How to grow lemon balm in the garden. How to grow mint and lemon balm at home

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 - 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. A photo

In the winter season, 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 in a permanent place.

Via 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 in the garden. 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. A photo

How to grow melissa 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, 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. A 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.

Lemon balm shoots should be dived from seeds 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.
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 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. It has medicinal properties: improves appetite, treats cough, relieves worms.

Moldavian snakehead or "Turkish lemon balm" - an 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 is called Melissa officinalis, catnip - Npeta catria, Moldavian snakehead - Dracocphalum moldavica.

Choosing the right kind of melissa

Several varieties of this unusual spicy herb are known. 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 with the 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.
Relieves headaches by 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 the health of the female body. It relieves pain during menstruation, helps to cope with toxicosis during pregnancy, stimulates the production of milk during breastfeeding.

Cook healing remedies from lemon balm is quite easy.

Can do infusion from the green shoots of the plant. To do this, pour the crushed leaves of lemon balm (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 in a summer cottage or on your windowsill, harvesting a dried product, you provide yourself with a healthy drink that can be consumed 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 allows you to solve the problem of 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. Video

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.

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:

Insomnia and.
Rheumatism.
Skin rashes.
Nervous exhaustion.
Inflammatory processes of the mucous membranes.

By the way, not only tea is good with lemon balm. It perfectly complements 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 the spring. 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 ensure good seed germination. 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. Picking can be omitted, but if the plants sprout too thickly, then the weakest of them can be pulled out.
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 the 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, a sprayer is better. 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.

Until we meet again, friends!

Our family has always grown Melissa in the garden, we love this very fragrant and healthy plant.

Melissa officinalis(Melissa officinalis) native to the forests of the Mediterranean. The bush has strongly branched tetrahedral shoots, rather high (80-120 cm). Lemon balm leaves are similar to nettles - with a wrinkled surface, serrated along the edges, covered with glandular hairs. Small flowers are white or pink, located in several pieces in the axils of the upper leaves. Melissa blooms in July-August.

Melissa varieties

Many varieties of lemon balm with green leaves have been bred, which differ in the shape and height of the bush, the intensity of the color of the leaves, the color of the flowers and the timing of flowering, the strength and tenderness of the lemon aroma, and winter hardiness. For example, "Erfurt erect", "Quedlinburg creeping", "Lime", "Quadrille", "Isidora", "Freshness", "Dose", "Pearl", "Tsaritsynskaya SEMKO", "Lemon aroma".
Melissa varieties are very decorative, in the color of which there are golden tones:
- "Pure Gold" - with golden yellow leaves, white flowers become pale lilac over time;
- "Golden", or "Variegated" - dark green leaves are covered with a golden variegated pattern.

Unlike Russian plant lovers, in European countries, lemon balm is cultivated very widely, and not only in the garden, but also on.

It is useful for beginner gardeners to know: how to breed lemon balm in your area, what conditions she prefers, and what she does not like at all.
I will be happy to share my experience of breeding lemon balm with readers of the site

Sowing melissa seeds and seedling maintenance

Lemon balm seeds are very small, remain viable for 2-3 years. You can try to sow lemon balm in the spring directly into the open ground (the seeds should be sprinkled no deeper than 1.5 cm), but this is a risky business. If you still manage to grow lemon balm from seeds directly in the garden, then do not expect flowering from it in the first year.

The most preferred method is planting lemon balm in the garden with seedlings. To do this, around the end of March, sow the seeds in cups or a box and place it on a bright windowsill. Please note that the germination rate of lemon balm seeds is low.
If there is a greenhouse, then you can sow lemon balm seeds for seedlings in the greenhouse.

When planting lemon balm seeds for seedlings, bury them not at all deep (about half a centimeter). Then the shoots will be more friendly. Discharge the plants that have appeared so that there is room for growth between them, otherwise they will prevent each other from developing normally. Between the sprouts of lemon balm there should be gaps of about 5 cm.

