The thyme ( thymus ) is a plant of the Lamiaceae family, widely used in cooking, both for its feel about its properties . It is one of the most cultivated herbs, it is part of the classic aromatic herbs like sage, rosemary and basil.
Grow it in a pot on your balcony is a great idea, not only to have your perfume always available in the kitchen, but also to enjoy the beauty of this bush, especially when it flowers. The plant is perennial, with small evergreen leaves, easy to care for.
Like other aromatic herbs, thyme is very easy to grow in a pot , we have already told in general how to grow thyme in the garden, in this article we look at the peculiarities of growing on the balcony. In fact, there are a few ccortezze to have the potted plant from the choice of pot and soil to irrigation.
Contents [Ocultar]
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description of the plant
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Position and period
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Choose the right pitcher
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Choose the soil and fill the pot
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Terrace cultivation
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How much for jarred thyme
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Fertilization
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How to use thyme
Contents
description of the plant
Thyme is an officinal plant native to arid areas of the Mediterranean Basin and parts of Asia, where it was mainly found on rocky slopes. In Italy it grows up to 2000 m altitude.
Thyme seeds can be stored for 5 years and in a single gram you can find up to 6000 of them. Nearly fifty varieties of this officinal herb have been described, generally not exceeding 50 cm in height and with a bushy stem. and ligneous. the leaves are small and the flowers, white or pink, give off a strong and pleasant fragrance.
Due to its size and characteristics it is suitable for growing in pots also conforming to small spaces.
Position and period
thyme love it hot but resists well even at low temperatures, and dry it , because it fears excess humidity. For this reason, if you want to keep it on the balcony, it’s a good idea to place the vases on well exposed areas in sunlight.
It is a perennial plant able to withstand outdoors all year round without major problems, but to plant it it is better to wait until spring , or in any case, in temperate weather. In this way, the seedling will be able to adapt to the new condition and take root in the soil, facing the winter when it is well formed.
Choose a suitable pot
Thyme grows like a bush, so a pot with a diameter of at least 15-20 cm it will be fine for our use, the ideal depth is at least 20 cm, to give some comfort to the roots.
We can also decide combine the plant with other essences , possibly also perennials and plants of similar size, for example salvia. Among the aromatic essences, we avoid associating thyme with mint, which is too invasive to share the container.
In the Orto Da Coltivare there is a general article dedicated to the choice of the vase and its materials, among the different options an excellent proposal is the geotextile fabric, but also the classic terracotta vase is thin, or plastic, less desirable for ecological reasons.
Choose the soil and fill the pot
Once we have chosen the container, we obviously have to fill it with the substrate . Before repotting the soil, it is best to ensure good drainage of excess water, to avoid stagnation. Let’s make a state of expanded clay or simple stones.
We can buy the land in any agricultural center. It is not necessary to buy a specific substrate for aromatic herbs: universal soil it’s cheaper and just as good, maybe certified organic. we can think of improve it To add a little potting soil well matured, to increase nutrient availability for our stock, and possibly also agricultural land , carrier of useful microorganisms present in nature. As thyme likes to drain the soil, it is also good mix river sand available at very low cost in any construction center, which makes the earth more loose.
I recommend that you fill the jar and let it sit for a week before planting, so that the fertilizer, the soil and its microorganisms come into contact with each other. After this time, which is optional, you can finally thyme seedling transplant to our pot.
growth on the terrace
The cultivation of thyme is Very simple , to keep it on the balcony there are only two special precautions compared to keeping it in the open field and they refer to water and nutrients. The fact of having the factory in a limited space implies that the resources available for roots are rarer it is therefore good to intervene periodically with constancy, both in irrigation and in fertilization.
How much thyme in a jar
As we said, thyme prefers hot, dry climates, so the plant should not be watered excessively absolutely avoiding accumulations of water which could cause the birth of fungi harmful to our aromatics.
The criterion is to keep slightly damp soil in the pot the exact amount of water to use varies by climate, as well as frequency.
You should always bear in mind that it is better water often but with little water instead of getting wet from time to time.
It should not be watered during the hottest hours of the day, trying to water on the ground and not on the leaves.
Feed
To fertilize the plant in pots we can add compost or manure pellets once a year as a supply of organic matter and macronutrients.
In addition, it is useful every 3-4 months water with macerated nettle with fertilizing action , is an all-natural fertigation that brings many useful elements to our officinal plant. You can read how to prepare this macerate.
How to use thyme
Thyme has important antiseptic properties useful at the gastrointestinal level, but no less important are its antibacterial qualities due to the presence of thymol, a phenol thanks to which it owes its characteristic smell.
L $0027Thyme essential oil It is excellent against fungi, it is also used for diseases such as cough or asthma, thanks to its expectorant function.
Its most widespread use is in the kitchen in fact, it is very suitable for flavoring meat or fish dishes or for giving an original touch to salads and risottos.
Curiosity
The term scam comes from the Greek word thumus which means courage , a quality one would get simply by smelling a thyme plant, it’s no wonder it was widely used by Republicans during the French Revolution. In addition to courage, the thyme plant has always been associated with positivity and good humor.
All that remains is for us to do grow a seedling on our balcony so that we can take advantage of all its qualities!