Greetings, human caretaker. I am your oregano plant. While I may appear to be simply sitting in my pot, I am a living system with specific needs, especially during the dark, cold season you call winter. To help me not just survive but remain healthy indoors until spring, you must understand my perspective. Here is what I require.
Out in my natural Mediterranean home, I bask in long, intense hours of direct sunlight. Your indoor world is dim and confusing to me. A dark corner or a north-facing window is a sentence of decline. I will become leggy, stretching my stems weakly toward any light source, and my leaves will lose their potent flavor. Place me directly in your brightest south-facing window. If your home is naturally dim, a supplemental grow light placed a few inches above my foliage for 12-14 hours a day will feel like a perfect summer day to me, keeping me compact and flavorful.
My relationship with water changes completely indoors. The cooler temperatures and reduced light mean my growth has slowed nearly to a halt. I am drinking very slowly. The soggy, perpetually wet soil that would be a welcome drink in July is now a death sentence for my roots. They need oxygen as much as they need water, and cold, wet soil will suffocate and rot them. Please water me only when the top inch to inch-and-a-half of my soil is completely dry to your touch. When you do water, do so thoroughly until it runs from my drainage hole, but then let me drain completely and do not let my pot sit in a saucer of water.
The dry, stagnant air produced by your heating system is stressful for me. While I don't require tropical humidity, extremely dry air can make my leaf tips crispy and make me more susceptible to pests like spider mites, who thrive in such conditions. However, I also fear stale, stagnant air which encourages fungal diseases. A gentle solution is to occasionally place me on a pebble tray filled with water (ensure my pot is on the pebbles, not in the water) to create a localized humid microclimate. Alternatively, a small, oscillating fan set on low at some distance will provide a gentle breeze, strengthening my stems and keeping the air fresh around my leaves.
I appreciate you saving me from the killing frost, but please do not place me directly above a heat vent or radiator. The blast of hot, dry air is shocking and dehydrating. I prefer a cooler spot, with temperatures between 55-70°F (13-21°C). This cooler period is my natural time of rest. Do not fertilize me. My system is not actively growing, and a dose of fertilizer will not be used for growth. Instead, it will accumulate in my soil, potentially burning my sensitive roots and disrupting my crucial dormancy period. Let me rest.
You may harvest a few leaves for your cooking, but please be conservative. I have minimal energy to regrow what you take. Pinch off leaves or stems from the top, just above a set of leaves, as this encourages me to bush out slightly rather than become leggy. Finally, inspect my leaves—top and underside—regularly. The stress of the indoor environment can make me vulnerable to aphids and spider mites. Catching them early makes dealing with them much easier for both of us, perhaps with a strong spray of water or an application of insecticidal soap.
