Teach me about Rosemary

[just.wing.it]

My wife brought this one home over the summer.
I cut off all the footlong shoots and dried the leaves for cooking. Got a nice little mason jar full of them.
Decided to try to keep it as a Bonsai.
I cut most of the roost off, and potted in lava pumice and fir bark.
Little tri-trunk with a side trunk.

I assume I can treat it like a tropical...say a ficus...? I dunno.

Since the repotting and cutback, it grew a little, then bloomed a little...just brought it indoors for the winter.

 

[RJG2]

Have you read @ABCarve 's thread 10 times yet? 100 times?

The Rosemary Thread

Hello all I've threatens to do this and I'm now following thru. There doesn't seem to be a lot of horticultural info here on growing rosemary as bonsai. I'd like to change that with this thread. I don't pretend to know much about their horticulture but I've kept a few for over twenty years...

www.bonsainut.com

I started one this year (got two actually, repotted one to keep it shallow, as they don't like root work - haven't touched the other).



Funny enough in a pot from @sorce that broke in shipping and needed kintsugi - which I did by following another @ABCarve thread...

 

[Bonsai Nut]

It is a Meditteranean native. Treat it like olive and you won't go astray. Thrives in hot dry conditions, salt tolerant, highly resistant to insect and animal pests. Does best in well draining inorganic or low organic soil. Water deeply but let soil almost dry out before watering again. Roots are it weakness. Be cautious when reporting and wet saturated soil conditions will kill it. Fertilize infrequently and do not overfertilize.

Like olive, it does well in Socal landscape where, once established, it can go nine months without a drop of rain. Frost tolerant, handles Temps down to the low 20s.

 

[Lorax7]

My wife brought this one home over the summer.
I cut off all the footlong shoots and dried the leaves for cooking. Got a nice little mason jar full of them.

I don't know much about the horticulture of rosemary, but I can tell you that the flavor is way better when it's fresh. Just snip a little sprig off, wash it, pick the leaves, and tear them into smaller bits as you drop them into the food you're making. Yum! So delicious!

 

[Carol 83]

It's really good with roasted potatoes and chicken. I brought one inside in a pot and it croaked. But then again it's really good with roasted potatoes and chicken..................

 

[just.wing.it]

It is a Meditteranean native. Treat it like olive and you won't go astray. Thrives in hot dry conditions, salt tolerant, highly resistant to insect and animal pests. Does best in well draining inorganic or low organic soil. Water deeply but let soil almost dry out before watering again. Roots are it weakness. Be cautious when reporting and wet saturated soil conditions will kill it. Fertilize infrequently and do not overfertilize.

Like olive, it does well in Socal landscape where, once established, it can go nine months without a drop of rain. Frost tolerant, handles Temps down to the low 20s.

Not sure how I missed your post....
It has been sulking since I brought it indoors, for about a month.
Leaves are curling up.
Branches are drooping.

I may have been overwatering....so I'll change that.
Any advice?

 

[just.wing.it]

It does have roots coming out of the drain hole already....fwiw.

 

[ABCarve]

Roots may be looking for a dry spot. . They pout when you bring them in. Keep it cool and sunny. Mine get watered every day but they are in completely inorganic media.

 

[just.wing.it]

Roots may be looking for a dry spot. . They pout when you bring them in. Keep it cool and sunny. Mine get watered every day but they are in completely inorganic media.

Could be....
It did grow decently between repotting and bringing inside.
It's a steady 60f in my indoor spot, and it's under some bright grow lamps for 16 hours per day.

I appreciate the note! Thanks.

Edit: it's planted in lava, pumice, and fir bark in equal parts.

 

[ABCarve]

Could be....
It did grow decently between repotting and bringing inside.
It's a steady 60f in my indoor spot, and it's under some bright grow lamps for 16 hours per day.

I appreciate the note! Thanks.

Edit: it's planted in lava, pumice, and fir bark in equal parts.

Not sure about the fir bark, especially 1/3. Good luck!!

 

[AJL]

Definitely needs full sun and free draining soil. Its mediterranean not a tropical plant so give it a cool winter break

 

[just.wing.it]

Definitely needs full sun and free draining soil. Its mediterranean not a tropical plant so give it a cool winter break

See....thats what I was worried about.
I have no place like that.
Even inside my garage gets well below freezing when it's the dead of winter.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Not sure if this helps, but we had a rosemary inside for months with no direct sun, hiding the entrance to a cat box. It did fine until we put it outside. I think it got too much dry heat too quickly.

