Rosemary is a species native to the Mediterranean ecosystem.It is a species to be considered in the maintenance or recovery(i.e. after fire) of such ecosystems due to its positive influence onsoil aggregate stability (Pérez-Bejarano et al., 2010). In nurseriesrosemary is grown in containers; however, its final destination isusually transplanting to soil. Transplanting involves transferringthe substrate in which the plant is growing to the natural soil inorder to prevent root damage. Environmentalists are reluctant touse such practices in preserved environments. During the monthsin which plants are grown in soils amended with organic matter,the soil characteristics change (Doan et al., 2013). The same mightbe true for substrates and, indeed, this was the case of our mixes forseveral of their characteristics. The reported increase in DBmightnot have much impact on the soil. However, the air–water relation-ship in the substrate may critically influence plant survival aftertransplanting to soil. Roots of growing plants need more oxygen incontainers than in soil and large Vairis essential. When transplantedto the soil, plants need a root environment that can successfully compete for water with the surrounding soil and then a large Vwater,to the detriment of Vair, is the priority (Mathers et al., 2007). Aftergrowing rosemary in the organic substrates for six months, Vairhaddecreased and Vwaterhad increased in the V1 and V2 mixes and inpeat, rendering them more suitable for the early stages of plant lifein the soil.