Drainage is placed at the bottom of the container, and then a moistened mixture of part of the garden soil or two parts of humus is poured. The roots of plants should be in the ground, and aboveground part cut at a height of 5 cm above the surface.
To speed up the process of leaf regrowth, planted mint is placed as close to the light as possible.
Plants must be watered regularly with settled water at room temperature. It is advisable that it is constantly in the tray, since mint prefers air with a humidity of about 80%. It is also useful to periodically spray the leaves.
When the mint takes root and the leaves begin to grow, you can fertilize once with a urea solution (1-2 g of urea per 1 liter of water). As a rule, the plant is fed at the end of September. In winter, fertilizing is not carried out; it is resumed in February, when the sun appears.
How to grow lemon balm
Melissa seeds are needed for seedlings in early March. To do this, place dry seeds in a container with a ready-made soil mixture (one part each of peat, turf soil and humus) in grooves 0.5 cm deep and water warm water. Before emergence, the soil needs to be sprayed every other day. Shoots appear in 8-10 days.Seedlings should be planted between April 25 and May 5. Plant the plants at a distance of 12 cm from one another. Water lemon balm 3 times a week. When the plants reach 20-25 cm in height and buds appear, they should be pinched to prevent flowering. This will increase lateral branching, and summer period greens can be cut 2-3 times.
When the plant reaches a height of 40-50 cm, it is cut off along with the stem, leaving 10 cm. Thus, the splendor of the lemon balm bush will be increased several times.
Melissa is not afraid of cold weather, so it can be left on the loggia or balcony until late autumn cold. The rest continues. In this case, 1-2 plants are placed in each flower pot along with clods of earth from the box. The plant does not need fertilizing. For this purpose, you can use sleeping tea and an infusion of eggshells for watering.
The birthplace of this spice plant are Mediterranean forests. However, in our latitudes, summer residents have excellently learned to grow lemon balm on their personal plots. But not only in dachas you will see this fragrant plant. More and more often you can find lemon balm on the windowsills of city apartments.
It’s very convenient to always have fresh spices and medicinal plants on hand. That's about how to grow lemon balm at home, we want to tell you in this article.
Description of lemon balm
This plant is famous for its lemony smell with honey notes; its name in Russian is translated from Latin as “bee leaves.” The fact is that the fragrant foliage of lemon balm is particularly attractive to bees. Some beekeepers even rub bee hives leaves of this grass in order to attract bees to them.
We most often find variegated medicinal (lemon) lemon balm. This plant in the form of a dense clump with straight, gently drooping, branched stems grows up to a meter in height. The simple, serrated leaves of lemon balm have a lightish green color, and not very expressive flowers, located in the axils of the leaves, of a whitish-pink hue. The flowering period of the plant is late summer. Botanists classify lemon balm as a member of the Lamiaceae family.
Beneficial properties of lemon balm and its uses
The ability of this plant to smooth out nervous disorders and spasms, relieve convulsions, normalize heart function and relieve negative emotions has been known to people since the time of Pliny. Even then, lemon balm was used as an antibacterial agent in the treatment of wounds received on the battlefield.
The Arabs were the first to cultivate this plant; lemon balm came to northern Europe from Spain thanks to the Benedictine monks, who grew it in monastic beds. Since that time, this herb has often been called lemon balm.
The era of knights gave us lemon balm tincture recipe. The famous medieval healer Paracelsus wrote about it as the elixir of life. He and others believed that lemon balm, boiled in wine, gives strength, vigor, prolongs youth and gives sharpness to even the most clouded mind.
The English of the Elizabethan era started the fashion of carrying “tuss-moussie” with them all the time - small bouquets that included, in addition to lemon balm, other fragrant herbs. This is the way they tried using aromatic plants smooth out and disinfect the stench of the then cities.
Modern research confirms the beliefs of our ancestors. Essential oils of lemon balm have phytoncidal properties; in addition, this plant contains large quantities vitamin C, acids (caffeic, ursolic, oleanolic), carotene, tannins, copper, fatty oils. This composition determines medicinal properties lemon balm.
Herbalists and herbalists prescribe lemon balm for:
- rheumatism,
- dizziness,
- decreased immunity,
- fainting,
- insomnia,
- skin rashes,
- nervous exhaustion,
- ulcers,
- inflammation of the mucous membranes,
- hypertension and other diseases.
Possessing wonderful healing properties, lemon balm is widely used in cooking. This spice perfectly complements salads, drinks, soups and side dishes. Melissa goes harmoniously with fish, tomatoes, eggplants, mushrooms and cucumbers. When dried, this plant complements the scent of black pepper well with lemon notes.
- The use of lemon balm in medicine and cooking - healthy recipes dishes, teas and baths.
Growing lemon balm on a windowsill
In open ground, this plant can be found both in cultivated form and in the wild throughout almost the entire European part of the Russian Federation, the Caucasus and Crimea. In nature, lemon balm prefers shady areas of the edges, wet gorges; in dachas it feels good in the company of parsley or dill in open sunny areas.
Requirements for the habitat of indoor lemon balm
Based on the above, It is best to place a pot of lemon balm on a sunny windowsill(east, south and west), otherwise the leaves of the plant will not be so fragrant. Lack of lighting in winter period you will have to compensate with additional lighting in the form of a fluorescent lamp with a power in the range of 40-80 W. Hang this lamp 60 cm above the plant and turn it on for 6 hours in the morning. This regime will allow your lemon balm to form well-developed aromatic healing leaves.
Melissa does not like direct sunlight or drafts. This heat-loving plant can sprout and can exist at a temperature of +10 degrees, but the optimal temperature for its germination and maintenance is considered to be +25 degrees.
Soil requirements for indoor lemon balm
Melissa is not picky about soil, but it will be better if you provide it with a fertile substrate of neutral acidity with good water and air permeability. The seeds of this herb do not have good germination, so the lighter the substrate, the better lemon balm will feel in it. It is best to use perlite or vermiculite as a leavening agent.
The role of a nutritious soil mixture can be ordinary garden soil or a mixture of turf soil, humus and sand in equal parts. The easiest way to get soil for lemon balm is to purchase a bag of ready-made soil mixture called “Substrate for indoor plants” in the store.
Requirements for watering lemon balm at home
Watering should be regular, but not too much, because waterlogging can lead to lemon balm diseases. Water not only the soil, but also spray the above-ground parts of the plants with a spray bottle. Adult lemon balm is watered three times a week..
