Clary sage is known for its use in cooking, perfumery and winemaking. Its leaves are used as seasoning for various dishes and confectionery. The essential oil extracted from the ground part of the culture is used as a flavoring agent for wines, liqueurs, and tobacco. If you have the opportunity to grow this beautiful plant in your backyard, we offer you detailed instructions for the cultivation of clary sage, as well as the rules for planting and caring for it.
Salvia (salvia) nutmeg: description
Sage (lat. Salvia sclarea) is a perennial herbaceous ornamental and medicinal plant of the family Labiotus. Semishrub grows mainly in the tropics and subtropics around the world. About 700 of its species are distributed on different continents, two of which are considered endangered. Sage nutmeg is cultivated in Europe and America. In the culture of Salvia nutmeg - a two-year grass.
The name of the plant supposedly came from the Latin word salvus, which means unharmed, healthy. Therefore, sometimes sage is also called the herb of health, and sage is Muscat - with the eye of Christ.
This shrub grows within a meter. It blooms from early summer to September, during the month. Violet, pink or white fragrant flowers are collected in paniculate inflorescences with a height of 40 cm. It bears fruit in August-September. Inflorescences and leaves contain a large amount of essential oil. The taste of sage is astringent, the aroma is strong, sharp, bitter.
Did you know? Essential oil of some types of sage is used in pharmacology - for flavoring drugs, as an astringent, antiseptic and in traditional medicine - for the treatment of diseases of the kidneys, mouth, digestive system, eye inflammation, for the prevention of respiratory infections. Sage is also an aphrodisiac.
Features of growing sage in the open field, where to plant sage in the country
Sage nutmeg - the plant is quite unpretentious in the care and does not require special conditions for planting. However, it still has preferences, the observance of which will guarantee its good growth, long flowering, resistance to diseases and pests.
Choosing a place for growing clary sage
For planting clary sage, a well-lit area will suit (preferably from the south), since this culture is light-requiring, refers to plants of a long day. The grass does not like shading and thickening - in such conditions, the stems strongly grow, and the leaves become smaller. Besides, when growing in the shade, the plant is more susceptible to disease.
Also a thermophilic flower - the average daily temperature + 19-21 ºС will be comfortable for its development. At the same time, sage tolerates frosts well - it does not die even when the mercury column on the thermometer approaches -30 ºС. However, the planting site for the plant must be well protected from cold drafts.
Important! Do not plant sage nutmeg on the same place for several years in a row (more than 3-4 years). The fact is that the roots of the plant secrete essential oils into the soil, and this leads to slow growth in subsequent crops.
Soil requirements
Sage is also unassuming for soils, however, for its greater ornamentation, care must be taken to ensure that the land in which it is planted is rich, fertile, neutral or slightly acidic, with a sufficient content of phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. Loose loamy and sandy soils are well suited.
It can survive on heavy and sandy soils, but in this case it will lose in the beauty of flowering. Dislikes marshy land and the proximity of groundwater.
How to plant sage (salvia) nutmeg
If you are already determined to acquire sage nutmeg in the garden and think about how to plant it, there will also be no difficulties for you. The plant is propagated in two ways: seed and vegetative. Let us consider in more detail each of them. 
Features of growing sage seeds: when, where and how to sow salvia
Mostly sage is grown with the help of seeds. Seed reproduction can be planted in several ways:
- self seeding;
- autumn sowing;
- spring planting seedlings;
- spring non-seed method.
To obtain seed material leave the most developed and healthy plant of the second year of life. When the seeds ripen by 70-75%, the inflorescences are cut off and hung under a canopy for ripening, while the litter or paper is spread out below. It is important not to miss the moment of ripening seeds, otherwise they tend to quickly get enough sleep. After extraction, the seeds are dried and cleaned of impurities using a sieve.
At the end of October - at the beginning of November, 8-10 days before sowing, the soil is well dug up, removed from weeds, brought in humus or compost (1-2 buckets / m2) and phosphorus-potassium mineral fertilizers (20-30 g / sq.m. Then proceed to sowing. Seeds are sown in the wells to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. A distance of 45 cm is left between the rows.
Important! Seeds should not hesitate to frost, otherwise the plants will die. Therefore, it is important to guess the sowing time - it is better to hold it before the first frost.
In the frosty ground, the seeds will get stronger. With the onset of a steady spring temperature of + 10-12 ºС, rapid emergence of shoots can be expected. Thickened crops will need to thin out, leaving intervals of 8-10 cm.
