Oregano (oregano, motherboard) is a plant that is representative of spicy cultures that have become so popular lately in the entire post-Soviet space. However, this herb has been known for a long time: everyone loves herbal teas brewed according to grandma's recipe and used at the first symptoms of a cold.
This crop has a lot of useful properties, so it will be appropriate to plant a bush or two of this fragrant spice on each garden plot.
The best varieties of oregano cultivation in the open field
- "Mila" - A plant up to 50 cm tall with ovoid leaves covered with hairs. Widely used in cooking and medicine. Sowing seeds in open ground is made in May - June.
- "Honey flavor" - spicy plant 30 cm tall, suitable for cultivation in open soil. Used in fresh and dried form, used in both official and traditional medicine. Sowing in open ground is carried out in May or in October.
- "Greek"- a perennial aromatic plant, reaching a height of 40 - 60 cm. Used in cooking for baking, meat, fish, vegetable dishes, as well as in medicine. It is sown in seeds in open ground in April.
- "Fairy Fairy" - mid-season variety of oregano, which is sown in soil from May to June.
- "Dushka" - spice with a pronounced aroma, contains a large number of essential oils, active biological compounds. Sowing seeds in the ground is made in April - May.
A photo
Next you can see how the shoots look on the photo.
Time
For seedlings oregano can be sown in early March: the earlier the sowing is done, the stronger the bushes will be for planting in open ground. Planting seedlings in the ground is usually done in late April - mid-May. Approximately in the same period (mid-April - early May), oregano seeds can be sown directly in open ground immediately.
reference. The planting time of the oregano depends on such factors as temperature, variety, weather and climatic conditions.
Dependence on temperature, variety and weather
Such a wide time range is directly dependent on climate, average temperatures, steady weather. Oregano is a heat-loving Mediterranean plant, it is necessary to plant it in open ground only when the threat of return frost is completely gone, the soil is warm enough, and the average temperature should not fall below + 15C - + 17C.
Naturally, the north of the region, the later such weather conditions occur. It should be noted that sowing seeds immediately in open ground should be carried out only in the southern regionswhere the climate is as close as possible to the "native" conditions of the spice.
A place
Next, let's talk about where to plant the plant.
Preceding cultures
Oregano precursors can be potatoes, beans, peas. You can not plant it after other spicy herbs (marjoram, mint, basil, etc.).
The soil
Oregano does not tolerate stagnant water, so the place on the site where you plan to plant the plant, you must choose one in which groundwater does not come close to the ground.
It is better if this is a light super-sandy soil with neutral acidity. Spice loves light and heat, respectively, the bed for it should be on a sunny, protected from drafts plot.
Oregano - picky culture, it can take root in any soil. But in order to preserve the quality of the leaves of the spice, it is advisable to prepare the soil for sowing seeds in the garden. Starting to carry out these works should be in the fall: the ground should be dug up with the introduction of organic matter (manure, compost, humus), as well as phosphate and potash fertilizers (potash salt, superaphosphate).
If the soil is too dense, then it can be made more loose using sand and peat. If the pH is low, then the soil should be lime, that is, add dolomite flour, lime lime or wood ash.
Neighborhood with other cultures
As neighbors for oregano, you can choose:
- daylilies with yellow flowers;
- daisy;
- purple echinacea;
- strawberries;
- grapes;
- sea buckthorn
Dislikes oregano cucumbers, zucchini.
Selection of seed
For sowing it is necessary to select high-quality seeds.. They have very small oregano (1 gram contains about 10,000 pieces), round, brown. Germination of seed is quite high (about 80%) and lasts for 7 - 8 years.
How to prepare yourself?
- In early September, stalks containing seeds (in the place of inflorescences) are cut from a bush.
- The stalks are collected in a bundle for drying.
- The assembled bundle is suspended in a dry, shaded, ventilated area.
- After the stems have dried, they must be carefully removed and placed in a dense fabric pouch.
- Top bag should be threshed.
- Extract the contents and sift through a fine sieve.
Where to buy stuff and what to look for?
Quality seeds can be purchased at a specialty store. You can use the services of online stores, but you should only trust those of them that have a good reputation. Buying seeds on a street tray is not the best option., as in such conditions the probability that the seeds simply disappeared due to non-compliance with the storage conditions is very high.