Fertilizer application
Feeding is welcome, lemon balm is responsive to it. You can fertilize the substrate with both organic (egg shells, tea leaves) and liquid mineral fertilizer (superphosphate, potassium salt, ammonium sulfate). Plants should be fed after each cutting of leaves, which can be done until flowering.
Melissa propagation
Melissa can be propagated either by seeds or by young cuttings, dividing the bush or rhizomes.
Reproduction by dividing the bush
The easiest way to reproduce is that in early May or at the end of summer, during periods when lemon balm sprouts, the bush is carefully divided into parts and the sections are planted permanent place. This method allows the plant to quickly grow and bloom in the first year.
Seed propagation and care
You can buy ready-made planting material or get hold of it on a familiar plot of land, choosing well-developed lemon balm bushes with large foliage for seeds.
Seed procurement is carried out from the end of August - beginning of September. Cut the stems from such plants seed material, collect them in bunches, hang them and dry them in a dry, dark and ventilated room. After the bunches of seeds have dried, place them in a linen bag and thresh them using a mallet.
If you buy lemon balm seeds in a store, then choose darker seeds, they will give better germination.
To plant seeds, prepare containers (boxes, pots, containers); it would not hurt to pre-treat them with a solution of potassium permanganate. You should first lay a drainage layer on the bottom (expanded clay, clay shards, fine gravel, broken brick), and only then a layer of soil.
Considering that the seeds of this plant are quite small, sow them in soil moistened with warm water either in spring or autumn no more than 5 cm deep at a distance of 5-6 cm from each other. After planting, water the soil again.
Expect lemon balm to sprout no earlier than in a couple of weeks. Don’t forget to moisten the plantings every other day. There is no need to pick lemon balm seedlings once the true leaves appear, but if the plants sprout in a crowd and begin to suppress each other, pull out the weakest of them.
When the plants get stronger, and this should happen in a couple of months, they can be transplanted to a permanent place of residence. To do this, you can immediately select a large pot or a long container. In order to enable lemon balm to form a full-fledged bush, place the seedlings in one row, and the distance between the bushes should be at least 15 cm.
Helpful advice
From May until the first autumn frosts, containers and pots with spicy herbs can be sent for the holidays - on a loggia or balcony. Just provide in this case protection from heavy rains and gusts of wind.
In the first year, don’t expect flowers on young plants, nor do you expect lush greenery. Indoor lemon balm does not grow above half a meter. Since the value of lemon balm is in its foliage, pick off the buds as soon as they appear, but only if the height of the bush is at least 20 cm.
How to prepare lemon balm
It makes sense to harvest only in the second year until the lemon balm produces its first buds, it is during this period that the foliage contains the maximum amount of healing components. You can harvest as needed from already fully formed bushes (45 cm in height) 4 times per season. Moreover, cut the leaves at a height of 10 cm and above.
Healing raw materials can be dried in the form of small bunches in a dry place in a draft. You can spread the leaves in one layer on parchment, a metal grid or canvas and dry them on the loggia in dry weather, out of reach of the sun.
After drying, place the prepared raw materials in glass jars and seal tightly with a lid. Raw materials can be stored for no more than a year, but it’s better to use it within half a year, because after that the lemon balm will lose most of its aroma properties. For the same reason, do not dry lemon balm leaves in the oven. When storing, do not mix lemon balm leaves with other aromatic herbs.
Elena Stepanskaya, © zakustom.ru
Reviews about growing lemon balm at home
Marusya, review
I always keep mint and parsley on the windowsill. I also have a treasure - Pavlova lemon. But it never occurred to me to grow lemon balm. We need to get some seeds somewhere. And where are they sold, tell me.
Kitty, answer
A neighbor at her dacha presented it to me, and I also saw them on display with seeds near the metro. I sowed it as a present in the fall, and now I couldn’t be more pleased, the bush has grown to cover half the window sill and I always have the leaves at hand, so I put them fresh in a teapot with ordinary tea leaves. It seems to me that you can grow anything on a windowsill!
Vitek, review
My mother grows both mint and lemon balm at the dacha and then dries them. The tea keeps us on currants, lemon balm and other spices all winter.
This is unique useful plant Can exist both in open ground and at home. If you follow the basic rules when caring for lemon balm, it will definitely delight you with abundant, fresh greens.
Melissa needs:
- fertile soil;
- a lot of light;
- sufficiently abundant watering and spraying;
- systematic pruning;
- compliance temperature regime(18–20 degrees);
- regular feeding.
A plant can grow in one place three to four years. After this, it requires updating and replanting. To keep the bush healthy and strong for several years, it is recommended to plant it in the spring.
Growing lemon balm on a windowsill is not a troublesome task. It feels great in a pot, like any indoor plant. True, the lemon balm bush will be short, but lush and dense if it has enough light, moisture and nutrients, that is, competent care for lemon balm is provided.
Melissa on the windowsill. Photo
IN winter time years, growing lemon balm on a windowsill is not much different from usual. Lack of sunlight will reduce the amount of greenery, change its color, but will not affect the quality.
We are growing new lemon balm 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:
- dividing the bush;
- layering;
- stem cuttings;
- lemon balm from seeds.
Division an adult bush is produced in the spring. For this root system freed from the ground, cut into several parts with buds and planted in a permanent place.
By using layering propagate the plant before flowering. Strong young shoots are bent to the ground with a bracket, sprinkled with soil and waited for rooting. After two weeks, cut off a new bush using pruning shears and transplant it into a pot or open ground to a new place. 
Cuttings used at the first stage of lemon balm cultivation, in the absence of an adult bush on the plot. The tops of the purchased 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 green shoots appear, the plants are brought out into the light.
Growing lemon balm on a windowsill. Photo
How to grow lemon balm from seeds? 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, lemon balm seeds treated with potassium permanganate are sown in the ground to a depth of 1-2 centimeters, covered tightly and placed in a warm place.
How to grow lemon balm. Photo
The emerging seedlings are transplanted into well-moistened, drained soil.
For this purpose, use a large container for the plant’s permanent place of residence or small cups.
Melissa shoots should be picked from seeds after two to four leaves have formed. In about one and a half to two months, lemon balm from seeds will delight you with juicy, aromatic greens.
Melissa twins. What can be confused with
Melissa is often confused with other plants. Similar twins include:
- catnip
- Moldavian snakehead.
Let's try to understand their differences.
Many people call lemon balm "lemon balm." In fact, these plants have nothing in common except for their external similarity mint and medicinal perennial lemon balm.
The herb 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 become familiar with the fundamental differences between them.
