Contents
Pineapple mint (Mentha rotundifolia Ananasminze) is a unique plant. It is grown for its strong pleasant aroma. Can be placed outdoors or at home on a windowsill.
Description of pineapple mint
Externally, pineapple mint attracts gardeners with an unusual look. The bushes are low – from 25 to 40 cm. They grow rapidly, as new side shoots appear during the vegetative period.
Pineapple mint is also called variegated mint, as the plant stands out from other species with bright green leaves with pale yellow or white stripes. Leaf blades are round, not too large with well-marked wrinkles. Serrated edges.
The inflorescences of pineapple mint are also attractive. They are purple with a hint of red. Buds are formed at the tops of the shoots. Inflorescences are large with a strong pleasant aroma.
Due to its decorative effect and small size, pineapple mint is grown in flower beds or in a pot culture on a windowsill.
The use of pineapple mint in cooking
Pineapple mint is a useful plant with healing properties, due to which it is widely used in cooking:
- Herbal tea. For its preparation, take fresh or dried leaves of the plant. You can prepare a drink only from mint or add raw materials to regular tea.
- Sauces and condiments. Additions to meat and fish are very tasty and piquant, if you use pineapple mint leaves.
- In the summer, mint is added to fruit refreshing drinks.
- During canning of vegetables and fruits, the leaves are added to jars to increase their shelf life.
- Decoration. Surprisingly beautiful leaves with a border will enhance the appearance of cakes or pastries.
What is the flavor of pineapple mint
Pineapple mint leaves have a unique aroma. If you rub them, it begins to seem that pineapples have been cut nearby. Inflorescences have almost the same smell.
Where Can You Add Pineapple Mint?
Pineapple mint is valued for its beneficial properties. In addition to cooking, pineapple mint leaves are used:
- As an air freshener. Dry pineapple mint is put into cloth bags and hung indoors, for example, in a bathroom or bedroom.
- Another application is based on the beneficial properties of the plant. Leaves and buds are added during bathing as a relaxation agent and to relax the muscles after a hard day’s work.
- Doctors recommend preparing decoctions of pineapple mint for diseases of the bladder and gallstones.
Rules of landing
To get a good harvest of leaves, you need to take care of the proper planting of plants. Most often, pineapple mint is propagated by seeds. Sowing time is very important.
Terms of hanging seeds for seedlings
Seedlings should not be grown in autumn or summer. In both cases, the planted plants do not have time to take root, and, therefore, they can freeze out in winter.
Growing seedlings of pineapple mint should be planned for mid-spring to be planted in a permanent place after the air and soil warm up to 10-14 degrees.
Site Selection
Before planting pineapple mint in a permanent place, you need to take care of a suitable site. Although this is a heat-loving plant, you should not set aside open spaces for it. In the sun, mint often suffers from powdery mildew and rust. It is best to plant seedlings in openwork shade.
Soil preparation
In order for pineapple mint to develop successfully, it must be planted in nutritious soil. Before digging, compost, wood ash, and humus are added. You can use special nutrient mixtures, which include lime.
All types of mint can suffer from fungal diseases, the spores of which hibernate in the soil. Therefore, before planting, the soil must be poured with boiling water, to which potassium permanganate crystals are added.
Preparation of seedlings
The further development of pineapple mint depends on how high-quality seedlings are. For sowing choose large full-fledged seeds. To destroy possible pathogens, seed must be disinfected.
Seeds are pickled in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 25 minutes. Then they are washed in clean water and sown in a seedling box.
Seeds are scattered over the surface and pressed into moist soil. Cover with foil on top.
Seeds can be sown immediately in open ground. If there is a threat of night frosts, then the bed is covered with a film. After a few true leaves appear, the seedlings are thinned out.
Planting seedlings
All types of mint, including pineapple, grow very quickly and can oppress each other. Therefore, when planting, holes are dug in increments of 20-30 cm. Seedlings are planted to a depth of 5 cm. They are propagated by shoots or small bushes after division. In order to be able, if necessary, to shelter them from frost, you need to wrap them around with willow branches as in the photo below.
Plant seedlings in moist soil. Mulch immediately with straw, sawdust, or compost to conserve moisture and prevent weed growth.
Features of cultivation and care
Despite the fact that pineapple mint is an unpretentious plant that does not require any special care, optimal conditions for growth must be created. This applies to:
- watering and fertilizing;
- loosening the soil and mulching;
- weeding and preparation for winter;
- control of diseases and pests.
Features of watering
Pineapple mint thrives well in moist but not oversaturated soil. It is also impossible to overdry the soil in any case, since the root system may die. Therefore, in dry, hot weather, it is advisable to water the plantings every day.
When growing a plant in greenhouse conditions, it is necessary to maintain air humidity. Every day it is recommended to spray the greenhouse itself and fragrant leaves.
Warm water is used for irrigation. It is best to plan work in the early morning hours or in the evening when the sun sets. Water carefully so as not to erode the soil near the roots.
Loosening and weeding
Pineapple mint, like other garden plants, needs loosening of the soil. It is carried out after watering to destroy the crust, which does not allow oxygen to pass to the root system. It is necessary to loosen to a depth of no more than 2-3 cm.
Gardeners understand that pests and disease spores live on weeds. Therefore, grass must be fought throughout the summer. In addition, weeds draw nutrients from the soil, so crops begin to wither. The yield of pineapple flavored leaves is drastically reduced.
Additional fertilizing
During the growing season, pineapple mint needs nutrition. You can feed the bushes with organic fertilizers:
- mullein infusion;
- wood ash;
- infusion of green grass.
Preparation for winter
In autumn, the green mass of the plant must be cut off near the ground. This procedure will save the bushes next year from diseases and pests. Cut stems are burned regardless of whether they are infected or not.
The landing site is covered with rotted manure. If the winters are snowy, then a layer of 25 cm is sufficient. In other cases, the shelter should be more.
Pests and diseases
To pluck healthy leaves for culinary or medicinal purposes, mint must be protected from pests and diseases.
Diseases and pests | Symptoms | Control measures |
Verticillary wilting | Leaves on mint first darken, then dry | Crop rotation Weed removal |
leaf rust | Fungal disease first affects the lower part of the leaf blade, then the entire leaf. Red spots appear on it, then holes with torn edges | Use special processing aids |
spider mite | After wintering in the soil, it multiplies rapidly. It feeds on the juice of the leaves, which is why they begin to dry. In addition, a thin cobweb is noticeable on the plant. | The use of special preparations. From folk remedies use an infusion of tobacco with laundry soap |
meadow moth | Nutrition is the juice of plants. Gradually, the leaves dry prematurely and fall off. | Application of insect repellents |
When and how to harvest pineapple mint
Leaf collection can begin as early as the first year of planting. Mid-July is the time for cutting, as nutrients and essential oils have accumulated in the leaf blades.
How to dry pineapple mint
For drying, the leaves are not recommended to be washed, as they will dry for a long time from moisture, they may even rot. Cut off the mint stems. Then tie in bundles. Hang in a room where there is no sunlight, and the air circulates well.
Raw materials are stored in a dry place in a tightly closed jar so that moisture does not get in and the aroma does not disappear.
Conclusion
Pineapple mint is a plant that can be grown on a windowsill, which is suitable for those who do not have a plot of land. In this case, fresh pineapple mint leaves can be picked all year round.
