Marjoram is not only an ornamental, spicy, but also a medicinal plant. The leaves, stems and seeds contain essential oil, with a pleasant aroma and pungent aftertaste. In its natural environment, this perennial shrub is found in Southwest Asia, North Africa, in our country it is grown as an annual herbaceous plant.
Uses of marjoram
For medicinal purposes, this plant is used as a sedative, antispasmodic, choleretic agent. Marjoram also stimulates the stomach and intestines, stimulates appetite.
Marjoram is used dry and fresh as a seasoning for meat and vegetable dishes, marjoram is added to salads, sauces, fruit juices, liqueurs, tinctures, etc.
How to plant marjoram
Planting site and soil for marjoram
For marjoram, you should choose a sunny and humid place, the soil should be light, neutral, well-drained, nutritious.
The best precursors of marjoram are: cabbage, onions, potatoes and legumes.
In autumn, when digging up the future place of planting marjoram, the soil must be fertilized with organic and mineral fertilizers.
Reproduction of marjoram
Marjoram is propagated most often by sowing seeds for seedlings or in open ground.
See also:ORCHIDS – ORCHID CARE
Sowing marjoram seeds for seedlings
Marjoram seeds are sown for seedlings in early April, in boxes filled with moist soil, to a depth of 1 cm. Marjoram is very fond of heat and humidity, the air temperature for seedlings should be high, about 25 ° C. For seeds, air humidity is very important, we cover the crops with a film, glass, or newspaper. If the above conditions are met, marjoram seedlings appear up to 20 days after sowing. In the phase of 2 true leaves, marjoram seedlings need to be dived, at a distance of 5 cm between plants, or planted in single pots with peat and humus. 2 weeks after picking, we feed the plant with dissolved mineral fertilizers. We plant ready-made seedlings according to the scheme: 15 cm between plants, and up to 35 cm between rows. You can plant marjoram seedlings after the threat of night frosts has passed, in early June.
Sowing marjoram seeds in open ground
You can sow marjoram seeds directly into open ground, but this should be done no earlier than mid-June. If you sow marjoram seeds outdoors, you should know that the development and growth of plants will be slower than planting seedlings grown at home.
Dig up the prepared (fertile soil that we prepared in the fall) area for sowing, make a furrow up to 1 cm deep, spill it with water, sow seeds, sprinkle with earth. Before and after sowing, the soil is slightly compacted. After 2 weeks, seedlings (cotyledons) should appear, and if they sprout too thickly, plant them.
