Rules for growing lemon balm in pots on the windowsill. Melissa officinalis or lemon mint, a wonderful decorative, indoor, spicy-aromatic, medicinal plant

This unique useful plant is able to exist both in open ground as well as at home. If you follow the basic rules when caring for lemon balm, it will definitely delight you with abundant, fresh herbs.

Melissa needs:

fertile soil;
a lot of light;
enough plentiful watering and spraying;
systematic pruning;
compliance with the temperature regime (18–20 degrees);
regular feeding.

A plant can grow in one place three to four years. After that, it requires renewal and transplantation. To keep the bush healthy and strong for several years, it is recommended to plant it in the spring.

Growing lemon balm on the windowsill is not troublesome. It feels great in a pot, like any houseplant. True, the lemon balm bush will be low, but lush and thick, if it has enough light, moisture and nutrients, that is, competent care for the lemon balm is provided.

Melissa on the windowsill. Photo

IN winter time years, growing lemon balm on the windowsill is not much different from the usual. Lack of sunlight will reduce the amount of greenery, change its color, but will not affect the quality.

Breeding new melissa bushes

Let's figure out how to grow lemon balm from seeds and how to increase the amount of your favorite plant in other ways. This can be done in different ways:

division of the bush;
layering;
stem cuttings;
melissa from seeds.

Division an adult bush is produced in the spring. To do this, the root system is freed from the ground, cut into several parts with buds and planted on permanent place.

By using layering dilute the plant before flowering. Strong young shoots are bent to the ground with a bracket, sprinkled with soil and waiting for rooting. Two weeks later, a new bush is cut off with a pruner and transplanted into a pot or into open ground to a new place.

cuttings used at the first stage of breeding lemon balm, in the absence of an adult bush on personal plot. The tops of the acquired plants are cut off and placed in a container with water. When roots form on the branches, they are planted in the ground and placed in a dark place. After the appearance of green shoots, the plants are taken out into the light.

Growing lemon balm on the windowsill. Photo

How to grow melissa from seed? This process takes time and patience. But the quality of the green mass of lemon balm from seeds will be excellent.

To grow an adult bush, melissa seeds treated with potassium permanganate are sown in the ground to a depth of 1-2 centimeters, tightly covered and placed in a warm place.

How to grow melissa. Photo

Emerging shoots are transplanted into well-moistened drained soil.

For this purpose, use a large container for a permanent place of plant life or small cups.

Dive shoots of lemon balm from seeds should be after the formation of two to four leaves. After about one and a half to two months, lemon balm from the seeds will delight you with juicy fragrant greens.

Melissa twins. What can be confused

Melissa is often confused with other plants. Such twins include:

catnip
Moldavian snakehead.

Let's try to understand their differences.

Melissa is often referred to as "lemon mint". In fact, these plants have nothing in common, except for external resemblance. mint and medicinal perennial lemon balm.

grass called " catnip” can also be mistaken for lemon balm. The similar smell of these plants is misleading. In order not to confuse lemon balm with "catnip", you should get acquainted with the fundamental differences between them.

The smell of lemon balm is gentle, reminiscent of the aroma of lemon. The catnip smells quite strongly.
The white flowers of lemon balm are located in the axils of the plant, and the blue inflorescences of the catnip are in the upper part of the shoot.
The rounded leaves of lemon balm are even at the edges, and the oblong leaves of catnip are serrated.
Lemon balm seeds are elongated, and catnip seeds are rounded.

Catnip grows everywhere. This herb is used for cooking and cosmetic products. She possesses medicinal properties: improves appetite, treats cough, relieves worms.

Moldavian snakehead or "Turkish lemon balm" - annual plant, found in Western Siberia and in the southern regions of Russia. The essential oils contained in snakehead greens resemble the aroma of lemon balm. But its smell is stronger and sharper. Turkish lemon balm is a favorite of bees and an excellent sedative.

In order not to make a mistake and plant exactly what you need on your site, when buying, carefully study the inscription on the package with seeds. For example, lemon balm in translation into Latin language called Melissa officinalis, catnip - Npeta catria, Moldavian snakehead - Dracocphalum moldavica.

Choosing the right kind of melissa

Several varieties of this unusual spicy herb. Each variety of lemon balm has its own individual characteristics, differs in shades of smell, leaf shape, bush size, flowering period. The most beloved varieties include several varieties:

upright;
royal;
pearl;
lime;
lemon;
freshness.

Melissa c beautiful name"pure gold" is less common. This variety has an unusual light yellow color of the leaves, covered with thin villi, iridescent in the light of sunlight.

Variegated lemon balm got its name from the dark color of the leaves with golden veins. The grass of this variety has a strong smell and unpretentious character. It can be grown both outdoors and at home.

How to use Melissa

The range of use of lemon grass or lemon balm is quite wide. This is due to its composition. Lemon balm leaves contain essential oils, organic acids. They are rich in vitamin C, a variety of trace elements: zinc, copper, potassium, manganese, molybdenum, selenium.

This unpretentious herb has found wide application in medicine. It brings relief from a number of serious diseases:

Saves from irritability and nervousness, restores sleep.
Recommended for heart disease and vasospasm.
Treats cancer.
Removes headache improving blood circulation in the brain.
Helps normalize blood pressure.
Helps to cope with colds: reduces sore throat, relieves cough.
It is prescribed to improve digestion for people suffering from gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis.
Eliminates increased gas formation, constipation, malfunctions of the pancreas.
Removes toxins from the body, having a diuretic and diaphoretic effect.
Reduces toothache, disinfects the oral cavity, removing inflammation.
It is part of a diet that helps to lose weight.

Melissa is an indispensable tool for maintaining health female body. It relieves pain during menstruation, helps to cope with toxicosis during pregnancy, stimulates the production of milk during breastfeeding.

Prepare healing remedies from lemon balm is quite easy.

Can do infusion from the green shoots of the plant. To do this, it is necessary to pour crushed lemon balm leaves (20 grams) with boiling water (1 liter), seal tightly and leave for twenty minutes.

To prepare decoction of this healing herb, boil two tablespoons in one liter of water for 15-20 minutes. Then remove from heat and let it brew for half an hour. Such a decoction is advised to drink four times a day, especially for patients with asthma and anemia.

Some people add lemon balm leaves to regular tea by mixing the drink with a little honey. It turns out an excellent prophylactic against viruses and colds.

If there are no lemon balm leaves at hand, you can successfully use ready-made essential oil plants. A few drops in a bath or scented lamp will help you calm down and fall asleep soundly.

Growing lemon balm suburban area or on your windowsill, preparing a dried product, you provide yourself with a healthy drink that you can use all year round, strengthening health, prolonging youth and preserving beauty.

Melissa found her place and in cooking. It is added to drinks and salads. As a seasoning, it is used in the preparation of first courses, stewing of fish, meat, mushrooms. Cabbage and cucumbers are fermented with it, various sauces and marinades are made. Due to its delicate aroma and spicy taste, lemon balm is an analogue of black or allspice.

Melissa essential oil is widely used in cosmetology. It solves the problem oily hair, destroys dandruff. It is enough to mix shampoo with a few drops of oil when washing your hair, and your hair will look great again. Due to its disinfectant and antibacterial properties, lemon balm oil cleanses the skin of acne and blackheads.

Lemon balm contraindications

Melissa is a useful plant and has almost no contraindications. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when using it:

Do not abuse the use of infusion, decoction, lemon balm tea for men. This can lead to an unwanted decrease in sexual activity.
It is not recommended to drink drinks containing this herb before a responsible event, meeting, exam. Excessive calmness and insufficient reaction can adversely affect the outcome of the event.
Melissa treatment should be abandoned in case of individual intolerance or persistent hypotension.

In all other cases, lemon balm will benefit your body, prolonging and improving the quality of life.

Melissa on the windowsill.

Source: http://postroiv.ru/2016/04/vyrashhivanie-melissy/

How to plant lemon balm at home in a pot

Lemon Balm - An unpretentious perennial herbaceous plant growing well in open ground. Indoor lemon balm does not require special care also when breeding at home. The external difference between potted spice and garden spice lies in the size of the bush. The first one is slightly lower, with a favorable environment, it forms more frequent and larger leaves, which increases the yield.

Conditions for growing at home

Breeding lemon mint at home will allow you to have a fresh, aromatic spice on hand all year round.

Creation comfortable conditions will significantly reduce the care of the plant, the risks when cultivating in open ground. The culture does not tolerate drafts, sudden changes in temperature, strong winds.

In summer, it can be taken out to the balcony, but it must be protected from direct sunlight and bad weather.

Cultivation of lemon balm at home involves:

creation of an optimal microclimate (humidity, temperature);
soil preparation, good drainage, capacity;
pre-sowing treatment of seeds, rooting of cuttings or instillation of layering in the country;
compliance with the landing technique;
providing proper care.

illumination

Culture loves light, so it should be placed on the south, southeast or southwest window sills. It is desirable to shade from direct sunlight so that there are no foliage burns. Melissa at home breeding also grows in winter, so additional lighting may be needed for about 4-6 hours with a fluorescent or phytolamp at a height of 60 cm from it.

With a lack of light, the plant will not die, but will stop growing, the leaves will become small with a low content of essential oils, a lighter color.

Humidity and temperature

Seeds germinate at +18-20°C, optimum temperature for the next period of development +16-18°C, an increase to +25°C is allowed. Humidity is desirable to maintain within 55-65%.

In summer, with home cultivation, you need to spray the bushes 2 times a day with settled water from a spray bottle. Watering is carried out moderately, avoiding periods of drought or waterlogging.

In winter, less moisture is required, but if lemon balm is located next to heating system should be watered as the soil dries out.

Requirements for soil and containers for growing

Lemon balm prefers light, well-drained, nutritious soils with neutral acidity. Loam can be used as a base by adding soddy soil, sand and mineral fertilizers.

Universal substrate for indoor plants from garden stores is also suitable for growing lemon balm in a pot. Disinfect garden soil and river sand before use in an oven at + 75-80 ° C.

Pour expanded clay, broken slate or crushed stone as a drainage layer.

You can choose any container - a container, a box, a long plastic or round pot. It is advisable not to use wooden containers, since it is difficult to process it from pathogenic microorganisms and it is not suitable for long-term cultivation.

The main requirements are a minimum height of 15-20 cm and the presence of holes on the bottom. Before planting, wash the container, treat it with a solution of potassium permanganate, and dry it. It is advisable to immediately plant in a large container to eliminate the need for picking and transplanting.

Growing features

Melissa on the windowsill can grow for many years, it is unpretentious in care. Home environment reduces the impact of negative factors. With sufficient nutritional value of the soil and proper care, the plant does not get sick, it is protected from pests.

You can harvest in the second year after planting. Before flowering, the smell and taste qualities are most pronounced, therefore it is recommended to break off the resulting inflorescences if the lemon mint is higher than 20 cm in height.

Pruning branches will form a lush green bush.

In one container, it is permissible to arrange 2-3 seedlings in 1 row at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other.

Growing melissa at home for a long time will allow the implementation of a number of agrotechnical measures:

sufficient watering;
loosening as a dense earthen crust forms;
maintaining an optimal microclimate;
fertilizing;
timely pruning of shoots.

