Harvest Rosemary: When And How?

Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:31 pm

Rosemary harvest provides you with aromatic cuttings of the Mediterranean spice bushes. For optimal flavor, the harvesting process must be done correctly. How to do this, you will learn in this guide.

• best time to harvest just before flowering
• in the morning
• harvest a maximum of one third
• cut thoroughly
• use clean and sharp cutting tools

Timing

To preserve the full aroma of rosemary and not negatively interfere with the growth of the plant, you should always harvest at the right time. Just the right time of pruning ensures that the shoots do not lose their aroma intensity. Excellent for this is the time before flowering, because the plant now puts all its energy into the formation of new leaves. Depending on the region, Salvia rosmarinus blooms from mid-March to September. So you should know about when your plant starts to bloom to avoid a certain loss of aroma. To do this, pick a suitable day with the appropriate characteristics as the harvest time a few days before. The following days are recommended:

• sunny
• dry
• warm
• no danger of night frosts

Furthermore, you need to pay attention to the time of day to avoid problems with moisture:

• in the morning
• at noon

Dew must be dried

Note: You can always cut individual rosemary branches throughout the year if you are keeping a container plant. When doing so, be sure to always harvest only small amounts so as not to weaken the shrubs.

Harvesting tool

To avoid harming the Mediterranean herb unnecessarily during harvest, you need the right tools. You should only use tools that ensure a clean cut without bruising. The following are excellent for this purpose:

• Garden shears
• Rose shears
• Garden Sheep Shears
• Tinkering scissors
• Knife

Note: Always disinfect and sharpen the tools before the harvest cut. This is the only way to protect your specimens from pathogens and fungi that can easily enter the cut wounds through the blades.

Harvesting Rosemary: Instructions

As soon as there is a suitable time to harvest rosemary, you can reach for the shears. The following step-by-step instructions will explain how to harvest properly:

• Start by scouring the rosemary bush for diseased and withered shoots. Remove these completely so that the plant does not expend unnecessary energy on them after the harvest cut. You can dispose of the cuttings in the compost or organic waste.
• You can remove a maximum of one-third of the young, non-woody shoots. These have the most needles and do not negatively affect the further growth of rosemary due to pruning. This is one of the most important points in these instructions.
• Always prune in close proximity to the woody part of a shoot. By doing this, you will encourage the rosemary plants to continue to sprout. Put the scissors or knife to work and cut the shoot thoroughly. In this way, you quickly and effectively harvest rosemary.

Rosemary harvest: care after

After a successful yield, you still need to take care of the spice bushes a little, so that their vitality does not suffer from pruning. Check the soil for dryness via the thumb test and water if necessary. While rosemary tolerates and prefers drier soil, a little moisture is recommended after harvest pruning.

If you are harvesting in late spring, you should now apply the annual slow-release fertilizer. This is simply worked into the substrate to effectively provide nutrients to the herbs. The following are suitable as slow-release fertilizers:

• mature compost
• Horn shavings

Frequently asked questions