Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) care

Herbs & edibles · needs attention to keep

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) wants full sun. Water it weekly. Let the pot dry out well between waterings. Indoor rosemary is almost always killed by overwatering, and it gives no warning before it goes. Pot it in gritty, free-draining, on the poor side. Very little — a weak feed twice over the summer, and repot once a year. Humidity: room humidity is fine, with air moving. Non-toxic to cats and dogs; edible.

Rosemary: a Mediterranean shrub growing on thin stony hillsides, which tells you everything about what it wants — full sun, gritty compost, and to be left dry. Indoor rosemary usually dies suddenly and without warning, and the cause is almost always a pot that stayed wet.

Quick facts

Water: Water weekly. Let the pot dry out well between waterings. Indoor rosemary is almost always killed by overwatering, and it gives no warning before it goes.
Light: Full sun.
Humidity: Room humidity is fine, with air moving.
Soil: Gritty, free-draining, on the poor side.
Feeding: Very little — a weak feed twice over the summer.
Repotting: Repot once a year.
Toxic to pets: Non-toxic to cats and dogs; edible.
Difficulty: Needs attention.
Mature size: 40–80 cm in a pot.
Native to: The Mediterranean.

Watering a Rosemary

Water weekly. Let the pot dry out well between waterings. Indoor rosemary is almost always killed by overwatering, and it gives no warning before it goes.

That cadence is the one PlantParlour sets for this species when you name it, and it is deliberately on the cautious side — a plant that asks a day early is safer than one that asks a day late. Log each watering and the reminder moves with the plant rather than with the calendar.

Light

As much direct sun as possible. Supermarket basil dies indoors mainly because a kitchen windowsill gives it a fraction of the light it needs.

Humidity and temperature

Room humidity is fine, with air moving. Central heating in winter is what turns a comfortable room into a dry one, and it is the usual reason an established plant suddenly browns at the edges or picks up spider mites.

Soil and potting

Rosemary is a Mediterranean shrub growing on thin stony ground. Gritty free-draining compost, and a terracotta pot, are much closer to right than rich compost.

Feeding

Very little — a weak feed twice over the summer. Stop feeding in autumn and start again when you see new growth in spring — feeding a plant that isn't growing just builds up salts in the pot.

Repotting

Repot once a year. Basil is an annual. Rather than repotting, take cuttings through the summer and start new plants.

Common problems

Suddenly brown and dead with no warning
Root rot from a pot that stayed wet, or dried out completely once.

Fix: Let the top half dry between waterings and use gritty compost in terracotta.
Powdery white mildew
Still humid air indoors.

Fix: Improve airflow; rosemary is happier outdoors whenever the weather allows.

Propagation

Cuttings root in a glass of water within a week. This is the practical way to keep basil going year-round.

A cutting taken in PlantParlour keeps its link to the plant it came from, so a propagation years later still traces back to the mother plant — which is the point if you ever sell or trade it.

Toxicity and safety

Non-toxic to cats and dogs; edible.

Questions people ask

How often should you water a Rosemary?

Water weekly as a starting point — that is the cadence PlantParlour sets for Rosmarinus officinalis. Let the pot dry out well between waterings. Indoor rosemary is almost always killed by overwatering, and it gives no warning before it goes. Light, pot size and the time of year all move that number, so treat it as a reminder to go and check rather than a rule.

How much light does a Rosemary need?