No, Rosemary needs a lot of sunlight. If it's indoors then it needs to be by a window where it can get the most sunlight that you can possibly give it. It's probably humid enough for the plant in Indonesia (during the winter) but it will need as much sunlight as you can give it.

Rosemary won't be happy indoors. Needs as much sunlight as it can get - real sunlight, not the filtered stuff that comes through glass. And rosemary can get BIG. Put it in the garden, in a very well-drained, full-sun position.

ok thank u heathen and daisy.

Sorry, unless you have at least a 500 watt plant bulb giving it at least 16 hours of light, it will not do to well indoors. It loves sun and fairly dry condtions.

yea i decided to plant it outdoors on my lawn. What about herbs for the indoors?any suggestions?

Plants weren't designed to grow indoors. Unless you can simulate the original habitat of any particular plant, you can't expect it to do well - and there are no houses in Nature. Inside, plants are susceptible to all sorts of bugs and diseases, because there is no balance of nature - no natural sunlight, not enough fresh air, too much grease and radiation waves and fluctuating temperatures etc. In your part of the world, they'll have extra humidity to cope with as well.

I live in the subtropics, not much different from the tropics, except that the tropics are 'more so'. My herbs do much better outside - in fact, I gave up trying to grow them indoors many, many years ago.

Plants in pots are like caged birds - they aren't free to move around, they can't spread, and they are heavily reliant on humans for their sustenance. With plants, usually their growth is considerably stunted. Taking your rosemary as an example, a full-sized rosemary could never be able to be stuffed into a large, commercial-sized oven. It will be as tall as you are, and 2-3 times your width. Can you imagine that sitting on your windowsill, or on a coffee-table in your lounge-room?? Even parsley can get quite big, and mint wants to travel the world.

Consider indoor herbs only as very, very temporary, while they are teensy babies.

I grow a fig tree here in a 2x2x2 square pot. Its only 5 foot tall and because its in a big pot, it weighs about 70 pounds. Once it is outdoors during growing seaon it does quite well, but even for that, it needs watering almost every day (about a gallon each day). Needless to say the pot must have tons of roots as I sometimes see them reaching towards the surface of the soil when we have a heavy rain. I couldn't leave it planted outdoors as its just too cold for winters and here, it would die back to the ground level again every year, and would lack any decent size trunk structure. Besides that, even though it gets quite a lot or watering as well as fertilizer and even a foliar fertilizer, it will still drop about 60% of its figs before they ripen. This is expected due to its cramped quarters, which would not be easy to handle if they were bigger and heavier. In winter, its stored in my semi heated garage, and drops its leaves like most any other tree does in fall in New England. My the end of April, it will be showing many new leaf buds and starts leafing out before most other trees do outdoors. I don't let it get any light in the garage except what shines through the small windows on the garage door. You could try growing some sprous like radish, some grains, mung beans. They have small sprouters you can add seeds to for sprouting, and then put into salads. Bean sprouts, don't even need light to sprout and in fact do much better in the dark, as they tend to get bitter if exposed to light while sprouting. Another indoor plant that can do fairly well is cilantro, as your only going to allow it to form its normal leaves and then harvest it then. When I startd cilantro from seeds, I put about 10 seeds in 2 inch square pots and had a steady supply of greens, when I started a few pots at different times. They were grown under a 500 watt mercury vapor plant light.

The only herbs and I use that term loosely because some will disagree are the scented leafed geraniums. There are apparently some questions on the safety of using the leaves in food but just brushing against the plants is wonderful in the middle of winter.

ksrogers, is it possible it needs repotting? :D Figs grow here, but I only water them 1 time a week unless it's over 100 degrees, then maybe 2x a week. Not hardly at all when it's around 80º, but that's only during the spring.

