Thyme

[riceke]

Originally Posted by stormymater

OK - need advice - my thyme is out along the inside edge of my raised beds - it does get uber hot here. The thyme looks beautiful ten gets long straggly twiggy w/green leaves only on the ends, then nothing. This occurs over the summer. The bed is used to grow tomatoes but the thyme is on the south side- getting full sun & drier than beneath or to the north of the maters. The thyme is NOT mulched. I have had it overwinter & try to push out new growth - but it fails. I have tried trimming but that seemed to hasten the inevitable. No mildew or mold seen (unlike the sage). Any advice? I have started 4 big burly plants - lemon, orange, French & English - not in the bed this year but in pots w/native loamy sand - no amendments. They are on my deck - OMG, were they ever heavy to tote up the stairs! Full all day sun? 6 or so hrs am sun? I can place them on the east facing deck to adjust light. Water? I wonder if the plants in my bed got too dry? Any advice appreciated. Oh - fertilizer? I never have but have rabbit, chicken & bull poop & the blue stuff (LOL). TIA

Stormy...I have the same problem...every year I buy a plant or two and transplant it into a sandy soil but later it seems to dry up with leaves only at the ends. If I cut it back it won't sprout until cool weather arrives. What bothers me is that the instructions say plant in sandy soil, don't overwater and don't fertilize but it seems like it recovers when Fall comes with rain and cool weather. I'm confused as well but determined.