Landing technology

Melissa at home is propagated by seeds, cuttings or layering. The first method is the most difficult and lengthy. Lemon balm seeds do not germinate well even at home.

Preparation before sowing consists in soaking and disinfecting. In one container, you can superficially sow several grains, then remove the weakest ones. Before the first shoots appear, cover with a film or glass, periodically airing and removing condensate.

Then remove the covering material, put the container in a cooler room.

Cuttings are considered the most in a simple way breeding, especially when breeding at home. A twig 8-10 cm long can be cut from any adult bush or bought in a store, it is important that it has an internode.

It is advisable to put in water or wet sand on the day of cutting. The roots will appear in 1.5-2 weeks. Plant rooted cuttings in prepared soil mixture, water.

The fact that the seedling has taken root will become noticeable by the formation of new leaves.

There is another way to plant a culture. For home breeding of lemon balm in spring, bend a young shoot of an adult plant 10-15 cm long to the ground, pin it with a twig or press down with a small stone, sprinkle it with earth in this place. Do not forget to water, remove weeds around. A year later, separate the new bush from the mother liquor, plant at home.

Watering mode

The procedure is required as needed. Drying out of the soil will lead to lethargy, stopping the growth of the plant, and waterlogging - to rotting of the root system. When grown at home, in the latter case, a good drainage layer will help, excess liquid will not stagnate in the ground.

Spraying lemon balm and the air around from a spray bottle with settled water at room temperature will create the necessary humidity. This is required on hot days and in heating season if the containers are located above the battery.

Leaves should not be allowed to get wet when exposed to direct sunlight, as this will cause burns.

It is possible to grow melissa on the windowsill only with regular watering, since excess liquid flows into the pan and evaporates, and it does not rain at home.

top dressing

Application of fertilizers to the soil home cultivation lemon mint is required 2 weeks after planting by vegetative method or after the first sprouts appear when seed method breeding. Subsequent procedures are carried out before the flowering period after each pruning of branches.

For feeding use:

folk remedies - eggshell, herbal infusions, tea leaves;
complex mineral fertilizers - superphosphate, urea, ammonium sulfate, potassium salt.

Home cultivation of lemon balm is widespread due to the fact that the culture is unpretentious, adapts well to the new environment. The creation of a favorable microclimate and the observance of basic agrotechnical measures contribute to the production of fresh spicy greens all year round.

Source: https://doma-v-sadu.ru/ogorod/komnatnaya-melissa.html

How to grow lemon balm on a windowsill at home from seeds

Hello everyone! How are you doing? Do you need to calm down a bit? And the good old tea with lemon balm will help you with this.

People call this plant lemon mint. Due to its refreshing and beneficial properties, lemon balm is used in medicine and cooking.

I really like this plant and so I planted it in my garden. But it turns out that you can grow it at home on the windowsill, which I also want to try to do this winter.
Therefore, today I will tell you how to grow lemon balm at home.

Useful properties of lemon balm

Melissa not only has a pleasant aroma, but also helps with many health problems. It is able to cope with nervous disorders, relieves negative emotions, and also normalizes the work of the heart.

Even in ancient times, this herb was used as an antibacterial agent.
The essential oils of this plant are known for their phytoncidal properties. In addition, it contains useful acids, tannins and even carotene.

In herbal medicine, this herb is prescribed for:

By the way, not only tea is good with lemon balm. It perfectly complements soups, side dishes and salads. In addition, this spice is successfully used in fish dishes, with mushrooms, eggplant and cucumbers.

Features of growing lemon balm on the windowsill

To grow lemon balm on a windowsill or balcony, a few conditions are required:

sunny place;
good seeds;
watering;
fertile substrate.

The plant is best planted in pots in spring period. At this time, the fastest growth is ensured, and the most minimal care is needed. At the same time, lemon balm will bring joy with its beautiful foliage for several years.

This perennial can grow without transplants for three to four years.

Many gardeners are interested in whether it is possible to grow lemon balm in the cold season?

Yes, the bush will grow in winter, but only its splendor will be less than in summer and spring.

In cold periods, its leaves become lighter.
Place the plant pot on the sunny side, but remember that lemon balm does not like direct sunlight and drafts.

cultivation

Now let's figure out how to properly grow a plant from seeds. It is better to provide her with a fertile substrate with neutral acidity, as well as with good breathability.

The soil should be light, as this will provide good germination seeds. To loosen the soil, you should use vermiculite or perlite.

Make a composition of garden soil, as well as equal parts of sand and humus. If you do not want to bother, then purchase a substrate for indoor plants in the store.
Planting seedlings is performed as follows:

Prepare containers in advance for disembarkation. These can be containers, pots or boxes. They should be treated with a solution of manganese.
Lay a drainage layer on the bottom, and then a soil layer.
Sow small seeds in moistened warm soil, to a depth of 5 cm and at a distance of 6 cm.
After planting, they need to be watered.

The first shoots will appear only after a couple of weeks. In this case, the landing sites need to be moistened every other day. Place the container in a warm and sunny place.

When shoots appear, the boxes can be placed in a sufficiently lit place. But at the same time, it is important that the rays of the sun do not fall on them. You can not do a pick, but if the plants sprout too thickly, then you can pull out the weakest of them. After a couple of months, the bushes will get stronger, and you can plant them in a permanent place of growth.

You can plant seedlings in the garden or in the country. But it is better to do this in the second half of May. And if you plan to plant sprouts on the balcony, then choose a long container or large pot.

Seedlings should be planted in one row. In this case, the distance between seedlings should not be less than 15 cm.In addition to seeds, you can grow lemon balm using cuttings, as well as dividing rhizomes and a bush.

You can start dividing the bush at the end of May or at the end of August. The bush is first dug out, and then cut into identical parts.

At the same time, at least five shoots must remain on each of them. These parts fit well.
And when propagating by cuttings, it is necessary to cut the cuttings from the upper part of the young shoots. They are placed in water, and after the roots appear, they should be transferred to loose soil.

How to care for a plant?

It is important for a plant to provide good care. Watering should be regular. At the same time, it is necessary to water not only the soil, but also the leaves.

For them better fit spray. Grown bushes should be watered three times a day.
From May until the first autumn frosts, containers with plants can be placed on the balcony or on the loggia. But in this case, you should take care of protecting the culture from strong winds and rains.

Don't forget about quality food. To do this, you can take organic fertilizers: tea leaves and eggshells.

Or liquid type mineral fertilizers. In this case, potassium salt, ammonium sulfate or superphosphate is suitable. Feeding should be done after each leaf pruning.

Remember that in the first year, flowers and lush greenery will not appear. At the same time, lemon balm does not grow more than 50 cm. Since the main benefit of the plant is in the foliage, the buds should be cut off as soon as they appear.

How to use Melissa?

Melissa is often used, as well as mint. And when preparing some infusions, sage is perfectly combined with it.
It is better to harvest in the second year, after the lemon balm gives the first buds.

It is believed that it was at this time that a significant amount of useful components accumulated in the plant. It is worth harvesting from fully formed bushes.

This can be done four times per season. Cut at a height of 10 cm or even higher. Dry raw materials in small bundles. They can be placed in a dry and well-ventilated place.

If this method is not suitable, then you can lay out individual leaves in one layer on a grid, canvas or parchment. It is good to dry on the loggia.

Only it is better to do it in dry weather and in a small shade.
After drying, dry raw materials must be decomposed into jars and tightly covered with a lid. In this form, you can store stock for a year. No longer worth it, as the lemon balm will lose most of its flavor during this time.

During storage, do not mix this plant with other herbs.

With the right approach to growing and caring, you will get a wonderful garden on your windowsill, which will delight you at any time of the year.
Use only natural products and be healthy. If you liked the information, then share it with your friends.

Don't forget to subscribe to my blog updates to always get fresh information.

This article is worth sharing with your friends. Click!

Source: http://30-plus.ru/ona/uvlecheniya/kak-vyrashhivat-melissu.html

Melissa lemon - we grow houses of the green doctor

Melissa is a perennial herb that contains essential oil with a recognizable lemon scent. Species of the genus Melissa (Melissa) of the Lamiaceae family.

This well-known herb has many other names: lady's happiness, bee grass, lemon grass, lemon balm, lemon balm, hearty joy, censer, honey slipper, bee leaf and many others.

Under natural conditions, this plant grows most often in the Mediterranean countries, on the Black Sea coast, in the north of the African continent.

Melissa can be found in Europe, and in the north of America, and in Iran, as well as in Central Asia and in the CIS. This lemon grass chooses its place of growth on forest edges, among shrubs, in clearings and clearings, as well as in the mountains. Grows well in moist soils.

It quickly adapts to shady areas, but more fragrant representatives of lemon balm grow in illuminated areas.

People, noticing its benefits, began to grow lemongrass as a medicine everywhere, including in our country, in the Krasnodar Territory and other regions. There are many options for using lemon balm as a natural healer. It is good as tinctures, decoctions, teas that have a positive effect on the human body.

You can read more about the beneficial properties and contraindications of lemon balm in this article.

How pleasant it is to enjoy the singing of birds, the sound of the wind, fresh air and small sips of delicious herbal tea with an exquisite lemon aroma on a warm summer evening in the country, with your family. The combination of mint and lemon balm is the most popular for making a tasty and healthy drink.

Botanical characteristic

Melissa officinalis - height from 30 cm to one and a half meters, the stem is straight, branched, tetrahedral. The leaves have a petiole - the stem to which they are attached, oval in shape, with grooves along the edges.

The surface of the grass is covered with small hairs. Melissa flowers are tiny, on short pedicels, pale crimson, light lilac or white in color. They are located in the axils of the upper leaves of the plant.

Healing grass pleases with flowering from the second year in the second half of summer.

The fruit has a very interesting shape - it consists of 4 oval-shaped nuts of light coffee color.

Melissa contains an essential oil that has a pleasant, light lemon scent. The aroma has the greatest strength before flowering, and then the smell becomes much weaker and even becomes unpleasant. The birthplace of lemongrass is the eastern Mediterranean. This wonderful herb was grown two millennia ago in Ancient Rome. It was from there that the plant came to the rest of Europe.

What does lemon balm look like and how is it different from mint?

People who monitor their health actively use healthy herbal teas. Two fragrant herbs are especially popular: lemon balm and mint, which are often grown in the backyard.

The leaves of these herbs are similar, they are often confused, so you need to know how mint differs from lemon balm. Let's look at these differences in a table.

The photo below shows the difference between lemon balm and mint. The first photo on the left shows lemon balm, and the right photo shows mint.

The difference between lemon balm (left) and mint (right)

How to grow lemon balm at home?

Is it difficult to grow lemon balm at home? Not at all! This is very easy to do. Before growing lemongrass at home, you need to purchase high-quality, fresh seeds. In the spring, seeds are sown in a container filled with moist soil, deepening them by 0.5 cm, the distance between rows is at least 5 cm.

Until the first sprouts appear, it is necessary to water the crops every two days, keeping the air temperature at least 10 degrees. After 10 - 20 days, the first shoots will appear. In May, the grown sprouts are planted in flower boxes at a distance of 15 cm from each other, after the appearance of true leaves, the plant is thinned out.

