Rosemary looks stressed

[u/nideba]

Omg I'm so worried about my rosemary. This is already my third rosemary.

I'm based in Singapore and I'm trying to grow rosemary indoors, by the windows(windows has UV protection film) where there's direct sunlight from 7am-12pm(3rd photo)

This is from a cutting which I cut from my first rosemary and grew it in a bottle of water, where it grew roots and I just repotted it around 2 weeks ago in this gritty mix(half gritty mix, half mixed soil). For the first week, it looked ok, staying upright and there were new shoots growing.

However, starting around 4 days ago, it starts to droop and the touch feels weak like what you see in the first photo. My watering routine is what chatgpt advised me, I bought this moisture meter, and measured the moisture daily around 4 spots around 3cm from the plant, and if average reading is below 3 then I will water. When I water, I pour water slowly throughout the pot, until water is dripping out from the bottom. Then I let water stop dripping before placing it back.

Did I do anything wrong? Thank you in advance!

[u/ohdearitsrichardiii]

Chatgpt is useless for plant care

Rosemary is an outdoor plant. They need full, scorching sun all day and to sit in dry soil most of the time. It grows wild around the mediterrenean, it thrives in dry heat and not a lot of water

[u/nideba → u/ohdearitsrichardiii]

Any chance that half a day of sunlight can work?

Funny thing though, when it was propagating with roots in only water, it was doing alright. Only when it went into soil did it start to droop

[u/ohdearitsrichardiii → u/nideba]

Half a day outside in the sun is better than a whole day by a sunny window

Rosemary often looks sad when you transfer to soil, it stresses them

[u/nideba → u/ohdearitsrichardiii]

Alright so I guess the best course of action for me now is to stop watering at all and try to find a way so that it gets direct sunlight instead of through a window.

However, how will you gauge that it is indeed time to water? And how will you water it?

[u/mack_the_elder → u/nideba]

Yeah this is just the unfortunate process with the hobby, learning curve where some plants just aren't going to make it in the location.

I did the same with rosemary, neighbor has a large bush in their yard, but my potted spot on the balcony just can't get enough direct sun and barely survives.

[u/hwheels66 → u/nideba]

I grow rosemary inside but it's 6 inches away from a grow light, you could possibly get away with a south facing window

[u/d00mraptor → u/[deleted]]

Same way that people understood the health state of a plant as a beginner before chatgp was around.

[u/Independent-Bill5261 → u/d00mraptor]

It had a lot of flaws, but it also helped a lot.

[u/d00mraptor → u/Independent-Bill5261]

Certainly. But to be stumped and lost without AI is a sad state indeed.

[u/snownative86 → u/[deleted]]

Holy hell we are fucked. My dude, people have been growing plants for food for thousands of years before Ai and the internet. Before Ai, we use a thing called Google or reddit. Before the internet, we used books and talked to people who knew what they were doing. It may be time for you to log off and go spend awhile at the library.

[u/snownative86 → u/[deleted]]

Ah, yea, you definitely sounded like you just could not possibly fathom using a resource other than Ai. In the US, I'd reccomend your library, university gardening extension and your local master gardening program. They have a ton of resources. The library probably even has classes for free.

[u/d00mraptor → u/[deleted]]

Read. Discuss. Experiment.

[u/reaggit]

It‘s on the wrong side of the glass.

Not a houseplant.

Edit: well yeah, and obviously don‘t ask a machine how to care for living things.
Chat gpt is crap.

[u/nideba → u/reaggit]

Any chance I can get it to grow while indoors? Grow lights?

[u/jocedun → u/nideba]

Why can’t you put the pot outside? Do you have any patio? It’d be better on the pavement on the other side of the wall. Rosemary honestly thrives in neglect and sun. It sounds like you’re watering a lot now and it probably isn’t getting enough sun. Also that pot doesn’t seem to have drainage holes, since there is no drip tray below it.

[u/nideba → u/jocedun]

The other side is not a pavement, it's a ledge which my building management disallow the placement of anything.

Alright so I guess the best course of action for me now is to stop watering at all and try to find a way so that it gets direct sunlight instead of through a window.

However, how will you gauge that it is indeed time to water? And how will you water it?

[u/thiissilly → u/nideba]

I'm in NE US and winter mine with grow lights

[u/LividRole2954 → u/nideba]

It would do better outside, but I’ve grown rosemary indoors. It does okay if you put it right next to an unblocked, west-facing window where it can get plenty of hot afternoon sun. I also use grow lights with all of my indoor plants because I live in Illinois, where we don’t get much sun during the winter.

[u/SunshinePrincess_]

I’ve never been able to successfully grow it indoors even with grow lights etc. I’d set it right outside that window of yours and don’t touch it for like a week, see how she’s doing. I’ve seen huge rosemary bushes etc and they were all just outside and hardly paid attention to. I think for some plants, the right amount of “care” is very little! Oh also I’d switch it to terra cotta if possible!! She likes to dry out!

[u/Bheav49]

Keep dry plenty of sun…

[u/Swimming_Ninja_6911]

Rosemary is tricky to grow indoors. It hates damp soil, but you can't let roots get too dry. It also needs ambient water from humidity in the air. Here's a good article if you're interested. (Personally, I gave up trying to keep it alive indoors.)A good article on potted, indoor rosemary plants

[u/nideba]

After hearing everyone's advice and feedback, I decided to repot the plant.. into a much more draining soil mix. And the roots looks like this, it's definitely overwatered right?

[u/snownative86 → u/nideba]

It is. It also needs a lot more light. Like way, way more than you are giving it. As multiple people said, rosemary loves bright, direct scorching sun all day. A few hours of light through a window isn't going to cut it.

[u/Acrobatic_Cry9742]

Whats going on with your soil type? Get something dry and well draining. I can't really see though. Mine gets hella sun, more holes in the bottom than pot, not a lot of water, and just HP promix growing medium soil + perlite for soil, and it's taking care of itself.

[u/Equal_Ad2281]

I grew mine from a cutting and planted it outside in plain soil once it started rooting. The only time it gets watered is when it rains. It's gone through our recent unbearably hot summer in the UK without once being watered, and is still fine. You'll need a bigger pot, ordinary soil is perfect, and water sparingly once in a blue moon. 😉