Hi ~ Hello everyone, I'm JC.
I haven't seen it for a long time, and I've been "lazy" for almost two months. Not long ago, I decided to restart the dinner party, so I began a new round of dish optimization and upgrading, but I did not expect to encounter a bunch of problems, such as optimizing preservation, determining personality, adjusting the order of serving, determining new dishes (supplements), tableware selection, venue, planting related herbs, etc., all the way down, until the beginning of June, the bottom soup of pho was completely fixed (I feel that I don't want to eat pho in my life).
This period began to optimize and design Vietnamese paper spring rolls, and at present it is also a lot of problems, solved one by one.
Coupled with going out to record locations every week, I really don't have the mood to record my own videos again. In fact, there were two recorded in the middle, but there was no interest in cutting the film. I'm also thinking about how to solve it, can't be so lazy is not (dog head to save life).
So, today, let's talk about how to raise "fragile" thyme.
I've been cultivating thyme for about 5 years, or 5 years to be precise. From buying small seedlings, to large seedlings, to sowing seeds yourself, all of them died without exception... It wasn't until last year that a tiny thyme was left alive for half a year that I began to find some doorways, and this spring I began to buy some large seedlings, and finally I was able to raise them safely for 3 months. After all, after being raised to death by me for five years, it should always be successful once.
This article is a summary of my failure experience, and it is normal to have omissions.
Let's talk about the "suggestions" we often hear about thyme farming, you must have heard at least one:
1. Happy light
2. Good nourishment
3. Prefer humid environments
4. Prefer coolness
5. Not resistant to fertilizer
6. There are no requirements for soil
If you have heard and believed the above suggestions, it is estimated that you have not been fed for a year like me.
The most important thing about cultivating any plant is to understand its origin, that is, what the original growing environment is like.
Most of the thyme in Europe grows in the Mediterranean region, including: slopes, ravines, valleys, roadsides, and weeds. It is easy to see the growth preferences of thyme: high (strong) ventilation, like shade, warm, light-loving and dry environment, and the soil requirements are not high.
This seems to be not much different from the advice on the Internet, why can't you feed it? Because this information is the most intuitive on the surface, you also need to know more hidden information.
Let's start with the native environment, and if you ask for the answer directly, roll it down.
The native environment of thyme
1. Ventilation
Mediterranean ventilation is a very continuous flow of air, not as simple as the occasional small wind. The first is the air volume, to ensure that the blade has a clear swing, is the amount of wind that people can clearly perceive, almost the speed of the 2-3 wind. The second is continuity, which is very important and why many people lose out on the concept of ventilation. How long does it last? Remember the most comfortable wind you've ever felt in the summer.
Ventilation refers to sufficient air circulation, that is, the force of the wind is enough to blow the foliar swing and have a certain degree of continuity.
2. Sunlight
Shade generally refers to scattered light, that is, the sun's rays do not directly hit the surface of the plant, to be more specific is that there is brightness, but the temperature (heating) generated by the irradiation is not obvious. Note that this and the ambient temperature described below are two things and do not conflict. The heating is not obvious, which means that the light can be supplemented with artificial light sources (LED sun lights).
3. Ambient temperature
Any time you see: warm (20-24 degrees), I suggest that the first thing you think about is not too low temperature, but too high temperature. Most plants experience low temperatures, most of which are slow growth, or simply stop growing to save their lives. However, if the temperature is too high, it is easy to be sunburned, or even sunburned, and eventually unable to return to the sky.
Of course, there is another layer of meaning here, avoiding the heating caused by direct sunlight, which will also cause the ambient temperature around the plant to rise, causing death.
4. Ambient humidity
Similar to warmth, dry means low humidity, not humidity, not drought. Most of the dry soil can be easily crushed into particles, but it will not drift away with the wind, and most of it will remain on the skin of the fingertips.
The first thing to avoid in a dry environment is humidity, not drought. Most plants are far more resistant to drought than you might think, and in the natural environment, the roots of plants will look down for water, but the humid environment and soil will breed a lot of bacteria and insect pests, and even rot. Only when the soil is squeezed and burst into powder, it is a time of drought crisis. Of course, drought tolerance does not mean that you can dry for several days.
5. Soil
When your soil requirements are not high, the author wants to express the meaning: less fat is fine (meaning a lot). If you can listen to any kind of soil, then... Just wait for "death".
From the living environment of thyme, it is not difficult to speculate on the nature of the soil. It can be summed up as follows: water retention is generally lower (in line with the dry environment), soil permeability is good (root system exposed), and it is not easy to agglomerate.
Let's take a look at some of the information about thyme itself.
Thyme properties
1. Fine roots, whisker roots
Most of these roots have a strong ability to grasp soil, if you have bought a nursery block of thyme, you must have the impression that the soil block is difficult to break, and the root system wraps the soil up. The advantage is that the water absorption ability is very strong, the regeneration ability is very strong, and the disadvantage is that it is very easy to rot the roots. Simply put, there is only moisture in the soil, and the root system of thyme can absorb it, but if the soil is too wet, it will die and rot.
2. Small leaves
Most of the small leaves have very good water retention, and the need for light is much less than that of large leaves. The disadvantage is that when the light is too strong, it is easy to fall off and dry up. Often only astigmatism is enough.
3. Lignification of branches
Lignification means that it has a stronger drought resistance and heat resistance, that is, it has a stronger vitality and is not easy to die.
Beep for half a day, how to raise thyme?
