I've had this rosemary for about 6 or 7 years. It has always been very healthy, and has gotten pretty big, about 4 ft. tall and 4 ft. across.
Now this year it's terrible.
I have decided to whack it all down to about 6 inches above the ground and see how it comes back.
Any ideas?
I've never had luck cutting Rosemary down that far - once you get into the woody stems you don't often get new growth from it....I try to keep it's soft stemmed trimmed to shape it and dry the Rosemary for later use...The upside to growing Rosemary is that they are pretty inexpensive to start again :)
Lol .. lie to the Rosemary and tell it you never want to see it again, then run the lawnmower over it and it will come back with a vengeance!
What do you think the gray matted stuff is?
Spider mites maybe?
Yep! Spider mites. Mine gets them every year. Can be difficult to get rid of in rosemary. Treat with insecticidal soap, wait a bit, then trim back. Make sure the plant can get as much air circulation as possible.
Barb
Thanks! It is rather crammed in, since it chose to quadruple in size expectation. I'll treat it right away.
If it's really spider mites, Entlie, use a miticide rather than an insecticide. I got them in the greenhouse one winter and started a frantic campaign to eliminate them. Started with Safer Soap (my favorite) and moved progressively up the evil chain of killer-dillers. Nothing worked---lots of things knocked them down, but not out---until I found a Miticide (don't remember which one), but in less than 2 weeks, they were gone. Permanently. If you spot these things early enough, you can control them with just a strong spray of water daily for a couple of weeks. But they are so prolific that an infestation can get out of hand quickly...
Thanks, Stono. I will get some milticide spray and apply it, but mainly to keep the mites from spreading to other stuff. This rosemary is so crammed into its spot, (wasn't supposed to get this big) and it's more moveable than the deck - so - (and this is my idea) I have asked the Captain to hitch onto it with a chain and his truck and pull it out . (BTW, he loves this idea - he's always ready for truck duty!) We'll plant it somewhere else, but also start a new rosemary in another spot just in case this one doesn't make it.
Will the milticide hurt the neighboring plants if I spray them as a safeguard?
Entlie
It shouldn't Entlie. Or maybe a better way to say it is to say it's never hurt any neighboring plants for me. In fact I spray all plants close to the host plant on purpose. Once those little buggers get a toe-hold, they spread like wildfire!
I always find that, after a while (generally more than 3-4 years) Rosemary, like Lavendar, just gets yucky looking. It is so inexpensive and grows so well that I usually just take it out and start anew....sad to say.
And yes, I agree, that looks like spider mites. If you don't want to take it out, I'd trim back just short of hard wood and see what it does. Then watch for spider mites next year and nip them in the bud (no pun intended).
I like the lawn mower idea.
I'm with yotedog. Rosemary (in my experience) gets a little long in the tooth about yr. 2-3, regardless of variety in these climes, and REALLY long in the tooth after yr. 4. To encourage growth, I've tried judicous pruning, less judicios pruning, and totally whacking them back, various fertilizer formulations/watering regimens. etc...got nothing. Best thing I've found that works for a decent stand of Rosemary is what Yote said. Plant a new one (or two) on either side of the original. Prune the old one off as it dies back. In short time, you'll never even know where the original plant stood. More work, but worth it.
Good tour yesterday Stono, Jenny (bordersandjacks) and I were there. Such perfect little gems of gardens. Other than to look at the map, I did not think to read the brochure until this morning when I saw your name. Good job.
I'm shopping for new rosemary, but still think I'll get rid of the old one (gradually) and pick a new spot for the new ones. Too crowded if they're going to get that large, and the soil probably could use a different plant there (good soil, though).
Entlie
LOL, that may be your problem, Rosemary thrives in poor soil.
Glad to know that!
Dang, Ardesia! I'd so love to meet you in person. And bordersandjacks too. They didn't let me docent a garden this year. Got moved into an "administrative" role...suspect they sensed my disdain for little "formal downtown Gardens", and figured I'd be safer somewhere else. They were right. Still, I'd much rather be in ANY garden than sitting at a table keeping track of Docents... Did you score a free Edgeworthia? Jim Martin was giving them away right behind our little sign-in table. I got one, and I'm going to keep it in a pot to see if I can keep it alive for at least a year...which would be a record!
We did get the edgeworthias, Jenny says they need full shade so that is where I planted mine. Fingers, toes and eyes are crossed, they are such pretty plants. The gardens were pretty formal and heavy on boxwoods for our tastes too but it is always nice seeing how certain plants are used.
One of these days......
ardesia...I did not plant mine in full shade...it got morning sun until about 11 when the house shaded it and it bloomed like a charm...def. an awesome spring bloomer!
What gardens did you tour? sounds like u n jenny had a super day!
We did have fun, It was Charleston Hort Society's fall tour and this year the gardens were in the Mazyck Wraggsboro neighborhood. This was originally the area where the ship's captains built their homes in the 1800's (some older maybe.) The gardens were all small and most were very formal but there were a couple of very cleverly done small spaces, lap pools and all. We saw lots of antique statuary and, interestingly, lots of Alocasia Portadora. It seemed that was the focal point plant of the year in this neighborhood.
you think because it grows so tall in one season they are liking it? I have to admit I love mine...one of these days I'm going to remember to make a concrete birdbath cast out of one...you know what...I'm going to Lowe's right now and get some concrete and do it today with the kids since their off...the TeaCup one should be fun for a bird feeder too...ok...where's my coffee...think I'm gonna need some caffeine today LOL!
Well I suggested the Captain pull out the rosemary with his truck - he's always ready for a project like that. He assessed the job, and decided on a come-along and some heavy dock lines instead. While attaching a dock line to the rosemary, it just came right out of the ground. So now it's gone and I bought a healthy replacement which will go in a different part of the garden. There's a nice pulmonaria Mrs. Moon in its spot now. Entlie
My rosemary was almost done in by TS Nicole. I cut all the dead off, which means there two tiny branches left.
Here's to healthy rosemary!!!!!
Barb
Ardesia; I killed my Edgeworthia already! Potted it up the minute I got it home in a 1 gal. pot with my standard "no-fail" potting soil mix, hooked it up with routine drip irrigation on my "dappled shade" bench. It looks like I sprayed it with Weed-Killer! Tony's rule is you have to kill a plant 3 times before declaring it a "no show" in your garden. I've killed 5 of these things. Clearly a "no show" in my garden...
LOL, I put mine in the ground and it is still living, but barely, there are only 3 tinly leaves left. However, while I was checking it I noticed I have apparently killed tree fern # 3. Had not planned on trying another but after I saw all those mature ones on Folly (CHS fall tour last year) I invested in another. Don't ever take a stock tip from me.
I want to get some rosemary that I caN grown so far evverytime I plant it it dies.
I hope to have the lot next door ready to fill full of herbs by spring. So will try more rosemary over there.
Hey from Kennels Beach LOL
Lavina
Hey Lavina, have been missing you! I'm staying home this winter after Thanksgiving in California...not going sailing. Would be nice to get together sometime and finally meet.
Entlie
Sounds great to me. I just got back from Georgia last week and I am still tired.
Lavina
Lavina, maybe sometime after the first of the year? We could invite anyone else nearby to meet up too. Entlie
We couold probably get Bonnie to come down from Raleigh, known as Bonjon
I have been wanting to see her for a while.
Lavina
That would be terrific! Anyone else?
I'm game! Kure Beach is less than 3 hours from New Bern.
Great! Looking forward to it!
Barbie that sounds good also.
Its cold here this AM we got our 1st frost BRRRRR
Lavina
