On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 17:20:06 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:


"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
news:8cojd.475638$mD.183276@attbi_s02...

"Dan" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 18:01:23 -0600, Mark Anderson
wrote:

Saturate with water. Rosemary wants tons of water. Rootbound plants
need even more. Give lots of nitrogen, too (I feed it manure tea) and
a handful of lime sprinkled around the dirt..

I've also had tough luck with Rosemary, but somehow this plant is over
a year old and about 3 feet tall (no flowers yet). I believe the
major trick is "EXCESSIVE watering". Don't believe the ads when they
say "drought tolerant"

You can't be farther away from the truth - rosemary does not need
"excessive" watering, will resent it if you do, plus it requires minimal
fertilizing as well. As with most plants native to a temperate zone, it is
not happy being grown in the house. And it needs time to acclimatize from
being outside. Keep in very bright but indirect light, water sparingly and
increase humidity levels by adding a glass or two of water to the general
vicinity. Keep out of drafts or away from direct sources of heat.

pam - gardengal



I agree about the humidity, although I say this only in theory, because I'm
still struggling with MY rosemary plants. I recall reading that they grow
mightily along the Mediterrean coastline, in weird rocky soil, like beach
roses. Does that point to more lime, rather than the typical bagged potting
soil, which contains lots of peat moss?


A small amount of agricultural lime, perhaps a tablespoon to 4 quarts
of potting soil, should be enough. Put the mixture through a hardware
cloth screen a couple times to integrate the lime. You can overdo
the lime and kill the plant. For a plant already potted, you can put
a teaspoon of *clear* household ammonia in a quart of water. (Today
it seems difficult to purchase clear ammonia due to the demand
increase of meth lab chemists.)