- The scent of lemon balm is delicate, reminiscent of lemon. Catnip smells quite strongly.
- White lemon balm flowers are located in the axils of the plant, and blue catnip inflorescences are located in the upper part of the shoot.
- The rounded leaves of lemon balm are smooth at the edges, and the oblong leaves of catnip are jagged.
- Melissa seeds have elongated shape, and catnip seeds are round.
Catnip grows everywhere. This herb is used in cooking and cosmetic products. It has medicinal properties: improves appetite, treats coughs, and gets rid of worms.
Moldavian snakehead or "Turkish lemon balm" - annual plant, found in Western Siberia and the southern regions of Russia. The essential oils contained in snakehead greens resemble the aroma of lemon balm. But its smell is stronger and pungent. Turkish lemon balm is a favorite of bees and an excellent sedative.
In order not to make a mistake and plant exactly what is needed on your plot, when purchasing, carefully study the inscription on the package of seeds. For example, lemon balm translated into Latin is called Melissa officinalis, catnip is Npeta catria, and Moldavian snakehead is Dracocphalum moldavica.
Choosing the right variety of lemon balm
There are several varieties of this unusual spicy herb. Each variety of lemon balm has its own individual characteristics, differing in shades of smell, leaf shape, bush size, and flowering period. The most popular varieties include several varieties:
- erect;
- Tsaritsynskaya;
- pearl;
- lime;
- lemon;
- freshness.
Melissa with beautiful name“pure gold” is less common. This variety has an unusual light yellow color of leaves covered with thin fibers that shimmer in the light of the sun's rays.
Variegated lemon balm gets its name from the dark color of its leaves with golden veins. The grass of this variety has strong odor and unpretentious character. It can be grown both in open ground and at home.
How to use lemon balm
The range of uses of lemongrass or lemon balm is quite wide. This is explained by its composition. Melissa leaves contain essential oils, organic acids. They are rich in vitamin C, various microelements: zinc, copper, potassium, manganese, molybdenum, selenium.
This unpretentious herb is widely used in medicine. It brings relief for a number of serious diseases:
- Relieves irritability and nervousness, restores sleep.
- Recommended for heart disease and vascular spasms.
- Treats oncological diseases.
- Relieves headaches by improving blood circulation in the brain.
- Helps normalize blood pressure.
- Helps cope with colds: reduces sore throat, relieves cough.
- Prescribed to improve digestion for people suffering from gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis.
- Relieves increased gas formation, constipation, and disruption of the pancreas.
- Removes toxins from the body, having a diuretic and diaphoretic effect.
- Reduces toothache, disinfects the oral cavity, relieving inflammatory processes.
- It is part of a diet that helps you lose weight.
Melissa is an indispensable remedy for maintaining the health of the female body. It relieves pain during menstruation, helps cope with toxicosis during pregnancy, and stimulates milk production during breastfeeding.
Prepare healing agents lemon balm is quite easy.
Can be done infusion from green shoots of a plant. To do this, 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 the heat and let it brew for half an hour. It is recommended to drink this decoction four times a day, especially for those with asthma and anemia.
Some people add lemon balm leaves to regular tea, mixing the drink with a small amount of honey. It turns out great prophylactic against viruses and colds.
If you don’t have lemon balm leaves on hand, you can successfully use ready-made essential oil plants. A few drops in the bath or aroma lamp will help you calm down and fall asleep soundly.
Growing lemon balm on summer cottage or on your windowsill, by preparing a dried product, you provide yourself with a healthy drink that can be consumed all year round, improving health, prolonging youth and preserving beauty.
Melissa has found its place in cooking. It is added to drinks and salads. It is used as a seasoning when preparing first courses, stewing fish, meat, and mushrooms. Cabbage and cucumbers are fermented with it, and various sauces and marinades are made. Thanks to its delicate aroma and spicy taste, lemon balm serves as an analogue to black or allspice.
Melissa essential oil is widely used in cosmetology. It solves the problem of oily hair and eliminates dandruff. When washing your hair, it is enough to mix the shampoo with a few drops of oil, and your hair will look great again. Thanks to its disinfectant and antibacterial properties, lemon balm oil cleanses the skin of pimples and blackheads.
Melissa contraindications
Melissa is a useful plant and has almost no contraindications. Still, some points related to its use are worth paying attention to:
- Men should not overuse lemon balm infusion, decoction, or tea. This may lead to an unwanted decrease in sexual activity.
- It is not recommended to drink drinks containing this herb before an important event, meeting, or exam. Excessive calm and insufficient reaction can have a detrimental effect on the outcome of the event.
- You should refuse treatment with lemon balm 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. Video
Melissa officinalis is the full botanical name of the plant. Popularly known by the names: lemon grass, lemon balm, bee mint, citron melissa. Planting and propagating it is not difficult if you know its structural features and preferences for growing conditions. In the article we will tell you how to grow lemon balm at home, how to plant it, and what care rules gardeners need to follow.
Growing lemon balm at home on a windowsill
Requirements for soil and fertilizers when planting
Gardeners have long sown seeds, propagated by dividing rhizomes and taken cuttings. Flower growers loved the fragrant lemon balm so much that they began to grow it as a houseplant in pots. Not surprising, because it is not only aromatic, but also healthy. Its greatest advantage is essential oils.
Scientists say that their quantity depends on the conditions in which it is grown. On poor soils - 0.02%, on rich soils - 0.8%, in some varieties - 0.14%. The difference is obvious. There is no doubt that to get the most benefit from a plant you need to take care of it. Plant soil for lemon balm is a soil mixture in which:
On sandy soils it quickly dries out from lack of moisture and nutrients; on heavy, wet loams it is affected by fungal infections and dies. Soils with high acidity require neutralization. This task is accomplished by substances containing calcium - slaked lime, chalk, crushed limestone, wood ash, crushed eggshells.
Tip #1. Before applying fertilizer, you need to determine the pH level. This can be done using a special device.
To increase the pH level by one scale unit, 200 g of slaked lime per 1 m2 of soil is required. To improve the aeration of heavy soils, coarse river sand is added to obtain light loam. For 1 m2 you need:
- medium loam – 21 kg;
- heavy loam – 43 kg;
- light clay – 75 kg;
- medium clay – 110 kg;
- heavy clay – 121 kg.
A proven folk method is adding organic fertilizers based on:
- Dry bird droppings are diluted 400 g per 10 liters of water and applied to 1 m2.
- Rotted horse manure - 3 buckets per 1 m2.
- Compost – 3 kg per 1 m2.