We did not water it very often, maybe once a week or so (?).

Point is, I think it can survive inside, at least for a while.

 

[ShadyStump]

The curling leaves are not a death knell. I had one last year indoors all winter long, no dormancy, not enough sun, grow lights all wonky, poor watering, the works. It looked like that most of the time, but still grew very slowly, and popped right back once spring hit, the temperatures rose and the sun came out.

You do need to slowly harden it off before just moving it outside. They don't deal with the shock of sudden environment changes well.

 

[just.wing.it]

Not sure if this helps, but we had a rosemary inside for months with no direct sun, hiding the entrance to a cat box. It did fine until we put it outside. I think it got too much dry heat too quickly.

We did not water it very often, maybe once a week or so (?).

Point is, I think it can survive inside, at least for a while.

The curling leaves are not a death knell. I had one last year indoors all winter long, no dormancy, not enough sun, grow lights all wonky, poor watering, the works. It looked like that most of the time, but still grew very slowly, and popped right back once spring hit, the temperatures rose and the sun came out.

You do need to slowly harden it off before just moving it outside. They don't deal with the shock of sudden environment changes well.

I really appreciate the input guys, thanks.

 

[Crazy Diamond]

One thing about Rosemarys, they hate repoting and root cut but they also make a lot of fine roots and get rootbound easy, if the soil gets rootbound and dont drain good they die; so its tricky keep them happy in long term. They also need cold as said before they are temperate climate bushes not tropical

 

[just.wing.it]

One thing about Rosemarys, they hate repoting and root cut but they also make a lot of fine roots and get rootbound easy, if the soil gets rootbound and dont drain good they die; so its tricky keep them happy in long term. They also need cold as said before they are temperate climate bushes not tropical

Hmm.....
This again makes me wonder if I'd be better off leaving it outside...
I just think that my wonders are too cold and too long.
I think I'm going to roll the dice on winters indoors for now.

 

[ShadyStump]

Except for what I already mentioned, my experience with rosemary is in the ground in gardens. The common literal garden variety, officianalis, is hardy to most moderate temperate climate winters when in the ground, though often the branches and foliage die back, and it re-sprouts from the root in spring.
They do well in the ground in most of the 48 contiguous States, except where temperatures dip very low, or there's far too much moisture. I don't think they really go dormant, but do slow down ALLOT. They do like this cool slow down period, but it can generally be achieved by conditions about the same as keeping it in a cool room inside. In my experience, they tend to look like @just.wing.it's pics while doing this. They are weak in this state, but usually come back strong.
Again, that's in the ground. Only tried a pot once, but it went alright until my ex planted it in a wet, shady corner outside during the height of summer.

 

[just.wing.it]

Except for what I already mentioned, my experience with rosemary is in the ground in gardens. The common literal garden variety, officianalis, is hardy to most moderate temperate climate winters when in the ground, though often the branches and foliage die back, and it re-sprouts from the root in spring.
They do well in the ground in most of the 48 contiguous States, except where temperatures dip very low, or there's far too much moisture. I don't think they really go dormant, but do slow down ALLOT. They do like this cool slow down period, but it can generally be achieved by conditions about the same as keeping it in a cool room inside. In my experience, they tend to look like @just.wing.it's pics while doing this. They are weak in this state, but usually come back strong.
Again, that's in the ground. Only tried a pot once, but it went alright until my ex planted it in a wet, shady corner outside during the height of summer.

Maybe I'll dig a hole for it and heel it in next winter....I don't normally do that with my stuff.
I just put the pots on the ground under my back deck, against the house, north side, blocked from wind on 3 sides.

 

[ShadyStump]

Maybe I'll dig a hole for it and heel it in next winter....I don't normally do that with my stuff.
I just put the pots on the ground under my back deck, against the house, north side, blocked from wind on 3 sides.

Do you know anyone in the area who's had success with them in their garden? I would just ask them how they do in your area, and let that guide you.
Here the winters can get too cold in much of the state, and the ground is often clay heavy and can stay too wet, so it's hit-or-miss success.