Heathen - in your climate a fig growing in the ground will find a lot of its own water and food but ksrogers is not living in natural fig country. Figs trees grow pretty well in much of the UK but getting them to fruit is a different matter. The standard advice is to severely restrict the roots, otherwise you get a large leafy tree and no figs. Even when growing outdoors we are advised to create a restricted root run by inserting slabs in a 2 x 2 x 2 foot bottomless cube to make an underground container for a plant to cover a wall space 7 - 8 feet high by 10 - 12 feet wide. My own fig grows in a 2 foot diameter terra cotta pot and is about 6 feet high. However, the RHS book 'The fruit garden displayed' does warn that root restriction can lead to 'extreme dryness and starvation, causing fruitlet drop and poor fruit development'. So, although it is necessary, it needs to be counterbalanced by keeping the fig well watered and fed with a high potassium feed about once a fortnight until the fruits are ripening. Even in my climate I water my fig almost every day in summer. Ksrogers summers will be much hotter than mine, so s/he will need to water very frequently. But the pot size is fine!

Okay, I am going to disagree with the answers here. Rosemary in general is not hardy in my zone (although I have overwintered Arp and Madeline Hill in the recent mild years), so I have lots of experience keeping rosemary indoors over the winter. You have to prepare for it during the summer when the plant is outside, though. Even in a bright, south-facing window, the rosemary will not get as much light as it gets in direct sun outside. So keep your potted rosemary in light to moderate shade during its outdoor time. When you bring it inside put it in direct sun in a window.

I like to repot my rosemary when I bring it in before the first frost, among other reasons to make sure there aren't any spiders or other tag-alongs in the pot. Use a sharp spray of water up through the branches to wash out any bugs and other debris before bringing it in.

I live in an arid climate, so I like a self-watering pot that keeps some moisture available for those days I don't remember to water. The self-watering pots I use have 3 tubes that reach down into the water, and the soil and roots that grow into those tubes carry the water up into the rest of the soil. However, there is a perforated surface that lets air move into the soil, too, keeping it from getting water-logged. Leaving water in the saucer of a regular pot just causes root rot. I have killed more plants by letting them completely dry out than by over-watering, but my SIL does the oposite (my DB tells me).

I have never had much luck with the Christmas Tree rosemaries available this time of year, though. I think they have already been mistreated before they get to the buyer, so they are already dying.

It is possible, but sometimes frustrating. I started many cuttings at the end of the summer for many years, and killed most of them, until I had my summer-shade/winter-sun system worked out. Then I learned about the hardier cultivars, and I have been growing them since my twins were born and I lost the time for fussy plants.

Catherine

Because I am in Z6 I can't plant the fig outside as it wouldn't prosper. I could increase the size of its pot, but if I do, it will become way to heavy and difficult to move in and out of the garage to my back yeard up a hill. The thing weighs over 50 pounds now and I need help placing it on a stand with wheels. Every day in the heat of summer I have to watch its leaves. If they droop, which usually happens after just two days on hot summer, it needs to get watered again. Would love to build a glass greenhouse around it, and leave it planted outside, but would cost me big buck$.

Oh okay... you're right, I am not familiar with growing figs in pots. I thought they liked it rather dry. :o)
The things we do to be in zonal denial! Is this the thread for it or what?
I don't know about growing rosemary indoors either, cept that they get mealie bugs and fungus. And once again, they like very little water in the ground and good drainage in pots.
MY attempts at zonal denial is to grow tropicals outdoors and cooler zone plants in what teensy bit of shade I have and cross my fingers I have enough water for both of those.

Just a reminder that our OP is in Indonesia, so I shouldn't think there's any problem temperature - wise in keeping rosemary outdoors all year round. Unless , of course Putri has no outdoor space. My reservations would be regarding the humidity since rosemary is a Mediterranean plant. However, it seems tolerant of a wide range of conditions - witness my 15 year old 6 foot specimen out there braving the lashing south westerly gales and torrential rain we have had recently. If rosemary does turn up its toes there must be a million other fascinating herbs and spices Putri could be growing which we can only dream about.

Whatever happened to the member info fields where you can enter in your growing zone and/or physical location when you apply for membership here. As you can see, I have nothing to hide and it was always been on all my posts what area I come from and the zone I am in. Its very difficult to tell where people are posting from. One time, it was a poster here who lived just down the street from me, and we actually met each other a few years back!

