Caring for OLDER Rosemary Bushes

[DawnSuiter]

Hi everyone, I appreciate your clicking here to read.

I have a lovely rosemary bush.. I've had this thing for I'd say maybe 7 years or more. It used to live in a pot because I didn't own a home, it was in fact the only plant I had. It's lived in TN, FL, back to TN, back to FL and finally settling in TN like I did. It stayed in a pot until THIS spring where I finally built an herb garden and it finally has a permanent home.

Thing is... usually this is a plant you'd bring in each winter, but I never did. It's pot was too small because I NEVER replanted it and it's been buried in the snow year after year. Each year it comes back even stronger than before.. go figure!

Well.. now though, I notice that it has no discernible smell. The flavor is barely there. I've always eaten from it, used it regularly. I left it alone after the transplant and waited for it to get started. It's flowered already, there is plenty of new growth... but where did the smell go?

I have to rub some buildup off the older leaves, my guess is hard water, and I do that and use them... it's always been that way too but usually the smell is just robust.

Any ideas for me and my really old rosemary? I could get photos if necessary but I think it looks pretty typical. I can't remember if the flowers are pinkish or more purple so I'm not sure what variety it is.

Thanks for any advice!
Oh.. and I never have fertilized it or anything.. heck I barely remembered to water it in years past. Now all this TLC is making it wimpy! LOL

 

[hoodat]

Hi everyone, I appreciate your clicking here to read.

I have a lovely rosemary bush.. I've had this thing for I'd say maybe 7 years or more. It used to live in a pot because I didn't own a home, it was in fact the only plant I had. It's lived in TN, FL, back to TN, back to FL and finally settling in TN like I did. It stayed in a pot until THIS spring where I finally built an herb garden and it finally has a permanent home.

Thing is... usually this is a plant you'd bring in each winter, but I never did. It's pot was too small because I NEVER replanted it and it's been buried in the snow year after year. Each year it comes back even stronger than before.. go figure!

Well.. now though, I notice that it has no discernible smell. The flavor is barely there. I've always eaten from it, used it regularly. I left it alone after the transplant and waited for it to get started. It's flowered already, there is plenty of new growth... but where did the smell go?

I have to rub some buildup off the older leaves, my guess is hard water, and I do that and use them... it's always been that way too but usually the smell is just robust.

Any ideas for me and my really old rosemary? I could get photos if necessary but I think it looks pretty typical. I can't remember if the flowers are pinkish or more purple so I'm not sure what variety it is.

Thanks for any advice!
Oh.. and I never have fertilized it or anything.. heck I barely remembered to water it in years past. Now all this TLC is making it wimpy! LOL

Maybe it's time for some tough love. My guess is that it was growing slowly in the pot and now that it has room it is making up for lost time by putting on lots of tender shoots without much oil. I'd try letting it get really dry between waterings and see if that concentrates the oils again. Rosemary is very drought resistant. Mine sometimes goes a month between waterings with no ill effects.