If you have a sick-looking rosemary plant, you may be wondering where you went wrong. Perhaps you gave it sunlight, water, and love, but it’s still turning brown and dying.
Rosemary is a laid back herb, but it can be a bit finicky about its soil and water. Fortunately, this plant is resilient and can probably be revived with a few changes in your care methods.
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Let’s dig into 15 reasons why your rosemary might be suffering and how you can fix the issue!
Root Rot
Root rot is the most common disease of Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and lavender. This moisture-loving pathogen attacks the roots of the plant and turns them into a mushy, rotten mess.
When the roots begin to rot, the rosemary plant can no longer uptake the water and nutrients it needs to thrive. The result is brown-tipped leaves, dead branches, and a droopy appearance.
Root rot is especially problematic in waterlogged soils (like heavy clay) or container-grown rosemary without adequate drainage. Gardeners who tend to overwater their plants may create conditions that allow root rot to take hold.
Many rosemary plants can come back to life within 2-4 weeks. If the plant does not bounce back after transplanting, you may need to start over or address the potential issues described below.
Overwatering
Beginner gardeners sometimes show their herbs a little too much love. Rosemary does not require nearly as much water as your vegetable garden.
Mediterranean plants are accustomed to a dry summer climate with long periods of drought during the growing season. Rosemary actually enjoys dryness and will start to complain if it is overwatered.
If you’re growing in a container, treat rosemary more like a pothos plant or even a cactus. Instead of following a regular irrigation schedule, stick your finger in the soil and check the moisture before watering.
If the soil sticks to your finger, wait a few days and check again. The upper few inches of soil should feel dry to the touch before you give the plant a drink.
Underwatering (Drought)
Underwatering can look a lot like overwatering in many plants. Both problems can manifest as yellow or brown-tipped leaves and overall plant wilting. This is why it is essential to check the soil of your rosemary plant before watering.
- Stick your finger several inches into the soil and notice the texture.
- If your skin comes out dusty or with no soil sticking to it, the soil is probably very dry, and your rosemary needs a drink.
- If growing in a container, you can also turn the pot upside down and check the drainage hole.
- The soil may appear pale, dusty, or chalky.
Next, check the leaves. Underwatered rosemary tends to feel very brittle and dry. The stems and twigs easily snap because they are dehydrated. On the other hand, overwatered rosemary will have soft, very supple stems that may even feel mushy.
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Water your rosemary until the surrounding 4-6” of soil appears thoroughly dark and moist. This deep drench will help penetrate lower roots and rehydrate the soil.
You may need extra water to rehydrate the mix if you have any hydrophobic (water-repellant) materials in your soil blend, such as peat moss or coco coir. Future waterings probably won’t need to be as heavy.
For rosemary in containers, pour water over the soil until it comes out of the drainage hole for about 30 seconds. Then, let the soil fully drain and rest. Check if the plant has perked up in the next 1-2 days. If not, you can safely add another drench of water.
How Often Should You Water Potted Rosemary?
Potted rosemary typically needs water once or twice a week, depending on the container size (smaller plants need more frequent watering), ambient humidity, and temperature.
The key to watering rosemary is to let the upper inches of soil dry out before watering again. Stick your finger in the pot and wait until it comes out clean. This indicates it’s time to give the herb a drink.
Poorly Drained Soil
Rosemary and its Mediterranean cousins (lavender, oregano, sage, etc.) all demand well-drained soil. These plants resent “wet feet” from sitting in soggy soil. Their roots need to breathe just like we do, so there needs to be plenty of pore space and aeration in the soil.
Pruning Into the Wood
Pruning is one of the only maintenance requirements of perennial herbs like rosemary. However, if you prune the plant too hard and accidentally cut into the wood, it may harm your rosemary bush.
The woody branched center of a rosemary shrub is similar to the trunk of a tree. If you remove too much wood, it won’t survive.
Your pruning process should only require hand pruners that can easily cut through small green twigs. If you need to use big loppers or a hack saw, you’re probably cutting into wood, and you should stop immediately!
Pest Pressure
Thanks to its strong fragrance, rosemary is not the target for many pests. However, some sap-sucking bugs may still attack a weak or young rosemary plant.
If you notice spittlebugs (white foamy places on the stems that look like someone spit on the plant), rest assured that these are completely harmless. You can spray them off with a blast of a hose.
You can also prune away infested branches and dispose of them. Plant rosemary with other plants that attract beneficial predatory insects, such as white alyssum, lavender, or sage.
Frost Damage
Rosemary is a warm-weather herb that cannot tolerate frosty temperatures. If your plant is exposed to temperatures below 32°F, it may shrivel and turn brown in the following days. In some cases, only part of a rosemary shrub will be frost-damaged, and other sections will survive.
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Bring potted rosemary plants indoors for the winter. Gardeners in zones 7 and colder may need to grow rosemary in containers. Gardeners in zones 7 and 8 who plant rosemary outdoors may need to use a row cover or frost blankets to protect rosemary through cold snaps.
Excessive Heat
Rosemary loves the heat, but temperatures consistently above 100°F can stress out the plant if it doesn’t have enough water or airflow. This herb’s native Mediterranean climate is notoriously mild, which is why the plant does best between 55 and 80°F.
Not Enough Sunlight
This aromatic herb prefers 6-8 hours of direct sunlight every day. If rosemary doesn’t get enough light, the most noticeable symptom will be a lack of fragrance.
Acidic Soil pH
Most Mediterranean plants enjoy a slightly alkaline soil that mimics the limestone rock of their native habitat.
A low soil pH will cause rosemary to turn yellow and start dying back. This happens mainly because the acidic soil prevents the plant from uptaking the proper minerals and nutrients it needs to survive.
High Humidity
Mediterranean plants love the dry, warm air. Rosemary grows wild on windy coastal hillsides where there is an almost constant breeze. If you are growing rosemary in a humid climate, you may need to take extra precautions to maintain proper circulation through the plant’s leaves.
Powdery Mildew
If your rosemary plants look like they have been dusted with white flour or a gray moldy growth, it is probably due to powdery mildew. This aggressive fungus attacks many plants in the garden and easily spreads in high humidity areas with poor air circulation.
Powdery mildew is easily controlled with organic fungicides or neem oil applications. But it’s often easier to remove infected parts, throw them away, and thoroughly sanitize the environment.
Position the plant so it receives plenty of direct sunlight and airflow. You can also take the preventative measures described below for pruning and thinning your plants.
Lack of Pruning
Pruning is key to maintaining happy perennial herbs. Although the plant can survive without pruning, a once or twice-annual haircut will keep it looking healthy and attractive. Pruning ensures that your rosemary doesn’t get woody and continues to send out new flushes of growth.
Too Much Nitrogen
Unlike garden vegetables, rosemary typically does best without fertilizer or high-nitrogen compost. Over-fertilizing this herb can cause a nutrient imbalance that triggers excessive growth and predisposes the plant to a range of issues.
Overcrowded Plants
Rosemary shrubs can grow quite large. If several rosemary plants are growing too close together, they become more susceptible to root rot, powdery mildew, mold growth, and competing for resources.
Final Thoughts
Once you understand rosemary’s needs, you can grow this herb with very little effort and never worry about yellow or dying leaves again.
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Category: WHY
