I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong when trimming back my rosemary.

I clip the branches about midway to keep the bush more compact and dense -
but all that happens is that a few months later the entire branch dies. So
in frustration I've just let the bush grow where it may, which is pretty
tangled and sparse.

Why is this happening? Is there a specific time to clip rosemary, a
specific location on the branch perhaps?

On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:24:34 -0700, "Eigenvector"
wrote:

I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong when trimming back my rosemary.

I clip the branches about midway to keep the bush more compact and dense -
but all that happens is that a few months later the entire branch dies. So
in frustration I've just let the bush grow where it may, which is pretty
tangled and sparse.

Why is this happening? Is there a specific time to clip rosemary, a
specific location on the branch perhaps?


I've read quite recently that it is bad to prune back into bare wood,
just prune where the green is growing.

On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:24:34 -0700, "Eigenvector"
wrote:

I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong when trimming back my rosemary.

I clip the branches about midway to keep the bush more compact and dense -
but all that happens is that a few months later the entire branch dies. So
in frustration I've just let the bush grow where it may, which is pretty
tangled and sparse.

Why is this happening? Is there a specific time to clip rosemary, a
specific location on the branch perhaps?


The branches are trimmed too much. I trim my rosemary plants every
time I mow the lawn, and only take off a half inch or so to keep it in
the Christmas-tree shape. I use hand-powered grass clippers. The
center part of the plant doesn't have many leaves.

On 6/11/2008 9:52 PM, Charles wrote:
On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:24:34 -0700, "Eigenvector"
wrote:

I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong when trimming back my rosemary.

I clip the branches about midway to keep the bush more compact and dense -
but all that happens is that a few months later the entire branch dies. So
in frustration I've just let the bush grow where it may, which is pretty
tangled and sparse.

Why is this happening? Is there a specific time to clip rosemary, a
specific location on the branch perhaps?


I've read quite recently that it is bad to prune back into bare wood,
just prune where the green is growing.

This is excllent advice. If you cut below the lowest green leaf, the
branch will indeed die. This is true of several other plants, including
lavender.

When I cut the rosemary to use it in cooking, I generally remove an
entire small branch.

When I prune my rosemary, I either remove entire branches or merely head
a branch near its tip, leaving most of the foliage. My bush is 25-30
years old and taller than I am. It has beautiful twisted branches. I
prune it to expose the branch pattern and also to keep it from blocking
the public sidewalk.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

On 6/12/2008 12:55 PM, Persephone wrote:
On Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:11:58 -0700, "David E. Ross"
wrote:

[...]

When I cut the rosemary to use it in cooking, I generally remove an
entire small branch.

[...]

Curious why you do that, rather than just strip off the required
number of leaves.

Persephone

It's easier to rinse the branch while the leaves are still attached.
This is important since the rosemary is growing near an oak tree that is
often a bird toilet.

Also, there are many, many small branches. I generally cut a branch
just large enough to supply my needs for a given recipe. (For a recipe
using rosemary, garlic, and other herbs on a pork roast, see my
http://www.rossde.com/cooking/porkroast.html.)

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:24:34 -0700, "Eigenvector"
wrote:

I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong when trimming back my rosemary.

I clip the branches about midway to keep the bush more compact and dense -
but all that happens is that a few months later the entire branch dies.
So
in frustration I've just let the bush grow where it may, which is pretty
tangled and sparse.

Why is this happening? Is there a specific time to clip rosemary, a
specific location on the branch perhaps?


The branches are trimmed too much. I trim my rosemary plants every
time I mow the lawn, and only take off a half inch or so to keep it in
the Christmas-tree shape. I use hand-powered grass clippers. The
center part of the plant doesn't have many leaves.

Hmm, well I thought I was being conservative in how much I removed. Oh well
I guess that just shows I'm taking too much off still.