[UrbanSimplicity]

i have such a brown thumb!

i have herbs inside still in a window that gets very little direct sunlight but is bright. i thought i did a good thing by bringing them out these past 2 beautiful sunny days, but some are now all withered looking. --my rosemary looks good, thyme, cilantro and tarragon look ok but have some brown leaves underneath, but my oregano looks so SAD.

i'm always afraid of over-watering, but can herbs really be over watered? afterall, in summertime there are sometimes huge downpours. so perhaps i'm under watering?

btw, they have good drainage because they are still in their temporary pots in a large empty window box and i just put a towel underneath to catch the overflow until i plant them outside.

help! i'm off to a bad start!

 

[CultivatingMyRoots]

The towel underneath might be absorbing too much water, and they might be rootbound from being in tiny pots. That's how my plants act. Basically the soil can't hold enough water to sustain the plant, anymore, because the plant's water needs have grown.

Good luck, I consistently kill oregano, so the fact that it's made it this far means it likes you!

 

[UrbanSimplicity]

ah, i wondered about the towel, though i was thinking mold.

i think i will replant them this week in their permanent homes.

i did water them yesterday and they are all looking better today. do they need water everyday? maybe not the rosemary?

 

[FarmerCathy]

Did you put them in direct sunlight when you put them outside and for how long? It might be because they are not used to direct sunlight.

 

[cristeen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brooklyn lisa i did water them yesterday and they are all looking better today. do they need water everyday? maybe not the rosemary?

Rosemary is drought resistant, so even during the height of the summer, I only water it once a week at most.

Cilantro needs daily water, if it's really hot it may need twice daily - and keep an eye on it, because in hot weather it will start flowering and once it does it tastes nasty. Tarragon, oregano and thyme are a bit hardier and might be able to go every other day. Some thymes are hardier than others and may need even less water, but those are generally creepers, and not upright plants.

Of course that's all dependent upon the weather. In hotter weather, and dependent upon the size of the pot you put them in, their exposure to sun and wind and everything else, they may all need daily watering (except the rosemary which will die from too much water quicker than too little).

But I agree, if you took them from a spot with no direct sun into direct sun, you may have shocked or burned them. They need slow acclimatization. I put my plants in the window right on the other side of the glass from where they'll live and leave them there for about a week before taking them outside and transplanting them into their pots and leaving them in a half shady spot for a couple days before they go into their full-sun spot. And even so - just taking them outside (into full shade) today my arugula was droopy and scary within an hour just from the shock.

 

[UrbanSimplicity]

all right, i think that clarifies everything, thanks all