Melissa planting and care in open ground. Growing lemon balm in the garden. Melissa "Lemon aroma"

Our family has always grown lemon balm in the garden; we love this very fragrant and healthy plant.

Melissa officinalis(Melissa officinalis) is native to the forests of the Mediterranean. The bush has highly branched tetrahedral shoots and is quite tall (80-120 cm). Melissa leaves are similar to nettles - with a wrinkled surface, jagged edges, and 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 developed, 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 upright”, “Quedlinburg creeping”, “Lime”, “Quadrille”, “Isidora”, “Freshness”, “Dozya”, “Pearl”, “Tsaritsynskaya SEMKO”, “Lemon aroma”.
Very decorative varieties of lemon balm, the color of which contains 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 novice gardeners to know: how to grow lemon balm on your site, what conditions it prefers, and what it does not like at all.
I will be happy to share my experience of growing lemon balm with the readers of the site.

Sowing lemon balm seeds and maintaining seedlings

Melissa seeds are very small and remain viable for 2-3 years. You can try to sow lemon balm directly in open ground in the spring (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 it to bloom in the first year.

The most preferred method is to plant lemon balm in the garden as 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 lemon balm seeds have a low germination rate.
If you have a greenhouse, you can sow lemon balm seeds for seedlings in the greenhouse.

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

Small lemon balm seedlings require a lot of light. Keep the box with seedlings on the brightest windowsill, and on warm sunny days take it out to the balcony.
For better development of lemon balm seedlings, it would not be superfluous to add a little nitrogen fertilizer.

Selecting and preparing a place for lemon balm

To plant 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 loam soil that is sufficiently fertilized.

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

Melissa loves a sunny location, which is important for its aromaticity. If you plant lemon balm in the shade of trees, it will, of course, 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, which is the most valuable component of lemon balm. And her bushes will not be so lush.
Light partial shade is quite suitable for growing lemon balm. This location is even preferable for yellow-leaved lemon balm, which can get sunburned in hot summers.

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

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

Growing lemon balm in the garden

We usually plant lemon balm seedlings 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 make row spacing twice as large.

Caring for lemon balm consists of periodically loosening the soil and removing weeds. We have to water the plants when the summer is very dry.
Melissa loves feeding. But if you need to collect seeds, do not feed the plant before flowering, as this will prevent the seeds from ripening in time.

Drastic 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 winters successfully with sufficient snow. However, the winter hardiness of lemon balm bushes older than 5 years is greatly reduced, so valuable varieties should be regularly divided and replanted.

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

Vegetative propagation of lemon balm

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

Be sure to regularly water the soil around the plant so that the sprinkled branches 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 that is 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 on the plant, or at the end of August. We cut the mother bush into pieces of approximately equal size so that each section has at least 4 shoots with roots.

Uses of lemon balm

Melissa has long been used in cooking and medicine.
The leaves of this plant make a wonderful, very aromatic and healthy drink.

During the gardening season, we use fresh lemon balm leaves in all our salads. Dried leaves can be added to pickles, and lemon balm 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. Melissa leaves have a calming effect on bees. Therefore, when swarming a bee colony, we pre-hang fresh shoots of lemon balm on the branches of nearby trees. So we don't lose the young bee family- the smell of lemon balm attracts bees.

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

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

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

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Melissa is a perennial herbaceous plant with a pleasant aroma and soft leaves. It belongs to the Lamiaceae family and is distributed throughout Eurasia and North America. This delicate plant can be grown in the garden or in a small pot on the windowsill to periodically delight yourself with fragrant tea or seasonings for various dishes. Fresh lemon addition goes well with meat, fish and vegetables. In addition, lemon balm is used as a medicinal plant and is considered a good honey plant. Among the people, other names have also been assigned to it: roevnik, honey honey, mother liquor, lemon balm. Although the latter is not entirely correct, because these two plants belong to different genera of the same family.

Botanical description

Melissa is a herbaceous perennial with highly branched rhizomes and stems. A shoot with a rectangular cross-section can grow from 60 cm to 1.2 m in height. It, like the leaves, has a bright green color and sparse pubescence. The opposite leaves are oval or ovoid in shape and have a textured surface. They are dotted with a network of veins. The edges of the leaves are jagged or serrated, and the end is elongated.