I too bring my rosemary plants in for the winter - and have them in a sunny window where right now they are in full bloom. They get a bit straggly but I keep pinching back.
Also indoor are a bay tree and a sweet olive.
KS - try repotting your fig in a potting mix - the kind with a lot of peat and vermiculite. Do it next spring before it starts leafing out. My nephew gave me one that must have been in pure clay - it weighed a ton. I bare-rooted it and used potting mix in a 16" plastic pot and now have no trouble handling it. When I want to move it, I tip the pot on its side for a few days so it can dry out and then it is not all that hefty. It produces a good crop every summer.

what bout mints any chance they'll stand inside?
cheers evryone.

I think mint will survive winters well. We had it here for many years and it actually was like weeds.

The fig tree pot is over 2 foot square and it has good qlaity soil with peat and one of those moisture absorbing polymers that help it keep some water longer. I agree its probably root bound now, but enlarging the pot would make it even more difficult to move, unless I somehow built a cart with wheels that it would remain in.

Putri - you have told us that you do have outdoor space (you ay you will try your rosemary in your lawn) so why are you so determined to grow herbs indoors? Look what Daisyduckworth says above 'Plants weren't designed to grow indoors. Unless you can simulate the original habitat of any particular plant, you can't expect it to do well - and there are no houses in Nature'. On the whole people only grow herbs indoors when they HAVE to. It's much easier and much better for the herbs if you grow them outside.

ksrogers - I don't know how low temps get where you live but do you think your fig would survive if you wrapped it up well after leaf fall? Perhaps in straw wrapped around with burlap or something? Maybe polystyrene around the pot?

I'm at the edge of Z6 and 5, and according to the supplier it will grow well down to Z6, but needs to be kept in a pot to overwinter indoors. I may have to plant outside soon, and like you said, build up something around it. I have plenty of oak leaves, and could build some kind of removable sided box and fill that with leaves during winters. Polystyrene wouldn't work well enough around the pot unless it was many inches thick and and also covered the surface of the soil. He have temps drop below zero F a few times in the dead of winter.

Mint cuttings will root in a glass of water in back of the sink in a dim kitchen - my mother has proven this time and time again, gods bless her :) lasts about three weeks if you keep the water fresh, then it starts to give in to trying to grow without light, and you take a fresh cutting, and start again.

as I understand it, your 'winter' is more 'rainy season' than 'frostbite', yes? so your trouble will be root rot, which is best combatted by raising the plant up above the saturated soil - either in a very porous pot, or with root ball raised level with the soil, and a mound built around it.

aromatics for the most part need natural sunlight - particularly the european species. you might have some luck with something like dill or fennel, which can take a bit of shade...but most houseplants are 'understory' plants from the tropics - stuff that's out growing under the tree canopy by the side of the road on your way to work.

I've overwintered rosemary for many years. I'm in 6-B and rosemary is hardy here, but I learned a trick from Madalene Hill (who 'Hill Hardy' is named for). I start with a 1 or 2 gal. rosemary and plant it in the garden for the season. Then, after the first hard frost, I dig the plant and repot it, moving it indoors. Inside, I place it in an unheated room with plenty of light...my sunporch is perfect. I water it twice monthly and it overwinters beautifully (even those Christmas tree trimmed rosemaries from Lowes and Home Depot). Then in the spring, I unpot and replant the rosemary in the garden and don't dig it again. According to Mrs. Hill, it needs a bigger root system than will grow the first year. I've used her method for years and have rosemary plants that have been in the garden for many years. And, since I miss the having rosemary close by, I always have a pot or two in the unheated sunporch. They overwinter beautifully.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jims garden talk

You should be able to grow figs in Z-6. I've been growing 2 for about 14 years: Brunswick and Constantine. (If you need to identify yours by leaf or fruit, check this link:http://home.planters.net/~thegivans/id-figs.html). The two Brunswicks die back to the ground every year then put up new shoots and bloom all summer. (Mulching or wrapping doesn't help, they do best if allowed to die back to the ground). They start ripening fruit in September and continue until a hard frost. The Constantine produces earlier and does not die back. I have it in a sheltered spot near the house and it's about 12 feet high.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jims garden talk

That's interesting Jim. I think it underlines the difference between our UK conditions and yours. The problem we have here is not the survival of the tree but the ripening of the fruit. Figs here usually produce two lots of fruitlets, one of which can overwinter as pea sized babies and, with good luck, will ripen the next summer in August or early September. The second lot of fruit is produced in the spring but does not usually have time to grow and ripen. Our summers are just not hot enough for a fig to grow back from the ground and then produce and ripen fruit. Hence my idea about protecting the tree over the winter - it was based on a different climate experience.

