose of cultivation: single and group plantings for site decoration or cultivation for culinary use.

Planting thyme seedlings

In order not to bother with growing thyme and thyme from seeds, the easiest way is to purchase a seedling of the desired variety in a specialized store or nursery. When purchasing, you can clearly see the condition of the plant and the characteristics of the variety.

What to look for when choosing planting material:

• strong elastic shoots without damage or signs of infection or insects;
• dense and rich green leaves;
• the root system is located in a coma of earth.

The seedlings are planted in holes with a small drainage layer of small pebbles or sand, maintaining a distance of 30 cm between them, and spilling soil in the hole. To preserve moisture and prevent the growth of weeds, the soil is mulched with peat and crushed dry branches. The further condition of the seedling will depend on proper and regular care.

Care when growing indoors

The germination of the first shoots or young leaves indicates that the planting was successful. Now the seedlings need good care at home so that they grow quickly and produce a rich harvest. Caring for thyme does not require special attention from the owner. It is enough to place the pots on a well-lit side of the house and moisten the soil from time to time.

Thyme grows quickly without additional fertilization, but at the owner’s request, mineral-organic fertilizers are periodically used. Sometimes, in order to care for thyme, the soil under the plants should be loosened. The depth should be shallow so as not to damage the roots located close to the surface.

Basics of care

Special care for thyme is not required throughout the year. The plant is even found in the wild in harsh conditions of cold climates and in arid regions. To grow thyme in a pot and reap a rich harvest, all you need is:

• observe the temperature regime;
• monitor the lighting;
• regulate watering throughout the year;
• feed periodically.

Each of the ways to plant thyme differs in its subtleties of further care. When germinating cuttings, special attention must be paid to feeding with compounds that stimulate root growth. This will help the plant survive the winter. It is necessary to fertilize after the first greenery appears, then once during the winter and then according to the scheme chosen for “adult” bushes. If the seeds are sprouted, it is necessary to feed them with growth stimulants for the green part.

Watering in the cold season is reduced to once every two to three days. In summer, it is optimal to moisten the soil in small portions daily. Fragrant herbs will grow faster if the air humidity is high. Therefore, you can place plates of water on the windowsill next to the pots, which will constantly evaporate.

Sometimes owners of mini-gardens on the windowsill cannot understand why the bush has withered foliage with proper watering and frequent feeding. The reason may lie in insufficient oxygen saturation of the soil. The top layers should be constantly loosened, especially under young plants. This way, the roots can get enough oxygen. If the humidity in the room is too low, it is not possible to install a humidifier, you can mulch the plantings.

If we grow thyme for several years in a row, it is necessary to prune the bushes once a year. This will allow you to form a denser “crown”, get rid of old and withered shoots, making room for new ones. It is necessary to remove all vegetation with sharp scissors, leaving only the woody trunk.

On a note!

It is very important to work with high-quality sharpened tools. Dull knives and scissors literally tear the plant tissue, and the branches may not recover in the future.

You can harvest at any time; however, greens accumulate the greatest amount of nutrients before flowering. When the first buds have just appeared, but have not yet opened, you need to cut off as many leaves as possible. From such raw materials, healing infusions and healthy teas with a strong aroma will be obtained. For culinary purposes, you only need a couple of leaves, which can be taken at any time of the year. The last cut before winter “hibernation” is dried. Flowers are collected immediately after the buds open; you should not wait until they wither, let alone fall. When harvesting, you need to act carefully and hold the trunk of the bush, especially if it is a young plant. Damage to the root system can be disastrous.

Proper watering and other care features

When growing thyme on a windowsill, moisten it moderately, without flooding the plant, but also without allowing the soil to dry out.

Important!

You need to monitor the temperature and provide the bushes with enough light. Otherwise, the taste and aroma qualities of the spice deteriorate.

Thyme has a multi-year life cycle. Therefore, in the second year after planting, the bushes are planted in separate pots so that they do not interfere with each other’s growth. Pruning is carried out periodically to form the required plant density. Cutting is carried out in early spring and after the thyme has faded. The procedure is performed with sharp scissors, leaving a third of the woody part of the shoot.

Thyme: benefits and harm

The benefits and harms of thyme as a medicinal plant are widely known. Due to the content of a large amount of essential oils, thyme is an effective remedy in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory system, including asthmatic ones.

Thyme oils will help overcome insomnia and nervous system disorders. And tea made from its flowers is an indispensable remedy for migraines and depressed mood. Thyme normalizes digestion: it is successfully used in the processes of fermentation in the intestines and flatulence.