In July-August, from the second year of life, small umbrella inflorescences begin to appear at the ends of the shoots, which are located in the axils of the leaves. They consist of several small corollas with white or bluish petals. The flower is asymmetrical, with longer lower petals. In the center 4 stamens and a single long pistil with an upper ovary are visible.

Fruit ripening occurs a month after pollination. They are shaped like a nut with four seeds. The ovoid fruit has a black shiny surface. Germination lasts up to 3 years. 1 g of seed contains about 1600 seeds.

Melissa has a characteristic lemon aroma. It is most pleasant and intense during the period of budding and the beginning of flowering, then the intensity decreases. After the flowers fade, the smell can even be repulsive.

Popular varieties

A very compact genus of lemon balm has only 5 plant species. Commonly used in culture. This perennial grows 30-120 cm in height. It has a branched stem with sparse glandular hairs. In June-August, ring-shaped inflorescences of 6-12 buds appear. Each flower is bluish-white or purple in color. The leaves of the plant are crenate and ovate. They are characterized by a bright green color.

Among amateur gardeners, decorative varieties of lemon balm are common:

• Quadrille– raised medium-sized green leaves are half closed in a rosette, the top is decorated with light lilac inflorescences.
• Freshness– a plant up to 60 cm in height has medium dark green leaves and bluish-white flowers with a lemon aroma;
• Pearl– branched shoots 80-110 cm in height are densely covered with short-petioled dark green leaves with a wrinkled surface;
• Pure gold– low-growing branched bushes with bright green leaves bloom with white flowers, which over time become light purple.

Breeding rules

Melissa is grown from seeds and also propagated by vegetative methods. Sometimes they practice planting directly in open ground, but it is better to grow seedlings first. To do this, boxes with loose garden soil are prepared in early spring. They try to distribute fine planting material as evenly and sparsely as possible on the surface (up to 5 mm deep). It is best to cover the container with film to create a greenhouse effect. Condensation should be removed daily and the soil should be sprayed.

Shoots appear promptly within 20 days. As they grow, they are thinned out to a distance of 5 cm. Seedlings need intense lighting, so they are placed on the southern and eastern windowsill or use backlighting. In sunny weather, the pot is taken outside. 2-3 weeks after emergence, lemon balm is fed with a weak solution of nitrogen fertilizers. Upon reaching a height of 10-15 cm, the shoots are pinched.

A large bush 3-4 years old can be divided into several parts. This is done at the end of spring or at the end of August, after flowering has completed. The plant should be completely dug up, freed from the earthen clod and cut into equal sections with a sharp blade. Each should contain 4-5 strong sprouts and part of the rhizome. The resulting seedlings are immediately distributed to a permanent place. They adapt well and begin to bloom next year.

Green shoots of lemon balm can be cut into cuttings during spring and summer. They should have 3-4 nodes and healthy leaves. First, the cuttings are placed in water. And after 2 weeks, with the appearance of small roots, they are distributed into loose nutritious soil. The entire adaptation process takes 3-4 weeks.

Planting and care

Melissa can be called an unpretentious, even tenacious plant that requires very little care. A bush can grow in one place for a whole decade, but gradually its appearance begins to deteriorate and its resistance to cold and disease decreases. Therefore, transplantation and rejuvenation are carried out already from the sixth year of life. Planting work should be carried out at the very end of spring, when the cold weather has passed, because young plants are very sensitive to it.

For lemon grass, choose well-lit areas that are protected from cold winds. Loose nutritious soils with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction are suitable. Melissa grows best on loam and sandy loam. The soil is first dug up, large clods are broken up, and roots and weeds are removed. River sand, broken brick or crushed stone are additionally added to the heavy soil. Melissa grows strongly, so the distance between plants should be 25-30 cm (for tall varieties 40 cm or more).

Adult specimens require virtually no care, as they are distinguished by great endurance. However, in the first year of life you will need to regularly pay attention to the plant. In dry and hot weather, abundant watering is needed, but without stagnation of water at the roots. After irrigation, the soil is loosened and weeds are removed immediately. To prevent the soil from becoming crusty, mulch it near the plants to a height of about 5 cm.