When buying a seed, attention should immediately be paid to the shelf life and date of collection of seeds.
In Moscow, oregano seeds can be bought at prices ranging from 18 to 20 rubles for 0.05 grams, and in St. Petersburg - from 20 to 35 rubles for a bag weighing 0.1 grams.
Is it necessary to soak?
Since the oregano seeds are very small, it is extremely difficult to preseed their preparation. You can only soak them in warm water so that some of the essential oils are removed from them, and then the germination process will become easier.
- Prepare the seeds that can be placed in a fabric bag with dense weaving.
- In a shallow container pour warm water (+ 35C).
- Dip a bag of seeds into the water, leave them for 2 days.
- Every 6 to 8 hours the water needs to be changed.
- Remove the bag, remove the seeds and dry.
Sowing in open soil
- Set the stage for oregano beds (see above).
- In the loosened and moistened soil, make furrows with a depth of not more than 1 cm and a row spacing of 25 to 45 cm (depending on the variety).
- To sow the seeds, which can be pre-mixed with a small amount of sand to facilitate their visibility.
- Top sprinkle with a layer of loose earth (no more than 1 cm).
- The earth should be compacted and moistened with an atomizer.
- You can plot the hay.
To seedlings
Step-by-step landing instructions
Further you can get acquainted with the algorithm, how to plant oregano.
- Make a preliminary soaking of seeds.
- Prepare a container for growing seedlings, not forgetting about the drainage in it (expanded clay, pebbles, broken bricks).
- Oregano to plant 2 - 3 seeds in individual cassettes or other shallow containers to a depth of 0.5 cm. You can spread them out on the surface of the moistened soil and drag them with peat.
- Moisten the top of the ground with a spray.
- Cover the container with a film (plastic bag) or glass.
- After the appearance of the first shoots, the film should be removed.
- With the advent of 2 - 3 true leaves, saplings dive into individual containers (if there was a total capacity) or leave them in the same container.
We offer to watch a video on how to sow oregano seeds:
When and how rises?
The first shoots appear usually after one and a half - two weeks. The plant grows very slowly. The first seedlings are very thin and weak, but then they grow stronger and turn into full-fledged plants.
Growing up
Important. Caring for seedlings is a systematic moistening of the top layer of soil from the spray gun (but not often, as it dries!) And regular airing of crops (opening the film, shaking off condensate).
Optimum temperature mode - + 18С - + 20С. If the weather is cloudy, then oregano needs additional lighting by fitolampa.
Moving to the ground
Many are interested in the question: when is it still necessary to plant seedlings of plants in open ground. Plant in open ground, for example, in the garden or in the country, you can 45 - 60 day seedlings, then the instructions for how to do it.
- Prepare a plot for planting seedlings (see above).
- Seedlings need to be shed with water for better removal from the tank.
- Prepare shallow landing holes at a distance of 15 - 20 cm from each other.
- The extracted plant together with the earthy lump is placed in the hole, powdered with earth to the lower bud. The earth is crushed around the trunk by hand
Care during the first year
Young plants are very sensitive to weeds that can “kill” them, so it is advisable to systematically inspect the beds with oregano for the presence of weeds: they should be immediately removed, and the soil should be slightly loosened. Watered culture as the drying of the top layer of soil.
To prevent the growth of weeds and preserve moisture, it is advisable to plant seedlings to mulch hay. If it rains often, the gardener needs to ensure that rainwater does not accumulate on the garden bed.
Young seedlings in the first year of life do not need feedings: they will be quite enough of those fertilizers that were made in the ground in the fall.
Features breeding at home
Oregano can be grown at home on the windowsill or on a warm balcony. The best place to grow a plant is bright, but without direct sunlight (dimming is possible). For the plant will need pots with a capacity of 2 - 3 liters with good drainage and drain holes. As a substrate, any nutritious soil, purchased from a specialty store, or sandy-loamy loose soil with a pH of 6.0 - 6.5 will do.
Oregano - a plant that should definitely start on your site. Without delivering much of a hassle to a gardener, it will delight more than one year with interesting flowering, spicy aroma and incredible taste of favorite dishes.