Before planting, the applied fertilizers and sand are thoroughly mixed until homogeneous mass to a depth of 25 - 30 cm. This is how the basic preparation of the nutrient medium takes place for several years in advance. If you work hard in advance, you won’t have to fertilize in subsequent years; the supply of nutrients will last for a long time. Read also the article: → “Spicy herbs - we grow them ourselves.”
Preparing the soil for planting lemon balm seeds
Recently, organic farming methods using effective microorganisms have become popular. They can be purchased in the form of preparations “Emochka”, “Shine”, “Baikal”, “Bokashi”.
Conditions for growing lemon balm, care rules
A living crop, when added to the soil, increases fertility naturally, as in nature. The formation of humus takes on average 2–3 years. For example, “Bokashi” processes plant residues into humus within 2–3 months, but only in the warm season. Microorganisms, like plants, “sleep” in the cold season and become active in the spring, when average daily temperature reaches + 120.
Place and growing conditions of lemon balm
Lemon grass is an unpretentious plant; it will survive both in the shade and in the scorching sun. But with gentle lighting or partial shade, it feels more comfortable. It will respond with gratitude to generous watering, but not to stagnant water. For one session water procedures one adult plant requires 10–20 liters of water, 1–2 buckets.
Size, density and aroma depend on conditions. On poor soils, in the shade, the stems stretch into “threads”, the leaves are 30-40 long, sparse, and the smell is weak. On rich soils, dense aromatic bushes reach 50–80 cm. Sometimes there are specimens 100–120 cm long. When a place for lemon balm has been chosen and the soil has been prepared, you can begin planting. Read also the article: → “Spicy herbs in the country.”
Planting dates are given in the table:
Features of planting in soil
If basic soil preparation has not been carried out, then it is necessary to provide fertile conditions for each plant individually. For this landing pit should be 2 times larger than the volume of the coma, this allows you to add rich soil. As part of traditional farming, mineral fertilizers are added to the soil:
- superphosphate – 50 g per 1 m2;
- ammonium nitrate– 20 g per 1 m2;
- potassium salt - 20 g per 1 m2
Tip #2. When planting, deepen the lump 5 cm, this promotes the growth of new roots.
A common mistake is thickened planting of seedlings in a permanent place of growth. Gardeners are confused by size young plant. Melissa grows, on average, from 30 to 50 cm in diameter.
This is the distance at which plants are planted from each other, regardless of whether they are seedlings or clumps. If bee mint is intended for medicinal and culinary purposes, it should be placed less frequently so that it is convenient to collect the fragrant leaves. For decorative effect the planting is slightly thickened.
Methods for propagating lemon balm
Gardeners use several methods to propagate this herb:
- Seeds for seedlings.
- Seeds in open ground.
- Green cuttings.
- Dividing the bush.
Planting seeds for seedlings
- sown in greenhouses or room conditions in the second ten days of March in a container 7–10 cm high;
- into a ready-made seedling substrate, which can be purchased at a garden store. If this is not the case, you can cook it yourself. Add coarse river sand 1:1 to the “Universal soil pH 6.5”.
- before sowing, mix small seeds with dry sand for even distribution;
- in the prepared soil, using the length of the side of a pencil, press grooves 1 cm deep;
- gently moisten with a fine spray;
- place the seeds evenly along the grooves and press down lightly;
- sprinkle with substrate and moisten with a spray bottle;
- cover with film;
- keep in a well-lit, warm place with a temperature of 200.
The first shoots will appear in three weeks. After another 10 - 15 days, the thickened sowing can be planted.
Plant the seedlings in special seedling trays. They look like egg cups. There are devices of various shapes and sizes on sale. One plant is placed in each cell. Before planting in the garden, a dense lump is formed that can be easily removed. This method increases the survival rate of a young plant compared to traditional seedlings.
Seeds in open ground
Sow when the threat of spring frost has passed. Melissa grains are small; to distribute them evenly, they are mixed with sand (as for seedlings). The dug up soil is thoroughly loosened without leaving large lumps; it should look like sifted soil. The grooves are prepared shallow to 1 cm and watered.
After waiting for the water to be absorbed, place the seeds, lightly press down and cover with loose soil. You need to water carefully so as not to wash it out. Germination rate of lemon balm is 60%. The first shoots appear after 15 days, after 3 - 4 weeks everything will hatch. After another month they can be thinned out. Between the remaining ones, the distance should not exceed 30 cm.
Propagation of grass by green cuttings
So lemon grass propagated from early spring to late autumn. If you keep lemon balm in a pot in winter as a houseplant, then the cuttings can be taken in March. Fragrant leaves and young stems are harvested during flowering, in June. At this time, lemon balm contains the most useful substances. Over the summer, new shoots grow, so they are excellent planting material.
Features of this method:
- for the cutting, choose a shoot with 3-4 internodes;
- the lower leaves are torn off;
- the cuttings are placed in water or in a substrate for seedlings;
- for survival in soil, use “Kornevin” or “Heteroauxin”;
- before planting, the tip of the cutting is powdered with a rooting agent;
- in moist soil, use a pencil to make a small depression of 2–3 cm, place the cutting and lightly squeeze;
- The “greenhouse” is covered with plastic film.
After 10 days, it is possible to determine which specimens have survived; they are planted in separate pot, the size of a disposable a plastic cup. As the plant grows, the container will have to be increased to accommodate the plant.
Melissa propagated in this way can be kept at home as a houseplant, and transplanted into the garden in the spring. There he will be more familiar and will benefit much more.
In the open air, bee mint receives a lot of nutrients, grows well and pleases its owners fragrant aroma 10 years. During this time, it can be renewed vegetatively. Read also the article: → “Plants for an ornamental garden.”
Dividing an adult bush into parts
It is better to propagate lemon balm this way in the spring. The rhizome is cut so that the divisions remain 3 – 4 shoots or hatched buds. This “surgery” can be performed in the fall. The resulting parts are planted in a permanent place with an interval of 30 - 50 cm. This method is more suitable for varietal plants, which at seed propagation do not retain decorative and healing properties.
Growing lemon balm at home in pots
Melissa lovers who do not have a summer house can enjoy the delicate aroma at home. Lemon balm is a garden plant, but feels great as an indoor plant. If it is placed on a bright windowsill in a cozy, draft-free place, in fertile soil, it will respond to care with lush growth and fragrance.
Easy to care for:
- You need to water it with settled water when the soil in the pot is dry and not petrified. You need to moisten generously until water appears in the pan, then this procedure will have to be repeated less often;
- It is better to feed with Emochki or other “effective microorganisms”; they are absolutely harmless to plants and humans.
