How to grow mint at home on a windowsill in an apartment from seeds

Windowsill - a place where you can comfortably place spices that will not only fill the room with fragrance, but also go to the dishes. A plant that feels great at home is fragrant mint. Before growing mint at home, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the simple spice requirements that you will need to meet in order to get a generous harvest.

Features of growing on the windowsill

Getting a bountiful harvest by growing a fragrant spice is easy, and you don't need a vegetable garden for this - all you need is to allocate space on the windowsill for mint. In the apartment in winter, the plant will feel no worse than in the garden under the open rays of the sun.

There are no peculiarities in growing spices, the main thing is to ensure proper care, which includes:

• preliminary preparation of the substrate;
• watering;
• feeding;
• lighting.

Even beginner flower growers who have not grown indoor plants will certainly be able to cope with the spice - mint is unpretentious and does not require regular attention.

Suitable varieties for home growing

Mint is a spice that is most often grown outdoors, so not all varieties are suitable for indoor use. To get a harvest, it is recommended to use planting material of the following varieties:

• Ceremony. The peculiarity of the variety is the abundance of essential oils in the composition. The leaves are wrinkled, have a rich emerald hue. To obtain shoots, it is recommended to pinch the main trunk, otherwise the bush will begin to stretch upwards strongly. Has a long lasting fragrance.
• Pearls. A distinctive feature of the variety is its small size. Compact bushes do not allow lateral buds, so you have to pinch. The smell of the variety - spicy-mint, will improve the taste of any drink or dish.
• Pennyroyal. It is recommended only for growing at home. A distinctive feature of mint is long side shoots that turn the plant into a compact lush bush. In summer, you can observe flowering - placers of small lilac flowers emitting a spicy aroma.

Important! Garden varieties can also be used for growing on the windowsill, but in the summer they will have to be taken out to fresh air, otherwise the mint will wither.

How to plant and grow on a windowsill

There will be no particular difficulties during planting, the main thing is to avoid mistakes in the first stages of mint cultivation. There are several ways to use for landing:

• seeds (labor-intensive and lengthy method);
• cuttings (the crop will be harvested in a month);
• layering (the first fragrant leaves can be collected after 3-5 weeks).

Preparation of seeds and cuttings for planting

The first step in growing mint is the choice of planting material. It is better not to give preference to hybrid varieties when buying seeds - they rarely retain maternal characteristics. Planting should be done in early spring, soaking the planting material is not required - it is better to send the seeds immediately to the ground. The first sprouts at the correct temperature (not lower than 25 degrees) will appear in just half a month.

Be sure to spray the surface of the substrate - dry soil will cause the death of plants.

Cuttings are an easier way to get young mint bushes in a short time. The upper shoots of adult plants are usually cut for rooting. The length of the cutting is up to 10 cm. Be sure to remove the lower leaves, put the shoots in the water - in a week and a half, the roots will appear. It remains to plant the cutting in the ground - in just a week, the growth of young leaves will begin, which can already be used in cooking.

What should be the place

Even at room temperature, you will have to look for the most convenient place for mint. Be sure to choose the sunniest window sill, but keep in mind that bright rays can burn the delicate shoots of the plant.

To prevent burns, you will have to create an artificial shadow on the hottest days. You can use a thin curtain or newspaper for this. If it is not possible to constantly protect the bush from the sun, it is better to give preference to western or eastern windows.

Where to plant

For planting, it is better to choose containers, as for indoor flowers. Containers are also recommended. The main thing is to take into account the size of the root system of the bush, it branches heavily and may not fit in a small pot.

If you plan to grow a lot of plants, it is better to purchase a large long container - this will make it easier to care for mint. In order to get just a few bushes, it is better to use pots.

What soil to plant in

The soil for growing mint must be light and nutritious. You can prepare the substrate yourself (mix sand, peat, compost, garden soil in equal parts) or purchase it at the store.

If a ready-made substrate is purchased, it is better to give preference to soil for growing indoor plants. You can replace it with seedling soil - it is nutritious and easily saturated with oxygen and moisture.

Landing

Planting will not be particularly difficult, no matter how the reproduction takes place. Grown seedlings should be planted in pots after the appearance of four good leaves. Picking is not necessary - it is recommended to send the bushes immediately in containers for adult mint.

Rooted cuttings or cuttings require more attention - be sure to add 10-15 g of wood ash to each well, which will protect against diseases and pests that can damage the root system. To prevent burns, the ash must first be mixed with a small amount of substrate.

Important! Another important rule of planting is to produce it better in cloudy weather.

Plant care

Caring for mint is simple - follow the basic rules of agricultural technology recommended for indoor plants. There are few of them - watering, pest or disease control, timely application of nutrients.

Another indispensable requirement for mint care is pinching to form a lush bush. It is recommended to carry out the process throughout the year - if you miss the moment, you can get a long stem with a few leaves.

Irrigation Rules

Watering mint can only be done with warm water. The recommended time for irrigating the substrate is in the evening hours. During the day in sunny weather, it is better not to water - adding moisture to an overdried substrate can destroy the root system.

Be sure to regularly spray the bushes. Mint likes moist air, so in the summer you can put a bowl of water near the container with the plant.

Feeding

Unlike growing houseplants, mint will not need frequent feeding. You need to make nutrients once a season. Use a solution of urea as a fertilizer (per liter of water 1 g of the substance).

The introduction of nutrients should be carried out only in summer - in winter, mint should be at rest. If top dressing is made in winter, shoots will actively begin to grow and stretch.

Diseases and pests

Diseases and insects rarely infect mint. Persistent aroma and rather hard leaves do not attract pests, they try to settle on more tasty plants.

If, nevertheless, trouble happened and unwanted neighbors were noticed on the bushes, you need to use sparing folk remedies against them, chemicals are not recommended.

Usually it is enough to wash the mint several times with soapy foam to make the pests disappear for a long time. Diseases most often develop with improper care - overflow, lack of moisture, and the wrong choice of location. Correcting mistakes is simple - review your actions and find out what exactly was done wrong.

Harvest and storage of crops

Mint is usually stored dried. It is recommended to use tender young leaves for this. Lay them out in one layer on clean paper (pre-rinse) and leave on a sunny windowsill until the moisture has completely evaporated.

Send dry mint leaves for storage. Use clean glass containers for this, which are tightly closed. A cool and dark place with low humidity will do well.

Mint is a universal plant that can be used not only in the preparation of refreshing drinks, but also added to dishes, preservation. Much more useful than purchased spice, self-grown raw materials, and there are no particular difficulties in this process, even an inexperienced beginner can cope with the work. The main thing is to satisfy all the requirements of a fragrant lush bush, and there are not so many of them.

Recommended