The Best Watering Practice To Keep Garden Rosemary Flourishing All Season

Rosemary's beautiful fragrance and culinary usefulness in the kitchen makes it a garden essential for many. It's a relatively easy plant to care for as well, though not entirely maintenance-free. Despite the herb being drought tolerant, you should still check on your rosemary regularly and plan to water it every week or two if you haven't been getting any rain.

While rosemary does require water on occasion, it's essential not to overwater it. This can lead to the plant developing root rot. One of the early signs of root rot is the tips of the rosemary plant turning brown. This could be a particular concern if you haven't planted your rosemary in well-draining soil. 

Because rosemary's leaves don't droop the way many other plants' do when they need water, you'll need to find other ways to tell when your plant needs irrigation. Check to see if the top 2 inches of soil are dry and only water when they are. When you're watering your plant, make sure to do so thoroughly and fully soak the soil.

It can take some time for rosemary to grow, and you may need to water your plant more often when it is first getting established. Consider watering the plants around twice a week during this period, especially if it's not raining. However, once your rosemary is established and thriving it's time to back off the watering and cut back to once a week or less.

Another situation where you may need to water a bit more often is if you are growing your rosemary in a container, as container plants need to be watered more often than plants grown in ground. During especially hot and dry times of year, herbs like rosemary may even need to be watered as often as once a day. If you grow your rosemary in herb gardens, be sure to pair it with other herbs that thrive in similar conditions, like thyme or sage. Herbs like cilantro and dill require more frequent watering and different soil, so they aren't ideal companions for your rosemary plant.