It is best to place pots with lemon balm on a sunny windowsill (east, south, west) - the sun will fill them with aroma.

Home care

Many gardeners and flower growers prefer to grow lemon balm on their own in order to always have fresh fragrant leaves for brewing tea at home. Planting lemon balm and caring for it is quite simple. Melissa, grown in the garden or on the street, may grow with defects: too elongated stems, tiny leaves, it is more susceptible to pest invasion.

Lemongrass grown on a window sill or balcony will give a great harvest: stems of moderate length, large, wide and often growing leaves.

You can plant it at any time of the year, but, nevertheless, it is better to do this in the spring. Standard care rules: regular and proper watering, loosening the soil, sufficient lighting, optimal air temperature.

Lighting for Melissa

Melissa does not like direct sunlight, prefers diffused light, does not tolerate drafts. In winter, due to a lack of illumination above the plant, additional illumination is arranged. Perfect for this Fluorescent Lamp power in the range of 40-80 watts. You need to turn it on in the morning and illuminate the plant for 6 hours.

Humidity and temperature for the plant

The condition of the plant will depend on the regularity of watering. This should be done three times a week, but waterlogging can lead to backfire And various diseases. Lemon grass is very fond of moisture, so it will be grateful to you for frequent spraying.

Fertilizer

For top dressing, you can use the following types of fertilizers:

organic (eggshell, tea leaves);
liquid mineral fertilizers (superphosphate, potassium salt, ammonium sulfate).

You need to fertilize after each cutting of the leaves, which is carried out before flowering. The plant germinates at a temperature of +10 degrees, but the most comfortable for growth in the future will be a temperature of +25 degrees.

What should be the soil for room lemon balm

This amazing grass feels great in almost any soil, but prefers a fertile substrate with neutral acidity.

It is better to take the soil for sowing easier, since the seeds of the crop have low germination.

For planting, use ordinary garden soil or a mixture of soddy soil, humus and sand in equal proportions, or purchase any ready-made in specialized stores universal primer for indoor plants.

Planting and breeding methods

Reproduction of lemon balm is carried out:

seeds;
cuttings;
dividing a bush or rhizome.

seed way

You can buy ready-made seeds or collect them yourself in the garden or in the garden. To collect seeds, choose bushes that are healthy, developed, with large foliage. Seeds are harvested from late August - early September. Stems with seeds are cut from selected plants, folded into bunches, and dried.

After drying, the bundles with seeds are put into linen bags and threshed.

Planting containers are pre-treated with a solution of potassium permanganate. A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the tank (expanded clay, fine gravel, broken brick), then the ground layer. Melissa seeds are very small.

They must be sown in moist soil in spring or autumn. Shoots will appear no earlier than in half a month. Picking is not necessary, but you can thin out.

After a couple of months, the grown sprouts can be transplanted to a permanent place.

The division of the bush

The division of the bush is the easiest and fast way reproduction of bee grass. At the beginning of May or in August (this is when the lemon balm shoots), the bush is carefully divided into the required number of parts and the delenochki are planted in a permanent place. This method allows the plant to quickly take root and grow, grow rapidly and bloom in the same year.

Reproduction by layering

Propagating lemon balm by layering is easy. This requires an adult large bush. In summer, before the plant blooms, shoots up to 15 cm long are bent to the ground, fixed with brackets and sprinkled with earth. The place of instillation must be watered. After a while, roots should appear. A new rooted bush is separated from the parent bush and transplanted to a permanent place.

How to cut indoor lemon balm

The process of cuttings is as follows: they acquire fresh stems of lemon balm, cut off the top, put in water. After 10 days, roots appear on the stems, and then the cuttings are transplanted into containers in which they remain. After 21 days, young shoots appear.

Graceful, pale green and very fragrant, lemongrass will fill the air with healing aromas. Melissa is an inimitable plant, with an amazing smell, worthy of developing on every backyard or in a garden on a windowsill.

The exact origin of the name Melissa has not been clarified due to the disagreement of its interpreters. But it is known that the herbaceous plant of the Lamiaceae family, called lemon balm, whose cultivation as a medicinal raw material is widespread, is also called censer, lemon grass, lemon and bee mint. This inconspicuous herb is cultivated by gardeners, gardeners and even planters in industrial purposes focusing primarily on the richness of biologically active substances contained in lemon balm.

Did you know?According to one version, the name melissa was formed from the addition Greek words meaning honey and leaves. According to the second - on behalf of the nymph Melissa, who allegedly treated Zeus with honey and milk. According to the third, Melissa was the name of a beauty who was turned into a bee by the will of the Olympic gods.

Melissa: plant description

The height of the perennial can reach one and a half meters. Its basis is a strongly branching rhizome. Petiolate opposite leaves of a complex shape, resembling both a heart and an egg and having large teeth, are located on a branched stem, as if faceted on four sides.

The short pedicels are crowned with axillary tufts of small white flowers, which may also have pale pink or purple tones. The flowers have four stamens, the upper four-parted ovary of the pistil on a long column. The flowering of lemon balm is marked by July and August of the second year of growth.

A large, with a black sheen, four-nut fruit, gaining maturity in August-September, has an ovoid shape. Before flowering, the grass is fragrant with lemon. When flowering ends, the weakening smell becomes unpleasant.

How to choose a place and prepare the soil for growing lemon balm

In order for lemon balm to grow well, it is necessary to create certain conditions for it.