Clary sage, except for how to grow from seeds, can be propagated with seedlings. In this case, at the end of March, the seeds are pre-soaked in warm water, germinated for several days. Then they are sown in separate pots, plastic cups or a container with a universal substrate for seedlings to a depth of 1 cm. Crops are covered with glass and put in a warm, well-lit place. Shoots appear within a month. When the first leaves appear, the glass can be removed. Seedlings should be thinned and hardened. To do this, take it out every day to fresh air, starting from 1-1.5 hours, gradually increasing the time the sprouts stay in the air for half an hour. In late May, they can be planted in a permanent place in the garden. To do this, use the two-line method. Between the lines leave 15-20 cm, between tapes - 50-60 cm, between shoots - 20 cm.
In the case of spring planting by the seedless method, seeds, 6–10 days before the expected day of planting, are placed in a container with wet sand (1: 2 ratio). The container is placed in a wet room with a temperature of + 20-25 ºС. After the appearance of white sprouts they are planted in open ground to a depth of 2-4 cm. The distance between the rows is 30-45 cm. The beds are covered with a film. Inter-rows are periodically weeded and loosened.
Vegetative method of reproduction of sage: how to propagate the plant by dividing the bush
At the end of the summer you can divide the sage bushes. To do this, dig up the roots and cut with a knife or shovel. Rhizome treated with fungicide. Young plants in the first year of life before the winter period require shelter. 
Basics for Clary Sage
Care for sage is very simple. It requires only regular weeding, loosening the soil and watering during dry periods.
Watering rules
To water the plant is demanding only before flowering. Subsequently, it can easily endure a short-lived drought. However, if there is such an opportunity, during dry periods the flower should be watered moderately. Excess moisture sage does not like.
Soil care
The first loosening of inter-rows is carried out in March to a depth of 8-10 cm. Subsequent - as needed, when a crust is formed on the soil and after watering, about 3-4 times a year. This procedure will improve the access of oxygen to the root system of the flower. Also, the plant loves the soil around it to be clean from weeds, so periodically it needs to be pampered with weeding. In winter, sage should be covered with spruce leaves or dry leaves.
How to fertilize clary sage
In spring, the plant must be fed with mineral fertilizers. 12-15 g of ammonium sulfate, 20-25 g of superphosphate, 8-10 g of potassium salt are applied per square meter. Can be fertilized with manure.
When and how to prune the plant
Like most herbs with thick buds, clary sage requires pruning. This should be done with a two-year plant. Cut 10-15 cm from the ground in autumn or early spring. But the pruning procedure is carried out only if the inflorescences are not cut for drying.
Did you know? Besides the fact that clary sage has decorative and healing qualities, it is also a wonderful honey plant. Its medoproductivity is 200-300 kg per 1 ha.
Pests and Diseases of Clary Sage
Sage nutmeg can affect white rot, powdery mildew. For the prevention of diseases it is important to follow the rules of crop rotation (do not plant sunflower next to it and after it), carefully clean up post-harvest residues in the fall and carry out deep digging of the soil before sowing. The treatment must be carried out by sparing folk or biological means, since the use of chemicals on plants for human consumption is dangerous.
Also, the plant is subject to attacks of pests: winter moth, sage weevils and ticks. Roots gnaw wireworms, medvedki. The sage mosquito causes the greatest harm to the flower, whose vital activity can completely destroy the inflorescences, as well as the sage jay. In total, sage is affected by 40 species of insects.
For pest control, cultivating between rows, timely destruction of weeds, planting nearby scare plants, processing with biological or insecticidal preparations is used.
Sage Harvesting and Storage
Sage leaves for eating are cut off as needed, usually before flowering. Inflorescences can be cut as soon as the plant begins to bloom. The only thing, do not touch the bushes intended for collecting seeds. Fresh leaves are added to soups, sauces, salads. Of these, you can brew tea.
If the plant is grown for the extraction of essential oil, inflorescences are removed during the flowering period and prior to fruiting. Mass harvest will be collected only in the second year of plant life. After each cut, it is advisable to feed sage with a solution of a mineral garden mixture.
When harvesting sage nutmeg for the first time, leaves and inflorescences at the beginning of flowering are cut and dried in bunches in the open air under a canopy or in a dry well-ventilated room at a temperature of + 25-30 ºС, while avoiding direct sunlight. The attic is also suitable for drying, it is possible to dry leaves there not in a hover, but put them on paper. Dry leaves are stored in tightly closed boxes or glass jars for no longer than two years.
We hope you no longer have additional questions about the beneficial properties of clary sage and about the features of its cultivation in open ground. This flower can show its decorative qualities in landscape design as a plant of the second plan, a background for low-growing crops. Apply sage in the beds and mixborders, to decorate borders. Use under cut in bouquets.
