Marianne's Response

Indoor rosemary maintenance

I’ve been trying with all my might and information gathered online, to raise healty rosemary plants to use in cooking. I start out with a list, green sturdy plant, usually about 8″ tall. It is included with 5 other potted herbs in my west-facing kitchen garden. The plants are all plush and healthy. I keep them under a grow light for 12 hours per day. Inevitably, within about 1 week my once healthy rosemary is covered in a silvery, powdery substance. I’ve read that it’s a kind of fungus and can sometimes be rinsed off with water. Once the fungus has appeared and been rinsed off, I’m not sure it’s safe to eat. I purchased some neem oil in hopes that maybe spraying the plant when it’s healthy will stave off the fungus. Any suggestions? I live in Utah and keep the herbs in the house year round with the 12-hour dose of an indoor grow light every day. I’d love to keep a rosemary plant safe enough to actually use in my cooking. Thank you!

Posted by Michelle Conrad on September 22, 2023

Marianne's Response

You get an A for effort but to grow this Mediterranean herb you must try to provide the hot, dry conditions with perfect drainage that the Rosemary loves. Start by growing in potting soil made for cactus or add half perlite to a regular potting soil so it drains quickly. Use a clay pot rather than plastic as this breathes easier and never let the pot sit in drainage water. Provide a warm and sunny spot away from sinks or cooking spaces that provide a lot of humidity. The fungus growing is a sign of poor drainage, too much water or too much humidity in the air. I would not eat moldy Rosemary. Clip back the plant to healthy foliage and see if the new growth is fungus free. Do not water Rosemary until the soil is completely dry. This may mean once every two weeks or even less in the winter. In your climate Rosemary would love to be outdoors in the summer absorbing the heat and sunshine. With these tips you should be able to keep a Rosemary plant alive but growing other herbs such as mint indoors might be easier under grow lights than sun and heat loving herbs such as Rosemary. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti