Mint at home: growing tips

How to grow mint

The selection of a planting capacity is a very important point; the pot for planting mint should be wide and low. This is due to the fact that mint has a strong and branched root system, which will be uncomfortable in a small box. The soil should contain a large amount of peat. If you decide to use the land from a summer cottage, and not from a specialized store, it is better to choose a more fertile mixture with a high content of useful trace elements and then the plant will develop well. Having decided to choose the soil from the garden, you can’t just pour it into a pot.

Disinfection of the earth with a solution of manganese is required, and after calcination with boiling water or washing with water. These procedures are necessary to reduce bacteria in the soil, which can infect the plant and, as a result, it will become sick. Growing mint is possible in two different ways: mint seeds and mint cuttings. It all depends on how quickly you need a mint crop and what you want to get in the end.

The method of cuttings – in the fall, an adult plant should be dug up and divided into seedlings without damaging the roots. A large and voluminous mint bush should be divided into several parts with some buds and stem shoots. Before planting directly, the cutting is rooted in sand or in a jar of water until the roots of the plant grow. At the bottom of the container in which the mint will be placed, drainage is necessary, then a layer of prepared earth. The earth is well moistened and covered with mint roots with shoots. After 2-3 weeks, green leaves will appear on the stem, after which the whole plant should be fed.

Top dressing is carried out from urea (urea) 1-2 grams per liter of water. In winter, the plant does not need to be fed. Mint loves a well-lit place at any time of the year, but in summer it is imperative to keep an eye on it and not let the mint ground dry out and crack. Watering is necessary with water only at room temperature. A plant grown by cuttings will be a copy from a dug up bush in the fall.

Planting mint with seeds gives the first shoots in three weeks, and the bush is formed for two months. The grown plant will be tender and pleasant, while the plant from cuttings will have mature and hard stems. Mint tends to be pollinated and the bush that is drawn on the seed packaging cannot always grow. Therefore, you should plant several types of mint and plant them in peas together (for example: peppermint and plectranthus or any other type).

In order to start planting seeds, they should be spread out on the ground, where they should be no deeper than half a centimeter. The first shoots will appear already in 2-3 weeks. For a small height, the plant should be placed in a well-lit place or illuminated with artificial lamps. Watering at first is done only from a spray bottle.

Video “Detailed instructions”

Detailed video instruction with tips.

Crop care

Mint plant is unpretentious and does not require special care. But for homemade mint, care can change in every season. In the summer, caring for mint is almost no different from country mint; it develops well on a balcony or windowsill to saturate with sunlight.

There must always be water in the pan to prevent the plant from drying out and the appearance of diseases (aphids or mites). Sometimes you should do extra care and spray the leaves, removing dust from them to give freshness and revitalization from drought.

In winter, plant care changes a little, and watering is carried out very carefully, it is at this time that processes take place in the greenery of the plant to fill the stem and leaves with juice and essential oils. The growth of the plant slows down, and the aroma is not as noticeable as in the summer. Drafts for the plant are detrimental and should be avoided. So, now let’s sum up and tell briefly about all the steps to care for mint:

1. Watering. It is impossible to allow drying out, but it is not worth pouring water either.
2. Spraying – regularly remove dust and let the plant breathe.
3. Top dressing. In the summer, once we feed 1-2 grams per liter of water, in winter top dressing is not required.
4. Lighting. There is enough light in summer, but from October to March, it is necessary to add daylight hours to the plant up to 12 hours.
5. The sun’s rays – direct light is detrimental to the leaves, we put the plant in a slightly shaded place.
6. Temperature. Cold for mint is unacceptable, the required temperature regime is 20-23 degrees. In the summer we put it on the balcony, in the winter on the windowsill.

How to collect mint

Mint leaves are harvested young before the plant blooms. At this time, they contain many useful oils. Harvesting can be done in two ways: leaves and stems. But since our plant does not have large volumes and branching, the leaf method will do. It is necessary to carefully collect a small amount of leaves from the bush and prepare them for drying or freezing.

Storage and procurement

By drying, you need to carefully wait until the leaves dry and crumble them. Then all this is put into boxes or a jar for storage in a dark and cool place for no more than a year. You can also simply freeze the leaves in the freezer or in ice cubes, which can then decorate any drink. With this method, almost fresh leaves can be added to tea even in winter.

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