How to plant mint and grow from seeds in the country
Content:
As a medicinal culture of the representative of the Lipocytes, they began to grow even before our era - dried fragments of mint were found in Egyptian tombs. Modern summer residents often use a gingerbread plant as a decorative addition in mixborders and rock gardens. But not everyone knows how to plant mint in a summer cottage correctly.
Features of growing crops
The plant reproduces easily by dividing rhizomes. But it also provides seeds with which you can plant mint in your garden and even breed it at home.
Mint in the garden
In the open field, you can most often see the planting of peppermint. She attracts summer residents with her spicy aroma. Therefore, the plant is used not only for medicinal purposes - along with lemon balm, mint has also found application in cooking.
The culture is unpretentious and in one place can develop for more than 10 years, while growing very quickly throughout the territory. Mint is a perennial plant species that overwinters outdoors. Only the root system remains in the soil, the stems die off to the cold.
Some summer residents prefer to change the planting sites for vegetable crops. Therefore, mint is treated as an annual plant, removing the bushes from the site every autumn and sowing again in the spring, preventing them from multiplying on their own.
Chocolate mint
Flowering in the bushes is long - from July to the end of October. After that, mint seeds appear, which are harvested and kept in a dark, dry place until spring. With the end of winter, the crop can be immediately sown on vegetable beds or flower beds.
Knowing how mint grows, the best breeding option for some regions is the seedling method.
Seed propagation in the open field
To grow mint from seed, you should prepare in advance to create comfortable conditions for development. Despite the fact that the plant reproduces well in the wild, the rules of agricultural technology applied in the garden will make it possible to grow a beautifully flowering ornamental shrub.
What you need to plant mint
The culture is unassuming, but the soil is of great importance to it. The land should be fertile, moisture-consuming, loose. Loam and sandstone without signs of boggy are best suited.
Where to plant mint
Despite its frost resistance, the culture loves light and warmth. Therefore, he prefers to settle in well-lit areas. Mint can normally tolerate a light openwork shade. On plots, where the sun's rays penetrate with difficulty, the plant looks inconspicuous - the leaves and flowers become smaller, fade.
How to sow mint
Gardeners know how to plant mint seeds outdoors. There are no special tricks here. All actions are reduced to following the rules:
- grooves are prepared on the dug-up area with a hoe; they should be shallow (1-2 cm) so that small seeds will sprout in a timely manner;
- the gap between the rows is kept at 40-50 cm, so that later grown bushes do not interfere with each other;
- you do not need to sow often, then you will have to spend less time on thinning.
The first shoots in the garden
When shoots appear, and 2 leaves are formed on them, extra seedlings can be removed, keeping the distance between the remaining ones about 35-40 cm.
How to fertilize mint
The first top dressing is applied in the spring, when preparing the beds for planting. Use a set of mineral fertilizers (per 1 sq. M):
- 15 g of saltpeter, potassium chloride, superphosphate;
- humus - 3 kg;
- ash - 2 tablespoons
For the next 2 years, neither organic nor mineral water should be added to the area sown with mint. Plants have enough nutrients available in the soil. In the fall of the 3rd year, rotted cow dung (per 1 sq. M 2 kg) is scattered on the garden bed (flower bed).
Growing from seeds on a windowsill
Not in all regions, a culture sown in open ground has time to gain a foothold on the site and adapt to winter. In order not to "puzzle" how to grow mint in the country from seeds, it is recommended to resort to the seedling method.
Mint on the windowsill
In this case, it is better to sow at the beginning of March, when there is still snow on the street. Neither purchased nor self-collected seeds need preliminary processing. But it is important to know how to plant mint, because its seeds are small and fragile, requiring a delicate approach.
