Thyme only appears to thrive as a herbaceous perennial. In truth, a steady lignification spreads from the base. Harvesting alone does not prevent the unwanted request. Only an annual pruning preserves the premium quality of the Mediterranean aroma artist. Read here when and how to properly cut thyme.

Even when harvesting, care should be taken to ensure an even cut

Table of Contents

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  1. Types of cuts and dates
  2. plant cutting
  3. maintenance cut
  4. taper cut
  5. frequently asked Questions

    6. Types of cuts and dates

    In addition to regular harvesting, you should subject your thyme to maintenance pruning. A simple pruning ensures compact, well-branched growth. Without pruning, lignification and bare vegetation will prevail, giving rise to regeneration pruning. This overview summarizes all the important types of cutting for a premium quality thyme:

    cut type goal/occasion best appointment
    plant cutting compact growth, rich branching in spring after planting
    maintenance cut Control of lignification, continuous regeneration spring or summer
    taper cut revitalize neglected thyme late February to early March

    Pruning encourages branching

    With a pruning, you direct thyme into the desired growth form as a compact, luxuriantly branched herbal plant. It is mainly small, weak young plants that benefit from the tried and tested method of cutting. The best time for the prologue in cutting care is between March and May. This applies regardless of whether you have decided to plant in autumn or spring. How to do it right:

    • Remove initially damaged or frozen shoots
    • In the next step, cut back all shoots by a third or half
    • Rule of thumb: the weaker a shoot, the harder it is cut

    If thyme finds its way into your garden as a vigorous young plant, you can reduce pruning to pinching. No scissors are required for this. Grasp a shoot tip above the next promising pair of leaves between your thumb and forefinger and snap off the herbaceous piece. Planting pruning or pinching will be at the expense of the first flowering period. The reward for the little effort is a stable, lush branching.

    tips

    If the plants are cut before the ice saints in mid-May, protect your young thyme from delayed ground frosts with fleece. If meteorologists announce overnight temperatures below freezing, throw the warming, breathable cover over the young plant. During the day, the little sun worshiper should not remain covered.

    Maintenance pruning prevents woodiness

    In order for thyme to meet the high expectations, it is not enough if you prune the plant in connection with the harvest. Only an annual maintenance cut prevents progressive woodiness, promotes the growth of aromatic annual shoots and guarantees the advantageous hemispherical growth habit. The best time is in spring. If you miss this date, the Mediterranean herbal plant will be cut after the flowering period. That is how it goes:

    • Sharpen scissors, clean with hot water and disinfect with spirit
    • Cut back the shoots all around by one to two thirds
    • Leave shoots slightly higher in the center to create a hemispherical shape
    • Caution: always cut in the leafy area

    Do you cultivate a blossom thyme without using it as a kitchen herb? Then cut off faded flowers after the main flowering period. With suitable weather conditions and in a sunny location, the Mediterranean beauty puts on its flower dress again. After the second bloom, there is no further maintenance pruning, so that the plant can reliably mature before winter and is prepared for frost.

    Cut back thyme by two-thirds each spring. Avoid cutting the wood. The hemispherical shape ensures a light-flooded, richly leafed growth.

    digression

    Cut thyme with scissors

    With delicate flowers and aromatic decorative leaves, thyme harmonises wonderfully with roses. Anyone who decides on the decorative duo uses the rose scissors for both garden beauties. Rose scissors have all the qualities that are valuable for a maintenance cut on thyme. The special scissors even master the thinning out of heavily lignified shoots without any problems. Important to note when purchasing is the design as bypass scissors with two sharp cutting edges.

    Rejuvenate senile thyme

    If the pruning of thyme is limited to occasional harvesting, massive lignification of the shoots is inevitable. That's no reason to uproot a well-established plant. As long as thyme has leafy, herbaceous parts to offer, a pruning for a rejuvenation can fix the problem. How to properly revitalize thyme in beds and pots:

    • The best time is late February/early March with mild, overcast weather
    • Grasp a woody shoot with a heavily branched, leafy head and bend it to one side
    • Set the scissors in the leafy area, as close as possible to the beginning of the bare woody growth
    • Trim every single bottom shoot in this way

    Thin out completely lignified and dead branches at the base. Ideally, pay attention to a hemispherical shape for light-flooded growth. With a little luck, the radical pruning will elicit fresh shoots from the rootstock for a new growth of the subshrub. Then you administer an organic fertilizer that supports the revitalization.

