Caring for tarragon: cutting, overwintering & Co

The popular kitchen herb can be used for more than one year. The plant is easy to overwinter and, with proper care, will sprout again next year.

So that the perennial tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) can be harvested regularly, it should be cared for accordingly. Depending on the location, whether in a pot or in a bed, different care measures may be necessary. In the following we explain what needs to be considered.

Caring for tarragon: fertilize and water 

Especially when the tarragon is grown in a pot, it has to be watered carefully. It should never dry out completely. Therefore, if the drought persists, it must be watered occasionally if it is in the bed has been planted out - especially because the tarragon also only has a very shallow root system trains. Therefore, it does not reach the deep-reaching water reserves in the ground.

Tip: The young plants do not tolerate any competition for food. Therefore, they could be prevented from growing if other plants or herbs are in close proximity. For this reason, weeding should be carried out all around.

The tarragon is a weak to medium feeder. Depending on where it is planted, its nutritional needs can be met in different ways:

For cultivation in a pot, the first thing to do is to use a high-quality and rather moderately fertilized substrate. About every four to six weeks you should use a liquid fertilizer like ours Plantura organic indoor and green plant fertilizer be fertilized during the main growth phase of the tarragon until the end of June. As with our organic liquid fertilizer, the lion's share of the nutrients should be provided organically, because sudden nutrient spikes from a mineral source can affect the aroma formation of the tarragon - and after all, it is because of its taste cultivated.

If the perennial herb is grown in the bed, it promotes growth if you use compost or a primarily organic long-term organic fertilizer like ours in the spring Plantura organic universal fertilizer fertilizes.

Cut tarragon

Since the tarragon tolerates pruning well, up to three prunings per year do not bother it with good cultivation and especially in long, vigorous growing seasons. The recurring shortening to the basal, i.e. close to the ground, wood causes young, aromatic herbs to sprout again and again. However, you should be careful not to cut too deep. Before the onset of winter, the tarragon is subjected to a half-height pruning. The cut shoots can be placed on the root ball as winter protection. In colder temperatures, foliage can also serve as cover. The next spring, fresh, young shoots will sprout again, which can be used in the kitchen. How to Harvesting and storing tarragon can be found in our related article.

Sharing tarragon

Another important maintenance measure that should be done every three to four years is dividing and transplanting the herb. This serves to vitalize the plant and causes it to continue to grow vigorously and produce a lot of crops. For this purpose, the tarragon is dug up in early spring and the rootstock of the plant is divided using a sharp knife or spade. The individual pieces should be large enough and have at least two to three buds. These sections are now planted at a new location and maintained normally.

Hibernation: Is tarragon hardy?

All varieties of tarragon tolerate frost. The Russian tarragon is the hardiest, the French variety the most sensitive. While German tarragon can sustain frost damage, it is able to regenerate well. Therefore, take care of winter protection, especially with the French tarragon.
Specimens that have been planted in the bed can be covered with brushwood, twigs or a protective layer of leaves. The materials must then be removed from around mid-April so that heat and moisture do not cause fungal diseases.
Plants that are cultivated in pots can be placed in as bright a place as possible at an optimal temperature of 10 °C towards winter. Also in this phase you should not forget to water. Another option is to let the planters stay in place outside throughout the winter. They are wrapped with warming garden fleece or bubble wrap and thus insulated against the winter cold.

Common diseases and pests

Basically, the tarragon is quite robust and has little to fight against diseases and pests. Nevertheless, the following can appear in appropriate weather or certain conditions:

• Mildew: Due to prolonged periods of stress, the tarragon is particularly susceptible to powdery mildew. Here is between Powdery mildew (Erysiphaceae) and downy mildew (Peronosporaceae) to distinguish. The best conditions for powdery mildew to spread are dry, warm and humid weather and strong temperature fluctuations between day and night. You can recognize it by a mealy-whitish coating on the parts of the plant that can be wiped off. Downy mildew, on the other hand, occurs more frequently in damp, cool weather. The infestation is shown by a rather gray coating on the underside of the leaf and yellowish-brown spots on the upper side of the leaf. To prevent both types of mildew, the planting distances should be observed and over-fertilization should be avoided. Parts of the plant that have already been infected should be removed and disposed of with household waste.

• Rust fungus (Pucciniales): The rust fungus occurs mainly in damp weather and in shady places. It is spread by water spray and wind. Preventive measures include maintaining a sufficiently large plant spacing and possibly crop rotation. Moderate nitrogen fertilization is also beneficial here. If your tarragon is infected with the rust fungus, it should be dug up and discarded immediately. Unfortunately, in this case there are no other means of control for the home garden.

• Aphids (Aphidoidea): The tarragon is not always spared from aphids. As a preventive measure against these pests, high nitrogen doses should be avoided, as they could promote infestation. In addition, it is of great benefit if the natural enemies of the pests, such as ladybugs, are already in the garden. If the plant is already exposed to an infestation, something should be done urgently. When treating the plant, it is important that when using plant protection products, only approved products are used and the specified waiting times are observed.
  How one Control aphids can, is described in detail in our article. Also, there are different ones Home remedies for aphids. A particularly effective control agent is our biological one Plantura Organic Pest Free Neem, which uses the 100% vegetable and partially systemic active ingredient to achieve a rapid effect against biting and sucking insects such as aphids.

Now that you know all about caring for the herb, you may also be interested in how the multiply tarragon leaves. You can find a detailed explanation of the propagation procedure in our special article.