Looking to add that special flavour to your dish? Or calming greenery to your kitchen? Well, potted herbs can do the trick!
Whether it's for use or for scenery, herbal plants are great to have at your home. Not only do they provide your food with such great flavors, they also fill the air with a lively fragrance and are easy to grow and take care of.
Here is all you need to know about herbs care:
Light
A general rule for most herbs is that they love sunlight!.
Sunlight helps them thrive, grow and adds richness to their flavor.
If you have a window, balcony or garden that gets sun most of the day, they will absolutely love it there. They can also adapt to spaces that get less hours of sun, but the more the merrier for herbs.
Water
We know the confusion you might feel approaching this step with your green family, but we are going to give you our best tips:
General rule:
Most herbs do not like too much water and they are fairly drought tolerant, so make sure not to over water them.
The perfect condition for your herbs is for them to be kept in a moist soil, which is somewhere between dry soil and wet soil.
When watering, make sure to water only when the soil is dry. And provide your herbs with a bit more water on heated days so they can tolerate the heat and enjoy the sun.
If you are still on trial basis, start with smaller quantities of water as it is easier to recover a plant from underwatering than overwatering.
Still not sure about the water?
There are a few ways to test the water needs of your plants, here are our favorites:
The index rule - For Small to Medium Sized Pots
Start by sticking your index finger in the soil, if the soil feels damp and it sticks to your fingers, then your plant doesn't need water.
But if the soil feels dry and it doesn't stick to your fingers, then it is time to water your herbs.
Placing your finger about an inch into the soil will help you know if your plant needs water or not.
Skewer - For Large Sized Pots
For herbs in bigger pots, it is better to use a long skewer to help you reach deeper into the soil.
Similar to the index rule, if the skewer feels damp and soil sticks to the skewer, then do not water the herbs.
If the skewer feels dry and the soil doesn't stick to it, then it’s time to water your herbs.
Soil Meter
There are different kinds of soil meters, but their main purpose is to measure the moisture of the soil. All you have to do is insert the meter end deep into the soil to get a reading of the moisture level.
Some meters will take a while to read, so you will need to leave it in the soil for a couple of minutes while other meters can give you an immediate reading.
Check out our Three Way Soil Meter which reads immediately for both indoor and outdoor use.
Cut Cut Cut!
Now for the best part! Whether it’s for your detox water or your dish, cutting your herb is an important step for it to nourish and grow.
It’s fairly easy, all you need to do is cut the stem from the base of the plant leaving around 5 to 10 cm.
When cutting from leafy herbs, ensure that you are cutting from one of the main stems and about a centimeter above the leaf buds nodes.
Locate an area where leaves grow from it, also known as the ‘node’, and cut a centimeter above it.
Or you can simply pinch off the leaves you need for immediate use.
All these techniques help herbs grow and become bushier. Just remember to use a sharp cutting device to give the stems a clean cut, this avoids plant diseases and stem splitting.
Check out our secateur that is perfect for pruning your herbs.
Pro tip
Most herbs grow beautiful blooming flowers around the year; As gorgeous as they are, they take up nutrients from the plant that are better used by the leaves to ensure a strong flavor and bigger growth.
All you have to do is cut or pinch off the flower and then you are good to go.
Cut away flowers that grow on herbs, such as basil flowers.
Now go ahead and enjoy your lovely herbs!
Or if you don’t have them yet, check out our potted herbs page.