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    Never cut subshrubs into the wood

    Thyme thrives as a Mediterranean subshrub with a woody base and herbaceous annual shoots. Thus, the cut care moves on an equal footing with magnificent lavender and spicy rosemary. The floral ambassadors from the Mediterranean refrain from creating sleeping eyes along the woody areas. After a cut outside the leafy area, you will look in vain for fresh shoots. Regular cutting prevents progressive lignification and promotes the desired, herbaceous shoots and aromatic leaves.

    frequently asked Questions

    Is thyme hardy?

    The most popular types of thyme are all reliably frost-resistant, provided the location is sufficiently sunny and permeable and dry. These include common thyme (Thymus vulgaris), fragrant thyme (Thymus odoratissimus), cushion thyme (Thymus doerfleri) and wild thyme (Thymus pulegioides). Wild thyme is the heartiest kind with up to - 30 degrees winter hardiness. The winter hardiness of lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus) is limited. In the bed, the garden treasure cannot do without extensive winter protection. In the pot, a frost-free winter quarters is strongly recommended.

    When is the best time to prune thyme?

    Shortly before the beginning of the flowering period, the sap pressure in all herbal plants pulsates at a maximum level. At this time, the aroma content of the leaves is also at its zenith. Thyme lovers prefer to harvest whole shoots just before the flowers open. The best time of day for crop pruning is late morning when the morning dew has evaporated. What the kitchen cannot use freshly harvested is dried upside down in an airy place in a small bundle.

    I keep real thyme in the balcony box. Can the herbal plant overwinter outside?

    Naturally, thyme is reliably hardy in our regions if it thrives in the bed. In the limited substrate volume of a balcony box, however, the Mediterranean plant is vulnerable to severe frost. Equipped with a winter coat made of jute, foil or garden fleece, thyme can hibernate outside. However, harvesting is then usually not possible. If you want to continue harvesting, move the box to the windowsill, for example in the kitchen.

    Dwarf Thyme 'Minor' thrives as ground cover in my rock garden. Is this variety edible?

    As long as consumption is limited, dwarf thyme is not poisonous. The variety does not come close to the aromatic spiciness of real thyme. With a growth height of 5 to 10 centimetres, there is hardly any material available for use as a kitchen herb. The primary goal of breeding was a decorative function as a widespread flowering and scented shrub.

    Does Thymus vulgaris form stolons? Should I plant the plant with a root barrier to keep it from spreading throughout the garden?

    Primarily real thyme and all varieties derived from it tend to form runners. For this reason, the herbal plant is often used as a decorative ground cover in the rock garden and on dry stone walls. Where propagation is not desired, we recommend lining the planting pit with a root barrier.

    Our thyme has bloomed magnificently in the garden for four years. Recently the plant seems to be dying in the middle. What to do?

    Many types of thyme tend to grow densely in the center. The high pressure causes the plant to bare at this point. A split fixes the problem. In the spring, dig up the root ball. Cut the plant in half or even more parts. Use this opportunity to cut off bald, compacted areas. Then plant the root ball pieces at the previous or new location.

    The 3 most common cutting mistakes

    Thyme has an aversion to cutting into wood or in late fall. At worst, the Mediterranean herbal plant reacts to these cardinal mistakes in pruning with total failure. The following list names common cutting errors by name with recommendations for skilful prevention:

    cutting error damage picture prevention
    cut into the wood sparse growth or total failure Always cut thyme in the leafy area
    Radically pruned beet thyme in autumn massive frost damage Rejuvenate bedding varieties in spring
    never cut premature lignification, decreasing crop yield cut back vigorously once a year
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    tips

    The air is the ideal preservation medium for thyme in the bed and lemon thyme in the pot. Shortly before the flowering period begins, cut off a whole cluster of the aromatic shoots and bundle the harvest into small bouquets. Hung upside down in the dark, airy attic, stems and leaves dry within 8 to 10 days.

Category:

Herbs