It is not hard to grow rosemary in Florida if you know the proper care. In this article, I will cover everything you need to know to grow rosemary in Florida.
In Florida, I am considering three major regions North, Central, and South Florida.
Do you know which region among these would be the easiest to grow rosemary? It's Central Florida.
Central Florida is likely the easiest region to grow rosemary due to its moderate climate and well-drained sandy soils that suit the herb's needs. But don't worry, my caring guide will help you grow healthy rosemary in every part of Florida.
Last time I wrote an article on Creeping rosemary. If you are interested in that, have a read.
Rosemary plants don’t like high heat and humidity. They tend to get fungus easily especially if watered overhead.
In Florida, we need to keep in mind that we should not plant rosemary in congested areas to maintain lower humidity.
If you want a planting schedule for the whole year check: when to plant what in Florida
Rosemary needs full sunlight, try to grow them in open space where they can get enough sunlight. If growing indoors, place them near windows so that they can get sunlight.
Propagation of rosemary
If you have rosemary plants with you (or someone is offering the cuttings), the best option is to propagate with stem cuttings.
( Are you here just for the growing and caring guide? Skip this propagation part )
The best time to propagate rosemary from cuttings is during the late spring to early summer (April to June)
You can propagate rosemary from seeds as well as stems (cuttings)
If you have both the options, go for cuttings.
Cuttings
You can take cuttings from healthy rosemary stems.
Can you see a straight red line in the image? I have marked that so that you can understand what should be the cutting point. Cut just below the leaf node and in this way, take 4 to 5 inches of cuttings.
Avoid taking cuttings from the stems having browny leaves or brown tip leaves.
Rosemary is sensitive to overwatering. To reduce the risk of root rot, you need to choose loam soil. ( mix of sand, clay, and silt soil equally)
In Florida, in most of the places, we get sandy soil. You can use that normal garden soil as well.
You can plant the cuttings into the soil and apply a sprinkle of water. It will take 10 days at most to grow new roots.
Rosemary propagation in water
I have tried this last year, and it worked perfectly. Thought it would be worth sharing with other Florida gardeners.
The newly grown rosemary roots are visible in this picture.
This time, I have broken the lower leaves and put the cuttings in clean water. (You can use glass or any container)
You have to clip off the leaves along the stem that will be in the water and leave the nodes of the leaves on the stem as you see in the picture. Use stems that are still young not the brown woody ones.
This took 2 weeks for them to root in water on my windowsill.
I used only tap water. Just keep it fresh and replace it every couple of days.
Seed propagation
The success rate of germination is not so good. I am suggesting you take multiple seeds while growing them from seeds. (As a large portion of the seeds are not going to germinate successfully)
Take small containers. I mean really small. 4 to 5 Inches square containers will be perfect.
The perfect time to sow rosemary seeds in Florida will be late winter to early spring, around February to March.
Do not push the seeds deep into the soil. Just spread the seeds onto the soil and use your fingers to cover the seeds with the soil.
After sowing, water it and leave it for a week or 10 days. If you notice dry soil, water it again. Creating a humid environment by covering the containers may increase the germination speed. That's all you need to do.
Around a week later, you can notice small sprouts. On day 45, they will be ready to be transplanted to the ground or bigger pots.
Winter caring for Rosemary in Florida
In South Florida, you don't have to worry much about winter care. They will enjoy the winter here.
But in Central and North Florida, you may have to cover them or bring them inside.
Do you want to know when should you cover the rosemary in winter? When the temp. goes below 30°F (-1°C)
Check when to cover plants in winter
If your plant is potted you should check: When to bring plants inside for winter - Complete Chart
Reduce watering in the winter. You can leave the soil dry for 3 days and you can water it again.
Watering
Rosemary are drought tolerant but overwatering can kill them.
Check the soil once in a week. You can use your fingers to check if the soil is moist or dry. Water only if the soil is dry.
They don't like overwatering and humid climates.
South Florida is humid and it makes it a bit difficult to grow rosemary here.
If the leaves are turning brown, it means your rosemary plant is asking for better care. Check if you are following my guidelines or not.
Fertilizer for rosemary
In the active growing season, you can apply slow-releasing balanced fertilizer.
Only once a year will be enough.
They love nitrogen-based fertilizers like 10:0:0 (or simple leaf compost or cow manure)
If you wish you can also grow rosemary in a growing bag.
Always comes back after the freeze.
Friendly tip: Clean the base of the rosemary plant once a week. The dry leaves often attracts pests.
If you notice mealybugs check: get rid of mealybugs with tested methods.
Did I miss anything? Do let me know in the comment section below.
Subscribe to this site for Free! and help me writing more on Florida gardening.
