Rosemary likes infrequent Waterings Or There Will Be Problems

Q. My Rosemarys are dying.  I planted quite a few thinking that I won’t
have a problem with them.  I lost two
already that were planted about five years ago. 
I just planted six more this last spring. What is going on? They get enough water and
fertilizer.  I am afraid that I’ll lose
them all. The Rosemarys that died were planted on the east side about two yards
away from the house.  They got a hole
about 1, 1/2 feet deep and wide with mixed soil. They get sun in the morning
and afternoon sun from the west.  The
sprinklers go on only four days a week for 10 minutes in the summer, but in the
winter I set the clock to go on only twice a week. It could be that there is
bad drainage so close to the house. What else should I plant?  I noticed one Rosemary in the front of the
house which is the west side, getting dry shoots, which I cut off.

A. It is possible that it is due to poor drainage but I
still think your watering too often in the summer. They should be able to last
longer between irrigations.

Posthole digger

Usually the soil surrounding the
foundation is compacted for the slab’s stability. You could take a posthole
digger and go down two or more feet and backfill this hole with amended soil
and replant again.

I would dig a hole 3 to 5 times
the diameter of the container you are planting anything in our soil. Three
times a week in midsummer might be too often for rosemary unless you have
really good drainage. It is not a desert plant but it does not like wet soil.

The soil amendments I am
suggesting is really good for any plant, including desert adapted plants so you
should be doing this anyway. It is hard for me to recommend something without
knowing your needs, the site better and what is available.

The most common reason for
Rosemary to die is because the soil stays too wet. You definitely do not want
to water this plant daily unless the soil it’s growing in drains water
exceedingly well.

The principal reason for the
soil staying too wet is a lack of drainage. Typically if soils growing Rosemary
stay too wet the roots will develop a disease called root rot and they die and
collapse.

Shortly after that you begin to
see the top die. Often times you’ll see one or two shoots dying and then
typically in the heat of the summer the whole plant suddenly dies.

Once the soil gets contaminated
with this disease organism other plants susceptible to that disease and placed
in that soil might also become affected. Replanting Rosemary in the same soil
where it died is not a good idea.

It will like a place in the yard
in full sun and hot. It will not like shady areas very much.

The next time you plant Rosemary
make sure the soil is thoroughly mixed with compost to a depth of at least 12
inches. Rosemary originates from Mediterranean climates.

Mediterranean climates are
characterized by hot and dry summers and cool and wet winters. Rosemary does
very well in the heat and can tolerate the cold.