Lighting for active growth

Planting lemon balm is recommended to be done in a place with good sunlight, which is especially important for the germination of naturally small seeds. Frosts can kill new lemon mint bushes, so their cultivation should begin with planting in warm weather. In the future, the plant demonstrates a fair amount of resistance to cold, although the place where lemon balm grows is still better to choose on the south side, protected from air currents coming from the north.

Important!In an open sunny place, lemon balm has a richer aroma.

Soil preparation for planting lemon balm

The soil for planting should be fertile and free of weeds. Melissa prefers loamy soils, as they have high water and air permeability, which makes it possible to grow a full-fledged plant. Loose sandstones are also possible. They need good drainage from fine gravel or broken bricks, which will protect the root system from decay.

If the entire site is located on clay soil, then at the place where lemon balm is planted, it must be mixed with river sand. The reaction of the soil to acidity should be slightly acidic or neutral. The first digging with weeding and fertilizing can be done in the fall, and in the spring, loosen and clean the heated soil again.

Melissa breeding methods, how to plant a medicinal plant

To understand how melissa reproduces most successfully, you must first carefully study and only then choose seeds, melissa seedlings, cuttings or separated parts of the bush for planting.

Sowing seeds

A thousand seeds weigh approximately 0.62 g. Their germination persists for 2-3 years. Based practical experience it was concluded that plants grow stronger and more hardy from seeds. When it is better to sow lemon balm depends on the chosen for open soil planting material.

Landing in open ground

Rapid seed germination will occur when lemon balm is sown in open ground at the end of May. Moreover, as close as possible to the surface, that is, it is necessary to plant lemon balm seeds to a depth of no more than 1-1.5 cm. For a row spacing, a gap of up to half a meter is enough. Between the bushes, since they grow decently, it is advisable to leave at least 40 cm.

Gardeners who care not only about productivity, but also about the aesthetics of the beds, recommend increasing both distances to about 0.6 m. The first shoots appear only after 3-4 weeks, so the answer to the question: “Why doesn’t lemon balm grow?”, The answer is simple - the appointed time has not come.

Planting lemon balm seedlings

A rich harvest of fragrant lemon balm can be achieved not only by growing it from seeds, but by first obtaining seedlings from them. Planting for seedlings should be done at the turn of March and April, and in May, the resulting approximately 40-day material with four leaves on each seedling is planted in the soil.

Boxes with sown seeds, covered with glass, contain warm room, the illumination of which is increased to a maximum after emergence. Seedlings that have grown up to 3-5 cm need to be thinned out to five-centimeter intervals and then planted in separate small containers.

Growing lemon balm by dividing the bush

The shoots that began to grow by the end of May signal that it is possible to start dividing the bushes. Another, also favorable period is the end of August. The excavated bush is cut into pieces of the same size. Each of them should retain at least 4-5 shoots and roots. The separated parts take root well and bloom beautifully. The limitation for this method of reproduction of lemon balm is its age - it must be at least 3-4 years old.

How to cut melissa

Cuttings for planting lemon balm are made from the apical part of its young shoots, which, after cutting, are placed in water. After the roots appear (this happens after about two weeks), the cuttings are grown in fertilized loose soil.

Rules for caring for melissa in the garden

There is no difficulty in planting lemon balm, it is unpretentious in any case, and therefore caring for it does not provide for special specifics. But in the first year, until the branched roots of the overgrown bushes began to independently provide them with food and moisture, the plant needs close attention. First of all, it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil and remove weeds.

In one place, lemon balm can exist for up to 10 years. But in the sixth year, winter-hardy qualities deteriorate, therefore, in a frosty climate after this period, it is better to divide and seat.

Important!After five years, the winter hardiness of the plant decreases.

Watering and feeding the plant

Several waterings are needed in the initial growth stage. Be sure to water in case of significant drought. Watering must be supplemented by loosening the soil. A protective layer of mulch laid on top will help the soil stay moist longer and also serve as a weed protector. Melissa is fed after each cut of greenery.

Complex liquid fertilizers are used (for 10 liters of water - 20 g of ammonium nitrate, 50 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium chloride) and mulching with organic matter - a significant layer of humus or compost. Feeding is not done before flowering, as this prevents the seeds from ripening in time.

pinching lemon balm

Pinching seedlings of lemon balm grown for seedlings is carried out at a height of 10-15 cm. The result of this procedure is compact bushes with greater branching.

Melissa pruning

Two or three times per season, lemon balm shoots are radically cut at a 10-centimeter distance from the surface of the earth. Such an operation leads, in addition to a very quick recovery, to a rather active formation of a large number of new branches and dense, pretty bushes, so attractive that they are used as elements of landscape design.

botanical name: Melissa.

Melissa plant - family . Lamiaceae.

Origin. Mediterranean.

Description – perennial, in which, upon the onset of frost, the entire ground part dies off, and in spring the plant begins to grow again from the underground root. Stems erect, branched, covered with pubescence. The leaves are opposite, oblong-oval or lanceolate, up to 7 cm long, with pronounced veins, green, also covered with delicate pubescence, when damaged, they emit a very pleasant mint or lemon aroma. The edges of the leaf plates have small notches. In the summer months, small inconspicuous flowers appear in the axils of the leaves - white or lilac, male and female. There are attractive variegated forms of the plant.

Height. 70 - 150 cm, growing fast.

Melissa growing

Temperature conditions . During the growing season tolerates a wide range temperature conditions, and in the winter months it needs a cool dormant period at a temperature of 5 - 7 ° C, but not higher than 10 ° C.

Melissa at Home - Lighting . Melissa indoor does not like direct sunlight and is preferred for growing in partial shade.

Melissa care at home . A hardy and very useful plant. Melissa needs to be pruned 2 - 3 times during the growing season to give a beautiful compact form, pruning tolerates easily. Flowers in indoor plants are usually removed so that seeds do not form, which germinate when they fall into the ground.

