It grows in almost every garden, but there are a few points to consider when caring for parsley. How to properly prune, water and fertilize parsley.

With parsley, the whole leaves are always cut off, including the stalks

The parsley (Petroselinum crispum), which originates from the Mediterranean region, has been a common medicinal and aromatic plant since the Middle Ages. In this article you will find out what you should consider after sowing and planting parsley in the care of the umbelliferae (Apiaceae).

Caring for parsley: cutting parsley

The parsley can always be harvested. When cutting the parsley, it is important that you only ever cut off the individual leaf together with the stalk with scissors or a knife. You must not injure or even cut the heart of the parsley plant, otherwise the plant will not be able to reproduce new leaves.

If the growth center of the parsley is preserved, it will continue to develop new foliage after the harvest

When cutting, make sure not to cut off too many leaves of the parsley so that the herb can recover well from the cut and carry out sufficient photosynthesis. So cutting off the parsley correctly isn't rocket science. This is how you get your regrowing, fresh supply of the spicy leaves.

Water parsley

During the main growing season, i.e. from sowing in spring to flowering in the following year, you should water your parsley regularly. Compared to other Mediterranean herbs, parsley needs a relatively large amount of water. It prefers moist soil and less direct sunlight. Especially as a young plant after germination and in midsummer, it quickly suffers from a lack of water. However, when watering parsley in a pot, care must be taken to avoid waterlogging. How often you have to water parsley depends on the temperatures. However, the soil in the pot or bed should never dry out completely, because the green herb doesn't take it well.

With parsley in the pot you should avoid waterlogging

Fertilize Parsley

When fertilizing parsley, it depends on the selection of thecorrect fertilizer. It requires medium levels of nitrogen and potassium, and little phosphorus. Under no circumstances should the leaf parsley be fertilized with fresh manure. This contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus and is therefore too hot. The parsley clearly loses its aroma and its growth can be severely restricted by the sharp, fresh organic fertilizer.
Mineral nitrogen fertilizers such as blue grain are just as unsuitable, since the kitchen herb tends to use the nitrogen, which is often released too quickly, as nitrate and store nitrite in the leaves. The herb is then loaded with an excess of nitrogen when harvested, which is sometimes classified as harmful. Coffee grounds contain only 2% nitrogen, so parsley can be fertilized with it.

A good fertilizer for parsley, both in beds and in pots, is a purely plant-based, predominantly organic long-term fertilizer such as our Plantura organic universal fertilizer. The nutrients contained are only released very slowly but evenly by soil organisms and thus reach the plant roots. Nitrogen over-fertilization is avoided, and soil life is stimulated at the same time. To do this, work the granulated fertilizer into the surface of the parsley rows after planting and then water regularly. A second fertilization takes place after about two months, and the third one in the spring of the following year.

Parsley turns yellow: causes and measures

If the parsley turns yellow, this is usually due to a lack of molybdenum or, more likely, a lack of magnesium. If the leaves turn yellow but the veins of the leaves remain green, this can be an indicator that the parsley is too acidic. A magnesium deficiency shows up early in the year if the location is not suitable. Regular liming provides long-term relief and often also improves the soil structure. Rarely and late in the summer, old leaves turn an entirely pale yellow due to a lack of nitrogen. The yellow leaves of the parsley are of course still edible. If, on the other hand, the parsley turns red, this is a sign of stress, such as waterlogging, but also nematodes or carrot fly infestation.

Leaf discoloration in parsley has a variety of causes

Parsley won't grow: you can do that

If the parsley is not growing, there can be various reasons.

  • If the parsley is too shady or too sunny or on unsuitable soil, it is worth transplanting. You can read more about the location in the article Growing parsley.
  • Parsley will hardly grow on depleted soil without nutrients. Soil improvement measures can help here.
  • If a nutrient deficiency could be the reason, fast-acting fertilization with an organic liquid fertilizer such as Plantura organic indoor and green plant fertilizer is the best solution.
  • If the pot is waterlogged, a drainage layer with good water drainage will help.
  • Pests and diseases in the bed can be combated naturally with good neighbors and a balanced mixed culture.

Winter Parsley

Overwintering adult plants is not a problem because parsley is hardy. No winter protection is required, but it also does not form fresh leaves in the cold season. If the plants are in pots or if parsley is overwintered on the balcony, it is best to choose a place that is as frost-free as possible and protect the pots and plants in severe frost. In smaller pots with little soil, however, there is a high risk that the plant and the substrate will freeze through. Even hardy parsley can't take it. Such small pots of parsley are best kept indoors, cool and bright on the windowsill of an unheated room. If you don't want to do without fresh parsley when cooking in winter, you can cultivate it in a pot on a bright, warm window sill.

Parsley is hardy and does not need winter protection

By the way: Although parsley is considered an annual, you can continue harvesting until the second year blooms and the next generation emerges.

Caring for parsley in pots: special features

Maintenance is also important for potted parsley. Transplanting is important when buying or seeding a pot of parsley plants. Here the planter is often too small to provide enough soil for the kitchen herbs until they bloom next year. A well-rooted ball of soil should therefore be moved to a larger container. To do this, fill the prepared pot about a third full with pre-fertilized soil, such as our Plantura organic universal soil. The high compost content retains water while providing a loose, permeable structure that your parsley will benefit from. In addition, add some mostly organic long-term fertilizer, remove the root ball of the parsley from the old pot and place it in the new container. Fill this up with soil and press down lightly. Immediately after repotting, you should water the parsley and bright, but notplace in full sun.

Young parsley should be repotted a few weeks after sowing

Tip: Parsley flowers in the course of the second year. It is therefore usually only cultivated as a kitchen herb for one year. If you buy or sow new parsley the following year, you should avoid fertilizing and reusing the old parsley soil as much as possible. Because the parsley is highly incompatible with itself - and also with other umbellifers, such as the carrot. So it would hardly grow and ail in the preloaded soil.

There is also a large selection of different varieties of parsley. We introduce you to the best parsley varieties for growing in pots and borders.

Category:

Herbs