Creeping Thyme: How to Grow And Care For Them

Creeping Thyme: How to Grow And Care For Them

Herbs are one of the most beneficial plants to grow, it is always enough to know that you have one plant that can serve many purposes, including being decorative!

Apart from being beneficial, many herbs are perennial, which means that they can live for more than two years. The problem a lot of people have is finding a low-maintenance herb to grow. We also understand the fear of unsuccessfully growing a plant, especially indoors! The truth is that there are many low-maintenance herbs that you can grow indoor and in your garden.

We discovered some, and here we will be providing you with the information you need to grow and care for one of our favorites – The creeping thyme.

Creeping Thyme Explained

Common nameCreeping thyme
Botanical nameThymus spp.
Plant typeHerbaceous perennial
Sun exposureFull sun
Soil typeWell-drained
Soil PhNeutral
NativeSouthern Europe, Northern Africa.
ToxicityNon-toxic

The creeping thyme is a woody, perennial species of the thymus genus. A native of northern Europe, western Asia, and Northern Africa, it is also commonly referred to as the mother of thyme. The creeping thyme is a low crawling, ground covering flowering plant, excellent for adding colors to your garden or on your lawn. The plant is known for having light-haired leaves and stems.

Growing to only about 3 inches tall, the creeping thyme plant is known to quickly fill up wherever it is planted as a ground cover. Like most plants in the thymus family, the creeping plant can be used for culinary purposes, and also boasts of having a pleasant scent like its family members.

How To Care For Your Creeping Thyme Plant

Still, on the thymus family, some can be grown upright, however, others who fall into the creeping category, grow with a vine-like habit. The plant produces different colors of flowers, depending on the type of species you purchase and grow.

Growing Creeping Thyme

Growing creeping plant indoors and outdoor is an easy task to perform; this is because the plant can grow in a wide range of conditions. This has made it especially, the perfect plant for beginners.

The creeping thyme plant is perfect for you if you are looking to cover up some space in your yard or garden. We cannot totally recommend the creeping thyme as a decorative plant, however, the creeping thyme has other benefits such as culinary, medicinal, and beauty!

Although knowing how to grow the creeping thyme is easy, neglecting it from the beginning is setting it up for an unhealthy life. Providing the right condition is germane to your plant’s growth.

Creeping Thyme Requirements

Because of the origin of the thymus, the creeping thyme may have a slightly different care guide from the regular plants. Thus, we have provided requirements that model the plant’s origin, to give you a healthy plant.

1. Light

Members of the thymus family are sun-loving, and this does not exclude the creeping thyme. The sun your plant wants to get has to be a model of the Mediterranean. It is best to select a pot for your plant where it can get access to full sunlight. If you intend to grow your plant indoors i.e. during winter, your creeping thyme can live under fluorescents too.

2. Water

Overwatering your plant is signing them up for root rot. Your creeping thyme enjoys being placed in moist soil; hence, it has to be moderately watered. We recommend that you create a watering schedule that will help you provide water for your plant according to its needs. When your plant is just growing, the soil must stay moist; as they require that for proper growth, however, once they are grounded, they will rather be kept dry than over-watered.

3. Temperature

Creeping thyme and other members of the thymus family enjoy being placed in hot climates, as long as it is synonymous with their native. It is best to keep the home temperature between 60 to 80 degrees F. If you will be growing your plant indoors.

How To Care For Your Creeping Thyme Plant

4. Humidity

Contrary to many other plants, the creeping thyme does not enjoy humidity. Humidity can cause the loss of their leaves or make their foliage unattractive. If you are growing them indoors, you should place them in a room that will provide humidity at a minimum. This also means that they cannot be in rooms with high humidity levels i.e. bathroom and the kitchen.

5. Fertilizer

Your creeping thyme will grow properly without being fertilized; they enjoy their soil, a little bit without nutrients. However, if the soil outdoor is too poor, then you can provide your plant a little dose of fertilizer, indoor, it is best to get them the right potting mix and let them grow that way. The only time you feed your thyme indoors is when you do not want it to bloom.

6. Soil

When preparing the type of soil that your creeping plant will need, the most important factor is that your soil has to be well-drained, and this is the ideal soil guide for most plants. Creepy thyme can live in a wide range of soils as long as they are well-drained; however, we recommend a sandy mixture.

You can also add organic matters that can aid in well-draining soil. Although the plant can thrive in the pH of any soil, you can provide between 6.0 to 8.0.

Creeping Thyme Propagation

Propagating the creeping thyme is an easy one to do. The thymus species can be propagated via seed, stem cutting, and stem cutting. You also do not have to worry about getting the seeds of the creeping thyme because they are readily available everywhere. The steps below will show you how each process is done.

Propagating Creeping Thyme via Seed

  1. Purchase your seeds and carefully place them into a container of soil prepared for your plant. Press the seed with your fingers so it goes lightly into the soil.
  1. Because of the hot need of the thymus, the soil should be kept at temperatures between 64 degrees F and 75 degrees F.
  1. Keep the soil moist; however, it must not be overwatered. We recommend the use of a spray bottle to water.
  1. In about 2 to 3 weeks, your seed will begin to germinate.
  1. As your plant increases, you can proceed to provide regular creeping thyme care for it.

Propagating Creeping Thyme via Stem Cutting

  1. Identify and healthy and mature plant and make some cuttings of about 2 inches from it.
  1. Dip the bottom of the cutting into rooting hormones
  1. Prepare your soil in a container and place your cutting in it.
  1. Keep the plant moist. In 2 weeks, your cutting should produce its root.

How To Care For Your Creeping Thyme Plant

  1. Unlike plants from the tropical regions, the creeping thyme is from the Mediterranean; hence it needs a high dose of sun. It can survive in partial sunlight, however, be warned that your plant will not grow as it should if placed in the shade.
  1. Although the creeping thyme may not be susceptible to most diseases that other plants suffer from, bad drainage can lead to its end. The plant is not tolerant of wet feet; you must do all you can to make sure this doesn’t occur.
  1. For a vining plant such as the creeping thyme, pruning is important. Pruning in the early spring prepares your plant for the growing season ahead.
  1. When kept indoors, you may have to fight off mealy-bugs and whiteflies off your plant. You can do this with the use of Neem oil.
  1. Creeping thyme is non-toxic to your pets.

Final Thoughts

Being a perennial plant, you can have the creeping thyme for many years, although they may not be available at all seasons. Apart from its beautiful flowers, the creeping thyme can be harvested for culinary and medicinal purposes.

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