I am so sorry! I recommend you to move to California. The heat may kill you in the summer, but you can grow figs! :D And pomegranates and tangerines etc. So, come any time! :o)

The figs I grow are brown turkey type. The tree is now in my garage and gets a few blasts of cold when I open the garage door and do the snow removal out on the driveway. My zone is barely 6 here, only because I am closer to the ocean than about 40 miles west, where its suddenly zone 5.

I haven't tried growing brown turkey yet but I'm thinking maybe this next year - figs are so yummy! I live in Western NY State and I am barely zone 6 as well. I used to be zone 5 but when they redid the map last, I was moved into zone 6.

Here is a link to the brown turkey figs grown and sold by a nursery very near to where I live....cold, snow, and all. Might be a good nursery to consider if you live in the cold and snow as well.

FataMorgana

Here is a link that might be useful: Miller Nurseries - Brown Turkey Fig

Yes, its the exact the place where I bought mine 3 years ago. I just watered and discovered a small green tipped sprout emerging from the soil near the main trunk of the small tree. Its the second time it has produced an offspring, and this time, I will let it grow a bit bigger before attempting to seperate it into another pot. They do say to protect from cold in winter. Unusual, as they do not have any kind of flower and bugs don't seem to bother with them either. The first year of harvest, I was picking when they were swelled and ripe (happens almost overnight). I would place the small amount in a dish in the fridge. After picking about 20, I started noticing some spoilage. This time, I placed them in my dehydrator instead and they still remain just fine after all these months in the fridge. Was plainnging on making some fig squares or a muffin of some kind. The insides are a deep red when picked fresh and eaten. Its about 15 degrees outside now, and the rain and ice of yesterday has frozen solid as a rock.
Sorry we diverged (hijacked) from Rosemary here, but I guess all the questions have been answered about rosemary and its indoor needs.

Hello Everyone,

If I may, I'd like to continue with Rosemary indoors for a bit. IÂve attached a few shots of my Rosemary. I purchased a small plant early spring and grew it in a railing pot outside all summer. This fall I dug it out of the railing pot and transplanted into an extra plastic pot. ItÂs been sitting in my south facing sunroom window since mid-October.

IÂve taken a few snips for cooking but overall it looks like itÂs happy. ItÂs started to flower (produce seed?) recently. IÂm no expert with herbs by a long shot. Am I fooling myself thinking itÂs doing ok? Is it flowering because itÂs ready to give up the ghost?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Bill

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The rosemary plants look like mine, except mine have never flower. I grow mine from seeds, and must assume that they eventually flower, but I would need a much longer growing season. Flowering is a good sign! It may not yield any viable seeds though, due to no pollinators. You can use a Q-tip and poke it into each flower to assist in pollinating. My rosemary grown from 'primed' seeds is more reliable in sprouting from the seeds. Inhirently, rosemary is one that is hard to germinate and get seedlings from, so thats why I grow primed seeds, which have a better success rate..

Thanks ksrogers,

Great news! Glad to hear that itÂs not in its final stages. IÂm familiar with the Q-tip method but never thought of using it for this plant. IÂll give it a shot.

I have never had success starting Rosemary from seed but found out a few months back that the seed requires light for germination. IÂm going to try starting from seed again this year.

Bill

Here is a great source for primed seeds. I have had very good germination success rate with them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Primed rosemary seeds

Nice photo of the flowers. Rosemary blooms every year in winter/early spring when it is happy. Nothing to worry about. I have never tried growing it from seed as cuttings are so simple to take and easy to grow. Although my rosemary gets plenty of flowers it rarely self sows. Possibly the summer is not warm enough to ripen the seed here.