Landing algorithm
Planting boxes, containers, and flower pots are suitable for sprouting mint at home. Having filled the container with a light fertile substrate, proceed to the following actions:
- using a sharpened match or toothpick, the seeds are evenly distributed over the surface;
- then lightly pressed into the ground;
- irrigate the soil and seeds with warm water from a spray bottle;
- the container is covered with a transparent film (glass can be used);
- put on a well-lit windowsill;
- every day, the shelter is raised for 15-20 minutes so that the seedlings do not get locked and rotted;
- when airing, check the condition of the soil - it should be slightly damp.
Seedlings will appear in 2-3 weeks. After waiting for the first pair of real leaves, a pick is made. Taking pots with a diameter of at least 8 cm, young sprouts are planted in them in groups of 3-5 pcs.
When up to 5 pairs of leaf plates are formed on the seedlings, mint is planted and left in the open field. If the heat has not yet stabilized outside the window, then it is better to transfer the seedlings to the beds in late May - early June.
To adapt to new conditions without problems, the seedlings are hardened. A week before relocation, the room temperature is gradually lowered. From the 4-5th day, the container with sprouts is taken out for several hours to fresh air.
Caring for mint seedlings
A perennial grows well in natural conditions, without requiring special care. If you want to have a beautiful flower bed in the garden, then you should pay maximum attention to the seedlings. Mint grown from seed takes more time and energy to take root in a permanent place than when propagated by layering or cuttings.
Peculiarities of mint care
| Modes | Description |
|---|---|
| Watering | Mint does not like drought, it withers from the heat, loses its color. At high temperatures, watering is carried out daily in the evening. The amount of water should be moderate - waterlogging is more dangerous for the root than drying out the soil |
| Top dressing | Frequent fertilization of mint is not required. It is enough to feed the plant every 3-4 years, alternating organic matter with mineral water. Overripe manure is best applied in the fall, the nitrogen-phosphorus complex - in the spring |
| Pinching | It is an essential agricultural technique that allows the mint to form into a beautiful branchy bush.Pinch the tops when the plant reaches 15-20 cm |
| Loosening | It is carried out regularly, providing air access to the roots. The procedure is taken after watering and feeding. |
Timely removal of weeds is an important point in agricultural technology. They will not pull nutrients and moisture from the soil. In addition, weeds contribute to the movement of pests, carriers of infections, through the site.
Diseases and pests
Not only weeds provoke the development of diseases, but also the thickening of the beds. Therefore, the seedlings must be thinned out in a timely manner so that the bushes develop freely and cannot shade each other.
Among the insects that are attracted by the ethereal odors of the culture, one can distinguish aphids, slugs, whiteflies, weevils, spider mites. Some of them are harvested by hand, others have to be treated with insecticides.
The main disease that mint suffers from is powdery mildew. Plants are saved from it with a solution of colloidal sulfur (1.5%).
Harvesting mint
To add to teas, salads and other dishes, mint leaves can be plucked throughout the season. Fresh greens keep well for several days in the refrigerator.
It's time to harvest
The preparation of herbs for storage is carried out during the budding period. At this time, the plant accumulates the maximum amount of essential oils. When harvesting, adhere to the following rules:
- no need to break off the bushes at the root - it is better to cut off individual leaves or cut (pinch off) the apical branches, this stimulates the development of new shoots;
- the collected raw materials are laid out in 1 layer on clean paper in the shade of trees, under a canopy or in an attic with good ventilation;
- when the mint dries, it is ground into powder or packaged as it is.
Mint is stored in a cool, dark place in a sealed container (wooden or glass). In this form, the raw material will retain its properties for 2 years.
For the entire growing season, summer residents manage to collect 3 crops of mint greens. The last call should be no later than mid-August, otherwise the plant will not have time to accumulate nutrients for wintering.
Not knowing how to grow mint from seeds, it will be difficult for a summer resident to ensure the correct development of the culture. If you want to get a quick easy result, then it is better to propagate the plant by dividing the rhizomes or by cuttings. In any case, it is not difficult to care for the culture.
Fragrant mint tea
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