Lemon thyme - planting and care in a pot

Thyme is a wild plant belonging to the family of Lamiaceae, or Labrettes. Among his "relatives" are basil, rosemary, sage, mint, lemon balm, oregano. People call it thyme or Bogorodskaya grass because in Russia it was customary to decorate the Virgin’s icons with branches of this shrub. In recent years, gardeners do not collect it in the wild, but planted thyme lemon in the garden of the cottage.

Varieties of thyme

Thyme is a perennial shrub. According to various sources, in the world there are more than two hundred varieties of wild-type thyme and about four hundred domesticated. Thyme is distributed almost throughout Eurasia, North America and Greenland. About two hundred species of this shrub grow on the territory of Russia.

Thyme in a country house landscape

The most popular thyme in the genus was the thyme citriodorus, commonly called lemon or lemon thyme because of the distinct lemon aroma with caraway-anise notes. Its leaves are dark green, ovoid or oval in shape, with a white or slightly yellowish fringing. For this color of leaves, lemon thyme is often called variegata, that is, variegated.

Thyme "lemon variegata"

The most common varieties of lemon thyme used in the decoration of flower beds and garden interiors are the following varieties:

• Bertram Anderson - a bush with golden foliage;
• Spicy Orange - has flowers in a light purple hue and long leaves;
• Gold Edge - has a pleasant smell and is used in cooking;
• Golden King - the leaves have a yellow border;
• Donna Valey - there are small yellow spots on the leaves of this variety;
• Silver Queen (silver queen) - blooms with purple-pink color, the leaves are small, silver-white (which gave the name to the variety).

Thyme History

The origins of the practical use of thyme are lost in the mists of time. Still ancient Sumerians for 3 thousand years BC. used thyme as a powerful antiseptic. In ancient Egypt, it was added to solutions during embalming of mummies; in ancient Greece, they fumigated temples and dwellings to expel evil spirits. The Romans called thyme thymus, literally translated as "incense, incense," emphasizing its specific aromatic properties.

Thanks to its many useful qualities, thyme conquered medieval Europe in the 11-12 centuries. He is mentioned in all medical treatises, a respectful queen - the king was often added to his name. He was credited with magical properties that instill courage, and the ability to heal from the bites of poisonous insects.

Thyme Application Today

Thyme species are currently cultivated in many countries. Thyme users are interested in this plant in the following qualities:

• as a food product - as a seasoning and preservative;
• for therapeutic and antiseptic use;
• as raw materials for the cosmetics industry;
• for technical purposes - for the production of essential oil;
• as an ornamental plant - in flower beds, gardens, personal plots.

a fish dish

In cooking

Thyme willingly use home-cooks as a seasoning:

1. Young shoots and leaves give the dishes a specific spicy aroma and a sharp bitter taste. Shredded leaves or young shoots are placed in soups, salads, vegetable dishes, pickles and pickles.
2. Typically, cooks like to work with freshly picked upper shoots of lemon thyme, but if this is not possible, you can also use dry thyme. A teaspoon of dry spices will adequately replace a tablespoon of freshly chopped thyme.

3. Thyme is ideal for dishes of meat, especially fatty, it goes well with cheeses and cottage cheese, as well as with poultry and fish, perfectly emphasizing their taste.

For conservation

Thyme is a good natural preservative, therefore it is often used for the preparation of marinades and food additives, namely to extend the shelf life of products. Many housewives add thyme to the pickle of cucumbers and tomatoes - fresh leaves of thyme give the marinade a special unique taste and smell. They are willing to use the leaves of the lemon winemaker thyme - a small amount of fresh leaves gives the drink a special unique taste and smell of lemon.

For cosmetics

The beneficial properties of thyme essential oil are widely used in the cosmetics industry. Thyme oil is added as a fragrance to toilet soap, lipstick, creams, toothpaste and bath products. Essential oils contained in the leaves and stems of thyme, through the pores of the skin will be absorbed into the body, healing it.

Healing properties

Phytoncides of the plant have a beneficial effect on the human body, thyme is endowed with antibacterial and antispasmodic properties. In traditional medicine, it is used in the treatment of:

• colds;
• heart disease
• respiratory and nervous system;
• insomnia
• peptic ulcer disease;
• abdominal pain.

