How to grow mint at home on the windowsill
Peppermint is a versatile herb that can be used in food and beverage preparation, medicines, or aromatherapy formulations. In order for the fresh leaves of this herb to be always at hand, you need to understand how to grow mint at home correctly. And the place for this can be not only a balcony, but also just a window sill.
How to grow mint from cuttings and seeds
There are about 20 main types of mint known. Most often, peppermint is planted in personal plots. This perennial herb has a hollow stem and elongated, fragrant leaves. Its small, light purple flowers are located at the top of the shoots and appear in early summer.
Mint can be grown on a windowsill and used for cooking.
There are several ways to breed mint. Therefore, first you need to determine how to grow mint on the windowsill: using cuttings or seeds. Both methods can be used at home:
- Cuttings can be prepared by yourself. Better to do this in the fall. The plant is dug up along with the rhizome. Then it is divided into parts, each of which should have several offspring and buds. They are planted in containers, 2/3 filled with earth. Young leaves appear on the plant within 2-3 weeks.
- Mint seeds are bought in a specialty store. Less often, they are self-collected from plants. Seeds are sown in small greenhouses to a depth of about 0,5 cm.The first leaves appear within 14-20 days. Young plants are transplanted into temporary pots, and after 10 days – into permanent containers.
The most convenient way to plant mint is cuttings. This method is faster and easier. Harvesting seeds and getting a plant out of them is more difficult.
To understand how to grow mint at home, the rules for caring for the plant will help:
- Lighting. Mint containers are placed in well-lit rooms. It is necessary to avoid direct rays of the sun on the leaves. They can damage the delicate greens of the grass.
- Watering. The soil in the mint pot should always be moist. It is poured over with settled water at room temperature. In winter, the leaves of the plant are sprayed, as heating devices make the air in the room dry.
- Fertilizer. Mint is fed every 30 days. From October to January, the plant is not watered with fertilizer, the procedure is resumed in February.
To grow mint, use soil consisting of humus and leafy earth: 1 to 2. Drainage must be placed at the bottom of the pot.
Mint is an unpretentious herb. With the right care, its greens will be juicy throughout the year.