If you know how to grow marjoram, you can add it to your herb garden. While fertilizing your marjoram is not a must, regular feeding can help it become more lush and full. If you decide to fertilize your plant, give it a liquid herb mixture once a month, according to the instructions on the label. Alternatively, you can supplement the plant`s soil with organic matter to increase nutrient density. The peach aphid (Myzus persicae) is a common pest that likes to attack marjoram. It is a tiny, teardrop-shaped green insect that sucks sap from plants, leaving behind a sticky substance called honeydew. Use a timed dipping hose or watering can pointed at the ground. Marjoram can develop mold at high humidity, especially when watered above the head. Allow sufficient distance between plants to promote good air circulation and reduce watering during the winter months. Fungal rust appears as yellow/orange spots on marjoram leaves that spread by wind or water droplets. Early treatment with a good organic fungicide can slow the spread of the disease, but is usually difficult to treat.

Infected plants should be pruned to ground level and the foliage destroyed. When growing marjoram seedlings, it is usually best to start the seeds indoors in late winter or early spring. Push the seeds just below the surface of the soil. Seedlings can be transplanted outdoors as soon as any danger of frost has passed. Growing marjoram in the garden is quite simple. Here are some tips for caring for your plants and keeping them healthy throughout the season. Keep the pot moderately moist, but not soaked. Within two weeks, your cutting should have developed roots. Choose a sheltered sunny site with well-drained soil to grow marjoram. For plants grown in a container, mix perlite or horticultural gravel in your potting soil to facilitate drainage. Lift the containers with legs or risers from the bottom so that the pots can flow freely.

Marjoram plants can be grown in pots alone or with other herbs with the same growth needs as oregano, thyme and rosemary. Plant sweet marjoram in the spring as soon as there is no longer a risk of frost. Sweet marjoram grows slowly, so you should start with young plants instead of seeds. Choose strong sweet marjoram seedlings from Bonnie Plants®, which has been helping home gardeners succeed for over 100 years. Plant them 12 inches apart in full sun in rich, well-drained soil with a pH between 6.7 and 7.0. To improve the nutrition and quality of your existing soil, mix compost or Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® general purpose soil enriched with aged compost. When planting in pots, fill them with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® all-purpose container mix, which also contains nutrient-rich compost. While marjoram plants don`t necessarily need to be mulched, if you`re struggling with rust in your garden, you can put wood mulch around the plants to prevent water from splashing them. For best results, marjoram needs fertile, loamy soil. This plant prefers a neutral pH around 7.0 but can withstand a wide range of 4.9 to 8.7. Sometimes called sweet or knotted marjoram, this member of the mint family is often included in the classic French blend of herbs of Provence. Cutworms (Agrotis spp.) chew the base of plants and kill them.

They are usually active at night, making them difficult to spot, until you go out and find your marjoram lying on the floor. The first line of attack is to spray the plants with a strong explosion of water to knock them out. This is sometimes enough to keep populations small enough so that plants do not suffer. A sprawling marjoram plant can be easily layered by attaching a healthy outer branch to the ground, covering it with soil, and watering it regularly. Within a few weeks, the stratified stem has formed roots and can be cut from the mother plant and planted in its new home. What part of marjoram do we use? We eat the leaves, fresh or dried. When preparing to use it, discard the stems. Conventionally, marjoram has been used medicinally as a tea for its sedative and as an oil for its antiseptic properties. It is useful as a digestive aid and can also be used externally as an essential oil to apply bruises, sprains, and inflamed tissue. Marjoram is loaded with calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium and contains vitamins A and C.

Studies suggest that marjoram`s high antioxidant content may be helpful in protecting the liver (1) and regulating the cycles of women with polycystic ovary syndrome. (2) When supplied with sufficiently light and well-drained soil, marjoram is an easy herb to grow. Marjoram and oregano are closely related plants that both belong to the mint family. They even look like bushy grasses with small leaves. However, the aroma and taste of oregano is much stronger than that of marjoram. Oregano is spicy and slightly bitter, while marjoram is sweeter and more floral. You can usually start harvesting marjoram leaves about two to three months after planting. Fresh marjoram can be stored in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic for four days. You don`t have to worry. It is actually the flower buds that form.

Sometimes it is called knotted marjoram because the buds look like small knots. In fact, this is the phase where sweet marjoram tastes its best, so if you plan to dry something for later use, this is harvest time. Can I grow marjoram indoors? Yes, you can grow marjoram in a sunny place or under the light of plants. Growing marjoram from cuttings is easy. Find a mature plant and cut down to half a dozen stems at least six inches long. Pick the leaves from the lower thumb of the stem, soak them in the root hormone, and then plant them in pre-moistened soil. You can use a wand to make a hole for each rod and then gently nest the bottom around it once it is inserted. In the kitchen, marjoram complements almost any meat, fish, dairy or vegetable dishes that are not sweetened. For best results, plan to sow seeds six to eight weeks before the last frost in early spring.

Fill the container of your choice with soil up to about an inch from the top. Spread a pinch of marjoram seeds on the surface of the soil and be sure to spread it as evenly as possible. Water with a watering can so that the soil is completely moist and do not worry about the movement of seeds – they are very tiny, and the movement of the soil by water will help to cover them with a thin layer of soil. Marjoram (Origanum majorana) is a perennial herb closely related to oregano. It is evergreen in zones 9 and 10, but in most areas it is grown either as an annual or potted plant that is brought indoors in cold weather. The low-growing plant has a hilly, shrubby appearance with aromatic, oval, gray-green leaves that extend about an inch long. Tiny white or pink flowers bloom from mid to late summer, although they are not particularly visible. Best planted in spring, marjoram grows slowly and eventually becomes a spreading ground cover.

Note that marjoram`s gastrointestinal irritants make it technically toxic to humans and pets.