As soon as the shoots begin to bloom, the harvest is carried out. Typically, all vegetation is cut down to a height of 10 cm above the ground. Most modern varieties are capable of producing up to four harvests per season.

Immediately after pruning, fertilize with liquid mineral complexes (superphosphate, ammonium nitrate, potassium chloride). Do not fertilize before flowering begins. It is useful to use organic matter from time to time.

Melissa is resistant to frost. If there is sufficient snow cover, it is not afraid of any cold weather, but if snow is not expected, the soil at the roots is mulched with fallen leaves. As they age (from the 6th year of life), winter hardiness gradually decreases, which can lead to freezing of plants.

With proper care, pests and plant diseases are not scary for lemon balm. If insects have settled on the twigs, you can try to get rid of them using a soap solution and bathing in a hot shower. When using insecticides, the harvested crop cannot be used for food.

Useful properties and contraindications

Medicinal lemon balm or lemon grass contains a large number of active substances:

• essential oil;
• flavonoids;
• tannins;
• coumarins;
• microelements;
• macroelements;
• vitamins;
• saponins;
• sterols.

The entire above-ground part of the plant is used as medicinal raw material. It is dried under a canopy and crushed. For medicinal purposes, decoction, tea, essential oil, alcohol and water infusions are used.

The drugs have a pronounced sedative effect. They relieve spasms, help treat insomnia, and also have choleretic, diuretic and carminative, hemostatic, healing effects. Tea with aromatic leaves lowers blood pressure, slows breathing, soothes inflamed mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract and relieves nervous tremors.

For women, lemon balm is especially useful, because it normalizes menstrual cycle and relieves pain, is used in the treatment of inflammation of the appendages and complications during menopause. During pregnancy, the plant relieves toxicosis.

Among the contraindications, the most serious are hypertension, mental disorders and allergies. People who need increased concentration at work should not overuse lemon balm. In case of overdose, attacks of nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, diarrhea and muscle weakness are possible.

The origin of the name of the plant, unsightly in appearance, but aromatic and rich in beneficial properties, is shrouded in legends. According to one version, the name is formed by two Greek words, translated meaning “honey bee”; Melissa is the name of the nymph who treated Zeus himself with milk and honey; according to another version, the beauty, transformed by the will of the gods of Olympus into a bee, was called Melissa.

Melissa is a good honey plant, which is why it has received popular nicknames such as honey plant, queen plant, bee plant, and swarmer plant. You recognize the plant by its strong lemon aroma, which gives it another name: lemon balm. Other names: censer, lemon balm, mint, bee mint.

When does lemon balm bloom?

Melissa begins to bloom in the second year of growth. The flowering period of lemon balm is July-August. Before flowering, the plant smells of lemon; after flowering, the aroma becomes sharp.

When to plant

Reproduction of lemon balm by dividing the bush

You can divide bushes that are 3-4 years old - by this time they will have grown well. The most favorable dates for division are the end of May or the end of August. Carefully dig up the bush and divide it into parts of approximately equal size, each of which should contain formed roots and 4-5 shoots. Plant the cuttings immediately in open ground. To ensure they take root well, provide shade and moderate watering.

Propagation by cuttings

For rooting in spring, cut from young shoots. After cutting, place in water, you can add a growth stimulator. The roots will appear in about 2 weeks. Grow in containers with nutritious loose soil, then transplant into open ground.

Melissa is easily propagated by cuttings, and if you don’t want to disturb old bushes, just cut the cuttings and root them to quickly get excellent planting material.

Caring for lemon balm in open ground

There is no difficulty in planting and caring for lemon balm - it is unpretentious, and care does not require any special specifics.

Weeding and loosening the soil

In the first year after, more careful attention will be required. Young plants have not yet matured and can easily be destroyed by weeds. It is better to pull out weeds by hand. Loosen the soil regularly to ensure oxygen access to the root system. Successful rooting will have a beneficial effect on the further development of lemon balm and productivity.

Watering

During the initial growth stage, water sparingly. Adult plants are watered only during severe drought, and watering is supplemented by loosening the soil. A layer of mulch will help maintain soil moisture longer and prevent weeds from appearing. Use humus or compost as mulch, which will additionally serve as fertilizer.