Farming recommendations
1. Soil
The approximate proportion of soil: 45% (about) of nutrient soil, 45% (about) of coconut bran + 10% gravel (small). The ratio of nutrient soil and coconut bran can be appropriately changed, the breathability and water retention of coconut bran are suitable for thyme, because the water of coconut bran evaporates too quickly, and basically does not leave fertilizer, so it is necessary to mix coconut bran in the nutrient soil, increase air permeability, and avoid the nutrient soil is too wet to cause rotten roots. Coupled with the fact that thyme is a capillary root, there can be some small pebbles in the soil.
With good soil must be watered to try, the characteristics of each nutritious soil are not the same, some are sticky, some permeability itself is good. Adjust the proportion of coconut bran appropriately.
2. Container and density
Everything to avoid rotten roots as the premise, breathability and water permeability is very important, all kinds of plastic basins directly abandoned. The breathability and water permeability of clay pottery and wooden basins are much better. Soil water evaporates quickly, and it is watered more frequently, which is better than rotten roots. Note that this frequency refers to the frequency of watering that is at least 1 day apart.
Density control for ventilation is of great help, reasonable spacing to thyme fully unfolded, two (pot) outermost leaf tip spacing is not less than 2cm (limit), or the distance between the rhizome is not less than 10cm, otherwise it is easy to rot roots, and infect each other. If you think about the native environment of thyme, it is easy to understand why a more sparse density is needed.
The container should be selected as wide as possible, no less than the diameter of the thyme unfolding is best. The thin root of thyme does not differ much from the area above the ground, and the second fine root often "expands" exaggeratedly until it dominates the entire container, so it is necessary to leave some space for the rhizome to grow.
3. Location and sunshine
Any cool, astigmatized location will do. Half a day's sunlight is enough to live well.
The shaded side and corner of the balcony are a good choice to effectively avoid direct light. But in the summer, you must pay attention to the air temperature of the balcony, if the temperature is too high, you need to change the position. Or just put on a black veil and cover it.
Do not put it in the bathroom or kitchen, the former humidity is too large, the latter humidity and oil smoke are enough to drink a pot of thyme.
Don't look at this simple paragraph, but it is the most important!
4. Water
Do not dry or water, try to use the leaching method, wet the soil from the bottom up. Water from top to bottom should be careful, to allow excess water to flow out, the tray should avoid leaving water. Or according to the water retention of the soil, appropriate amount of watering.
What determines whether the soil is wet or dry? For thyme, if the topsoil can be easily kneaded into powder, and it is easy to flip down 1-2cm, the soil is not sticky, it can be watered. Another method is to insert a dry wooden strip into the soil and extract the part of the strip that is stained with dark soil, which proves that this part of the soil has a certain amount of moisture. The wooden strip can be easily inserted to the end, that is not dry, it is a serious lack of water.
Why does watering always emphasize watering thoroughly?
When plants grow on the ground, the root system develops downwards to seek water, while the root system grows stronger. In the root system in the pot, the water evaporation at the bottom of the pot is slower, which is conducive to the root system growing downward like ground growth.
5. Ventilation
Ventilation is popular with air circulation, and flowing air brings oxygen and takes away moisture.
In addition to the air volume should be enough to blow the leaves, but also pay attention to the density between the branches of thyme, too much density will also affect ventilation, resulting in heating and humidity too large, and eventually rotting roots. Reluctant to prune, you can break the branches and spread them out, in short, do not give thyme the opportunity to tie the pier.
Of course, if you decide to replenish it with an air circulation fan, keep it on.
Air circulation fans and ordinary fans can provide sufficient ventilation, compared to the air circulation fans, air circulation fans are better than ordinary fans.
6. Fat
Thin fertilizer is applied diligently, rather less than more. It's really hard to understand, think about the natural growth environment of thyme, growing on the stone pile, will it need so much fertilizer?
Less fat is not long at best, and more fat will rot the roots.
frequently asked questions
1. Yellow leaves at the tip of the leaves, withered
A small amount of watering, the high probability is that the watering is too frequent, the water is too much, or the ambient temperature, or the ambient humidity is too high.
Large areas are likely to be problems with the root system, such as the failure of moisture to penetrate in time, resulting in rotten roots, and excessive fertilizer to burn roots. At this time, you can only change pots, change soil, cool and ventilate, wait patiently, and... luck.
2. The middle part withers
Insufficient ventilation, or too dense in the middle, needs to be properly trimmed. The other may be similar to the previous question.
3. Grow your own
Give it up, the seeds of thyme are small... Poor, it is the size of a grain of sand, and the germination rate is frighteningly low. Thyme growth process, the initial stage is the most difficult stage, the water is easy to die, do not give water or die, this degree of pinching is very torturous, so try to buy large seedlings, the survival rate is high.
Another reason is that thyme grows slowly, and 15-20 pieces can buy very good seedlings, so why bother.
4. Change the pots of large seedlings
It is recommended to move the whole seedlings to avoid direct or indirect damage to the root system. Don't look at thyme as a thin root, it is reasonable to say that the vitality is tenacious, but the fact is fragile and messy. My experience is basically not likely to survive, of course, it may also be my handicap.
5. Insect pests
In general, thyme is really not pest-free. But there is a risk of bacterial and fertilizer damage, and the performance is rotten roots (this product is really rotten roots at every turn).
6. Yellowing of leaves
Extremely low probability will be encountered, most of which is caused by lack of fertilizer, it is recommended to change the pot to apply bottom fertilizer, better control, and less likely to cause root burning.
Thyme is probably like this, in the climate conditions of Beijing, thyme belongs to the squeamish and strong. Other questions let's leave a message, I try to answer. Next talk about the proud princess: Basil.
Okay, that's it.
J.C.