Unfortunately, the aroma of homemade lemon balm is inferior to its garden relative, but it is still pleasantly cold winter evenings enjoy the fresh taste and smell.
5 varieties for home growing
Melissa officinalis has been known to mankind for 2000 years. All this time it has been successfully used in medicine and cooking. IN favorable conditions grows up to 1 m in height. Breeders have worked hard on low-growing varieties so that lemon mint pleases all year round not only with its aroma, but also attractive looking. Gardeners call such plants decorative deciduous. For indoor floriculture The following varieties are popular:
- « Pure gold,” the variety got its name for its exceptional “flexibility” in care and unusual effect. The compact bush changes shades from white at the beginning of flowering to a blue tint at the end.
- “Lemon tea” is valued for its original aroma, which successfully replaces real citrus.
- "Majito" was bred for culinary purposes and is not used for drinks or cooking meat dishes.
- “Lemon aroma” is a relatively small plant, suitable for home and garden.
- “Motley-leaved” is the most decorative lemon balm, has a golden color along the edge of the leaf, and looks like a blooming one.
It looks interesting when several varieties are placed on one windowsill. It is easy to care for them; water them on time and feed them seasonally with fertilizers for indoor decorative foliage plants.
Mistakes when growing lemon balm
Sometimes gardeners complain that they cannot breed bee mint on your site. Melissa is not a picky plant, but there is a limit to her patience. It's not worth the wait good result, If she:
- in the sun or in dense shade;
- suffers from drought on poor soil;
- suffocates on wet soil;
- drowned out by weeds;
- is blown through in a draft;
- freezes in winter.
If you exclude Spartan conditions and choose a cozy place with fertile soil and sufficient watering, she will answer bountiful harvest useful leaves.
Answers to frequently asked questions
Question №1. Where can I get lemon balm?
Purchase a ready-made plant from a garden center that sells perennials. Advantage:
- guarantee of quality and “health” of the sold copy;
- 100% survival rate, thanks to the soil with which it is sold.
Buy seedlings. Advantage:
- the price is less than that of an adult plant;
- You can plant them in open ground immediately after purchase.
Sow with seeds. Advantage:
- minimal financial costs;
- the ability to sow both in open ground and in indoor pots.
Question No. 2. What to do with watering lemon balm if I’m not at the dacha often?
The best way out is automatic watering, but not everyone can afford the equipment due to its high cost. You can retain moisture for a long time after regular irrigation if you sprinkle mulch around the plants in a layer of 5–10 cm. Mown grass, wood chips, bark, and crushed dry cow manure are suitable. All this creates protection against evaporation and serves as a slow-acting fertilizer (MRF).
Question No. 3. When to harvest lemon balm?
It is best during flowering, then it contains the most essential oils, but you can do it all year round if you take lemon balm home from the garden for the winter.
Question No. 4. What plants does lemon balm go with?
Most often it is planted together with herbs mint, lovage, hyssop, and tarragon. In decorative floriculture they are used in mixborders with flowering perennials lupine, columbine, rudbeckia, coreopsis, cornflower and other large plants.
Question No. 5. Do I need to cover lemon balm for the winter?
Melissa is winter-hardy, but in cold winters it needs to be protected with agrofibre, sawdust, and mown grass. Leaves of oak, walnut, hornbeam, and poplar are not suitable for this purpose; they contain tannins and inhibit plants.
I want to grow unpretentious, multifunctional plants in my garden plot. Planting lemon balm (popularly known as lemon balm) will allow you not only to evaluate its benefits for the body, but also to obtain a decorative element for the flowerbed and for the home.
Sowing technology
The first priority before sowing is preparing the soil. You need to take 1 cup of vermicompost and 2 cups of coconut fiber. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and add the recommended dose of the mineral fertilizer complex to this volume.
Sowing in containers or boxes is done in the second half of March.
- You need to make several grooves in the soil, the distance between which is 4–6 cm.
- The seeds are small, so they should be mixed with a small amount of sand to facilitate the sowing process.
- Distribute the mixture along the grooves to a depth of 0.5 - 0.7 cm.
- Moisten the soil surface.
- Cover the container with glass or film.
- Place in a sunny, warm place.
After the seedlings emerge, the box must be placed so that they receive a sufficient amount of light, but are not exposed to scorching rays. Watering should be done as the soil dries.
Shoots appear 2–25 days after planting. After several leaves appear, it is necessary to pick. This is done so that the seedlings do not drown out each other’s growth and development. The distance between the stems should be at least 5 cm. If sowing was carried out in a special container, then the weakest sprouts are removed in one cell where several seeds need to be planted at once.
Transplantation into open ground takes place in the second half of May. To do this, you need to prepare a seat.
Melissa can grow both in a well-lit bed and in partial shade. Receiving enough light, the bush will intensely emit aroma.
One should take into account the fact that this crop is perennial and grows from 4 to 9 years.
The soil should be loose, light and nutritious. Mellisa does not like acidic and wet soil. Excess water contributes to rotting of the roots, so you need to choose a dry place for the bush, where moisture does not accumulate during precipitation. If the soil in the chosen place is heavy, then you need to add several buckets of fine sand.
After choosing a location, the soil needs to be fertilized. To do this, for 1 sq. m of soil is added:
- 200 g wood ash(1 glass);
- 10-liter bucket of humus;
- Complex mineral fertilizer, the dosage is indicated on the packaging.
Plants should be planted in small trenches located at a distance of half a meter from each other. Each plant needs to be planted in a hole at intervals of 30–35 cm.
If you decide not to grow seedlings, but to plant the seeds directly in open ground, then you need to be prepared for poor germination; even careful care may not help. Several factors may influence this:
- low quality of planting material;
- heavy rainfall;
- “clogging” the sprouts with weeds.
Planting is carried out in the 3rd week of May according to the following algorithm.
- Make holes at a distance of 50 - 60 cm from each other.
- Mix the grains with sand.
- Deepen the mixture by half a centimeter.
- Sprinkle with peat or humus.
- Moisten the soil surface.
- Cover with film.
To harden the seedlings and make them more resilient, you need to remove the film. First for a few hours, then for the whole daylight hours, and after picking, the covering material is finally removed.
Melissa is propagated by seeds, layering and cuttings. If you already have an adult lemon bush, then planting it will be much easier: bend several shoots to the ground, secure them and sprinkle them with earth. After a few weeks, the branches will take root and can be transplanted to a new location.