How to feed

It is enough to feed lemon grass once a season - at the beginning of the growing season. Use complex mineral fertilizers (the proportions per 10 liters of water are 50 g of superphosphate, 20 g of ammonium nitrate, 15 g of potassium chloride, consumption per 1 m²). In order for the plant to successfully overwinter, at the end of summer, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are applied.

Trimming

Don't be afraid to prune your lemon balm. After pruning, it quickly recovers, produces a large number of new branches, and the bushes become dense. This will allow you to reap a good harvest, and neat, pretty bushes will decorate your site. Even when growing seedlings, pinch the shoots at a height of 10-15 cm. Subsequently, two or three times per season, the bushes are radicalized: at a distance of 10 cm above the soil surface.

Wintering lemon balm in the Moscow region and the middle zone

To protect lemon balm roots from freezing, mulch the soil surface with peat, compost and humus in the fall. Additionally, cover with a thick layer of straw.

Melissa transplant

In one place, lemon balm bushes can grow for about 10 years. It was noted that frost resistance decreases from the 6th year of growth. Therefore, in the conditions of central Russia, it is better to replant lemon balm with dividing the bush every 5 years.

Harvest and storage

Regarding the question of when to cut lemon balm for drying, everyone decides for themselves. Melissa is capable of producing 3-4 crops per season. In June, young leaves have a delicate taste and aroma - at this time it is already possible to harvest. With the beginning of flowering, the concentration of essential oils is maximum, due to which the aroma intensifies, but the leaves become tougher.

Leaves and tips of lemon balm shoots, collected during flowering, are medicinal raw materials. It is officially recognized in more than a dozen countries. Gourmets also prefer to harvest lemon balm at this time. Melissa's ability to quickly recover allows you to harvest before and during flowering.

For collection, it is better to choose a cloudy day, when the evaporation of beneficial essential oils is minimal. Dry in the shade at an air temperature of no more than 35 °C, ventilation is necessary. To dry, spread the raw materials on paper or fabric; you can use cold dryers. After drying, store in glass jars with a well-closing lid, porcelain containers, or put in a plastic bag. The shelf life is two years.

Beneficial properties of lemon balm

Melissa can be called a dream come true for the most sophisticated gourmets: it combines a citrus aroma and subtle honey notes. It gives dishes a tonic, refreshing taste. In fresh or dried form, lemon balm is added to hot dishes (be it meat, fish or soup), to mushrooms, seasoned salads, and also used for pickling cucumbers and tomatoes. From this herb you can make an incredibly aromatic and healthy tea, a refreshing summer drink or liqueur.

Melissa can be called a universal remedy. Since ancient times, the plant has been used to treat diseases of the stomach, liver, and gall bladder. This is an excellent sedative for nervous disorders, hysteria, insomnia, lemon balm tea helps relieve headaches and dizziness. Currently, lemon balm is used in the complex treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, nervous and cardiovascular systems, and diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Melissa also helps the female body with various diseases of the genital tract, hormonal imbalances, and menstrual irregularities.

Melissa varieties with name, photo and description

Let's consider the best varieties of lemon balm for growing in a personal plot.

Lemon tea – flowering occurs 80 days after sowing, the flowers are white. The yield is 2.9 kg per 1 m².

Mojito - white flowers appear 5 months after sowing. From 1 m² you can harvest more than 3 kg of crop.

Freshness - bushes about 80 cm high with blue flowers. In two cuttings you can collect 4.3 kg of young shoots and leaves. Suitable for growing on farms and in private plots.

Lada is a very productive variety (dry weight yield 34 c/ha), grown on an industrial scale.

Pearl - the variety is suitable for growing in all winter hardiness zones. Productivity reaches 5.6 kg per 1 m².

Lemon balm - blooms 2.5 months after germination. The stems are semi-lodging, the flowers are purple. Productivity – 3 kg.

Dozya is a plant 0.9 m high with dark green leaves and snow-white flowers. From the second year of growth, the yield of green mass is 3.4 kg.

Quadrille - each bush produces no more than 15 shoots, the yield is up to 1.5 kg per 1 m². Flowers of a light lilac hue bloom after 80 days.

Lemon aroma is an excellent variety for gardening. The height of the bushes is 60 cm, which is convenient for growing in a container. The plant produces a yield of 1.2 kg per 1 m².

Tsaritsynskaya Semko - the stem is erect, branched, the shoots are densely covered with small leaves. The yield is more than 2 kg.

Isidora is a plant up to 0.8 m high. The first harvest can be harvested 2 months after emergence. Productivity – up to 3.5 kg per 1 m².

Often in the garden you can see a modest plant - lemon balm, the care and cultivation of which will not cause complications even for novice gardeners. The scientific name of the inconspicuous bush is lemon balm. The herb has many benefits; the use of aromatic leaves and stems is recommended in cooking, folk medicine, home cosmetology. Before you start planting and caring for lemon balm in open ground, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the features of agricultural technology.

Origin and description of culture

According to one legend, medicinal or lemon balm owes its name to the honey aroma it exudes - “honey” and “leaves”. The Greeks interpret it differently; in their opinion, the culture was named after a girl who disrespected the Olympian deities. Because of her disobedience and pride, she was turned into a bee who preferred lemon balm to other plants.

Another version of the origin of the name is that the nymph Melissa lived in Ancient Greece, who treated Zeus to a special drink made from milk and honey. The inconspicuous fragrant crop was named after her.

Lemon balm is a perennial. The height of the bush reaches one and a half meters. The base is a powerful rhizome reaching several meters in length. The leaves resemble hearts and have teeth.

In July and August, lemon balm is covered with small white (sometimes pink) flowers that emit a delicate aroma. Sweet mint is revered by bees - during the flowering season, tireless workers circle above it, collecting nectar. The taste, smell, and beneficial qualities of honey did not go unnoticed - bee product, collected from lemon balm, is considered the most valuable. The peculiarity of the perennial is that after flowering the fragrant aroma disappears. The leaves emit a rather unpleasant odor.

Varietal diversity

If the owners plan to grow lemon balm in the garden, it is better to study its varieties in advance, this will help determine the choice. There are many types of lemon balm, they differ in the height of the bush, flowering, and intensity of aroma:

• It has a bright green leaf color and a persistent aroma. The height of an adult bush does not exceed a meter. Flowering begins in June and continues until mid-August. Used in cooking.
• Inconspicuous bushes reaching a height of 55-60 cm. The leaves are ovoid and exude a delicate aroma. Flowers begin to bloom in early summer.
• The peculiarity of the bush is its height, which reaches 130 cm. Flowering begins in mid-summer and continues almost until autumn. It is distinguished by a persistent fragrance of the leaves.
• Particularly popular among gardeners is lemon balm of the Lemon aroma variety, the smell of which is no different from the fragrance of citrus fruits. Typically used in conservation, for the manufacture of perfumes and face and body care products.

Agrotechnical requirements

Growing lemon balm is not as difficult as many beginning gardeners think. It is enough to comply with simple agrotechnical requirements, which include:

• soil preparation;
• choice of location;
• proper hydration;
• timely feeding.

The soil for growing in open ground will need light, nutritious soil. Melissa loves good lighting, but without drafts, so it is better to choose a cozy corner in the garden. The soil should not be moistened abundantly; bushes often do without watering - dirt can destroy lemon balm, causing rotting of the roots.

It grows in one place for up to 10 years; this must be taken into account when planning plantings. Adult bushes tolerate movements painfully, take a long time to take root and may die.

How to plant lemon balm

Growing lemon balm is a simple process, but provided that all agricultural technology requirements are met. Planting is carried out in several ways:

• seedlings;
• cuttings;
• seeds in open ground;
• layering.

The most difficult and time-consuming method of propagation is through seedlings. Difficulties also arise when sending planting material into the soil - the seeds are small and not everyone can distribute them evenly over the surface of the substrate. Another feature of sowing is the need for stratification. For soaking, a pink solution of potassium permanganate is most often used.

Adult bushes can also be used for propagation - cuttings take root well. If everything worked out and the plants survived, you will be pleased with a good harvest of lemon balm in the first year after planting. The bushes branch well, so an easier way is to propagate by layering or cuttings.