Small seedlings of lemon balm require a lot of light. Keep a box with seedlings on the brightest window sill, and on warm sunny days, take it out to the balcony.
It will not be superfluous to introduce a little nitrogen fertilizer for the best development of lemon balm seedlings.

Choosing and preparing a place for lemon balm

For planting lemon balm, choose a suitable place in the garden. Melissa is a rather unpretentious plant, but in favorable conditions it grows and looks especially good. Melissa prefers loose, loamy or sandy loamy soil, sufficiently fertilized.

You should not settle lemon balm bushes near water - this plant prefers drier places, and from an abundance of moisture it can get sick and die.

Melissa loves a sunny location, which is important for her aromatics. If you plant lemon balm in the shade of trees, then, of course, it will survive, but the smell of its leaves will be less intense. With a lack of sun, less essential oil is formed in the leaves of the plant, namely, it is the most valuable component of lemon balm. And her bushes will not be so lush.
Light penumbra is quite suitable for growing lemon balm. Such a location is even preferable for yellow-leaved lemon balm, which can get sunburned in hot summers.

When choosing a place for planting lemon balm, be sure to keep in mind that the plant is long-lived - under favorable conditions, the bush can grow in one place for up to ten years!

We have been preparing the plot intended for growing lemon balm since autumn. We dig the soil to a depth of 20 cm, removing the roots, and fertilize with manure.

Growing lemon balm in the garden

Melissa seedlings are usually planted in open ground at the age of 1-1.5 months. Small bushes are afraid of the cold, so plant them when the return frosts have passed.

In the garden, we place lemon balm seedlings at a distance of 30 cm from each other, and we make row spacings twice as large.

Lemon balm care consists in periodically loosening the soil and removing weeds. We have to water the plants when the summer turned out to be very dry.
Melissa loves to feed. But if you need to collect seeds, do not feed the plant before flowering, as this will prevent the seeds from ripening in time.

Cardinal pruning of lemon balm shoots twice or thrice per season (at a height of about 10 cm from the ground) helps the plant then quickly recover, actively branch and form a dense attractive bush. In landscape design, such bushes can be used as a border.

Melissa successfully hibernates with a sufficient amount of snow. However, the winter hardiness of lemon balm bushes older than 5 years is greatly reduced, so valuable varieties should be regularly divided and planted.

In autumn, for better overwintering of lemon balm, so that the rhizome does not freeze out, the ground with fallen leaves of trees.

Vegetative propagation of lemon balm

If you already have one melissa bush, but this is not enough, then you can propagate the plant vegetatively without resorting to sowing seeds. Bend a few branches of lemon balm to the ground, pin and sprinkle with earth - they will take root. This procedure should be carried out at the beginning of summer.

Be sure to water the soil around the plant regularly so that the sprinkled twigs can take root. And in the spring it will be necessary to separate them from the mother bush and plant them in a permanent place.

Melissa at least three years old can be propagated by dividing the bush. It is better to do this in early spring, when young shoots are just appearing in the plant, or at the end of August. We cut the mother bush into pieces of approximately equal size so that each division has at least 4 shoots with roots.

Use of lemon balm

Melissa has long been used in cooking and medicine.
From the leaves of this plant it turns out beautiful, very fragrant and healthy.

Fresh lemon balm leaves go to all salads during the garden season. Dried leaves can be added to pickles, and melissa leaf powder can be sprinkled on meat and fish dishes. We definitely use lemon balm when preparing and decorating stuffed pike.

We use this plant not only as a plant that has a pleasant lemon smell.
Melissa is a good honey plant. Lemon balm leaves have a calming effect on bees. Therefore, during the swarming of the bee colony, we hang fresh shoots of lemon balm on the branches of nearby trees in advance. So we do not lose a young bee family - the smell of lemon balm attracts bees.

Melissa in our family is also used in the manufacture of bath brooms. We knit branches of different trees (linden, oak,), young branches of lemon balm and nettle together - and then there is a pleasant aroma in the bath.

