Hello, fellow sun-lover! We are Greek oregano, a hardy perennial herb known for our intensely aromatic, peppery leaves. To help us thrive in the confined world of a pot and become the lush, flavorful plant you desire, you must understand our needs from our perspective. Here is what we require.
Our roots despise being waterlogged. A soggy home suffocates us and leads to root rot, which is often fatal. Therefore, you must provide us with a container that has excellent drainage holes. A pot that is 12-16 inches in diameter is ideal, giving our root system ample space to explore. The soil is our bed and our pantry. We crave a well-draining, slightly alkaline to neutral growing medium. A standard potting mix amended with a handful of perlite or coarse sand for drainage and a spoonful of lime to raise the pH will make us feel perfectly at home, mimicking our native Mediterranean hillsides.
We are children of the sun. To produce the potent oils that give us our signature aroma and flavor, we need abundant, direct light. Please place our container in a spot where we can bask in a minimum of 6-8 hours of full sun daily. The more sun, the happier and more flavorful we become. When it comes to water, we prefer a "feast or famine" approach. Allow the top inch of our soil to dry out completely between waterings. Then, provide a deep, thorough drink until water flows freely from the drainage holes. This cycle encourages our roots to grow strong and deep as they search for moisture.
We are not heavy feeders. In fact, too much nitrogen from fertilizer will cause us to produce an abundance of bland, weak leaves at the expense of our essential oils. A single, light feeding at the beginning of the growing season with a balanced, organic fertilizer is usually sufficient for the entire year. What we truly crave is regular pruning. When you pinch or snip off our stem tips, just above a set of leaves, it signals us to become bushier and fuller instead of leggy. This also prevents us from flowering too early, which can make our leaves taste bitter. Harvesting our leaves is simply a form of pruning that benefits us both!
As perennials, we have a natural cycle of growth and rest. When temperatures drop and daylight shortens, our above-ground growth will slow down significantly and we may even appear to die back. This is not death; it is dormancy. We are conserving energy in our roots. If we live in a cold climate, please move our pot to a protected location, like an unheated garage or against a sheltered wall. Water us very sparingly during this time, just enough to prevent our roots from completely desiccating. Come spring, with warmer temperatures and more light, we will gratefully burst forth with fresh, new growth.
