Mint is a deciduous subtropical plant. Homeland - Africa, Asia, Australia. The healing properties of mint have been known since antiquity and are now widely used. Use it in cooking, cosmetology, perfumery, medicine. The most famous varieties are lemon, meadow, fragrant, water, field, pepper or menta piperita. Indoor grown room mint, which is called plectrantus. It grows quickly, unpretentious, easily propagates.
Description of room mint
Indoor mint (aromatic plectrantus) or sprats is a perennial evergreen herb of the family Yasnotkovye (labioecious) with oblong, oval, pointed leaves. The flowers are small, pale, collected on the upper shoots in umbrellas or brushes, appear in the summer. The root system is fibrous, the stem is ribbed, smooth or pubescent. The plant is ampelous, but some species are classified as shrubs with shoots up to 40 cm and plentiful foliage.
If you run your hand through the leaves, a pleasant smell immediately spreads.
Varieties of room mint
Plectrantus varieties number up to 300 species; they differ in appearance and leaf aroma:
| Grade | Features |
| Koleusovidny | Shrub, grows up to a meter with tetrahedral straight shoots, large leaves of 6 cm, with a white and cream border are covered with the same spots. It has a strong aroma. |
| Shrubbery (molar tree) | Large, reaches a meter height with monophonic leaves of a heart-shaped form when released, releases essential oils. The flowers are blue. |
| Ertendahl | Shrub, grows up to 40 cm, the most common variety. It has round, carved velvet leaves with a diameter of up to 5 cm, dark green above and purple below with light veins. White flowers form inflorescences-brushes, bloom in summer. They have the aroma of camphor. |
| Mona Lavander | It has a long flowering from February to November. Glossy leaves with serrated edges, purple bottom. Small height up to half a meter. |
| Hadiensis (felt) | Shrub up to 75 cm, with pubescent, light green leaves up to 10 cm long with a mint smell. Used in India as a seasoning. |
| Ernst | Small leaves are heart-shaped, purple from below, green and velvet from above. It grows to 0.5 m. |
| Fragrant | Perennial up to 2 m, stalks in small villi, tetrahedral, green-purple. The leaves are oval, pointed. It blooms with purple, white, and purple. |
| Forster | Feathered oval leaves with serrated edges. Height to meter. |
| Whorled | The leaf plates are smooth, green with white hairs, bottom with red veins. The stems are crimson. Grows to 40 cm. |
Several ways to plant peppermint
Perennial is obtained in several ways - by seeds, cuttings, dividing the bush.
Seeds
Seeds are bought at a flower shop or harvested on their own. They are placed in dishes with moist soil to a depth of 0.5 cm, covered with a film or glass. They will germinate after 14 days, transplanted neatly into a pot, placed in a cool room, and after 40 days to a normal growth site. In this case, the harvest will be in 2 months. Young shoots are slightly different in taste.
Cuttings
The easiest and fastest way to reproduce. Part of the lateral stem 6-8 cm with a sharp knife is cut at an angle of 45 degrees. The lower two sheets are peeled. Place the appendix in a glass of water or sand. When the roots of 1.5 cm are transplanted into the ground.
Dividing the bush
When the bush reaches the age of three, it is dug up, divided into parts. Each should have shoots, roots, buds. Planted to a depth of 10 cm, humus is added.
Conditions for growing room mint
The plant is provided with bright, but diffused light, mint in a pot is placed on the eastern, western windowsills. Temperature + 16 ... +25 ° С in the summer, + 14 ... +16 ° С in the winter. Humidity 60-70%. The abundance of sunlight can lead to wilting of the bush. In winter, they illuminate artificially, with an inferior daylight the bush stretches, then the temperature is lowered to + 15 ... +18 ° С. In summer, the flowerpot is put on a balcony or loggia without drafts.
Care
At home, caring for a plant does not require much effort, any grower can cope with it.
Any capacity is chosen: a flower pot, a box, most importantly, take a wide one for a branched root system. The plant is rotated for uniform growth.
During flowering, watered abundantly, in winter less. Water should be soft, settled, room temperature. In the summer they take a shower, spray them in the winter, if the air is dry, remove dust from the leaves.
Do not allow the land to dry out.
Fertilize in spring and summer every month alternating organic and mineral fertilizers for decorative and deciduous. Leave off leaves leaving 20 mm from the shoot to form new ones. In spring, weak, bare shoots are cut off, pinching the tops.
Transfer
After purchase, the young bush is transplanted into a new larger container. They do this by the method of transshipment without violating the earthen coma. Then the transplant is needed once a year in the spring, and when the plant is five years old in two years. The soil is prepared from 2 parts of turf, part of humus, leaf soil and 0, 5 sand and peat. Pre-disinfect the soil in boiling water or a solution of manganese. A drainage of 3 cm from expanded clay, crushed stone is laid at the bottom.
Diseases and Pests
Mint rarely gets sick, sometimes problems arise.
| Problem / Manifestation | Causes | Elimination |
| Leaves fade, burn out. | Exposure to direct sunlight. | Shade or move to another place. |
| Yellowing, shedding of leaves. | Low temperature + 12 ... +16 ° С excess moisture. | Increase room temperature or reduce watering. |
| Root rot. | Stagnant water, acidification of the soil, cold air. | |
| In the summer, drooping leaves. | Dry air. | Sprayed more often, put moisturizers. |
| Leaves are falling off, the plant is not blooming. | Too hot, lack of light. | Increase lighting, lower temperature. |
| Gray - purple spots. | Peronosporosis (downy mildew). | Remove affected parts. They are treated with fungicides (Actofit). |
| White coating. | Powdery Mildew | Spray with 1/3 water serum or colloidal sulfur. |
| Twisting leaves, green insects on them. | Aphid. | Processed with infusion of tobacco, in the case of neglected Fitoverma, Spark. |
| White or silver web. | Mite. | Apply for processing Actellik. |
Useful properties of room mint
Mint is not toxic, the beneficial properties are extensive - a diaphoretic, laxative, anesthetizing, in addition, the plant:
- Improves digestion.
- Soothes the nervous system.
- It makes breathing easier (chewing leaves with nasal congestion).
- Helps in the treatment of gynecological diseases.
- It softens the itching of insect bites (stretch the leaf, attach)
- It treats colds (drink peppermint tea for throat infections).
- Juice relieves nausea along with pomegranate.
Peppermint fights with moth, harmful insects. Use it as a seasoning, make tea. The essential oil contained in it acts as a sedative.
Mint is harvested after flowering, large leaves are collected, the stems are cut 1/3 in the afternoon in sunny weather. Then they are washed, wiped and laid out on the surface of the fabric for drying in the oven, on the street. Keep hermetically sealed.
Contraindications for use by pregnant, lactating, children under 12 years old.
Mint is put in the bedroom, it wards off anxiety and relieves fatigue. According to signs attracts money to the house.
