How to cultivate the Hyssop
How to cultivate the Hyssop
The officinal hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.) is an aromatic herbaceous species belonging to the Lamiaceae family. It is a plant known and cultivated since antiquity for its therapeutic properties (expectorants, digestive) and for uses in the kitchen. In this contribution we see how to cultivate the hyssop and useful expedients.
The hyssop is a very rustic plant that adapts quite well to the different pedoclimatic situations resisting even at low temperatures. It is a plant that grows well even in pots so it can be successfully raised even in the home as long as it is positioned in the sun.
Irrigation must be very moderate as it is a plant that grows well in dry soils and does not tolerate damp environments.
Hyssop does not require particular soils, preferring however a slightly stony, dry, calcareous and well exposed substrata.
It is a very rustic plant and does not require particular attention regarding fertilization.
Hyssop blooms in the summer, July and August.
At the beginning of spring then (March-April) the plant can be energetically cut the stem about 10 cm from the ground to give vigor to the plant.
The hyssop can be multiplied by seed or by cuttings.
If we multiply by cuttings, cuttings of about 5-7 cm long cuttings are taken from the basal shoots of the plants in April-May.
It is always recommended to cut with a sharp blade to avoid the fraying of fabrics and taking care that the blade is well cleaned and disinfected if possible to the flame, to avoid infecting tissues. The leaves placed lower down are eliminated, and the cuttings are arranged in a compound formed by a part of peat and one of sand making holes with a pencil, as many as the cuttings to root, gently compacting the soil.
In the first phase it is advisable to keep the soil constantly moist and once the first shoots begin to appear, it means that the cutting has rooted. At that point they are transplanted in the open field or invaded.
If you want to reproduce the Hyssopus officinalis by seed, this operation is carried out at the beginning of spring, in March, in a compost for seeds if carried out in pots or in containers or in April if carried out directly in the field as the seed has a good germination. The seedlings will be planted at the beginning of autumn (in the period of September-October).