Growing rosemary indoors is sometimes a tricky thing to do. Many good gardeners have tried, and despite their best efforts, end up with a dry, brown, dead rosemary plant. If you know the secrets to proper care of rosemary plants growing inside, you can keep your rosemary plants growing happily indoors all winter long. Most often, there are four things on the list of what kills rosemary plants indoors. If you can avoid these issues, your rosemary plant will live happily inside. Let’s look at how to avoid each. Most people aren’t aware that the lack of sunshine is the most common reason for a rosemary plant growing indoors to die. Often, rosemary plants are brought indoors without any acclimation. They go from six to eight hours of strong, direct light to four to six hours of weak or indirect light. The rosemary plant is unable to produce enough energy to stay alive on this amount of weak light and simply dies. The first step to preventing rosemary light starvation is to put your rosemary on a sunlight diet before you bring it indoors.

Several weeks before you plan on bringing the rosemary inside, move the plant to gradually shadier areas of your yard. This will force the rosemary plant to grow leaves that are more efficient at turning light into energy, which will help it cope with weaker indoor light when it moves inside. Once your rosemary moves indoors, make sure that you place it in the brightest window in your house, which is normally a south facing window. If your rosemary plant is not getting at least six to eight hours of light a day, place a lamp with a fluorescent light bulb as close as possible to the plant to supplement the sunlight. The second most common reason for an indoor rosemary dying is watering practices. Often, indoor rosemary plants are watered too little or too much. Make sure that the drainage on the container with the rosemary is excellent. Only water the soil when the top of the soil is dry to the touch. But, that being said, never let the soil dry out completely. In the winter, rosemary plants grow much more slowly and need much less water than they do in the summer.

Watering too often will cause root rot, which will kill the plant. On the other side, if the soil of the rosemary plant is allowed to dry out completely, the roots will die back and the plant will not have enough roots to support itself. Indoors or outdoors, rosemary plants are very susceptible to powdery mildew. Most homes don’t have the same air circulation as the outside world does, which makes this an even worse problem for the plant inside. The best way to drive away powdery mildew on rosemary plants is to increase the air circulation around it. Letting a fan blow on it for a few hours a day or taking it out of more high humidity rooms like the bathroom or kitchen, will help improve the air circulation. You can also treat the plant with a fungicide to help keep away the powdery mildew. To be honest, while pests may get the blame for killing a rosemary plant, most pests will only infest a plant that is already weakened. Unfortunately, most rosemary growing indoors, despite all best efforts, are growing in a somewhat weakened state.

The stricter you are with yourself about making sure that your rosemary plant is watered properly and gets enough light, the less likely pests will bother the plant. But, if your rosemary is infected with pests, use a houseplant pesticide to remove them. Since rosemary is an herb and it is mainly grown to be eaten, look for organic pesticides. One that is growing in popularity is neem oil, as it is very effective against pests but is completely harmless to humans and pets.Toy Shih Poo Puppies For Sale In MichiganWho doesn’t enjoy walking outside in the sunlight, feeling the warmth of the sun on our skin? Saint Dane Puppies For Sale In FlYou might not know that we are receiving a wonderful benefit from natural sunshine. Mini Dachshund Puppies For Sale In Perth

Upon exposure to the ultraviolet portion () of sunlight, a complex set of biochemical reactions in the skin occur that result in the production of active vitamin D3, also called the "sunshine vitamin.” This vitamin is very important for the proper absorption and utilization of calcium, which has many important functions in the body. Most people spend enough time outdoors to benefit from the exposure to ultraviolet light; however, those who apply sunscreen every day to their exposed skin and the bed-ridden (or others who never spend any time outdoors) can suffer from hypovitaminosis D, or calcium-deficiency related diseases. Now, think about our pet birds. Most pet birds spend all of their lives indoors, except for the occasional trip in a plexiglas carrier or covered travel cage to the vet or groomer. You might think that your pet bird receives adequate light exposure because it sits by a window and you often see it enjoying the warmth of the sun. However glass, plastic and even fine-mesh screening filters out most of the beneficial UVB rays of the sun.

There are two types of vitamin D: ergocalciferol, vitamin D2, which is a plant derivative, and vitamin D3, called cholecalciferol, which is produced in the bird’s body. Birds can produce vitamin D3 in the skin or in sebaceous secretions when irradiated by ultraviolet light. Reaping The Benefits Of Light All pet birds should be allowed exposure to natural, unfiltered sunlight for about an hour or two per week, ensuring that they have access to shade and cool water and that the cage is predator- and escape-proof and with supervision. If that is not possible, use a  that emits the UVB portion of the spectrum. This can be placed near the bird’s cage, safely away from inquisitive beaks and feet, yet close enough to provide the benefits of the ultraviolet light. Lights that mimic natural sunlight might not always be full-spectrum, so read the product information to ensure that the bulb emits UVB light. It pays to purchase a good-quality, name-brand light. Studies have shown that generic full-spectrum lights produce UVB light unpredictably for varying amounts of time.

