Creeping thyme Care (Watering, Fertilize, Pruning, Propagation) - PictureThis (2024)

Creeping thyme grow throughout many regions of the world and are often some of the best plants to use for foliage gardens. If you want to reap the full benefits of growing a Creeping thyme, in your garden, you should understand the basics of its care routine, with special consideration for fertilization. The information below will answer some of the most important questions related to fertilizing a Creeping thyme.

The leaves of the Creeping thyme comprise most of its main structure, and fertilization is one of the most impactful ways that you can ensure that those leaves look great while also serving their function. Proper fertilization will help your Creeping thyme hold leaves with consistent color and a healthy texture. Fertilization also works below the soil's surface to help your Creeping thyme generate new roots and maintain the roots that are already part of the root system. This means that fertilization will not just keep your plant healthy now, but it will also help your plant be better capable of absorbing soil nutrients in the future.

If you grow your Creeping thyme outdoors each year, this perennial plant will send new growth shooting out in early spring. The emergence of those leaves is a sign that the time is right to begin fertilization for the year. Often, a Creeping thyme will perform just fine with a single application of fertilizer when the spring arrives. However, if you wish to maximize the growth of your Creeping thyme, you can repeat the feeding multiple times throughout the spring and early summer. If you choose this route, you can feed your Creeping thyme about once every month to a month and a half.

Fortunately, choosing the best fertilizer for a Creeping thyme is a very straightforward task. These plants will thrive on a general-purpose garden fertilizer that has equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. A fertilizer that has a ratio of 10-10-10 or something similar will be very effective. When in doubt, be sure to avoid fertilizers that have high amounts of nitrogen.

Most of the best fertilizer for a Creeping thyme will come in a granular form. These fertilizers should be slow-release and will be very easy to apply to the soil. It can also be helpful to feed your Creeping thyme using an organic soil amendment such as compost.

Wait until your Creeping thyme has just barely poked its first leaves through the soil's surface in early spring. Once you see that sign, apply a granular slow-release fertilizer with a balanced formula to the soil that surrounds the base of your Creeping thyme. You can repeat a similar process later in the season if you choose. When reapplying fertilizer to a Creeping thyme, you should, again, apply the fertilizer to the soil at the base of the plant rather than to the plant itself. At times, this may require you to move some leaves out of the way to access the soil above the roots. It's also often a good choice to water your Creeping thyme before and after you feed it.

The Creeping thyme doesn't necessarily need to receive high volumes of fertilizer each year, which means overfertilization is entirely possible. If you overfertilize your Creeping thyme, you will likely notice first that the leaves have turned brown.

Overfertilization of Creeping thyme is especially common if you use a fertilizer that has higher concentrations of nitrogen. High nitrogen content will likely cause the leaves of your Creeping thyme to become discolored, lose much of their moisture, and begin curling at the margins. Many gardeners avoid such complications by limiting fertilization of their Creeping thyme to once per year in early spring.

In the late fall and winter, your Creeping thyme will enter a dormant phase in which it will no longer produce new growth. At this time, you should avoid fertilizing your Creeping thyme. If you choose to fertilize multiple times during spring and summer, you should begin reducing your fertilization rate as summer approaches, as your Creeping thyme 's growth rate will also slow.

Overall, it is never a wise choice to fertilize your Creeping thyme during times when the weather is unseasonably hot or when the soil is extraordinarily dry. Fertilizing in either of those cases can stress your Creeping thyme and cause it to perish prematurely.