I wish gardeners good health, vivacity of soul and body for successful work in the garden!

Tatyana Alekseevna Semyonova (Republic of Mari El, village Kozhlaer)

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It got its name in honor of the ancient Greek nymph Melissa, the ancestor of beekeeping. Melissa is a godsend for gourmets who dream of combining a citrus flavor with a pleasant minty flavor and some honey notes that play weakly through two such strong aromas.

Therefore, it is lemon balm that is suitable for many dishes where you want to feel a citrus flavor, but without the acid inherent in many. Often referred to as "lemon mint" (not to be confused with the cultivar), Melissa is a wonderful soothing and beneficial herb in "heart" areas and is widely used as a food. It can emphasize and make many dishes elegant, for example, cabbage soup from tasteless spinach will acquire a piquant, bright taste with lemon balm.

This plant belongs to the mint family.

Medicinal, or lemon balm grows in the form of branched bushes from 45 to 125 cm tall. Flowers can be white, pink and yellow. Essential oils are mostly found in the tops of the shoots and in the leaves. This plant is a good honey plant, in connection with this, beekeepers and many gardeners call lemon balm "bee mint". It belongs to, so it will please more than one year.

For lemon balm, you should choose a sunny or slightly shaded place with fertile, well-drained loose soil (sandy loam, for example). Soil reaction can be neutral or slightly acidic.

For perennials, I usually prepare the land in the fall. I dig well, free from weeds, introduce organic and mineral. I do not have a problem with water outflow on the site, but if you have acidic soil, consider drainage. It can be small gravel or broken brick. The main thing is that there is no rotting of the roots. I have slightly acidic soil in a place where herbs grow, this is evidenced by the presence. I add woody to the soil. My soil is loose and fairly light. But if your soil is clayey or lowland, then dilute the soil with river sand and make high beds when planting lemon balm.

In the spring, when the soil warms up, you need to loosen the prepared area, and also remove it. I marked out small ridges, between rows about 45 cm, planted in 2 rows. I took about 40 cm between plants, I was not mistaken, since the bushes grew very large. If I were to plant this plant again today, I would take a larger distance both between rows and between plants, about 60 cm, for a more aesthetic look.

Melissa reproduces by dividing the bush and seeds. My delenki take root immediately and give good flowering. It is worth dividing the bushes when the shoots begin to grow, this is around the beginning of May, or you can divide the plant at the end of August. Seeds sprout weaker. They are small and require light to germinate. Embed them in the soil no deeper than 1 cm.

Melissa can be sown immediately into the ground at the end of May, or you can plant seedlings somewhere in late March - early April. In May, ready-made seedlings with 4 normal leaves are planted in the ground (seedling age is about 40 days). Many lovers dig up a part of the lemon balm bush for the winter and grow it at home on the windowsill. You can also grow a potted plant from seeds, but lemon balm loves freedom, so it does not grow well in a pot.

Melissa Care

Melissa does not require any specific care.

I watered it several times: the first time I planted it, and several more times when there was a severe drought.
Melissa welcomes the soil and getting rid of weeds, and also saves from the latter. You still have to break through, but not in such quantities. Mulch also prevents moisture from evaporating quickly.
In non-chernozem regions, so that the plant does not freeze out in winter, it is necessary.

Collection and preparation of lemon balm

Collecting lemon balm leaves is worth it before flowering, although many gourmets collect it during the flowering period. It is best to start harvesting in June, young leaves have a delicate aroma and taste.

As the lemon balm blooms, its aroma and flavor intensify and become tougher. Lemon balm leaves have essential oils, so they should be in the shade, but not more than +35 ° C. After drying, carefully fold the raw materials into airtight containers. Melissa does not go into freezing, because it loses its beneficial properties.

Melissa varieties

In total, there are 5 types of lemon balm in the world, but only lemon balm. Melissa officinalis has an unusual variety -. Its original leaves not only contain many phytoncides that purify the air, but also look great in flower beds.