The light should be changed frequently, as recommended by the manufacturer. The light might appear to be functioning properly; however, the ultraviolet portion can peter out unbeknownst to you. Ultraviolet light is necessary for birds to produce the active form of vitamin D3. Without vitamin D3, pet birds are not able to properly utilize calcium, a mineral that is vital to bone health. Calcium is also important for the proper functioning of muscles, blood coagulation, electrical conduction of nerves and for egg production. Female pet birds, especially those that are reproductively active, also benefit from exposure to UVB lighting to optimize their calcium utilization. Breeder birds housed indoors should be offered full-spectrum lighting that provides the UVB portion of the spectrum. This, along with a calcium-rich diet, helps prevent egg-related problems. The uropygial gland, in addition to producing antibacterial/antifungal substances for the skin, waterproofing substances for feathers and other substances that help keep feathers moist and supple, also makes vitamin-D precursors, which are spread on the feathers during preening.

When exposed to UVB light, these precursors are then converted to active vitamin D3, which is ingested during subsequent preening activity. It is because of the exposure to UVB light (either from natural sunlight or when provided by a light bulb that provides the UVB portion of full-spectrum lighting) that birds possessing an uropygial gland can properly utilize calcium. (The purple macaws and Amazons do not have an uropygial gland, so it is theorized that they rely on production of vitamin D3 in the skin only.) Birds suffering from hypovitaminosis A (vitamin-A deficiency) might not be able to produce the correct vitamin-D precursors in the uropygial gland due to a condition called squamous metaplasia. Birds suffering from hypocalcemia should also receive beta-carotene as a supplement, in addition to offering the bird dark green leafy vegetables, as well as orange, red and yellow fruits and veggies. Beta-carotene is converted into active vitamin A in the body, and the unused portion is excreted unchanged, so it is much safer than providing a vitamin-A supplement, which can be toxic if overdosed.

Some birds might pluck out the wick feathers to the uropygial gland, making it difficult or impossible for the secretions to properly release from the gland. These birds might suffer from squamous metaplasia of the uropygial gland, as well. I have seen obstructed uropygial glands in some parrots where the little channels that deliver the secretions become occluded with the dried secretions, preventing their release. Hot-packing the area over the gland and gentle massage can help to unblock the channels, allowing the secretion to flow normally again. There really is no adequate replacement for natural sunlight, but if this is not possible, you should provide your bird with a good-quality artificial light bulb that emits the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum. Can Parrots Get Sunburned? Can birds get sunburned? Over-exposure to direct sunlight (the ultraviolet portions of the spectrum: UVA and UVB) can cause sunburn on the unfeathered facial skin. Feather-plucked birds can also get sunburned skin on the areas with no feather covering, although I have not seen this occurring as frequently as sunburn of the face.

The feet, covered with scales, are protected from most of the effects of sunburn. Mutations that cause a bird to be of a color palette that is not the natural "wild-type” color are more susceptible to the effects of the sun’s burning rays. Studies have shown that beta-carotene can help prevent sunburn from the inside-out, as it might reduce UV-induced redness, and it appears to be somewhat helpful in reducing the risk in sensitive humans. This mechanism might help birds, as well. Birds can also become sunburned from a full-spectrum light. My friends, Nina and David, have a darling Cape parrot, Griffin, that loves to bask up close to his full-spectrum light. One day, half of his facial skin turned bright red. We discovered that he got a sunburn from sitting too close to his new light. By Gina Cioli/I-5 Studios/Courtesy Omar's Exotic Birds Macaws with exposed skin may get sunburned more easily than other parrots. As with people, sunburn should be prevented as much as possible, as the changes to the DNA in skin cells can eventually result in skin cancer, although this is not that common in birds as it is in people.

Interestingly, young birds housed outdoors, and therefore exposed to natural sunlight, often undergo the change in the color of their irises that occurs as they age much earlier than birds kept indoors. African Grey Parrot Health African parrots, including , that are housed outdoors, and therefore exposed to natural unfiltered sunlight, rarely suffer from  (low blood calcium). Seizures are one sign of hypocalcemia commonly seen in African grey parrots housed indoors that are not provided with a full-spectrum light. Hypocalcemia should not be ruled out in a seizuring African grey parrot or a member of the Poicephalus parrots group just because the blood calcium level is within the normal range during testing. Calcium levels dip and rise according to circadian rhythm. Normal calcium levels for psittacines range from 8.0-13.0 mg/dl. Running an ionized calcium level can be diagnostic; however reference ranges for the different species are not yet established or published for many species.