Can I harvest my rosemary when it has flowers and spider mites

Question

I brought my rosemary in for the winter and it proceeded to flower. Huh, didn’t know they did that (first time over wintering a rosemary)! What is the best remedy for mites – the flowers have little black things (assuming mites)?

Answer 1

First, the rosemary. Rosemary has several species in cultivation, all of which apparently flower at different times. The general rule seems to be to prune just after flowering – you can dry all these cuttings for use later, or root them. Pruning throughout the year removes the baby flowers, so you might not see any if you use a lot of cuttings. This article has more information: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/rosemary/growing-rosemary-plants-rosemary-plant-care.htm
Now for the bugs. Mites are generally whitish, or reddish. Black bugs could be a type of thrips, or some other bug, since you just brought the plants in from outside. Easiest way to get rid of them is to hold the plant under some hot water. Nice, hot water, not too hot for your hands, but hot. This will not harm the plant, but will kill the bugs. If the plant is too big to hold under the faucet, spray with a mix of mild dish soap (you can also use horticultural soap) and water, 1 tsp soap to 2 cups water, in a spray bottle. Spray down into the flower blossoms, and up under the leaves, and all over, till the plant is dripping. This, used for 3weeks at weekly intervals, should take care of any bugs. Then the plants are perfectly usable. ( You could probably use them with the bugs on them, for a little extra protein, but most people don’t care to do that.) Joking, just joking. This article has more information on homemade insecticide: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/organic/natural-home-pesticides-organic-garden-pest-control.htm