Care Level: I'm Easy
Pet Friendly: Warning
Keep away from pets.
Use these herbs to level up your cocktail game. Lavender adds a sweet, floral aroma and is perfect for garnishing or blending! Basil brings a hint of spice and goes well with fruit flavors! Rosemary offers a woody taste and does well as a garnish for just about any drink! The refreshing taste of mint is perfect for muddling or blending!
Care Level: I'm Easy
Pet Friendly: Warning
Keep away from pets.
Full direct sun outside (6-8 hrs.) Indoors bright direct sun.
When the soil dries out thoroughly use filtered, bottled, or tap water sitting 24 hours to release the chemicals and water enough that the water discharges out of the drainage holes.
Indoors: This plant is use to being in a coastal environment so maintain the humidity levels to 45-55%.
Rosemary prefers average cooler temperatures indoors at 60-65°F with good air circulation to avoid mildew and mold spores. A light fan may be used to circulate the air.
Outdoors in full sun (6-8 hours), where nights are above 10°F.
Rosemary needs a light fertilization with a slow-release fertilizer or liquid fertilizer diluted. Refrain from fertilizing eight weeks prior to the first frost date in your hardiness zone.
Indoors:
When the plant is rootbound or there is dieback on their growth, then they are ready to repot (early spring before growth starts), plant in a 2" bigger container in diameter and slightly deeper than the existing planter.
Use an indoor container mix that is well-draining. Add soil to the bottom to elevate the root ball.
Lift the plant and inspect the root ball. Notice if there are any dead or rotting roots and trim off with sterile pruners. If the plant is rootbound, cut through the roots to alleviate continued encircling and trim away 10-20% of the root mass. Trim up the side of the root ball so new roots will form.
Ensure the plant is sitting about 1" below the edge of the pot to avoid water spillage.
Add more soil and backfill around the sides by tamping down. Do not cover the current level of soil on the plant but add soil up to this level.
Water thoroughly, leaving the soil damp but not soggy. Add more soil after watering if the soil settles.
Outdoors:
Before planting or repotting in a container, water the plant in the grower pot well.
Find a spot in the garden where there are at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day.
Be generous by digging a hole twice the pot's width and 1 inch shorter than the grower pot to raise them above the soil level for good drainage.
Use a pitchfork or a sharp object to stab the soil walls to make several indentions for the roots to take hold.
Tickle the roots to loosen them if they wrap inside the container.
Place the plant in the center of the hole.
Fill the hole with water first, so the roots get another good drink.
Next, backfill with native soil mixed with compost by one third to one half (if the native soil is clay).
Add a rooting hormone fertilizer to this backfill mixture. Tamp the soil firmly down around the edges and mound up. Avoid covering the original soil level of the plant that was in the container.
Add mulch as needed but not next to the stem or branches of the plant.
Water lightly. Continue to observe the soil moisture each day, depending on the temperatures and soil drainage.
Throughout the spring and summer months outdoors, use pruning shears to trim back browning leaves or damaged stems on the plant. Never prune back to the older woody stem as they will not grow back. Clean the soil of debris around the base of the plant and replenish the soil as needed. Inspect for pests or diseases and treat. When pruning for culinary uses, take off no more than 5 inches of leaves. During colder months, a hard pruning (when the plant is dormant) to about half to maintain their size is permissible as long as they are not pruned back to where there are no leaves.
To propagate rosemary, prune with sterile scissors, a 4-5 inch stem of new growth from the shrub's tips. Remove 2-3 inches of the leaves off the stem and place in fresh, filtered water in a bright warm place to root in approximately six weeks. Change the water each week to keep fresh. Once the roots are well grown, pot them into a cactus potting mix with a rooting hormone to help avoid transplant shock. Place the newly transplanted rosemary into a bright, indirect light to help the roots establish in its new home. Keep the soil mix moist for new growth to start. Do not remove more than 1//3 of the plant at a time when harvesting.
Place this plant in full sun (6-8 hours) to part sun (4-6).
Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy.
This plant needs humidity levels between 40-60%.
This plant can tolerate cooler temperatures in the winter and grows in full sun to part sun.
Protect your mint in the winter in colder regions with mulch or bring your container into a protected porch area.
Fertilize every month during its growing period in the spring and summer with an organic fertilizer. Let the plant rest in the fall and winter.
To transplant into a garden container and to prevent it from taking over a garden bed, use well-draining soil. Give your plant plenty of rooting space and keep the soil moist but not soggy.
Keep your plant in a container since the roots run ramped and quickly take over a garden. Prune in the morning when the essential flavors are higher. You can trim leaves off the stem when the plant reaches six to eight inches long. After the first frost in the fall, cut the dead leaves and stems back and it will sprout back in the spring.
