Like so many Mediterranean plants, thyme is a real hunger artist. Optimally adapted to the conditions of its homeland, the subshrub develops very deep and widely branched roots, with which it draws the required amounts of nutrients and moisture from the soil. However, the plant is quickly overwhelmed with nutrient-rich or acidic soil.
The optimal garden soil
Commonly, thyme thrives where other herbs capitulate due to nutrient deficiencies. The plant loves lean, well-drained soil with a neutral to basic pH between seven and eight. Ergo, you should not necessarily place your thyme plants in humus-rich soil, but mix them with a good proportion of sand or gravel. Like other Mediterranean plants, thyme is ideal for planting in a low-maintenance gravel bed - in such a bed you also have little work to do to remove weeds.
Prepare garden soil for thyme
If you have soil in your garden that is not very suitable for thyme, you can prepare it accordingly before planting. You can do this as follows:
- Mark out the area where you want to plant thyme (and maybe other Mediterranean herbs).
- Now use a spade to lift out the soil, at least 20 centimeters deep.
- Keep in mind that thyme develops very deep taproots - the deeper the hole, the better.
- Now mix this soil with sand or gravel in a ratio of 1:1.
- Add expanded clay (€19.73) to the mixture if the original soil is too heavy and therefore not very permeable to water.
- Fill the planting area with the substrate mixture and loosen it well with a rake.
If the pH value of your soil - which you can easily check with commercially available test strips - is not yet in the optimum range, mix in some more lime.
The optimal substrate for pot thyme
Potted thyme also needs loose and sandy soil, and you also need to ensure good water drainage. Waterlogging should be avoided in any case, as this leads to root rot and thus to the death of the plant. You can achieve good drainage by filling the pot with small pebbles or expanded clay as the bottom layer. In addition, the pot - if possible made of clay or ceramic - should have a drainage hole in the bottom and stand on a saucer. Replant the thyme in fresh substrate once a year.
tips and tricks
Fertilize your thyme with lime once a year. However, if possible, do not use fertilizers with a high nitrogen content, as this leads to the plant becoming overgrown - nitrogen in particular stimulates growth.