And to propagate by cuttings, just cut it from a friend’s garden or buy a bunch of fresh herbs in the store, shorten the stems by 2–3 cm and put them in water. They do not require additional care; within a week the root system appears - and the cuttings are ready for planting in the flowerbed.
Growing at home
Melissa can be cultivated as a houseplant. Due to the small volume flower pot it will not grow much, and pruning and ongoing care will allow you to create a lush green bush.
Planting seedlings in pots at home is done in the spring, but you can also sow seedlings and plant seedlings in the cold season, but the growth will be slow and the leaves will be light. During the spring-summer period, the bush gains strength and adapts to external conditions.
Seeds for growing plants at home are sown in the same way as for a flower bed. Planting of seedlings in pots is carried out after the appearance of 3 leaves. You need to act according to the following algorithm.
- Choose a pot with a volume of 1.5 - 2 liters, so that its walls are at least 15 cm.
- Ensure good drainage. To do this, you can take pebbles or expanded clay.
- Pour the prepared soil and plant 2 or 3 sprouts in one container.
- Moisten the soil with a spray bottle.
- Place it on the windowsill.
A special feature of caring for a plant at home is watering. Heating and dry indoor air negatively affect appearance lemon balm and its smell, so you need to additionally moisturize it:
- water as the soil dries;
- Spray every day.
Features of care
If you properly care for the bush in the first year of planting, then later there will be less hassle with growing it.
Care is provided in 4 main areas:
- watering;
- loosening;
- weeding;
- feeding
When the weather is hot, it is necessary to provide lemon balm sufficient watering. It is carried out 4 times a week, and on cloudy days, if there is no precipitation, you need to water 2 times every 7 days.
Loosening is carried out after each watering and after rain to ensure good air permeability of the soil and prevent rotting of the roots due to excess moisture.
A flowerbed or bed with seedlings needs to be weeded as needed: the planted seedlings are not yet strong enough, and the grass can choke its growth. In the 2nd and subsequent years of the life of this crop, small vegetation around adult bushes with a strong root system is allowed in your garden.
Feeding is carried out at the beginning of the season, when the seedlings move to a permanent place of residence or the sprouts that sprouted outside have reached 5–6 cm in height. Nitrogen fertilizer is applied to increase growth and strengthen the stem.
If you store leaves for future use and cut them as they grow, then after each trimming you need to add mineral complex, the dosage of which is indicated on the packaging by the manufacturer. Several times a season you can add mulch or humus to the flowerbed with the plant. 
Melissa – heat-loving crop. Although she endures negative temperatures, but it is recommended to cover it for the winter:
- cut off the top, leaving 1–2 cm above the ground;
- loosen the soil and moisten it a little;
- sprinkle fallen leaves on top.
To prevent the leaves from becoming smaller and the mint to continue to delight with the fresh aroma of lemon, you need to divide the plant into several bushes and plant them every 3 years.
Despite all the usefulness of lemon balm, which is widely used in folk recipes, when growing it, it is not required special care, it can grow both in the country and on the windowsill at home.
Melissa officinalis, lemon balm, honey plant, queen plant, swarmer, bee plant (Melissa officinalis L.) - all these are the names of one spicy-aromatic plant of the Lamiaceae family. Melissa reaches a height of 30–80 cm. It comes from the Mediterranean and Iran. It was cultivated in Ancient Greece and Rome, then its culture was adopted by the Arabs, who, in turn, brought it to Spain in the 10th century as a spice and medicine, and from there it spread throughout Western Europe.
Features of culture
In our country, lemon balm grows wild in the lower reaches of the Volga and in the Caucasus (possibly as an alien and wild plant). Widely cultivated in the fields and gardens of Southern Europe and the USA. In our culture it is not widespread; it is mostly grown by amateurs, although in middle lane It grows quite well in the garden. It can be grown on balconies and in rooms, but the technology for growing it in indoor culture almost not developed. The stem of lemon balm is tetrahedral, branched, slightly pubescent, densely dotted with petiolate opposite, ovoid, large-serrate leaves up to 6 cm long and 3 cm wide, which are covered with glandular hairs. The lower side shoots are creeping. The rhizome is highly branched.
Blooms Melissa in the second year after sowing, in July - August. The flowers are light purple, pale blue, pink or light yellow, collected in false whorls in the axils of the leaves, good honey plants. From one hectare of lemon balm, bees can collect up to 150 kg of honey. In the south it bears fruit in September. The fruit is dry, consists of four small brown or almost black nuts with a diameter of 1.5 mm, the weight of 1000 seeds is 0.62 g, they remain viable for two to three years. Melissa is light-loving, but if necessary it can grow in the shade. It is sensitive to cold, prefers warm places and humus-rich, loose and deep loamy and sandy loam soils. Melissa is responsive to organic and mineral fertilizers. It is drought-resistant; in waterlogged areas it is often affected by fungal diseases.
Melissa propagation
Melissa is propagated by seeds (sown directly in the ground or grown through seedlings), as well as by layering, cuttings, root cuttings, and dividing old bushes in the spring.
Seeds for seedlings sown in March - April, they do not need stratification, seeding rate - 0.5-0.7 g/m?, planting depth - 1-1.5 cm. Shoots appear in 2-4 weeks, they are planted or thinned out distance 5x5 cm, feed nitrogen fertilizers. When 3–5 true leaves are formed, when the threat of frost has passed, the seedlings can be planted in the ground according to a 20x40 cm pattern.
By division reproduce 3–4 summer plants in spring or August. Each division should have roots and 4-5 buds.
By layering propagated in March–April.
Before planting seedlings, 3 kg/m2 is added to the area under lemon balm. manure or compost; on heavy soils add sand, as well as mineral fertilizers (N, P, K) at 10–15 g/m? each element according to the active substance. In the spring, they are fed with the same doses of ammonium nitrate and potassium salt, and the amount of superphosphate is increased to 25–30 g/m?. If desired, in the middle zone and further north, lemon balm can also be grown as an annual crop.
Melissa in indoor culture
As already mentioned, lemon balm can also be grown indoors. This is especially advisable for those amateur gardeners who want to have this crop on their site in small quantities, for themselves. In this case, in the fall you should dig up one or two lemon balm bushes and plant them in pots that can be placed on the windowsill. Main condition - good lighting, additional lighting is desirable. In the spring, cuttings are cut and rooted from the bush, and the bush itself is divided into several parts. With the onset of warmth, both cuttings and divisions are planted in the ground. With this cultivation, it is possible to harvest a sufficient amount of greenery from this spicy-aromatic plant for one family. And in winter, on the windowsill, you can pluck fresh leaves. And if we add to this the decorative appearance of the plants and the phytoncides they release into the air, it turns out that this is almost the most versatile indoor plant. However, the technology for growing lemon balm indoors has not yet been developed and represents a wide field of activity for those lovers of indoor floriculture who want to start growing it.
