What now for my oregano?

[Abbot]

I have the most superbly flavored oregano in a pot for the second year. It did not bolt last year but flowered this year. Unfortunately, I did not crop the flower heads and now the plants look pretty ratty with a lot of dead leaves, leggy stems etc. I have read that oregano is a perennial, so will these plants start growing again? Should I cut them back short? Other than last year I have no experience with oregano.

[shel]

I'm anxious to hear what the experts have to say. I was gifted with a potted oregano plant, and the leaves were small, many yellowed, and the plant looked scraggly. I transplanted it yesterday (late in the season, but it looked as though I'd lose it otherwise). The root system was poor and the soil appeared to be a lot wetter than it should have been. I hope I can save this little fella ...

Were I you, I'd probably cut the plant back a bit.

Shel

[Joyfull]

My Oregano is in the ground, no pot, but it does re-grow every year AND re-seed like crazy if you don't cut back the flower heads!
I've already cut and dried what I need, and my plant is now like yours with developing seed heads. I'll be loping them all off in the next few days. I do this a couple of times through the growing season, once in July (I cut back by half) and late in Sept. I cut the whole thing back till the plant is about 3 inches high..

Some info you might find helpfull..

Getting Oregano Right

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Oklahoma Gardening - GardenWeb

[shel]

Originally Posted by Joyfull

Some info you might find helpfull..

Getting Oregano Right

This is the Oklahoma gardening forum on GardenWeb You might enjoy signing up for this, its free and loaded with great info!

Oklahoma Gardening - GardenWeb

A friend also sent me the first link. It had some useful information.

When I transplanted my oregano it was quite obvious that the soil was quite wet. Does oregano need a dryer soil for best growth? It's only been a few days (less than a week) since the plant was repotted. It's been resting in a semi-shaded area since the operation. How long before it can be moved to full sun. Is full sun OK for potted Greek oregano?

Shel

[Joyfull]

Originally Posted by shel

A friend also sent me the first link. It had some useful information.

When I transplanted my oregano it was quite obvious that the soil was quite wet. Does oregano need a dryer soil for best growth? It's only been a few days (less than a week) since the plant was repotted. It's been resting in a semi-shaded area since the operation. How long before it can be moved to full sun. Is full sun OK for potted Greek oregano?

Shel

My oregano gets full sun till early evening. Its in a plot with other herbs and a few Iris.. I don't water that often, maybe twice a week as they all prefer drier soil..

I've never grown oregano in a container but I would think it should still be on the drier side for proper growth..

As for the full sun for your oregano, it should be fine as long as its not really hot where you live, and that your pot is not black..

Also, for the moving to full sun from planting.. I would do that gradually..
A couple of hours a day at first, then move it back to semi shade. Just keep repeating that step each day, or every other day if the sun is super hot, until your plant is in the sun full time..
I know that sounds like a pain to do, but I've found from trial and error thats its been the best way to get the plant acclimatized..

[shel]

Originally Posted by Joyfull

I've never grown oregano in a container but I would think it should still be on the drier side for proper growth..

That's what I've concluded having read further on the subject.

As for the full sun for your oregano, it should be fine as long as its not really hot where you live, and that your pot is not black..

No black pots here - got a couple of nice light colored pots with earth-tone accents. They look kinda nice actually. Generally it's not too hot here - rarely will it get into the nineties during the growing season.

Also, for the moving to full sun from planting.. I would do that gradually..
A couple of hours a day at first, then move it back to semi shade. Just keep repeating that step each day, or every other day if the sun is super hot, until your plant is in the sun full time..
I know that sounds like a pain to do, but I've found from trial and error thats its been the best way to get the plant acclimatized..

At night I put 'em under the overhang and the during the day they get partial sun in the morning. Right now the day is overcast, so the're out in their normal, full sun, spot. It's not a pain at all - I enjoy spending some time with the plants.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Seems like we're on the same page, as it were ...

Shel

[mitmondol]

Shel, I have oregano in a pot for at least 6 years.I usually just let it do whatever it wants to do in the Summer and cut it way back later in fall. It keeps on growing even in Winter (well, I live in Ca).
Nothing can relly hurt it.
All my other herbs are in big pots too, some even longer than the oregano.
They get full sun all day and not too much water.
My rosemary is the only one in the ground. Unfortunatelly I let it grow too big this year. Normally I cut it back a LOT, even so it is a 7 footer!
But without cutting it would be over the roof.
Now the poor thing didn't get the right trimming and it seems the trunk can not carry it much longer.
Chopped most of it off, hope it was not too late..

[shel]

Originally Posted by mitmondol

Shel, I have oregano in a pot for at least 6 years.I usually just let it do whatever it wants to do in the Summer and cut it way back later in fall. It keeps on growing even in Winter (well, I live in Ca).

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's helpful to know that the plant may be hardy enough to withstand my ham-handedness <LOL>

Shel