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The pic finally uploaded, hopefully it is showing how it is 90% dead. it used to be green or greener. Do I just put it in a ziplock bag? How long does it last? They are dried already
The pic finally uploaded, hopefully it is showing how it is 90% dead. it used to be green or greener. Do I just put it in a ziplock bag? How long does it last? They are dried already
Cut it back, it may well come back.
We keep dried rosemary, as well as other herbs, all winter in ziplocks. BUT, we also have an air dryer. If you don't you can dry them out in the oven on low heat.
We keep dried rosemary, as well as other herbs, all winter in ziplocks. BUT, we also have an air dryer. If you don't you can dry them out in the oven on low heat.
It has to be completely dry before you put it into a ziploc bag, otherwise it will go moldy in the bag. So let them air dry a few days longer on a tray in the shade, not in the sun. The dried leaves can be easily stripped off the twigs with your fingers. If it's too coarse or sharp on your fingers then wear rubber gloves to protect your fingers while you're stripping the leaves off.
I grow and "cure" tons of rosemary plants for their many medicinal and other beneficial properties. Any time I've had rosemary plants die back like that it's been from too much harsh UV and heat from direct sun, heat scorch on the leaves and not enough water or it's happened during ice storms and the roots have already been dead long before the last green leaves have dried and turned brown or light grey. The plants do not grow back once the roots are dead.
You can try cutting it back, water the roots lightly and set the pot in partial light/shade to see if the roots will recuperate but I doubt that particular plant is going to make a come back. You still have just a few green tips on it but I can see that plant is already dead and gone.
You can still use those heat-stricken dead leaves but you won't get really satisfactory essential oils out of them because the majority of the rosemary essential oils are gone, they have already dissipated out of the leaves while they were dying and drying on the branches because of the heat. Dry heat and sun exposure destroys the essential oils.
The best essential oils come from living plants and healthy living green leaves that are pruned off the plant and allowed to air "cure" hanging upside down on a line in shade or else laid out on a tray in a shady place with good air circulation. It may take up to a couple of weeks for them to be completely dry but they will retain a true green colour, will not turn brown or grey or get black spots (all signs that the leaves were already dead before harvesting).
Alternatively, depending on what your recipe and method of extraction calls for, you can make essential oil infusions with fresh green leaves and those oil infusions will come out with their full aroma, oils and medicinal properties absorbed into the oil that you infused the herb with. Fresh green leaf infusions always come out better than infusions made from leaves that died and dried on the plant because the fresh leaves still retain all of their original properties.
If it makes you feel any solace, you may find it interesting to learn that many hundreds of thousands of people who were cultivating rosemary plants in their gardens during the past year have had the majority of their rosemary plants die in exactly the same manner that your plant has died. Myself included. I have to start over again with new rosemary plants. So you aren't alone.
My wife cuts off the stems, bundles them and ties a string around them and hangs them in her potting shed near the window so they can fully dry. Once dried she pulls the 'leaves' from the stems and stores each in pint mason jars. We use it all the time on chicken.
Here is a picture. I want to harvest the prickly "leaves" but wondering how to do that.
Looks like you let your soil to dry out excessively - perhaps due to the type of potting soil you used.
Some potting soils could become water repellent- you water, but water doesn’t penetrate the root ball.
If you could put the pot into some basin-water and let it sit for at least 30-40 min in that water - there is a chance the root ball could adsorb some water - and if any roots are still alive - they will push some new growth -place it in part shade
Repeat the soaking in a day or two
Water well, let it drain, water again - your unglazed pot would need to adsorb some water as well.
Put it in a slight shade and check for a new grows. It could still be alive?
Adding just a bit of soap - like 1 drop of dishwashing soap into that basin would help to break the water repellency.
The propagators often grow plants in peat based medium - which when dries out - is very hard to get moist again.
Shade and soap soak could help.