Harvesting and using lemon balm
The spice is the leaves and the entire above-ground part of the plant; they are used fresh or dried. You can collect lemon balm throughout the growing season, but the highest quality material is collected during flowering. The smell of leaves harvested later becomes coarser. Melissa is cut only in dry weather. When mowing, greens are cut at a height of 10 cm from the soil surface. After this, it is advisable to feed the plants; they especially need nitrogen. Usually complex mineral fertilizer is applied at a dose of 10 g/m? for each active ingredient.
To harvest seeds, plants are cut off when the lower ones turn brown; in the middle zone this usually happens in early October. The cut plants are tied and hung over a newspaper, a piece of polyethylene or a tarpaulin, onto which the seeds are poured. They are then cleared of debris and packaged.
The taste of lemon balm is bitter-spicy, slightly astringent, refreshing with a lemon flavor and aroma of freshness. It is used both fresh (contains up to 150 mg% vitamin C) and dried. Dry quickly, in a ventilated area, out of reach of sunlight, at a temperature of 25...35°C.
With a good growing season, it is possible to harvest lemon balm two or three times. Its leaves contain 0.2% essential oil, tannins, bitterness, mucus, resin, sugar, vitamins C, B1, B2, carotene. They contain a lot of macro- and microelements. Melissa has an antispasmodic, analgesic, wound-healing and antiemetic effect, has a calming effect on the nervous system, improves appetite, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, helps with flatulence and cramps, and increases bile secretion. Herbal preparations (medicinal teas, decoctions, etc.) are prepared from it. An infusion of it is taken for shortness of breath, asthma, insomnia, anemia, as a laxative and diaphoretic. Pure essential oil is also obtained from it. Melissa is used in the production of liqueurs, in particular, chartreuse and Benedictine, tinctures (Erofeich, etc.), various balms; It is highly valued in perfumery. As a spice, fresh leaves are added to salads, sauces, vegetable dishes, and soups. They are also used in the preparation of poultry, fish, veal, pork, lamb, game, and mushrooms. Melissa leaves are also eaten with grated cheese, cottage cheese, and put in dishes made from milk, eggs, fruit soups, compotes, jelly, and kvass.
Melissa is also used when canning cucumbers, and added to fresh and sauerkraut, used as a filling for pies. When boiled, lemon balm largely loses its taste and aroma, so it is better to put it in ready-made dishes. Memo for beekeepers: translated from Greek, lemon balm means bee. Its aroma attracts and calms bees; swarms willingly settle in hives rubbed inside with lemon balm and never fly away; it is no coincidence that it is also sometimes called bee valerian. And honey from it is healing.
Melissa tea(25-30 g of herb pour 1 liter of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes, drink 1 glass 3-4 times a day) is a pleasant, healthy and medicinal drink. IN folk medicine It is drunk as a laxative and appetite stimulant, as well as for stomach neurosis, headaches, and dizziness. Melissa is used externally for aromatic baths. As already noted, it is grown mainly in the southern regions of the country. In the middle zone and in the North-West, it does not always overwinter successfully in the ground; in severe winters it freezes and requires shelter. In addition to the wild form of lemon balm, there are two cultivars: Erfurt and Quedlinburg creeping. Unfortunately, lemon balm is clearly underestimated in our country as an ornamental plant, as well as an indoor plant, a spicy-aromatic plant, and a medicinal plant. I would like to hope that after this publication the wonderful plant will have new fans.
Vladimir Starostin, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences
Increasingly, lemon balm, or lemon balm, Melissa officinalis, is found in garden plots. This is the only species of the Melissa genus that can be grown in our climate. The remaining four species are not cultivated. The growing popularity of growing lemon balm is facilitated by its practical benefits and at the same time simple care.
This herbaceous perennial grows from 60 to 120 cm in height. The lemon balm rhizome is powerful and branched. The flowers are small white, pinkish or light lilac, appearing in June-August. The leaves are serrated along the edges and densely covered with glandular hairs.
During the breeding work, varieties with a high content of essential oils, with different heights of bushes, number of shoots, size and shape of leaves, as well as their color, were obtained. The latter are more thermophilic; growing lemon balm of these varieties in open ground is possible only where subzero temperature does not fall below -15°C.
Variegated lemon balm is very decorative - with dark green leaves covered with a golden pattern. The Pure Gold variety has golden-yellow leaf blades. Growing these lemon balm, as well as other varieties, is possible on a balcony or loggia, and even indoors - the care and requirements in this case are just as easy.
Growing lemon balm from seeds
It is known that plants grown from seeds are more hardy and strong. Therefore, lemon balm is often propagated in this way. Moreover, the plant produces a lot of seeds, grows quickly, growing useful spicy-aromatic greens, and also blooms quickly, exhibiting the best honey-bearing properties.
Spring sowing in the ground is carried out after the soil has warmed up well. Small lemon balm seeds are not soaked - they are mixed dry with sand and sown to a depth of 0.5 to 1 cm. The first shoots appear after 20-25 days. After a few more days, excess seedlings are removed, leaving 25-30 cm between plants.
It is more convenient to use for growing lemon balm seedling method. Sowing of seeds is carried out from mid-March to mid-April in a small box or container and sprinkled with loose substrate. The box is covered with glass and left in a warm room. After the shoots appear, the illumination is increased as much as possible.
When the seedlings reach 3-5 cm in height, they are thinned out or planted in separate cups. To get more branched, compact bushes, plants are pinched at a height of 10-15 cm. Otherwise, caring for lemon balm seedlings comes down to watering the drying substrate. At the age of 40-45 days, it is planted in open ground with the onset of warm weather. Seedlings bloom in the second year.
Growing lemon balm by dividing the bush
Plants at the age of 3-4 years are propagated using this method. Division is carried out in the spring, when new shoots are just beginning to grow, or at the end of August. Healthy bushes are dug up and cut into approximately equal parts so that each of them has 4-5 shoots and a sufficient number of roots.
Delenki are planted in a permanent place in the garden or in pots to grow lemon balm on the windowsill in winter. Pebbles, gravel or broken shards must be poured into the bottom of the pot so that after watering, excess water flows freely into the pan.
