Pineapple Mint Variegata: variety description, planting and care with photo

Pineapple variegata is considered a unique plant that has a pleasant and strong aromatic smell. Pineapple leaves are added to dishes to give them an unusual flavor and are used in medicine in the treatment of certain diseases.

Description

A distinctive feature of the Variegata variety is the low growth of bushes that grow up to 40-50 cm in height. All mature seedlings are covered with small downturned leaves with a white border around the edges. Mint leaves Variegata are very tasty, with a slight tart flavor. Because of this, many housewives add them to sauces, salads and even fruit drinks.

In addition to leaves, flowers are formed on adult bushes, painted in lilac color with a reddish tint. They are located at the top of the shoots, forming large and fragrant inflorescences there.

Using Pineapple Mint

Pineapple mint is most often used in cooking as a food additive. It is used to spice up meat or fish dishes. It is also used in the summer to create refreshing fruit drinks. Some housewives add mint leaves to preserves to extend their shelf life.

The second most popular area of application of such a plant is medicine. Decoctions of pineapple mint have a diuretic effect, thanks to which you can clear the gallbladder of stones. Mint leaves are used to create remedies to reduce pain in girls during menstruation and treat liver diseases.

Conditions for crop growth

To grow he althy Variegata bushes, it is necessary to provide optimal conditions for their growth. This variety loves a high level of humidity and therefore, when growing, you will have to take care of watering. The soil should never dry out, as this will slow down the growth of seedlings. It is recommended to moisten the ground daily, especially in summer.

If seedlings are grown in a greenhouse, you will have to independently control the level of humidity in it. To do this, every day you need to spray the greenhouse with a spray bottle and moisten the mint leaves.

When to plant pineapple mint

You can get a good harvest of mint only if you plant it in time. It is not recommended to sow Variegata seeds in the fall, as in winter the seedlings will freeze and die. It is also impossible to sow in the summer, since by the first frost the root system will not have time to get stronger well, and the plant will also die.Therefore, the best solution would be to plant pineapple mint in the middle of spring, after the night temperature rises to 5-10 degrees.

Preparation of planting material

Preparation of seed material begins with the selection of seeds for planting. It is recommended to select only large seeds, as they will germinate better. All selected planting material is preliminarily disinfected. For this, a weak manganese liquid is prepared. To create it, about a gram of a substance is added to 100 ml of water. Then seeds are poured into a container with manganese for 25 minutes. The disinfected seed is washed with water, dried and planted in the ground.

Soil preparation

Pineapple mint, like all other varieties, grows best in fertile soils with micronutrients. To increase the fertility of the soil, you will have to add top dressing to it in advance. To do this, the earth is mixed with compost, ash and humus.

When fertilizing, you can use ready-made commercial mixtures, which include lime.

Experts recommend disinfecting the soil before planting. To do this, it is poured several times with hot water and a manganese solution. This will protect the seedlings from attack by pests and diseases.

Planting mint

To plant the pineapple Variegata, all the seeds are laid out on the surface of the harvested soil. Then the seed is carefully pressed into the soil and covered with polyethylene on top. After the first shoots appear, the plastic film is removed and all seedlings are watered for the first time.

If the temperature is too high outside, it is not necessary to cover the area with planted mint.

Plant care

Everyone who plans to start growing mint bushes should familiarize themselves with the peculiarities of caring for them.

Irrigation Rules

All planted mint bushes must be watered with warm water. Watering can not be carried out in the bright rays of the sun, so the procedure is carried out in the evening. In cloudy weather, it is not necessary to moisten the soil daily.

Loosening and weeding

It is recommended to regularly weed the mint area to remove weeds from it. If weeding is not done, the weeds that have grown will consume a lot of nutrients from the soil, which will worsen the growth of mint.

Plant diseases

Verticillium wilt is considered a dangerous disease, due to which the leaves of the plant begin to gradually darken and dry. To protect pineapple mint from this disease, you need to:

observe crop rotation rules;
timely clear the site of weeds and plant residues.

Pests

Among pests, the following are most common:

Mint mite. The insect hibernates in the soil and appears on the bushes in spring. The pest feeds on leaves and stems of mint, which leads to death.
Meadow moth. Appears on mint in the spring, after the air temperature rises to 10 degrees Celsius. The insect feeds on the juice of the leaves, and therefore they dry up after the appearance of the meadow moth.

Harvest and storage of crops

It is better to collect ripe mint in mid-July, as by this time its leaves will be filled with useful components and oils.All collected stems are collected in bunches and hung under a canopy on the street or in a room with good ventilation. It is very important that the leaves are not exposed to sunlight, as this will negatively affect their aroma.

Conclusion

Every gardener who wants to grow pineapple mint Variegata must prepare in advance for this. To do this, you should familiarize yourself with the nuances of planting this variety and the rules for caring for it.