If no new growth visible- start with the new plant
For use - you better with the fresh green leaves dried in a brown sandwich bag on the counter:strip the leaves after they air dried and put them in a glass jar.
Most people prefer using fresh leaves for cooking. You could grow rosemary in a pot in the house over the winter - in the brightest light possible
It has to be completely dry before you put it into a ziploc bag, otherwise it will go moldy in the bag. So let them air dry a few days longer on a tray in the shade, not in the sun. The dried leaves can be easily stripped off the twigs with your fingers. If it's too coarse or sharp on your fingers then wear rubber gloves to protect your fingers while you're stripping the leaves off.
I grow and "cure" tons of rosemary plants for their many medicinal and other beneficial properties. Any time I've had rosemary plants die back like that it's been from too much harsh UV and heat from direct sun, heat scorch on the leaves and not enough water or it's happened during ice storms and the roots have already been dead long before the last green leaves have dried and turned brown or light grey. The plants do not grow back once the roots are dead.
You can try cutting it back, water the roots lightly and set the pot in partial light/shade to see if the roots will recuperate but I doubt that particular plant is going to make a come back. You still have just a few green tips on it but I can see that plant is already dead and gone.
You can still use those heat-stricken dead leaves but you won't get really satisfactory essential oils out of them because the majority of the rosemary essential oils are gone, they have already dissipated out of the leaves while they were dying and drying on the branches because of the heat. Dry heat and sun exposure destroys the essential oils.
The best essential oils come from living plants and healthy living green leaves that are pruned off the plant and allowed to air "cure" hanging upside down on a line in shade or else laid out on a tray in a shady place with good air circulation. It may take up to a couple of weeks for them to be completely dry but they will retain a true green colour, will not turn brown or grey or get black spots (all signs that the leaves were already dead before harvesting).
Alternatively, depending on what your recipe and method of extraction calls for, you can make essential oil infusions with fresh green leaves and those oil infusions will come out with their full aroma, oils and medicinal properties absorbed into the oil that you infused the herb with. Fresh green leaf infusions always come out better than infusions made from leaves that died and dried on the plant because the fresh leaves still retain all of their original properties.
If it makes you feel any solace, you may find it interesting to learn that many hundreds of thousands of people who were cultivating rosemary plants in their gardens during the past year have had the majority of their rosemary plants die in exactly the same manner that your plant has died. Myself included. I have to start over again with new rosemary plants. So you aren't alone.
.
Thank you for this. The leaves already just fall off the moment you touch them. But I'll still let them air dry anyway as you said to. Nice to know about the essential oils. I think I'll just include them in my yogurt. Rosemary helps sleep & anxiety which it did last night. Or I just got a good rest by accident
Looks like you let your soil to dry out excessively - perhaps due to the type of potting soil you used.
Some potting soils could become water repellent- you water, but water doesn’t penetrate the root ball.
If you could put the pot into some basin-water and let it sit for at least 30-40 min in that water - there is a chance the root ball could adsorb some water - and if any roots are still alive - they will push some new growth -place it in part shade
Repeat the soaking in a day or two
Water well, let it drain, water again - your unglazed pot would need to adsorb some water as well.
Put it in a slight shade and check for a new grows. It could still be alive?
Adding just a bit of soap - like 1 drop of dishwashing soap into that basin would help to break the water repellency.
They grow plants in peat based medium - which when dries out - is very hard to get moist again.
Shade and soap soak could help.
If no new growth visible- start with the new plant
For use - you better with the fresh green leaves dried in a brown sandwich bag on the counter:strip the leaves after they air dried and put them in a glass jar.
Most people prefer using fresh leaves for cooking. You could grow rosemary in a pot in the house over the winter - in the brightest light possible
I will try this with a part of the plant then eat the remainder. I let it dry out then watered it and it seemed it never came back. I kept it watered too but it was in the sun unlike before when it was under my neighbors deck. I read it needed sun so left it out and forgot about it.
Thank you so much
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