Soil for lemon balm in a pot . The plant feels great in any soil, tolerates even nutrient-poor substrates with good drainage.

Melissa on the windowsill - top dressing . Feed monthly with a water-soluble fertilizer during growth.

Purpose. Lemon balm leaves have a very pleasant aroma and are used for preparing all kinds of dishes, as well as for refreshing drinks, it is better to collect them before flowering.

flowering time. From June to August, however, flowering is not of particular interest.

Air humidity . In spring and summer, if the air in the room becomes too dry, you can increase the humidity using room humidifier or by placing the plant on a tray of wet pebbles. Spraying is not recommended.

soil moisture . Watering should be plentiful during the growing season, it is better to use bottom watering by immersing the plant pot in a large container of water for a few minutes and allowing excess moisture drain. In the winter dormant period, the soil is simply protected from complete drying out.

Transfer. Transplanted annually, in a larger pot, in the spring.

humble forest dweller middle lane lemon balm, popularly known as lemon mint, honeydew, bee grass - a fairly well-known culture. The greenery of its leaves and shoots with a refreshing lemon aroma is widely used as a savory seasoning for preparing various dishes, preserving vegetables and giving a special flavor to liqueurs and drinks, and a cup of tea brewed with lemon balm is an incomparable pleasure. The beneficial properties of the plant have been used for many years in folk medicine for the treatment of many diseases, as well as lemon balm is part of many well-known drugs.

Due to its unpretentiousness in care, lemon balm is perfectly adapted for cultivation in open ground, therefore, to grow a useful and fragrant greens you can do it yourself in your backyard. Some useful advice help avoid common mistakes and get a great harvest.

Landing area treatment

Under natural conditions, lemon balm settles along forest edges and slopes of shady ravines, therefore, on a personal plot for its cultivation, a place should be allocated in partial shade near outbuildings or under crowns fruit trees. The best soils for it are loose, humus-rich loams or sandy loams with a pH of 4.5 to 7.8.

At the end of autumn, the plot is carefully dug up, combining mechanical processing with weeding and moderately filling the soil. mineral fertilizers and organic. If the land on the site is too heavy, it is recommended to add several buckets of river sand during digging.

In the spring, when the snow completely melts and the soil warms up well, they form low ridges, carefully loosening the soil with a rake and breaking large clods of earth.

Growing lemon balm from seeds

The seed method of breeding lemon balm is the most time-consuming and at the same time the most effective of all existing ones. Bushes from seeds grow more powerful and viable, they are resistant to adverse climatic influences. Sowing seeds can be carried out directly into the ground or grow seedlings from them for subsequent transplantation to the garden.

To sow the seeds of lemon balm for seedlings, they begin in the second half of March. A low plastic container is suitable as a planting container, and the soil for planting can be taken from the bed where the grown bushes are subsequently planned to be transferred. Important! Before planting, garden soil must be disinfected - kept in a hot oven or spilled hot water. In the case of using a purchased soil mixture, heat treatment is not required. Sowing works are carried out in the following sequence:

Prepared soil is poured into the container, lightly tamped with hands and moderately watered.
Grooves about 1 cm deep are formed on the surface of the substrate, into which small lemon balm seeds are sown with an interval of 5-7 cm.
Crops are sprinkled with a thin layer of soil, and the container is covered with cling film and placed on a warm, well-lit windowsill.
Melissa sprouts for quite a long time - up to 20 days. During this time, the greenhouse is regularly ventilated, the surface of the substrate is moistened with a spray gun and drops of condensate are removed from the film.
After germination, excessively dense plantings are thinned out and seedlings are fed with nitrogen fertilizer for better development.
Melissa seedlings will be ready for transfer to the garden in 40-45 days. Transplantation is carried out according to the scheme: the distance between the bushes is about 40-50 cm with a row spacing of 55-65 cm.

When dry sowing seeds melissa follow the following order:

First of all, it is necessary to mark the places of sowing so that during germination very thin shoots are not lost among the weeds. For the same purpose, lemon balm seeds can be mixed with seeds of early ripening crops (radish, lettuce).
Before starting work, the surface of the beds is loosened and watered abundantly.
Seeds are sown in furrows 1-2 cm deep at a distance of 40-45 cm from each other, completely covering the crops with a layer of old peat or humus. The optimum row spacing is about 60 cm.

In the first year of life, lemon balm grown from seeds adapts to new conditions and blooms extremely rarely, but in the next season it blooms profusely and for a long time.

Other breeding methods

If lemon balm is already growing on the site, you can expand the “plantation” of fragrant grass using the following methods:

Division of an adult plant- the most powerful bush, which has reached the age of 3-5 years, is dug up, the roots are shaken off the ground, and then divided into several parts. Important condition- on each new plant there should be several young shoots with buds. Delenki are seated in shallow holes and watered abundantly. Best time for the procedure - mid-spring or late summer.
layering- several young shoots 10-15 cm long are bent to the ground and fixed in any convenient way. The place of contact is sprinkled with a layer of soil and moistened abundantly. After 2-3 weeks, when the layers take root, they are cut off from the mother bush with a sharp knife or secateurs and planted in a permanent place.
Root cuttings- not the most popular, but effective method. Before the start of the growing season, an adult melissa bush is dug up. With a sharp knife, cut out several pieces of roots about 10 cm long, which are placed in moist soil. After planting, adnexal buds actively develop on the root cuttings, due to which young shoots appear in a few weeks. The mother bush is planted in its original place, where it will continue to grow.

