Just two weeks ago my thyme plant looked like this. Today, it is totally totally and utterly DEAD. Crisp, in fact. Boohoo. I kid you not, I have a black thumb. Forget fresh western herbs in our Manila garden (except oregano, which nothing kills). This was the last attempt. And since it is Easter, I am hoping my bushy thyme plant will miraculously come back to life soon…
17 Responses
MM nakalimutan mong tubigan o sobrang tubig, di bali my dry thyme ka na. Welcome back
Have you tried growing it indoors? Maybe just put it out under a very shaded place every weekend or something. What kind of soil did you use? Thyme dislikes close, cold soil & excess mositure. They’re more inclined to grow in gritty soil [ie. calcareous light, dry, stony soil]. Ah, well… Good Friday and all that… Maybe try replanting it. Maybe the roots haven’t died yet. Worth a shot.
i also had the same experience. tried to grow fresh herbs in our garden but they died just after a couple of weeks. i found out that it was the ants that killed them. one time i discovered the plants to be swarming with ants from the branches to the leaves. i tried to use an organic fertilizer (dried chili peppers & h20) to keep off the ants and it worked but after a few days, the plants died. i also took great pains to make sure that the plants had enough sunlight and just the right amount of water, but to no avail. any tips on how to grow them successfully?
Hi, It appears that you repotted it? Perhaps it didn’t get over transplant shock? You could always buy another one and try again :)
if you ask me, better stick to the tropical herbs and spices like thai basil. ;)
Forgive me for beinng mean, but…
I just have to laugh. :)
You need to meet Mrs. Green :-) Check out http://www.greenhearts.com for local herbs plus tips on how to care for them.
nakalimutan mo lang diligin. also, perennial herbs like these do better in the ground. if you want seeds, i can send you some. thyme should actually do fine there as long as it’s adequately (but not overly) watered. chaka pag sobrang init puede nga siguro sa loob muna.
Yup, I also killed a lot of herbs – thyme, rosemary, lavendar. They are all similar in their requirements: strong sun, and as Michelle mentioned, they don’t like overly wet soil. The good thing is, most of the common herbs are readily available. There’s a store in SM Megamall near National Bookstore. They sometimes have rosemary, tarragon, and at least two kinds of basils – Thai and Sweet.
One time, I had about twenty rosemary plants, carefully propagated from branches of my mother plant. Well, one by one, they all went to heaven. I have better luck with basil, galanggal, and different flavors of mints. My present favorite is this very mild flavored basil, with large leaves. I use it like lettuce leaves in sandwiches. No trace of camphor or that pine-y overtones that I sometimes get from my stronger-flavored sweet basil. It’s summertime, though, so the oils are more concentrated, and most of my basils are over the hill – so the flavor is strong. A bit unpleasant, actually, if I use it in large quantities, so pesto-making is on hold for now.
I still have lots of kaffir lime leaves, though, MM. If your supplier runs out, and you are in the mood for Tom Yum, I can give you some, next time I’m in Manila.
Ron
And forgive me, too, but that was a witty message from Rey. Dried thyme, haha!
WOW! ok na ok yan sa Pork Dinuguan ko, pahingi naman Mr. MM
Again, amusement in the oddest areas…thanks for the comments… and Ron, thankfully I have a huge established kaffir lime just four feet outside my window where I write this post…
The sight of a dried-up thyme plant is all too familiar. Accept my condolences MarketMan, believe me I know the feeling. Heheh.
I dream of one day filling all the planters in our patio seating section with herbs instead of ornamental plants, but I guess I have to wait for my black thumb to turn green before attempting it.
i love your site and i’ve been looking around here for 2 hours now (ayayay, trite, but true).
the dead thyme made me cross over from stealth mode. i kill plants too. i got a bunch of herbs (rosemary, lavender, chocolate mint, sweet basil, and thai basil) from an officemate a year ago. to date, only the thai basil has survived, and only because it’s pretty easy to make cuttings and propagate. i’m sure the mother plant died a long time ago.
i never learn, though, so i plan to go buy some more plants to kill soon (shh, don’t tell them). i haven’t been to the garden (the proprietor’s husband just brings them to me when we have a meeting), but the place i get them from is hierba which is somewhere in new manila. not too expensive, although they start small (more chances to traumatize the poor things). they have email (jardindehierba@yahoo.com) but no website.
betty, welcome to the site and thanks for visiting and leaving those links…
thanks marketman! :D
sorry about your thyme — it’s such a sad and painful sight and I commiserate. the trick to giving mediterranean herbs (like thyme, rosemary, lavender, sage) a better chance at success in our tropical climate is to NEVER let their leaves stay wet overnight. For thyme, in fact, it would be best to avoid wetting their leaves altogether except when you spray them with organic foliar fertilizers. Even then, spray them early in the morning. The problem, however, is that they also like lots of sun! So it’s tricky finding them a comfortably cool spot, shielded from the rain but getting lots of sunlight! Hope you have better luck next time. There’s no such thing as a black thumb — you just need a greener mind :-)