I like Melissa in plantings due to the fact that her bushes are dense, they live in partial shade, while the bushes themselves are even and beautifully shaped. Honestly, I don't care for the smell.

Included in the State Register of the Russian Federation 8 varieties of lemon balm, adapted to the conditions of the middle lane, recommended for planting in a garden plot. They are not inferior to new varieties with an unusual golden color of foliage. Different leaf shape, color, height of the bush, winter hardiness and intensity of aroma and flowering time distinguish one variety from others.

Melissa "Lemon Flavor"

Designed for fresh and dried use. Perennial, grows in one place for about 5 years.

Melissa "Lemon Flavor" Photo from econet.ru

From the second year of life from germination to the first cut, about 40 days will pass. The leaves are dark green with a bloom, raised. Leaf shape is ovoid. Smooth leaves, there is pubescence. The height of the plant is about 60 cm. The green mass of the bush of this variety in the first year of life is about 120 g. The aroma is strong.

Melissa "Dozya"

It has a medium early ripening period, is a perennial plant, grows in one place for about 5 years.

Melissa "Dozya". Photo from freemarket.ua

In the second year of life, the growing season will be about 1.5 months. The height of the bush is about 90 cm. The leaves are semi-raised, have a slight pubescence and "wrinkles". Dark green with serrated edges. The flowers are small, white. Pronounced lemon aroma, but not as sharp as the previous species.

Melissa "Pure Gold"

Variety with golden foliage. The bush is compact, the leaves are golden in color.

Grade "Pure gold". Photo from readtiger.com

The flowers are white at first, turning a faint purple towards the middle of flowering.

Melissa is a perennial herb. Translated from the Greek, the name of this plant sounds like "bee mint". It is also called "lemon mint". Melissa is used as a seasoning in salads, fish and meat dishes and as a medicinal plant with antispasmodic, analgesic, wound healing and soothing effects.

Melissa planting

Before planting lemon balm on your site, you need to know that this plant does not tolerate damp, heavy soils, and especially acidic soils. A sunny area is selected for planting, it is possible with a little shading. The soil on it should be light and fertile.

The site for planting is prepared in the fall, digging up the soil and introducing organic and mineral fertilizers into it: per 1 sq. m - a bucket of humus, a glass of wood ash and a tablespoon of complex mineral fertilizer. If the soils in your area are clayey, then river sand is additionally added to them. Melissa is quite a heat-loving crop, so it is better to grow it in high beds.

Planting lemon balm seeds

Melissa can be propagated by dividing the bush and seeds. Seeds are either sown immediately in open ground, or for seedlings. Lemon balm seeds are small and germinate for a very long time. From the moment of sowing to 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. Therefore, experienced gardeners advise sowing lemon balm seeds along with radish or lettuce seeds, that is, very early crops.

Lemon balm seeds and, for example, radish seeds are planted in different grooves, which are located close to each other to a depth of 1 cm and in no case deeper, because lemon balm seeds are very demanding on light. By the time the seedlings of lemon balm seedlings appear, the radish is already ripe, the roots can be carefully pulled out of the soil and the melissa can be grown further.

Melissa lemon: growing seedlings from seeds

For seedlings, lemon balm is sown at the end of March in containers and pots. Seeds are prepared in the same way as for sowing in open ground. Next, the soil mixture is moistened in containers and the seeds are sown 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 the 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 up to 10 years in one place.

Melissa lemon: cultivation

Lemon balm care is not difficult, because it is an unpretentious plant, and if its growth is not limited, melissa is likened to weeds. The main recommendations are loosening the soil and good watering, especially in dry, hot weather. Usually lemon balm is watered twice a week with a water consumption of 10 liters per 1 sq. m.

Every spring, lemon balm needs to be fed - 0.5 liters of mullein and a spoonful of complex mineral fertilizer are added to 1 bucket of water. This top dressing is enough for the entire growing season. For the winter, it is advisable to cover the lemon balm, spudding the bush with humus or peat and falling asleep from above with fallen leaves.