Thyme, secrets of cultivation and care

This herb has long gained its popularity among gardeners. In addition to being very useful, it spreads out with a beautiful carpet, blooms for a very long time and at the same time emits a strong and pleasant aroma. This is not just a herb for garden design, it has many medicinal properties and is very often used in cooking. Thyme, or as it is called in the common people - thyme goes well with absolutely all dishes, without exception. And he came to us from ancient times, and at that time all herbs were treated carefully and attached great importance to them.

Types of thyme

There are so many species of thyme in the genus that it is simply not possible to list them all. By itself, thyme is a low, perennial plant. It can be completely different in color, shape and size, it all depends on its type and variety. It blooms almost all summer, from June to late August. Most often, this plant is divided into several species, in any case, they are the most popular: ordinary - its historical homeland is France and Spain. It can be recognized immediately, by the small leaves and small flowers of a pale lilac color.

• Creeping - this species came from the Mediterranean. Its leaves can be of any shade of green, and the flowers are small, have an intense purple color. Sometimes they take on a shade of pink. A distinctive feature of this species is that it easily adapts to absolutely any weather conditions. It tolerates both summer drought and winter frosts well. And its aroma simply attracts bees from all over the area.
  
• Lemon-scented - this type of thyme is considered hybrid. And he came to us from southern France. Its name already speaks for itself; accordingly, it has a very bright lemon scent. On a young plant, the leaves are yellow, which eventually begin to turn green. But his flowers are pink. He, like all hybrids, is a little whimsical. It does not tolerate severe frosts at all, so it needs to be insulated, and throughout the season it is simply necessary to carry out regular pruning.
  
• Vegetable Medoc - this shrub has a lot of foliage, it is also a hybrid, but it tolerates dry weather and severe frosts very well. This variety is perfect for the design of your site, and is simply in great demand both in cooking and in traditional medicine.
  

How to grow thyme

You can grow thyme on your site in several ways, and it is not at all difficult. It can be grown not only from seeds, but also by cuttings or dividing a bush. And also it easily grows by self-fall, so you will need to monitor its growth.

• If you decide to grow thyme with seeds, then there should be no weed in the selected area. This is very important because the seeds germinate for a very long time and are difficult, and weeds will only complicate this process. It is because of this that the planting of seedlings will be most convenient. You need to sow seeds at home in March, and for this it is advisable to prepare the land in advance in the fall. Initially, after sowing seeds in a container, it is tedious to cover it with a film and put it in a warm place. since the seeds germinate for a very long time, the soil must be regularly sprayed with a spray bottle and ventilated. After the seedlings have sprung up, the film must be removed and the seedlings must be placed on the windowsill and watered regularly. Within a month, the seedlings will noticeably grow up and it will be possible to start hardening it. This is done gradually over two weeks, and after that the seedlings are planted in open ground.
• In summer, thyme can be easily propagated by cuttings. This is done at the very beginning of summer, before the plant begins to bloom.To do this, you need to cut green stems no more than 10 cm long and plant in the sand, it is best if the container with the handle is covered. With regular watering, it will take root within a month, and it can be planted in open ground.
• If you liked this method of reproduction most of all, as dividing the bush, then you need to act carefully here so as to injure the roots of the plant as little as possible. And immediately after dividing, the bushes can be planted.

How to plant thyme

Planting this plant is within the power of absolutely any gardener. It adapts very well to absolutely any climate and very quickly adapts to the terrain. If the planting procedure is carried out according to all the rules and after the bush grows up, carry out competent pruning and shape it, then in the end you will get an ideal, useful and very beautiful plant.

Before planting thyme, you need to choose the right place. There should be a lot of light in the selected area and there should be no drafts at all. The soil should be fertile and dry, it is best if sand is present in it. If the soil on the site is acidic, then lime or just chalk must be added to it.

Thyme can be sown not only in spring but also in autumn. But before sowing seeds in the ground, they must be soaked in warm water for at least 10 hours. And after the seeds sprout and the seedlings grow a little, they need to be thinned out, leaving a distance of about 25 cm.

