How to plant mint in the country in the open field from seeds: cultivation and care with video

Mint is a common perennial plant that occurs in the wild and is often used for planting in a summer cottage. Growing peppermint in the country is quite simple. Culture is unpretentious and does not require special attention. This fragrant plant is extremely useful. Delicious refreshing and soothing teas are prepared on its basis.

Plant varieties

There are a lot of varieties of mint for planting in the country. The easiest way to buy planting material is in garden stores. One of the common varieties of the plant is peppermint. It was bred in the 16th century in England.The stems reach a height of 1.4 m. The plant is lush, with long branches. The leaves are a light emerald shade, serrated along the edges. Peppermint begins to bloom in July and ends in September. The leaves are used to make teas and fish dishes.

Another variety is curly mint. She got this name because of the leaves that look like curls. Plant height from 30 cm to 1 m. The aroma of the variety is not as sharp as that of pepper.

Chocolate mint has an unusual smell - a mixture of menthol and lemon with a touch of chocolate. The leaves are dark green with purple hues.

Mexican mint has a spicy flavor. Plant height up to 1.5 m. Used as a medicinal plant.

What is the danger of mint in the garden

Growing mint on the plot is fraught with some dangers.First of all, this is the active growth of the rhizome. If you do not control the mint bushes, then after a while the plant can flood the entire area. It will be necessary to solve the problem radically, that is, to dig out part of the plants and throw them away. Therefore, annually it is necessary to remove part of the bushes if they began to grow strongly.

What conditions does mint need for successful growth

It is preferable to plant mint in open sunny areas with high humidity. It is undesirable to plant valuable plants near the bushes, since the powerful mint root system will not allow them to develop normally. The soil should be fertile, loose. Preference should be given to sandy or loamy soil. It is undesirable to plant plants in wetlands.

Mint planting dates

The optimal time for planting seeds is early spring. Then the bushes will not die in winter. Planting in the summer will lead to the fact that the plants will not have time to take root in a new place and will die in severe frosts.

Planting mint in the fall is undesirable, the cuttings will not have time to take root before the onset of winter. This is especially true for the northern regions. It is desirable to finish planting the crop in the first half of August.

How to choose quality planting material

Further productivity depends on the quality of planting material. The stage of choosing cuttings and seeds should be given as much attention as possible.

Seed selection for planting

Seeds for planting mint are preferable to buy in garden stores. Collecting seeds from the mother plant is a painstaking and thankless task. It will not work to grow high-quality plants from such material. Most of the seeds will not germinate. And the one that will sprout will be far from the mother plant in terms of characteristics.

How to choose mint seedlings

The most effective way to plant a plant is seedlings. Mint seedlings can be purchased at the store or you can dig up a piece from the mother plant. In both cases, the bushes will take root. You can also grow mint if you cut off a stem from the mother plant at a height of 1 cm from the rhizome. The stem must be placed in water. After a few days, it will give white roots. After that, the cutting is planted in the soil.

When choosing seedlings of culture, you need to pay attention to its appearance. Wrinkled, withered and diseased leaves should not be. The stem is hard and resilient. Such seedlings are suitable for further cultivation. In height, the sprouts should not exceed 6-8 cm. If they are too long, then it will be difficult for the seedlings to take root. Purchased seedlings are planted in the soil along with the soil with which the sprouts were sold.

Choose a site

Before choosing a site for planting mint, you need to find out which crops are considered favorable plant precursors.First of all, these are legumes, potatoes, turnips, and also carrots. Preference should be given to light nutrient soils, with good aeration and abundant moisture. At the same time, water should not stagnate in the beds. Substrate acidity level - within 6-7.

Most of the day the site should be in the sun, but by noon - in the shade. Darkened places are generally not recommended. Every 4 years, it is advisable to change the landing site. If mint grows in one place for a long time, it becomes weak, not so fragrant, and eventually completely degenerates.

Outdoor planting

The hardest thing to grow a crop is by seed. To ensure the germination of seeds, you need to follow a number of recommendations. First, the material is germinated. To do this, it is covered with damp gauze and placed in a warm place. When sprouts appear, the seeds are transplanted into the soil to a depth of no more than 6 mm.The temperature in the room with containers should be between 20 and 24 degrees. The containers are covered with cling film and left for 7-14 days.

When sprouts appear, they are transplanted into separate cups and moved to a cool room. After they get stronger, they are transplanted into the ground.

You can plant mint in open ground in the same way as any other crops. Before planting cuttings or seedlings in the ground, organic or mineral supplements (manure, humus, superphosphate, wood ash) are first introduced into it. Then the soil is dug up to a depth of 20-25 cm. After that, small holes are made and plants are planted. After planting, the soil is lightly tamped and watered with warm water.

General mint care rules

Mint is considered one of the most unpretentious garden plants. In addition to regular watering and removing weeds, often other bush care procedures are not required. It is also important to ensure that the plantings do not overgrow.

Spring mint should be cut at the root. After that, it will grow better, and the branches will be more lush. The culture does not survive severe frosts, so for the winter it needs to be covered with spruce branches or covered with soil.

If necessary, planting is fed. But in most cases, mint grows well without top dressing. Once every 3-4 years, the beds are thinned out and transplanted to a new place.

Diseases and pests

Among the common mint pests are the flea, leaf beetle, aphids and mites. Pests should be de alt with as soon as they appear. To understand that pests have appeared on the bushes will turn out in appearance. The leaves turn yellow, wither, holes appear on the leaves.

From a flea, bushes are treated with Karbofos. Processing is done in the fall, after cutting the stems. If a leaf beetle appeared on the plant, then this indicates waterlogging of the soil.To bring it out, you need to limit the amount of watering. From aphids, the bushes are sprayed with a soapy or soda solution.

In addition, the bushes are often affected by powdery mildew. The disease manifests itself in the form of a characteristic white plaque. To prevent the development of powdery mildew, seedlings should not be planted close. And if the disease has already appeared, then the plants are sprayed with colloidal sulfur.

Mint is sick with rust. The first sign of appearance is the spread of purple spots on the leaves. It is impossible to save culture from rust. If the disease has already appeared, then the bushes are cut and burned. The soil is dug up in autumn and then treated with potassium permanganate or iodine solution.

Collection and storage

Mint stalks should be harvested 2-3 weeks after germination. The stems are cut to the root and washed thoroughly under water.Then they are laid out in a dark and well-ventilated area so that the bushes dry out. Raw materials are regularly turned over. When the leaves are completely dry, they are put in cloth bags or glass jars. It is undesirable to store dry mint in plastic bags. So she will rot and quickly disappear.

Mint is cut several times in one season. The first cut is made after the stems reach a height of 20 cm. After the cut, the bushes begin to grow more actively. Properly dried mint will keep for several years. It is used to make teas, herbal preparations and as a condiment for many dishes. Fragrant tea will help you relax on cold autumn or winter evenings.

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