How to grow mint on a windowsill: home varieties, planting and care

Mint on the windowsill is a good option for those who want to enjoy fragrant healing tea all year round or always have an exquisite seasoning on hand for cooking various dishes. With proper care, even during the dark winter months, the window sill will be decorated with delicate bright green plants.

Is it possible to grow mint on a windowsill

Despite the fact that mint is an unpretentious crop, getting a good harvest on the windowsill requires some effort. If you create all the necessary conditions for the plant, and then carry out only basic care, the result will not be long in coming.

Mint varieties for growing on the windowsill

There are many varieties of mint, most of which can be successfully planted at home on the windowsill all year round. For example, Zabava, Ceremony, Moskvichka, Menthol, Zhemchug, etc. varieties are suitable. It is advisable to choose undersized crops, although you can root cuttings obtained from a plant bought in a store or on the market.

An indoor flower is widespread, some varieties of which look very similar to ordinary garden mint and have a similar aroma. This is plectranthus, also known as potmint, but unlike the garden variety, it is not eaten. 

Indoor mint is used in folk medicine

How to plant mint in a pot on a windowsill

In order for mint to grow well on the windowsill, it is important to properly prepare the soil and planting material, choose a suitable container and create conditions for seed germination or rooting of cuttings. The landing process itself is quite simple.

Soil preparation and planting capacity

You can prepare a substrate for growing mint on the windowsill yourself by mixing garden soil, peat, humus and river sand in equal proportions. For disinfection, the mixture is poured with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and warmed up well. Ready-made soil bought in a store can not be disinfected.

Since mint grows strongly on the surface of the soil, it is best to sow it in spacious wide containers: ceramic or plastic pots, boxes. If you plan to grow mint on the windowsill in winter, it is better to use plastic containers. In them, the soil stays moist longer, which is very important during the heating season. It is also important to provide drainage, so you need to take either pots with a hole, or put a layer of drainage material for houseplants on the bottom.

Preparation of planting material

You can grow mint on the windowsill from seeds or from cuttings, as well as by dividing an adult bush.

The stems of an adult plant are cut into cuttings about 10 cm long so that each has several axillary buds. The lower leaves must be removed, and the tops pinched.

To speed up root formation and stimulate the growth of new shoots, the leaf plates are cut in half.

Next, the cuttings are placed in water to form roots. Growth stimulants can be added to the container. As soon as the first roots appear on the cuttings, the plants are planted in a pot.

It is more difficult to get seedlings from seeds, as they are very small and sprout slowly. Seeds before sowing are soaked for 1-2 days in a damp cloth.

Rules for planting mint at home on the windowsill

In order for the culture to take root and grow well, some rules must be observed:

• prepared containers are filled with substrate;
• make furrows about 5 mm deep;
• the soil is moistened with a spray gun;
• seeds are mixed with sand;
• seeds are placed in the furrow and sprinkled with earth;
• the earth is slightly moistened again;
• the container is covered with glass or translucent polyethylene with several small holes and placed in a warm place.

After 12–14 days, shoots will appear, after which the containers are freed from film or glass and put on the windowsill

Cuttings are also planted in slightly moistened soil and covered with polyethylene.

Mint delenki are immediately planted in pots or boxes with a pre-prepared soil mixture and placed on the windowsill.

Care

After the seedlings have 2-3 leaves, they dive or thin out, leaving the strongest sprouts. The tops of plants, especially tall varieties, are pinched to increase the amount of green mass.

Further care is reduced to the following actions:

• maintaining the optimum temperature, providing a light regime;
• watering;
• top dressing.

Mint can grow on a windowsill without transplanting for several years.

Optimal conditions for growing mint on the windowsill

When cultivating at home garden crops, originally intended for open ground, it is very important to create conditions for them that are as close to natural as possible. This is especially true when growing mint on the windowsill in winter.

Mint belongs to moisture-loving crops, but you need to make sure that the water does not stagnate at the roots.

It is especially important to ensure high humidity when sowing seeds and rooting cuttings.

For mature plants, it is necessary to maintain air humidity at the level of 70–75%.

When grown on a windowsill, room temperature between 21-24°C is optimal. This temperature regime is only suitable for plants that receive enough light, which is not always possible even on a sunny windowsill on the south side. In this case, the seedlings will need additional lighting with an LED or phytolamp. The length of daylight hours should be at least 16-18 hours. In low light conditions, the sprouts are drawn out. If it is not possible to create optimal lighting conditions, mint is provided with a lower temperature in the range of 15–18 ° C. A good place in this case would be a glazed insulated balcony without drafts.

To avoid burns, plants should be protected from direct sunlight on the leaves. In the summer, you can cover the window glass with frosted film. So the plants will receive a sufficient amount of light without suffering from the bright sun.

Watering

As with most other plants grown at home on a windowsill, mint is watered abundantly in summer and sparingly in winter. Young bushes require more moisture, the substrate should always be wet. Mature plants are watered as the soil dries. It should be borne in mind that in the cold season the air in the apartment becomes drier due to the operation of the heating, therefore, in addition to watering, it is useful to spray the plants daily from a spray bottle with settled water at room temperature.

After moistening, the earth is loosened shallowly to provide air access to the roots.

Additional fertilizing

It is advisable to feed mint growing on the windowsill with complex fertilizers. Feeding should be carried out during the period of active growth, i.e. in spring and early summer. It is combined with the next watering. When growing mint in a pot, in no case should the recommended dosage of fertilizers be exceeded.

Diseases and pests

With good care, mint growing on the windowsill rarely gets sick, but high humidity can provoke rust. A symptom of the disease is the appearance of brown-red spots on the leaves. Other fungal diseases of mint are powdery growth and verticillium wilt. Fungicides will help cure plantings.

Pests, as a rule, do not infect mint growing on the windowsill, but if the soil was not disinfected before planting or the plant pots are taken out onto the balcony, they can be parasitized by the mint flea, leaf beetle, aphids and other insects. Insecticides or folk remedies will help them, for example, treating leaves and stems with soapy water, infusion of tobacco or ash.

When treating mint with fungicides or insecticides, especially if it is grown at home for human consumption, it is especially important to follow the instructions for preparations.

Useful Tips

Gardeners who have long been growing mint on the windowsill use some tricks:

• a small amount of hydrogel can be added to the soil, then the plantings will have to be watered less often;
• mint is afraid of drafts, therefore, when airing the room, it is advisable to rearrange the container with the plant in a warm, protected place;
• it is better to collect mint during the formation of peduncles – at this time they have the most useful essential oils;
• when collecting leaves on the stem, it is better to leave a small part of the leaf plate, so the plant will recover sooner;
• do not collect many leaves at once. The removal of more than 1/3 of the leaf mass is very painful for the culture;
• you can plant several mint bushes in one medium-sized pot;
• to keep the mint leaves soft, you need to remove the flower stalks;
• leaves can be prepared for future use by drying or freezing.

Mint leaves frozen in water can be added to tea or used to make soft drinks.

Conclusion

Mint on the windowsill can be a good alternative to the usual houseplants. If you properly prepare the soil, provide the plant with enough light and maintain optimal humidity, you can get fresh fragrant greens throughout the year.