It also has a diuretic and expectorant effect. Tea with thyme calms, improves mood, relieves daytime fatigue. In everyday consumption, use infusions and decoctions. Folk healers take only the terrestrial part of the plant, specifically leaves and stems saturated with essential oil. The oil is endowed with high antimicrobial and antifungal qualities, it is used externally, used in aromatherapy. Thyme extract dilutes sputum and promotes rapid coughing. According to the therapeutic effect, the oil successfully competes with expensive syrups and potions.

Thyme Infusion

Thyme Care at Home

Thyme lemon-smelling varieties aureus, called Aureus in Russian, is gaining more and more popularity among home breeding enthusiasts. The shrub itself is unpretentious, lemon-smelling thyme planting and care of lemon varieties do not require much effort, the benefits of it are obvious.

Thyme is an unpretentious plant, it feels comfortable in a home indoor environment. The root system of the thyme is superficial type, so it can be grown in shallow pots.

Thyme cultivation at home does not require special conditions of detention, it is not difficult to take care of it. When thyme has already been planted in a pot, home care only requires compliance with a few simple rules regarding provision:

• required temperature and humidity;
• full lighting;
• proper watering and spraying;
• required soil composition and top dressing.

Temperature and humidity

In the natural environment, thyme does not grow in dry and open places, excessively heated by the hot sun. In the conditions of home cultivation of this spicy plant, the following temperature and humidity modes are recommended:

1. The optimal temperature is:

• in summer - in the range from 18 to 22 degrees, maximum - 25 degrees .;
• in winter - from 6 to 13 degrees.

2. Thyme is not particularly demanding on the degree of humidity, 70-80% it is quite "satisfied". Often, a plate of water is placed next to the flower pot so that the evaporating moisture helps maintain moisture at the required level. To improve the appearance in the summer, it is recommended that the plant is periodically sprayed once or twice a day with water from a conventional spray gun. The bush will be more branched.

Thyme in a pot

Lighting

Thyme is very fond of the sun and grows on the slopes of the mountains or in the steppe expanses open to sunlight. In the apartment he needs to provide daylight for at least 6 hours a day. The lack of lighting is compensated by special fitolamps. In the shade, the plant withers, the stems are stretched, the aroma is lost.

Watering and spraying

Thyme is adapted to dry land, so moderate watering is enough for him:

• in summer - daily in small portions of soft and well-defended water, or more abundantly every 3 days;
• in the autumn-winter period - twice a week.

Since waterlogging of the soil is undesirable for the thyme, it is preferable to use daily spraying.

Soil and top dressing

Thyme grows well in light, loose soils. When growing thyme in a pot on a windowsill, the following soils are recommended for planting:

• purchased soil type "Everything for cacti" with the addition of black soil in the proportion of 1/3;
• universal soil mixture mixed with 1/3 of fine sand;
• a mixture of peat, turf land and sand in equal parts.

Thyme can do without additional fertilizers, but if it is fertilized once a month with liquid fertilizer, it will not be worse. Top dressing with small amounts of mineral-organic complexes is advisable only for weakened plants.

Flowering lemon thyme

The flowering period of Thymus citriodorus covers all three summer months. The flowers of lemon thyme are of the two-lipped type, the corolla of which is characterized by the following symptoms:

• upper lip, consisting of two teeth, bent up;
• the lower lip is wide, with three teeth on the top, wrapped slightly down.

Two-breasted thyme flower

The flowers of the plant are nondescript and small, painted in different shades: from pinkish-white to violet, depending on the variety. The flowers are collected in spherical capitate inflorescences located at the ends of the stems. The cups of inflorescences are narrow-bell-shaped. At the beginning of autumn, tiny bolls with four fruit seeds in each appear on the spot of faded inflorescences.

Thyme propagation by seed

Propagation by seeds is used when necessary to obtain seedlings as planting material. How to grow thyme and rosemary from seeds at home? Florists recommend:

1. If you need thyme to bloom in a year of planting it in open ground, then:

• it is necessary to plant seeds at home;
• planting period is late autumn.