Note: When used externally, thyme tincture is used as compresses in the treatment of rheumatism and arthritis.

However, for arrhythmia and cardiosclerosis, as well as atherosclerosis, it is not recommended to use thyme and its derivatives. Contraindications for use are also kidney and liver diseases, as well as increased acidity of gastric juice.

As for pregnant women, they should be careful when consuming thyme in the form of light tinctures or tea leaves.

Harvesting

If the spice is used fresh, leaves and shoots are cut year-round. It is important not to damage the root system. Therefore, it is not recommended to tear off the shoots with your hands.

The entire above-ground part of the plant is used for treatment. It is harvested at the beginning of summer, cutting off the leaves and stems at the moment the first flowers bloom. At this time, the plant emits a strong aroma and contains the greatest amount of esters.

To dry, cut raw materials are laid out on paper in a thin layer or tied into bundles and hung in a dry room without access to direct sunlight. The finished raw material is crushed, getting rid of the largest shoots. Dried thyme is placed in an airtight container and stored in a dark place. The shelf life of this thyme is 2 years.

Diseases and pests

Although thyme has good immunity and health, it cannot be avoided without diseases and pests. The most common ailments found there are:

Gray rot

It can be recognized by the brown spots that appear on green shoots. They grow quickly and connect with each other. The bush smells rotten. She treated with folk remedies and chemicals. In the first case, I diluted 300 g of ash in 10 liters of water and poured the solution into the root part. Among the chemical preparations, I focused on “Fundazol”. I diluted it in the proportion: 10 g per 10 liters of water and sprayed the thyme 3 times with an interval of a week.

Rust

Feature: convex spots (or stripes) of a dirty red color. They appear on both stems and leaves. First, young and fragile shoots are affected. If the disease has already developed, a white velvety coating appears on the back of the leaf. These are rust spores. For treatment you can use “Topaz” or “Baktofit”. In the first case, it is diluted in a proportion of 4 ml per 10 liters of water, and in the second - 10 ml per 10 liters of water. Spraying is carried out in the morning or evening and repeated 3 times (an interval of 10 days).

Root rot

The root part acquires an unnatural color - it turns black. The spots move further along the trunk. The bush begins to fade, dry out, and the leaves fall off. To fight, firstly, a transplant is required. At the same time, cut off all damaged roots. Once the soil has been replaced, treat with formaldehyde. Diluted in the following proportion: 10 ml per 1 liter of water and pour.

If you don’t like rust, read how to plant cucumbers on a windowsill. They are resistant to this disease.

For other fungal plant diseases that can also affect thyme, watch the video:

meadow moth

It is a butterfly whose size does not reach more than 15 mm. The wingspan is from 20 to 26 mm. The color is grayish-brown with brown spots and yellow stripes. You can determine the appearance by the presence of individuals that will be on the bush. And also by the appearance of the plant itself: the leaves and stems will be bitten, the thyme itself will begin to lag in growth and wither.

Sand slugger

This is a black beetle. Size from 7 to 10 mm. Can be found in the ground part of the plant. They gnaw all parts of the thyme that come into contact with the ground. This is especially true for the base of the root system. As a result, the plant begins to turn yellow and leaves may fall off. If nothing is done, the bush will die.

To combat both pests, I used the complex drug “Decis Expert”. I diluted it in the proportion: 0.5 g of product per 1 liter of water and sprayed it 2 times with an interval of 14 days.

Sandworm reproduces quickly, so isolate the diseased plant

Reviews

Anna

I planted 2 thyme bushes on the windowsill. Now our whole family drinks aromatic tea all year round. We cut shoots from one plant to prepare for the winter, and use the other to cut fresh leaves. Tea with thyme is very helpful in coping with colds and energizes you for the whole day.

Marina

Real herbal tea in stores is expensive, so I prefer to grow thyme myself. Moreover, planting and care are quite simple. I grow plants from cuttings, cutting them off at the very root. Such shoots are large and strong, so they take root well and quickly bear fruit.

Thyme and landscape design

The varietal diversity of thyme is represented by plants of different heights, each of which can be used in the design of a site for a specific purpose.

For example, a low-growing species is grown as a ground cover on lawns (the grass is often trimmed to prevent flowering), as a beautiful frame for paths and as a decoration for alpine hills and flower beds. The winter hardiness of the crop is of no small importance in the design of the lawn.

Tall plants planted next to gazebos and terraces will create a fragrant and beautiful background for low flower crops, and in the garden they will become an excellent honey plant.