Organic cultivation of Thyme

Soil

The plant prefers a light but fertile and calcareous soil for good growth and oil content. But on heavy, wet soils the aroma of the leaves will be less and there are chances that the plants may dry up soon.

Climate
A warm climate is best suited for this crop. It can be grown both in the hills and the plains. Hilly regions are best suited for its cultivation.  The plants are susceptible to frost.

Season

The seeds may be sown in nursery during April. Late summer is the time for transplanting the seedlings or planting rooted cuttings.

Propagation

Thyme can be propagated by seeds and vegetatively by division of old plants or by cuttings or by layering of side shoots in March or April. The seeds are sown directly in rows or the seeds are sown in well prepared nursery beds in good soil. 3% solution of Panchagavya or 10% CPP solution can be used to soak the seeds or cuttings for 20 minutes before planting. This treatment increases the germination of the seeds or rooting percentage of the cuttings. Good soil is preferred for nursery because the seedlings are very small and remain inconspicuous for several weeks after germination.

Land preparation

The land is prepared well by repeated ploughing or digging and brought to a fine tilth. Then the land is divided into plots of convenient size.

Sowing/planting

When the seeds are sown directly, they can be sown in rows 90 cm apart and later when the seeds germinate the seedlings may be thinned out to 30-45 cm within the row. While, planting the seedlings or rooted cuttings or layers etc. they are planted 30-45 cm apart in rows, 60cm apart. A light irrigation is provided after planting.

Manures and fertilizers

No information is available on this aspect also. Since, the crop is planted late in summer, the crop requires frequent irrigations during the dry period.

Intercultural operations

Intercultural operations and weeding are done at regular intervals to encourage good growth of plants. In the hills in order to avoid frost injury to plants during winter, mulching is done. Foliar spraying of 5% neem oil, 10% vermiwash and 3% dasagavya should be done once in a month.

Pests and diseases

The plant is not damaged by any pest of serious nature, but wilt disease is a major problem in this crop. This disease can be controlled by improving the phytosanitation.

Harvesting and yield

The leaves and flowers which are used for culinary and medicinal purposes are harvested five months after sowing/planting. The leaves and flowers are plucked from the plants or shoots of about 15 cm are cut off from the plants, dried in shade or in dryer immediately after harvest and stored in air tight containers to prevent the loss of flavour. The dried leaves are curled, brownish - green colour, usually not longer than 6-7mm. The dried shoots may also be powdered and packed. Under favourable conditions the yield of dry herb is around 1,100 - 2200 kg per hectare. The yield is comparatively low during the first year. The plants become woody, and replanting becomes necessary after three or four years. For extracting the oil, fresh herb is collected at the stage when it just start flowering. At the time of collection the lower portions of the stem, along with any yellow or brown leaves needs to be rejected.

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