Why does rosemary turn yellow?

Rosemary is a plant that resists drought

Image - Wikimedia / Frank Vincentz

Rosemary, whose scientific name is Rosmarinus officinalisIt is an aromatic plant widely cultivated in regions where the climate is mild, and warm in summer. It withstands drought wonderfully from the second year that it is planted in the ground; And even if it is grown in a pot, it will not force us to be very aware of watering either. Therefore, we can say that it is easy to care for, as it is quite grateful.

However, like all living things, it can sometimes have problems. If the irrigation, the land and / or the location are not adequate, we could lose it. So, it will be a good time to ask yourself why rosemary is turning yellow, and what we need to do to get it back to health.

Not used to the sun

Rosemary is a Mediterranean shrub

We are going to start with the rarest cause, since it is normal for nurseries to have the romero in a sunny exposure. But, if you have bought a specimen that was in the shade, and as soon as you arrive at your home you expose it directly to the star king, without prior acclimatization, the leaves will suffer burns that you will be able to see the next day.

As I said, it is a bit difficult to find garden centers and stores that grow aromatic plants in the shade, but not impossible, since sometimes they are kept inside greenhouses and not outside, especially when the climate is temperate-cold. So if your rosemary has been in the shade, you should get used to it little by little. Put it in the sun for an hour each day, and gradually increase the exposure time. Avoid having it like this during the central hours of the day.

The soil is very compact and has poor drainage

We continue with one of the main reasons why rosemary leaves turn yellow: the earth. To know which is the most suitable, we have to find out what type of land it grows in nature, or read it somewhere, like right here. Rosemary is a Mediterranean plant, and in that region the predominant soil is clayey, more or less fertile depending on whether it is a forest or an open field where there are hardly any plants.

In addition, it is a plant that, so that it can grow in conditions needs that the earth does not flood. That is, if a torrential rain falls, it will withstand it, because in its place of origin the storms at the end of summer are accompanied by this type of rains, but only if the soil, or the substrate if it is in a pot, is capable of absorbing quickly Water. For this reason, It should NOT be planted in compact soils, or in poor quality substrates. In fact, the ideal would be to mix the garden soil with perlite (for sale here) if it does not drain well, or if it is potted, fill it with peat or universal substrate (for sale here) mixed with perlite or 50% quartz sand. If the one you have is not suitable, do not hesitate to extract it from where it is and improve it.

Note: if you want to grow it in a container, choose those that have holes in the base. The water that is left over when watering should be able to come out, thus preventing the roots from rotting.

You have excess or lack of watering

Rosemary is a plant that wants sun

The rosemary plant is extremely resistant to drought, but only if it has been planted in the ground for at least a year. In pots, watering should never be suspended, as there is a risk that it will dry out completely. But you need to keep in mind how bad it is to water a lot and water little, and that it is undoubtedly easier to recover a plant that is going thirsty, than another that already has drowned roots.

Taking this into account, whether it lacks or has excess water, its leaves will turn yellow. If it happens, what you have to do is check the humidity of the soil, and not only the surface, but also further inside. To do this, you can introduce a wooden stick, one of those fine ones (like those used in Chinese restaurants for example): if you see that it comes out with a lot of soil attached, it will mean that it is very, very wet; But if, on the other hand, you see that the soil is dry, it may be very loose, or that it has become so compact that it is not able to absorb the water, then your rosemary may need urgent watering.

To do? Well, let's see it:

  • Excess irrigation: if it is in the ground, the only thing we can do is suspend watering for a while and treat it with a fungicide. If it were removed, it would be further weakened.
    In the case that it is in a pot, as the root ball is smaller, it can be removed from the container and wrapped with absorbent paper the earth bread. We will leave it like this one day, sheltered from the sun, and the next day we will plant it in a new pot with new substrate.
  • Lack of irrigation: if it is on the ground, we will make a tree grate and water well, until the earth is moist. But if it is in a pot, we will have to put a plate under it or put it in a bucket with water (without the rosemary being submerged) for about 20 minutes.

To prevent it from happening again, we recommend you water it every 3 or 4 days during the summer, and once or twice a week the rest of the seasons.

We hope it has served you 🙂.


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