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taxtax

Protecting my Oregano

taxtax
12 years ago

Alright, the first and last mint I tried in my kitchen was totally dead in just 2 weeks.

This time I really want to see if I can keep my plant alive, and then I can try to keep an indoor plant that's more expensive without worrying about losing it.

So, in theory it should be as simple as keeping my Oregano plant infront of a window, and making sure that it either has not too much, or not too little water, correct?

I thought I was doing this well last time, but apparently that ended up in disaster.

I bought a couple of those water-glob gimmicks, would it be wise to use one of those, or could that lead to other problems?

Comments (9)

  • fatamorgana2121
    12 years ago

    Light from a windowsill is insufficient for most herbs. Search through the MANY back posts here on that topic for more info.

    FataMorgana

  • taxtax
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Well that's just #@(^%@$^ great, so I screwed myself before I even started here. Haha...

    Maybe if I leave my lights on...

  • fatamorgana2121
    12 years ago

    Adding lighting specifically for plants can make a difference.

    FataMorgana

  • Scarlet09
    12 years ago

    My oregano is in direct sun light, outside, for most hours of the day. As long as I water well, its fine. In fact, it's growing faster than my other herbs right now!

  • noinwi
    12 years ago

    Taxtax, what zone are you in? I had my oregano in a shallow box last year and figured it wouldn't make it through our -0 temps, but we put the box next to the building and stacked another soil filled box on top of it(just for storage)and after the huge pile of snow melted in the spring, my oregano started sprouting once it got some sun. I was really surprised. I guess the snow kept it insulated up against the building.
    I recently planted two sprigs of it with roots into a wall pocket near a west facing window just to see how it does.
    A neighbor gave me a couple of those watering globes and I haven't had much luck with them. They either plug up or release the water too quickly. They might be ok for thirsty plants if you're going to be gone for 2 or 3 days, but I think they're too iffy. I keep them stuck in my houseplants though(empty), in case my neighbor stops in...don't want to hurt her feelings...

  • taxtax
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I bought a couple water globes, and also noticed that sometimes they empty just far too quick. But I don't know, maybe my soil was just too dry and it was my own fault, still new to all these gimmicks.

    My zone is 6.5 and I thought I'd like to have a little bit of in-door planting going on. I had a few experiments with seedlings I started, but they all died due to dampening off, which was something I had not experimented before, but now I keep cinnamon handy just for those occasions. And I will NEVER trust sterilized soil from stores to be really sterilized again!

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    12 years ago

    "Damping off" is something of a catch-all term for a variety of diseases, most of which are pretty ubiquitous. They might not even be in your potting medium, but are every where in the natural environment. They are able to infect young seedlings because the tissues are so tender...but only if the conditions are right. In other words, too damp, too humid, too stagnant, too warm, etc. If you can avoid those kinds of situations, you'll not be troubled with damping off diseases.

    I'm one of those folks who believe that damping off diseases are nearly entirely preventable, and I've never sterilized my soil nor sprinkled cinnamon (or anything else) on the seedling flats.

    The best way to water containerized plants is in such a way that the entire soil volume can become properly saturated, and even leached. If you have a nice coarse potting mix that drains rapidly, you're not likely to ever have a problem with over watering, root rot, or damping off.

    I've been given some of those watering globes, too, and they were immediately put into the 'donate' box.

  • drmbear Cherry
    12 years ago

    Stick oregano anywhere in the yard - it is a weed that will eventually take over. World domination is its goal. It grows outside, in lousy soil, not much will kill it. Just keeping it from crowding out other things is a bit of a challenge. I use plenty, but I still cut back lots and lots of it to throw through the shredder and into the compost pile. Smells good when doing it!! If in a pot, just use a large, deep one, and leave out in the yard.

  • wally_1936
    12 years ago

    That is what's nice about spreading herbs friends and neighbors who use fresh herbs give a a gift. Of course it is easy to weed out when it spreads too far. Mine is 4' by 4' and I can still find homes for the overflow from time to time. Seems too many people think it is too much work to use fresh herbs. The french tie their stems with a bit of thread and just toss them into the pot and remove them near the end of the cooking time or toss them on the fire when Bar-B-Qing. Not only do you get a great smell from the smoke but it also adds to the taste of the meat.