Melissa: how easy it is to plant and properly care

Melissa

Briefly about melissa

The lemon balm plant is also known as "Lemon grass", "Lemon mint", "Censer". Wild lemon balm is found in Europe, Africa and Central Asia.

There are many legends about melissa, one of them tells how it got its name. There lived a beautiful girl named Melissa, she did not please the Gods of Olympus and for this they enchanted her into a bee.

The lemon balm plant lives for many years, which means you can call it perennial. Melissa has a spreading stem, grows up to two meters. Comes from the Lamiaceae family.

Experienced gardeners and summer residents note a pleasant lemon or mint smell, which, unfortunately, becomes barely perceptible after the small flowers open.

The cultivated varieties of this plant have a large amount of vitamins, useful microelements, essential oils and succinic acid.

Melissa: the most famous varieties

There is a wide variety of lemon balm varieties. The most famous are:

- "Medicinal lemon balm".

On the territory of our country "Medicinal lemon balm" is very popular.

- "Lemon tea".

- "Pure gold".

The plant has the smallest size of the listed varieties, the foliage has a yellow color, which turns golden in the sun.

- "Dozya".

Plants have leaves with a slight downward slope and small folds on the front side, a very strong lemon scent.

- "Lemon flavor".

The plant has been growing for many years, has a strong lemon scent, grows up to sixty centimeters up.

The above varieties are ideal for growing in central Russia. If you want to grow lemon balm as a houseplant, we advise you to pay attention to the varieties:

- "Pearl".

- "Lime".

- "Tsaritsinskaya".

- "Freshness".

Seeds as planting material

If the lemon balm variety has a high level of cold resistance, it can be planted from early March to early September. Experienced gardeners and summer residents also plant before winter.

You need to carefully choose a place for planting lemon balm. An area with partial shade is suitable, but at the same time the early sun rays should hit this place. It is worth refraining from areas well-lit by sunlight, as lemon balm begins to taste bitter, has fewer beneficial properties and a less perceptible pleasant aroma. However, it is impossible to plant a plant in a place with complete shade.

Preference should be given to soils:

- drainage.

- with a low level of acid.

- sandy loam.

In the absence of these soils in your area, you can use heavy soils, but first mix them with sand. Starting in September, we are preparing the beds, purchase mineral and organic fertilizers, apply them to the soil. Keep an eye on the temperature of the soil, since when it reaches at least five degrees, you can begin the process of sowing seeds.

Unfortunately, very tiny planting material does not grow well. You can speed up the germination process with the help of the right and healthy neighbors, for example, radishes or lettuce.

Planting holes are made about two centimeters deep, we place seeds there. Observe the correct space between plants, approximately twenty-five to thirty centimeters.

Seedlings as planting material

To grow this planting material, I use a warm room, a windowsill, a greenhouse or a greenhouse. The following action plan should be followed:

- Plant seedlings from the middle of the first spring month to the first week of the next month.

- Give preference to a light, liquid-tight substrate.

- If you wish, purchase a universal soil with sand in the composition.

- Landing holes should be no deeper than one centimeter.

- The container with seedlings must be covered with glass or thick film.

- The container is moved to a place with sufficient light and heat.

- When you reach a height of four to five centimeters, arrange a thinning process.

- The distance between lemon balm should be at least five centimeters.

- After a month, transplant each bush into a personal container.

- The process of pinching the top occurs when a height of ten to twelve centimeters is reached. This promotes more spreading branches.

- It is worth planting seedlings in open ground one and a half months after the first actions with it.

How to take care of it properly?

The lemon balm plant does not require special and complex care. Most of your attention should be spent on the first shoots and on the plant in the first year of its life. All because of the root, which is just beginning the formation process. Do not forget about regular loosening and weeding of the earth.

Schedule watering for the first three months of the plant's life, as watering should be infrequent and moderate. It is recommended to loosen the soil immediately after it has been moistened. Sprinkle the topsoil under the lemon balm with mulch, it helps to retain fluid and protects the plant from weed attacks.

As a top dressing, purchase complex universal. When using compost, humus or organic matter, do not add mulch.

Before the flowering process, it is worth finishing feeding the lemon balm about seven days before the start. This will help maintain the quality of the lemon balm.

Fertilize every time you remove any part of the plant. Perform three to four shoot removal processes every month. The remaining shoots should be no more than ten centimeters. Melissa has a peculiarity - fast growth.

The rejuvenation process is arranged in the fifth or sixth year.

Melissa: plant propagation

In the period from March to May, the bushes are separated. First, remove the bush from the soil and shake it lightly to get rid of any extra clumps of dirt. Take a sharp knife or scissors and cut the rhizome. Landing holes are prepared in advance. After placing the sprouts in the ground, water them thoroughly.

We collect and store lemon balm

When open flowers appear, feel free to cut the plant. It is recommended to harvest lemon balm on rainy or cloudy days. When drying the plant, keep the temperature not lower than twenty and not higher than forty degrees. Glass jars provide reliable storage.

Melissa photo