Plant Care Common Thyme

Common Thyme

4.4 out of 5 (14 experiences)

Common Thyme has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower
Common Thyme has a Survivor plant personality Survivor

Also known as

German Thyme, Garden Thyme and Thyme

Taxonomy

Thymus vulgaris
Thymus
Lamiaceae
Lamiales

How to care for Common Thyme

💩 Water

How often to water your Common Thyme

Water needs for Common Thyme
0.5 cups
every 9

Common Thyme needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.

Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Calculate water needs of Common Thyme

Water 0.5 cups every
9

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
☀ Light

Finding light for Common Thyme in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Common Thyme: 1ft from a window
1ft or less from
a window

Common Thyme love being close to bright, sunny windows 😎.

Place it less than 1ft from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.

Common Thyme does not tolerate low-light đŸš«.

Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Common Thyme in your home 🏡.

đŸȘŽ Nutrients

How to fertilize Common Thyme

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Common Thyme: repot after 2X growth

Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.

By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.

To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Common Thyme after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

Browse #Thyme
💡 FAQs
⭐ Difficulty Level

Common Thyme can be challenging to care for, according to some plant parents. Check out the reviews down below to learn from their experiences!

How to Grow Common Thyme →

Indoor Care Guide for Common Thyme →

Outdoor Care Guide for Common Thyme →


💩 Water Needs

Common Thyme prefers for the soil to dry out between waterings and should be watered regularly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.


☀ Sunlight Needs

Common Thyme requires abundant, bright and direct light. Place it less than one foot from a window to ensure it receives enough light to survive đŸ’Ș. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.

Common Thyme Direct Sunlight Needs & Tolerance →


đŸ¶ 🐈 đŸ‘¶ Toxicity

Common Thyme is not known to cause harm to humans or pets. Regardless, if you, a family member, a cat, or dog has ingested any plant material, please consult a doctor or a veterinarian.

Is Common Thyme Edible? →


💹 Humidity

Common Thyme doesn’t require additional humidity. Plants absorb most water through their root system rather than their leaves, so the best way to provide humidity for your plants is through watering the soil.

Common Thyme Humidity Needs →


đŸȘŽ Soil

Common Thyme does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick!

Best Pots for Common Thyme →

What Are Healthy Common Thyme Roots →


đŸ’© Fertilizer

Common Thyme grows very slowly and doesn’t require added fertilizer. Replacing your plant’s potting soil once a year should provide them with more than enough nutrition. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!


🌎 Native Region

Common Thyme is native to temperate Europe, North Africa, and Asia.


🌾 Flowers
âŹ†ïž âŹ‡ïž Growth Pattern

Common Thyme grows along the ground and sends out shoots which will spread across the soil.

Common Thyme Lifecycle →

Common Thyme Size Guide →


đŸŒŠïž Growing Outdoors
đŸŒ± Propagation

Common Thyme can be propagated by division into new individual plants.

  • Check to see if there is more than one plant. In some cases they may still be beneath the soil surface. If you feel confident, you may remove the soil to check for baby plantlets below!
  • If there are multiple plants growing, unpot the plant and gently tug the plants apart, being careful not to disturb too many of the roots. They may be connected by large root segments which you may need to break to free the plantlet.
  • Pot up the new plant in well-draining soil
  • Repot the parent plant back into its original pot

🍂 Yellow Leaves

Yellow leaves aren’t always a reason to panic, and can be a normal part of a plant’s life cycle. Unless brand new leaves are turning yellow or all the leaves change color at once, it’s likely just your plant shedding old leaves.

Overwatering and root rot are the most likely cause of problems in Common Thyme, since they are sensitive to wet soil. The leaves may also appear to be curling or drooping. Less often, yellow leaves are caused by underwatering, nutrient deficiencies, or pests.

Replace soggy soil with fresh, dry soil and download Greg to make sure your plant never gets overwatered again!


🧐 Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting a sad-looking houseplant, start by checking for signs of distress in its leaves, such as yellowing, browning, or drooping, which can indicate overwatering or nutrient deficiencies.

Inspect the soil moisture; too dry or too wet soil can cause problems.

Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of light, as too much or too little can stress it.

Finally, consider environmental factors like temperature and humidity, and adjust care routines accordingly to revive your plant.


Care Summary for Common Thyme

Common Thyme

Common Thyme


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 9 days

Placement

< 1ft from a window

Nutrients

Repot after 2x growth

Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.

What other plant parents say

Common Thyme has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 4
Common Thyme has a Survivor plant personality Survivor 4
Common Thyme has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 4
Common Thyme has a Easy to propagate plant personality Easy to propagate 1
@Rachellikesplants avatar
@@Rachellikesplants
leaf-1 2 Plants
xp 420 XP
globe Morristown, NJ
11/17/2021

It’s super easy to take care of thyme and there’s a lot of it but at the same time it does grow like a weed so if your plan is to put in a herb window box with other herbs be prepared to trim it often or else it will start to take over (but it won’t kill the other plants, your box will just look a mess)

Survivor Survivor
Dolores avatar
@Dolores
leaf-1 58 Plants
xp 3,028 XP
globe Indianapolis, IN
07/05/2021

Look

Fast grower Fast grower
Browns easily Browns easily
@MaximumRed avatar
@@MaximumRed
leaf-1 17 Plants
xp 1,185 XP
globe Indianapolis, IN
05/24/2021

It wants to creep and crawl.

Survivor Survivor
@aqua_miss avatar
@@aqua_miss
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 162 XP
globe Kaunas, Kauno apskritis
05/14/2021

for me it was very hard to grow it from seed.
After weeks of trying just 2 seeds was good !

Rachel avatar
@Rachel
leaf-1 8 Plants
xp 61 XP
globe Los Angeles, CA
04/21/2021

Easy to keep alive.

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