Features of care

Many gardeners mistakenly believe that after planting, lemon balm can grow like a weed without needing care. However, an undemanding culture for well-being still needs a few basic activities:

Timely and competent watering - in the heat, lemon balm is watered every two days, in cool cloudy weather - twice a week. Stagnation of excess moisture leads to rotting of the roots, so waterlogging should be avoided.
One-time top dressing - every spring at the beginning of the growing season, a bucket of mullein solution with the addition of nitrogen fertilizer is applied under each bush. In the future, to maintain the nutritional value of the soil and preserve moisture, the root zone of plants is mulched with humus or old peat.
Every 3-5 years, the bushes are rejuvenated by dividing, otherwise the lemon balm leaves coarsen and shrink, and the plant's yield gradually decreases.
To protect lemon balm from winter freezing, at the end of autumn it is highly spudded, after cutting off the aerial part, after which it is covered with a layer of fallen leaves.

With proper care, lemon balm actively increases the vegetative mass and blooms profusely.

The abundance of green plants that fill the earth often causes incredible delight among gardeners. Many of them can be grown at home, and indoor lemon balm is just a godsend for housewives. This amazing plant not only decorates the interior of the room, but is also an exquisite spice with a citrus aroma. Is there a secret to growing this crop on a windowsill? It turns out that not everything is so simple. After all, without effort it is impossible to bring a spoon to your mouth.

The main difference between room balm and garden spice is its size. It is much lower and has larger leaf plates.

General description of the plant

Potted lemon balm is a low plant with upright branched shoots. They are covered with barely visible villi, which glisten in bright light. sunshine. Lanceolate leaf plates, about 5 cm long, are arranged in opposite order. The outer surface is corrugated, "stitched" with many distinct veins. The edges of the foliage of room melissa are "cut" with many small notches. Plate color - different shades Green colour. With little damage, they emit an aroma reminiscent of appetizing citrus. The plant is widely used as a remedy and in cooking.

The culture is used in its raw form as a spice to give a piquant smell and taste of freshly squeezed lemon. It can be added to various meat treats, hot soups, teas and intoxicating drinks.

Melissa indoor: basic requirements for growing indoors

Breeding a fragrant perennial at home allows the hostess to always have fresh spice on hand. But for this it is worth a lot of work. There are several basic rules for growing lemon crops:

fertile soil;
lighting;
watering;
spraying;
regular pruning;
optimal room temperature;
timely feeding.

By fulfilling these simple requirements, growing lemon balm at home will bring true satisfaction to the hostess. Especially when you consider that the culture is able to grow in one container for 4 years. Only after that it is transplanted and updated.

In order for the perennial to be healthy for 4 years, it should be planted in early spring.

Consider the step-by-step process of how to grow lemon balm on a windowsill at home.

Soil preparation

Lemon mint loves fertile earth with a neutral level of acidity, which is obtained from such components:

loam;
sod land;
river sand;

Before adding river sand to the substrate, it is placed in the oven for 15 minutes. Maximum temperature– 80°С. For drainage use broken brick, expanded clay or crushed stone. In order for the lemon balm to take root well in a pot, it must be at least 20 cm and with holes in the bottom. Before planting, the container is washed with a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.

If the grass is immediately planted in a voluminous pot, it will not have to be replanted often.

Optimum lighting

In its natural environment, lemon balm grows on forest edges or low slopes, where there is a lot of moisture. Given this fact, at home, the plant is best grown on the south, east or west side. On cloudy days, especially in winter, it needs additional lighting. To do this, use up to 80 watts. They are suspended above the perennial at a distance of 60 cm, so that they can be turned on if necessary.

Spraying and regular watering

To maintain the required humidity, the plant is sprayed from a spray bottle. Water the seedlings as the topsoil dries out, about 3 times a week. At the same time, it is important to control watering in order to avoid stagnation of the liquid, which leads to the appearance of rot in the root system. As a result, the plant may die.

Room temperature, pruning and top dressing

When growing lemon balm on the windowsill, gardeners carefully monitor the temperature environment. This heat-loving plant does not like drafts and excessive cold. Optimal Performance– not lower than 10°C and not higher than +25°C. For the successful development of spices, the soil is regularly fed. liquid fertilizers who sell in flower shops. And the planned pruning of the shoots begins 2 months after planting. During this period, it reaches about 15 cm. The procedure delays the appearance of buds so that the leaf plates remain juicy and do not lose their smell.

Technology for sowing lemon balm seeds at home

If we don’t have a garden, but we want to have healing herbs on hand, it’s not necessary to look for it in the forest or buy it in the market. Gardeners know how to plant lemon balm seeds so that they grow on the windowsill. With proper care, it miraculously takes root in a pot, filling the residential abode with a pleasant aroma and greenery. The first step on the way to the goal is soil preparation. You can collect it in your own garden or buy it ready-made.

Then it is poured into a container, pot or box. Next, lemon balm seeds are soaked in a weak solution of manganese.
The procedure is necessary for a thorough dressing of planting material. After 2-3 hours, they start landing:

the prepared soil is watered with slightly warmed water;
make holes about 1.5 cm deep;
carefully sow the seeds;
fill the grooves with soil;
cover the container with cling film.

In order for the seedlings to sprout faster, mini-greenhouses are placed in a warm place. As the earth dries, watering is carried out, lifting polyethylene film. At the same time, seedlings receive a portion of oxygen. After about 25 days, the first greens will appear. If the sprouts are planted densely, they are thinned out, leaving strong specimens. The procedure is performed in the presence of 3 or 4 leaves on the seedlings. They are transplanted into other containers. So not one melissa bush appears on the windowsill, but a whole guard. Such greenery brings incredible joy to the hostess, because the house is filled with a spicy aroma and freshness.