2. If the timing of flowering shrub is unprincipled, then the planting is carried out in early spring. Before transplanting into open ground, the seedlings will have time to grow and get stronger, but will bloom only the next year.

Soil selection for planting seeds

It is best to grow thyme seeds in a purchased ready-made soil mixture or soil for growing cacti. To the prepared soil mixture add 3 volumetric parts of chernozem.

When using garden soil, the following components are added to it in small quantities:

• fine river sand;
• ash;
• fertile black soil.

Rules for growing thyme seeds in a pot

For a plant such as thyme, lemon planting of seeds in a pot is performed according to the following universal algorithm:

1. A flower pot or other container with a height of not more than 5 cm is selected.

Pots for planting seeds

2. At the bottom of the pot, a 1-3 cm thick layer of washed medium-sized pebbles is laid out, which is assigned the role of a drainage system. Expanded clay, slate or crushed red brick is allowed. The drainage hole must freely allow excess water to pass through and not become clogged with soil.
3. The prepared soil composition is poured into a pot and compacted.
4. Plant seeds are planted. It should be borne in mind that thyme seed is so tiny that sowing seeds into prepared soil one at a time is simply unrealistic. They are evenly distributed over the covered soil and sprinkled with a layer of earth up to 1 cm thick.
5. Before the first seedlings appear, the earth is periodically moistened from the spray gun, making sure that the soil is constantly moist.

Possible problems with growing thyme

When cultivating plants under housing conditions, a full-fledged imitation of the natural conditions in which they grow comes to the fore. Failure to comply with this requirement leads to sad consequences for the plant. For planted thyme, lemon cultivation of this crop may be accompanied by the following problems, of which the main ones are:

1. Lack of lighting, resulting in flower stalks forced to reach up. The foliage of the bush turns pale. The aesthetic appeal of the bush is lost due to the lack of juicy leaf mass.
2. Waterlogging of the soil, leading to plant diseases.
3. Non-compliance with the temperature regime. When the temperature drops, the thermophilic thyme dies.

Thyme disease

Thyme is susceptible to fungal ailments that affect the aerial and root systems of the shrub.

Aerial parts of thyme

The most common fungal disease of thyme growing on open garden soil is rust caused by rust fungus. Rust affects the aerial parts of thyme: leaves and shoots. In a diseased bush, the process of photosynthesis is disrupted, the foliage loses moisture, the growth decreases sharply. If you do not fight the disease, then the fungus will spread to the entire plant, which will lead to its drying and death. A distinctive feature of rust is the presence on the affected areas of red oval pustules (tubercles-vesicles), in which spores of the fungus-pathogen ripen. When cracking shells from pustules, spores spill out into the environment. Outwardly, they resemble finely divided rust.

Thyme, growing in residential conditions, does not get rust. However, there are cases when, after placing on a balcony next to a healthy thyme a diseased plant brought from the garden, a rust infection extends to it.

Thyme

Thyme Root System

Several dozen varieties of fungi are the causative agents of root rot of thyme, the result of which are:

• decay of the roots of the plant;
• withering of the aerial part and subsequent complete death of the plant.

Root rot is equally dangerous for both thyme, which grows in open ground, and for home shrub, since an excess of moisture and a temperature exceeding 20-25 degrees are ideal conditions for the development and intensive reproduction of fungal infections.

Thyme Pests

Garden pests cannot tolerate the lemon smell of lemon thyme. However weakened bush the damage is caused by the following insects:

• Aphids eating leaf juice;
• Sand lag hitting the ground;
• A weevil, laying off its larvae in flowers and eating buds;
• A meadow moth, whose caterpillars eat a leaf of thyme;

Meadow moth

• A spider mite, braiding with cobweb all parts of the plant.Accumulated mite individuals are able to quickly gobble up the greens of the entire bush.

This in the wild thyme looks a plain shrub. Through the efforts of gardeners, breeders, many varieties of thyme appeared with the original color of leaves and flowers. At the same time, garden thyme has retained all its useful qualities, being a home doctor, culinary specialist, and a cosmetologist.

Watch the video: Propagating Lemon Thyme Growing in Pots (May 2024).