Flora UK,

Thanks for the coments on the pictures.

I've followed ksrogers suggestion to use a q-tip to fertalize the flowers. I'll let folks here know if it worked for me.

Bill

Mine has never self-sown though I get plenty of flowers. OTOH, it does self-layer. Some of the prostrate kinds will root into the gravel driveway when they are outside in the summer and I've also had them root into an adjacent pot. an easy way to multiply your plants.

Keep in mind that if it is a hybrid, it won't produce seed, or if it does the seed probably won't come true.

For those of us in colder zones, not potting up herbs means no fresh herbs for at least 5 months. It's always worth a try!!!

Martie

I sure wish I would have known that, I brought mine into the house to keep it from the cold! now mine has died!! Mary

Although I seldom use rosemary in cooking, it is probably my favorite herb, and I bring it inside every winter. Our zone here is 4-5, and my rosemary just bloomed and seems very healthy. It is in an east-facing bay window, and gets morning sun. It does take a lot of water, but that may be because we have radiant heat, and it can be dry here during winter months.

I have a large rosemary that I have put outside (I live in Columbus, OH - zone 5b) during the summer and then bring inside in the fall before the first frost. It does okay. By the end of winter/early sping it starts to look like it will die, but when I put it outside in may, it springs back to life! I keep it in a south facing, large window and water it when it has gone completely dry. I have been doing this for 3 years now. I decorate it with Christmas lights and ornaments in December. I can't tell you how wonderful it is for a lamb-lover like myself to have fresh rosemary year-round. I would say to buy a hearty rosemary and give it a try! I can post a picture if you would like. Remember that it needs a lot of sunlight and good drainage. Without great drainage, it will die immediately.

On that fig tree, you might try repotting in the same size container. Turn it out, do a bit of root pruning, work out some of the old soil and replace with fresh.
I've got a 50 year old Meyer lemon which gets repotted every couple of years but the size of the pot stays the same. Four or five years ago an impatiens seeded itself into the pot and I've left it there as a moisture indicator. It's easy to see that the lemon tree needs water when the impatiens starts to wilt. Right now the lemon has a half dozen fruit starting to ripen and is in flower. it will go out in May when the weather stabilizes.

Lucky you with a Meyer lemon, in z5 no less. I must assume it has a lot of sunlight and warmth indoors during the winter. I dont think I will mess with the fig this summer, maybe in late fall. Last year was its first year for a decent amount of figs. There are two small green shoots a couple of inches away from the main trunk. I expect these to get bigger during the summer, and thats when they would get seperated after the summer is over. Had a single side shoot two years ago, but it never survived. Gave it to some one who could kill an artificial flower..

I have a rosemary plant in a pot that has done wonderfully in and out of doors depending on the season. I used to live in New England which is z5 an it did great outdoors all summer in afternoon light. I usually bring it in in the winter and out it in a south facing window so it can get plenty of sunlight all day. I recently moved to VA which is zone 7. I was wondering when is the the best to move it outdoors? I was thinking that I would put it outside when the temp is steadily above 50 at night. What do you all think? Thanks!!

YOu may be ale to have it live outdoors all the time now. Because rosemary has many strains, its difficult to know if it will be hardy enough. My single rosemary plant has just died on its last green stem about a week ago. Up until then, it was still alive and living outside. Mine never survives Z6, so this was an unusual situation, up until now.

I personaly have only just started growing stuff, and I only have a little rosemary growing kit. I had put the soil in, planted the seeds, watered it, and stared at it for half an hour. Then I realized it was winter. Flustered, I didn't dare put it outside. I put it at a windowsill, but it was still cold and the sky was clouded. over. With no other ideas, I took it to my room and stuck it under an incondescent light. I was always fussing over it, since it wouldn't grow, but you guessed it: my hopes and wishes came true!

I haven't try growing rosemary indoor, but I think it would not be good indoor. I have my herbs grown indoor, under some LED lights. I think some herbs are just fine to grow indoor.