When planting seedlings in the spring, you need to wait until the end of all frosts and the establishment of standard warm weather. For each seedling, you need to make a separate hole and carefully pull it out of the container without damaging the root system of the plant. For this, the seedlings are best sprinkled with water. After the seedling has been transplanted, it also needs to be well shed with water. But you should always remember that the water must be warm. Plants will get enormous stress from cold water. But when propagating by cuttings or dividing a bush, planting should be carried out closer to autumn.
Thyme itself is a plant that is not whimsical and easy to grow. All he needs is timely watering, weeding and loosening.

How to care for thyme

When watering shrubs, remember that he does not like waterlogging at all, but he is more than calm about drought. If there is too much moisture, then this plant, however, like the rest, the roots can very quickly begin to rot. That is why, if the time of heavy rains has begun, it is simply necessary to mulch.

Thyme does not need too much and frequent feeding, but fertilization is still recommended. Before planting it in the ground, it is best to add humus, then this will be enough until next year. But for the next years, fertilizers are best applied in liquid form. This is done in the spring or at the very beginning of summer. Pure wood ash will also be of great benefit to thyme.
When growing thyme, pruning plays an important role. During her providence, you need to remove all unnecessary shoots and processes, and wilted flowers. The shoots must not be completely cut off, and 1/3 must be left. Thus, the bush will look very impressive.

Pests and diseases

In principle, due to the fact that this plant has a very strong aroma, it scares away almost all insects, but they can still appear due to the fact that the care is not carried out correctly.

• Very often appear on the sycamore meadow moths... They eat not only the leaves, but also the stems of the bush.
• Sandy slows can simply destroy your plant. There is absolutely no point in poisoning them, and only special baits will help in the fight against them.
• Weevils completely eat up all young shoots and leaves, as well as flower buds. Only poisonous drugs will help to get rid of them.
• Aphid this insect is capable of infecting everything in its path and it is possible to get rid of it only with the help of chemicals.

In order not to have to treat the plant for diseases and pests in the future, it is necessary to carry out prevention. It's actually very easy, you just need to loosen the soil in time, weed weeds and fertilize in time.

Thyme properties

Thyme tolerates frost well enough, so there are practically no problems with this perennial plant. The only thing that can harm him very much is stagnation of water. But still, if you are worried that your plant will freeze, you can simply simply insulate it for the winter. Dry leaves, other dried herbs and peat are very good for this. It is also best to keep an eye on in winter so that there is a lot of snow at the place where the thyme is grown.

In order to preserve thyme and use it in both cooking and medicine, you need to cut it off at the right time. This is best done in June and late August. The plant should bloom at this time, it is then that it is most useful. It is the grass that was cut on time that is appreciated. Moreover, the grass must be cut off, since it is simply impossible to pluck it due to the fact that the root system of the plant is very weak and you can pull it out completely.

In order for the thyme to dry well, it must be tied in brooms or bunches and hung in a draft. This should be done in a dry room, where the sun does not reach at all. Also, the grass can be simply laid out neatly on any surface. After the grass is completely dry, it must be crushed for further storage. Moreover, only flowers are needed, and the stems themselves are simply thrown away. The storage container must be tightly closed and also stand in a dry place. Then it will remain healthy and fragrant, and it will remain so for the next two years.

Even the most inexperienced gardener can easily grow a plant like thyme, because there is absolutely nothing complicated about it, the rules are so simple that even a child can cope. And since it is widely used in cooking, folk medicine and landscape design, and also acts as an excellent flavoring agent, every year it becomes more and more popular and grows in almost every area. And the fact that it easily adapts to any weather conditions and endures drought and frost is its huge plus. And in spite of the fact that it emerges from seeds for a very long time, it takes root amazingly quickly. With proper care, this plant will delight you with its beauty and smell throughout the season, and the rest of the time with its benefits and taste in dried form.