Melissa indoor: rules for growing on a windowsill
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 scent. Is there a secret to growing this crop on a windowsill? It turns out that everything is not so simple. After all, without effort, it is impossible to bring a spoon to your mouth.
The main difference between lemon balm and garden spice is its size. It is much lower and differs in larger leaf plates.
General description of the plant
The culture is used raw as a spice to impart a piquant smell and taste of freshly squeezed lemon. It can be added to various salads, meat treats, hot soups, teas and intoxicating drinks.
Melissa indoor: basic requirements for indoor growing
Breeding a fragrant perennial at home allows the hostess to always have a fresh spice on hand. But for this it is worth a lot of work. There are several basic rules for growing a lemon crop:
- 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 then is it transplanted and renewed.
For a perennial to be healthy for 4 years, it should be planted in early spring.
Let's consider in stages the process of how to grow lemon balm on a windowsill at home.
Soil preparation
Lemon mint loves fertile soil with neutral levels of acidity, which is obtained from the following ingredients:
- loam;
- sod land;
- river sand;
- mineral fertilizers.
Before adding river sand to the substrate, it is placed in the oven for 15 minutes. The maximum temperature is 80 ° C. Broken brick, expanded clay or crushed stone are used for drainage. In order for the lemon balm to take root well in the pot, it must be at least 20 cm and with holes on the bottom. Before planting, the container is washed with a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.
If the grass is immediately planted in a large pot, it will not have to be repotted frequently.
Optimal lighting
In its natural environment, lemon balm grows on forest edges or low slopes, where there is a lot of moisture. Given this fact, it is better to grow the plant at home on the south, east or west side. On cloudy days, especially in winter, it needs additional lighting. For this use special lamps, up to 80 watts. They are hung over a perennial at a distance of 60 cm to be turned on if necessary.
Spraying and regular watering
To maintain the required moisture, the plant is sprayed with a spray bottle. Water the seedlings as the top layer of the soil dries up, about 3 times a week. At the same time, it is important to control watering in order to avoid liquid stagnation, which leads to the appearance of rot in the root system. As a result, the plant may die.
Room temperature, pruning and feeding
When growing lemon balm on a windowsill, gardeners closely monitor the ambient temperature. This heat-loving plant does not like drafts and excessive cold. Optimum performance is not lower than 10 ° C and not higher than + 25 ° C. For the successful development of the spice, the soil is regularly fed with liquid fertilizers, which are sold in flower shops. And the planned pruning of 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.
Sowing technology of lemon balm seeds at home
If we do not have a vegetable garden, but want to have healing herbs at hand, it is not necessary to look for it in the forest or buy it at the market. Gardeners know how to plant lemon balm seeds so that it grows on the windowsill. With proper care, it wonderfully takes root in a pot, filling the living abode with a pleasant aroma and greenery. The first step towards your goal is soil preparation. It can be collected in your own garden or purchased ready-made.
Then it is poured into a container, pot or box. Further, lemon balm seeds are soaked in a weak solution of manganese. The procedure is necessary for thorough etching of the planting material. After 2-3 hours, start planting:
- the prepared soil is watered with slightly warmed water;
- make holes about 1.5 cm deep;
- seeds are carefully sown;
- fill the grooves with soil;
- cover the container with cling film.
To seedlings sprout faster, mini-greenhouses are placed in a warm place. As the earth dries up, watering is carried out by lifting the plastic wrap. At the same time, the seedlings receive a portion of oxygen. After about 25 days, the first greens will appear. If the shoots are densely planted, they are thinned out, leaving strong specimens. The procedure is performed if there are 3 or 4 leaves on the seedlings. They are transplanted into other containers. So not one lemon balm bush appears on the windowsill, but a whole guard. Such greens bring incredible joy to the hostess, because the house is filled with spicy aroma and freshness.