Fertilising guide

How to fertilise Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata)— schedule & NPK

Also called sweet cicely, garden myrrh, anise fern.

More about sweet cicely

About Sweet Cicely

Myrrhis odorata · also called sweet cicely, garden myrrh · herb

Sweet cicely is a hardy perennial herb with soft, fern-like foliage and an aniseed-sweet flavour used to reduce the sugar needed when stewing tart fruit. It forms a clump of feathery leaves topped by lacy white umbels in late spring. Thriving in cool, partly shaded gardens, it self-seeds freely and dies back over winter.

Growth habit: Clump-forming herbaceous perennial with upright, hollow stems and arching, fern-like compound leaves; dies back to the crown in winter and re-emerges early in spring.

What fertiliser sweet cicely actually wants — and why

Sweet Cicely is a soft, fast leafy herb that you harvest hard — a modest balanced feed keeps tender growth coming without tipping it into bland or bolting.

A balanced general feed (even N-P-K) at modest strength — enough nitrogen to keep replacing the leaves you pick, but not so much that flavour thins or it bolts to seed.

For the language behind the three numbers on the bottle — what nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium each do — see the NPK ratio explained entry. The short version for sweet cicely: match the feed to the job the plant is doing right now, not to a generic “plant food” on the shelf.

How often to feed sweet cicely, and which months

Feeding only earns its keep while the plant is in active growth and can use the nutrients — pour feed into a dormant or low-light plant and it simply builds up as root-burning salt. For sweet cicely:

Largely self-sufficient in fertile soil. An annual spring mulch of garden compost or well-rotted manure supplies all the nutrients it needs; avoid high-nitrogen feeds that produce sappy, floppy growth. In practice: a balanced liquid feed every few weeks through the main growing and harvesting season (spring through early autumn), more often the harder you are picking it.

The dormant-season rule matters more than the exact interval: skip feeding entirely when sweet cicely is resting. For the wider context on indoor feeding rhythms across the seasons, the houseplant fertiliser schedule walks through the year month by month.

What strength to mix for sweet cicely

Half strength is a sensible default for sweet cicely — enough to fuel regrowth after cutting, gentle enough that the leaves stay aromatic rather than watery.

Feeding always goes onto already-damp soil, never dry roots — water sweet cicely first if the soil is dry, then apply the diluted feed. The companion question is when to water at all, covered in the sweet cicely watering schedule.

Signs you are over-feeding sweet cicely

Over-feeding is far more common — and more damaging — than under-feeding for most plants. The classic tells for sweet cicely:

Fast, soft, pale growth with diluted, less aromatic flavour.
Early bolting (running to flower) and a bitter edge.
Salt crust and scorched tips on container plants.

Signs you are under-feeding sweet cicely

Pale, slow regrowth after cutting and small leaves.
A tired, stalled plant that cannot keep up with harvesting.
Yellowing older leaves in a long-spent pot.

If the symptoms point at watering, light or roots rather than nutrition, the full sweet cicely care brief covers soil, humidity and the common problems for this species.

Flushing and leaching the salts

Pot-grown sweet cicely builds up feed salts quickly — water until it drains each time and flush the pot with plain water every few weeks, especially on a sunny windowsill.

Organic vs synthetic feeds for sweet cicely

Organic options

A diluted seaweed feed or worm-casting tea keeps soft growth coming without overdoing it. UK: dilute seaweed or Westland; US: Espoma Garden-tone or Neptune's Harvest. Gentle, hard to overdo, flavour-friendly.

Synthetic / liquid feeds

A balanced liquid feed at half strength through harvesting — UK: Phostrogen, Baby Bio or Westland; US: Miracle-Gro all-purpose at half strength. Fast regrowth; just do not overdo the nitrogen.

Brand names are examples, not endorsements, and UK and US ranges differ — check the label’s own NPK and dilution rate, since formulations change.

Fertilising sweet cicely — frequently asked questions

What fertiliser does sweet cicely need?

A balanced general feed (even N-P-K) at modest strength — enough nitrogen to keep replacing the leaves you pick, but not so much that flavour thins or it bolts to seed. Sweet Cicely is a soft, fast leafy herb that you harvest hard — a modest balanced feed keeps tender growth coming without tipping it into bland or bolting.

How often should I feed sweet cicely?

Largely self-sufficient in fertile soil. An annual spring mulch of garden compost or well-rotted manure supplies all the nutrients it needs; avoid high-nitrogen feeds that produce sappy, floppy growth. Largely self-sufficient in fertile soil. An annual spring mulch of garden compost or well-rotted manure supplies all the nutrients it needs; avoid high-nitrogen feeds that produce sappy, floppy growth. In practice: a balanced liquid feed every few weeks through the main growing and harvesting season (spring through early autumn), more often the harder you are picking it.

What strength of feed for sweet cicely?