To propagate this plant during the growing season: Take a 4-6 inch stem cutting in the early spring. Use a knife or sharp pruners, cut below a node where there are at least three leaves. Remove the bottom leaves to expose the node. Place the stem in a glass jar and fill it with filtered water and watch the roots grow! Replace and freshen the water each week. After the roots are six weeks old, add the cuttings to moistened potting soil, continue to water, and give it the bright, indirect lighting requirements.
Enjoys bright, full sunlight 6-8 hours daily.
Water well if needed, then allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Water enough that the water discharges out of the drainage holes. Once the water is fully drained, replace it into the cache or decorative pot. Let dry between waterings.
Requires no extra humidity.
This plant prefers moderate dry temperatures, and bright sunshine 6-8 hours per day.
Your lavender prefers 6-8 hours of sun per day and adaptable to cold climates down to plant hardiness zone 5.
Too much fertilizer or ones high in nitrogen can grow foliage but never flower. They prefer poor soils. If you must, you can use a slow-release fertilizer like our John & Bob's organic fertilizer or compost around the drip edge.
To transplant into a garden container or the garden bed, water your plant the night before. Dig the hole twice as wide as the grower pot and the same depth as the grower pot (not deeper). Remove the plant and center in the spot. Add rooting hormone around the roots of the plant. Water in the hole and let drain. Lavender will not survive in acidic or compact soils like clay. Keep the pH to 7.0, or add lime if the soil is too acidic. Mix sand or gravel into the native soil and plant in mounds or raised beds for good drainage. If you have clay soils, add composted leaves, mushroom compost, and perlite to enhance the soil consistency. Slopes work well too. Fill around the plant and up to the top of its soil line. Tamp down with your hands to remove any air pockets. Water again around the drip line, being careful not to soak the leaves to help prevent fungus. Give lavender long drinks of water, and then let fully dry between to promote healthy root growth.
Pruning your lavender the first year will help ensure a full mounding shape to grow bushy. After flowering:
Use sharp pruners and cut back the stem by a third.
Do not cut into the woody base of the stem while it is young.
While cutting, create a dome shape of the plant where the stems are longer in the middle and gradually trim shorter on the edges. This pruning may make the second flush of lavender flowers.
Repeat the pruning in the same way but before fall weather turns cold.
When spring arrives and after the last frost in your planting hardiness zone, look at your stems and shape up your plant leaving 2-3 inches of stem above the woody base. As before, maintain a dome shape to the plant. If there are dead, damaged, or diseased branches, remove them immediately.
To propagate this plant during the growing season:
Take a 4-6 inch stem cutting in the early spring before buds have started forming.
Use a knife or sharp pruners, and cut below a node on a softwood stem.
Remove the bottom leaves to expose the node.
Dip the ends in rooting hormone and plant in a mixture of vermiculite or perlite and half coir mixed with a few scoops of bark for good drainage.
Loosely cover the cuttings with a large clear plastic bag to create some humidity around it.
After the roots are six weeks old, add the cuttings to moistened potting soil with excellent drainage, continue to water, and give it the bright, indirect lighting requirements.
When planting in the perennial garden, add a rooting hormone to the soil and use plenty of well-draining supplements.
This plant enjoys areas of full sun (6-8 hours).
Keep your basil consistently moist in well-draining soil to ensure a good crop. Do not let it get heat stressed, or it will wilt and damage the leaves.
Medium humidity at 50% or above will give this plant longevity and keep the soil more moist.
Add humidity around this plant to protect the leaves from wilting and getting heat stress. Temps below 40°F will destroy this plant.
Apply your fertilizer every six weeks around the drip edge of the plant or sprinkle some rich compost around the area. Container garden: If growing in a container, fertilize monthly with an organic balanced fertilizer.
Prune the plant slightly above two sets of leaves with sterile sharp scissors. (Do not pinch or tear the stems or this could lead to disease and a bigger wound.) Count up from the bottom and go up at least three sets before pruning.
Cut tender, young stems with at least four nodes (where the leaves grow). Cut the stem 1/4 " below the bottom node.
Remove the lower leaves, place the cuttings in water jars, and fill up to 1-2 inches of the stem.
Change the water every 4-5 days.
Once the roots are three to four inches long, the cuttings are now ready to be planted.
Fill the containers with potting soil to about 2/3 full. Take the cuttings out of the jar and plant them into the well-draining potting mix. Cover the roots with more soil until it fills up the pot. Carefully pat them down to make them secure, and water them.
Over the next 1-2 weeks, keep the pots consistently moist and place them in a bright area out of direct sunlight.
Show your plants you care with these accessories
Follow us @livelyroot & show us your #livelyroot plants