This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Rejuvenating thyme
Swedboy
Posts: 394
What is the best way of giving thyme back some spring in its steps? I have two plants in a shallow terracotta pot with quite a lot of grit as recommended by Jekka's herbfarm. One plant is quite woody and produces some new shoots but isn't really doing much. The other does sprout new leaves and soft branches but I fear every time I need some I will kill it. Should I trim them back heavily or can I try to layer some of the branches thus creating new new plants in the pot or is just taking cuttings a better idea?
0
Posts
They don't last forever and I'd do some layering or cuttings with a view to replacement next year. A hard haircut has worked for me but the plants look better when young
In the sticks near Peterborough
I have had one of my thyme plants in a pot for about 5yrs and it was a bit woody so I have taken it out and planted it in the garden and pushed some of the bush stems to ground level and placed some good compost over them so that they will re root.New shoots are starting to pop up already when it is more established I will cut back the old plant. Hope this helps
Sounds like I should try to bury the older plant deeper into the soil and take cuttings. I am surprised about the advice against a shallow pot as it was given to me by the grower. The pot is about 15cm high and 25 across. The older one seems to have perked up quite a lot since moving into this one.
The cuttings just plant them in compost with a fair amount of sand in it?
I don't think Philippa's advice was against a shallow pot, just that it won't last as long. If you like them in the shallow pot keep propagating and replacing them. They'll look better like that.
Grit is what you need in the potting compost. Lots.
I've never done it to thyme but I propagated a dianthus by burying it in a few inches of gravel left over from concrete making. Very successful
In the sticks near Peterborough