Rosemary is a plant whose every part is useful. What are its uses and how do you grow it?

Rosemary is a plant whose every part is useful. Rosemary has needle-like leaves similar to pine needles and gives off a distinctive fresh fragrance. It not only refreshes the mind but can also repel mosquitoes. What are rosemary's uses? How do you grow it?

1. What uses does rosemary have?

1. In industry, rosemary essential oil can be used as a raw material for blending air fresheners, perfumes, soaps and other cosmetic and washing products.

2. Antioxidants can be extracted from the branches and leaves of rosemary and used to keep medicines, oil-rich foods and various oils fresh and preserve their quality.

3. Rosemary is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Applied externally, it can treat external injuries; taken internally, it can calm the nerves and treat indigestion and stomach pain.

4. Rosemary has edible value. Its young, tender branches and leaves are generally used as a cooking ingredient, most frequently in dishes such as steak and potatoes and in grilled foods, and it can also be brewed as a tea.

2. How do you grow rosemary?

1. Growing environment

Rosemary is a plant that likes sunlight and a warm climate, is fairly drought-tolerant, and is suitable for growing in sandy loam. Because it is afraid of waterlogging, drainage must be done well in the field, and it struggles to survive the winter when the temperature drops below minus three degrees Celsius in winter.

2. Propagation methods

(1) Because rosemary seeds are small and have a relatively low germination rate, it is recommended to propagate by cuttings. Cut a 10 to 15 cm softwood shoot from the top of the plant, remove the leaves from the lower third of its base, and insert it into a rooting medium to root.

(2) Rosemary can be propagated by layering. Bend a rosemary branch near the base down into the soil, and once the covered part has rooted, cut it off to serve as a transplant seedling.

3. Pruning methods

To extract its economic value, the top of the main stem is pinched off when it grows to 80 cm. This keeps the plant low and uniform, makes it easier to manage, and also keeps rosemary continually producing branches, yielding more branches and leaves and increasing the harvest. If rosemary's growth is not controlled, it can grow to nearly two meters tall.

4. Fertilizer management

Because rosemary is fairly tolerant of poor soil, it does not need much fertilizer. During the seedling growth stage, 20 kg of compound fertilizer per mu is usually enough, and after harvesting, 15 kg of nitrogen fertilizer and 25 kg of superphosphate are usually applied per mu.

5. Market demand

At present, rosemary is still grown on a small scale and has a short history of cultivation, so demand for it as a medicine in our country is not large. As a traditional aromatic plant, it has broad prospects in industry, cosmetics, hair-washing products, food additives and other areas, all of which await in-depth product development.