Growing lemon balm from cuttings
At the beginning of summer, young shoots that have reached 10-15 cm in height are bent and pinned. Fertile soil is poured on top. During the summer, weeds are carefully removed around the plants. If necessary, plantings are watered.
In the spring of next year, new bushes are separated from the mother plant, but are transplanted to a permanent place only in the fall.
Growing lemon balm from cuttings
Melissa can be propagated by cuttings. In this case, the apical part of the young shoots is cut off and placed in water. After 1.5-2 weeks, roots appear, after which the plants are planted in loose, fertile soil and grown.
Growing lemon balm in open ground
When growing lemon balm in open ground, site selection is important. If lemon balm grows in an open, sunny place, its aroma becomes more intense. But variegated forms do not tolerate bright sun and feel better in light partial shade.
It is good if the soil in the selected area is fertile, moderately moist, with a neutral soil reaction. Heavy and acidic soils are not suitable for the plant. Melissa also does not tolerate dampness and stagnant moisture.
Care
In the first year, care for lemon balm should be thorough. Subsequently, the bushes grow, form a branched root system and provide themselves with moisture and nutrition. Adult plants need to be watered only during prolonged drought. With proper planting and care, lemon balm can grow in one place for 6-10 years.
Fragrant greens are cut no more than three times per season. After each cutting, the bushes are fed complex fertilizers or mulch with organic materials. A thick layer of humus or compost retains moisture in the soil, protects from weeds and provides plants with the necessary nutrients.
Melissa is a frost-resistant plant that overwinters well under snow. But in areas with little snow, it must be covered with sawdust, leaves or spruce branches. Most often, bushes older than 5 years freeze, so growing lemon balm in one place for longer than this period is undesirable, and the plants should be divided in a timely manner.
In damp weather and on wet soils, lemon balm suffers from fungal diseases. In closed ground it is dangerous aphid and whitefly.
Melissa varieties for growing
Lemon tea– white flowers appear 80 days after sowing, the yield of green mass reaches 2.9 kg per square meter. m, starting from the second year of cultivation.
Mahito– yield more than 3 kg per square meter. m, blooms 5 months after sowing with white small flowers.
Freshness- a variety of lemon balm for growing in private plots and on farms. The flowers are blue, the bush is up to 80 cm in size. From 1 square. m in two cuttings you can get up to 4.3 kg of leaves and young shoots.
Lada– a variety for cultivation on an industrial scale (pharmaceutical, food, canning industries). One-third of the plants consist of extractive substances, the dry mass yield is 34 c/ha.
Pearl- a powerful plant, the number of shoots of which reaches 70, and weight up to 1.6 kg. Productivity can reach up to 5.6 kg. The variety is recommended, including for farms, and is suitable for cultivation in all agricultural zones of the Russian Federation.
Lemon balm- semi-erect plant with purple flowers, yield is about 3 kg per square meter. m, flowering after 2.5 months from germination.
Dozya– plant height 90 cm, dark green leaves, white flowers. The yield of green mass in the second year is up to 3.4 kg.
Quadrille– the yield of this variety is 1.2 kg per square meter. m, and the number of shoots does not exceed 15. Light lilac flowers open after 80 days.
Lemon scent– small plants are well suited for gardening. Their height is no more than 60 cm, which allows them to be grown in containers. Productivity 1.2 kg per sq.m.
Tsaritsynskaya Semko– plants have small leaves and flowers. The bush is erect, branched. The yield of green mass is about 2 kg or more.
Isidora– when grown from seeds, the yield in the second year can be 3.3 kg per sq.m. Plant height is up to 80 cm, the first cutting is carried out 2 months after germination.
All varieties listed are included in the State Register of the Russian Federation and have a pronounced lemon aroma.
Melissa is a perennial herbs. Translated from Greek, the name of this plant sounds like “bee mint.” It is also called “lemon balm.” Melissa is used as a seasoning in salads, fish and meat dishes and as a medicinal plant, which has antispasmodic, analgesic, wound-healing and soothing effects.
Planting lemon balm
Before planting lemon balm on your site, you need to know that this plant does not tolerate damp, heavy soils and especially acidic soils. For planting, choose a sunny area, possibly with some shade. The soil on it should be light and fertile.
The area for planting is prepared in the fall by digging up the soil and adding organic and mineral fertilizers to it: per 1 sq. m - a bucket of humus, a glass of wood ash and a tablespoon of complex mineral fertilizer. If the soil on your site is clayey, then additional river sand is added to it. Melissa is a fairly heat-loving crop, so it is better to grow it in high beds.
Planting lemon balm with seeds
Melissa can be propagated by dividing the bush and seeds. Seeds are either sown immediately in open ground, or for seedlings. Melissa seeds are small and take a very long time to germinate. From the moment of sowing until the appearance of the first shoots, about 28 days pass.
Seeds can be sown in open ground at the end of May, but due to the very long germination, seedlings may not be seen among the grown weeds. That's why experienced gardeners It is advised to sow lemon balm seeds along with radish or lettuce seeds, that is, very early crops.
The seeds of lemon balm and, for example, radish are planted in different grooves, which are located close to each other at a depth of 1 cm and in no case deeper, because lemon balm seeds are very demanding of light. By the time the lemon balm seeds sprout, the radishes are already ripe, the root crops can be carefully pulled out of the soil and the lemon balm can then be grown.
Lemon balm: growing seedlings from seeds
Melissa seedlings are sown at the end of March in containers and pots. Seeds are prepared in the same way as for sowing in open ground. Next, moisten the soil mixture in containers and sow the seeds to a maximum depth of 0.5 cm. The seeds germinate at a temperature of 20 degrees, in sufficiently moist soil and in good sunlight.
When the seedlings have their first true leaf, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving a distance of 3 cm between the plants. After a month, the seedlings can be planted in open ground in holes at a distance of at least 40 cm, since lemon balm loves space and can grow in one place for up to 10 years.
Lemon balm: cultivation
Caring for lemon balm is not difficult because it unpretentious plant, and if its growth is not limited, lemon balm becomes like a weed. Basic recommendations - loosening the soil and good watering, especially in dry hot weather. Typically, lemon balm is watered twice a week with a water consumption of 10 liters per 1 square meter. m.
Every spring, lemon balm needs to be fed - add 0.5 liters of mullein and a spoonful of complex mineral fertilizer to 1 bucket of water. This feeding will be enough for the entire growing season. For the winter, it is advisable to cover the lemon balm by covering the bush with humus or peat and covering it with fallen leaves on top.