Seeds

Getting lemon balm from seeds is troublesome, but interesting. Before sowing, be sure to soak the seed material in a solution of potassium permanganate, and then dry it on a napkin. It is recommended to use soil for tomatoes and peppers for growing seedlings - it is light, well permeable to moisture and air necessary for plant growth.

A prerequisite is good drainage. Place a layer of expanded clay, clay shards, and pieces of foam at the bottom of the container. Send the seed material to a depth of about 1 cm. After sowing, cover the container with a piece of glass or polyethylene. Shoots will appear in 4 weeks. After half a month, carry out a pick. Send seedlings to the beds at the age of 6 leaves.

Dividing the bush

If you don’t want to grow lemon balm from seedlings, you can do it easier - get full-fledged specimens from cuttings. It is better to do the process in the spring, even before the leaves appear. Dig up an adult bush, divide it into several parts, and be sure to have a bud on each of them. The cuttings are planted in pre-prepared soil. Add ash, a small amount of sand, and compost to the soil.

The first time after replanting, you need to irrigate the soil abundantly, especially if spring does not indulge in rain.

Reproduction by layering

A quick and easy way to get full-fledged bushes is to use layering for propagation. The process is simple:

1. Dig several deep furrows from an adult bush.
2. Place a lemon balm shoot in each furrow.
3. Press the shoots to the ground with steel clamps.
4. Sprinkle the places where the plant comes into contact with the soil surface with soil.

Water the soil abundantly throughout the summer. Usually, by early autumn, strong roots grow. Do not plant the resulting lemon balm bushes; leave them until spring. After the snow melts, cut off the shoots, dig up the plants with a large lump of earth and replant them in a pre-selected place.

Cuttings

You can use cuttings to grow lemon balm. It is recommended to cut them from an adult plant, and if this is not possible, then purchase a bunch of lemon balm at the store and use it for germination. The length of the cutting should not exceed 15 cm.

At home, place lemon balm cuttings in water on a sunny windowsill. In a week and a half, the roots will appear; you need to let them get stronger and plant them in a nutrient substrate. If the weather is sunny and warm, it is recommended to plant directly in the garden or beds.

Growing from seeds

Despite the fact that growing lemon balm from seeds is considered the most troublesome, many gardeners prefer to plant lemon balm this way. In addition to the disadvantages, there are also advantages:

• you can plant several varieties and check their differences and advantages yourself;
• renew plants that degenerate over time, which affects their aroma and beneficial qualities.

If garden soil is used for planting, be sure to disinfect it - place it in a hot oven for half an hour. It is better not to use boiling water - hot liquid will not be able to destroy some types of bacteria. Send planting material to open ground beds in April-May, pre-fertilize and dig up the soil.

Seedling method

After the lemon balm seeds germinate, care for the seedlings as you would for houseplants. Carry out frequent but sparing watering, loosen the soil surface with a sharp stick, trying not to damage the roots that are located in the upper layers of the substrate.

When picking at the age of 4 leaves, be sure to leave a lump of soil on the roots. It is better to plant plants in separate cups filled with drainage and light substrate. After transplanting, place the containers on a bright windowsill, making sure that the lemon balm does not receive direct sunlight.

Sowing in open ground

You can grow seeds not through the seedling method, but directly in the open ground at the dacha. The danger for such plants is in weeds - they can choke the delicate shoots of lemon balm, preventing them from growing and developing. Managing herbs is difficult—it’s not easy for an inexperienced gardener to determine which is a weed and which is a herb.

If you carefully weed the weeds, there will be no difficulties in growing lemon balm. A month after germination, thin out the bushes, leaving the strongest ones. Melissa bushes grown from seeds are resistant to diseases and climatic conditions and can easily tolerate frost.

The main thing is to ensure that the soil is moist, but not dirty.

Features of care

Caring for mint is simple; the main processes that need to be carried out during the season are:

1. Watering. Irrigation is rare - excess moisture causes rotting of the roots and death of lemon balm bushes.
2. Loosening the soil. Carry out carefully, without going deep into the lower layers in which the lemon balm rhizome is located - it can be damaged.
3. Mulching. Mulch spread in a thick layer (pine bark, chopped straw, sawdust) will protect against evaporation of moisture and weeds; loosening will have to be done much less frequently.
4. Feeding. It is recommended to add nutrients only when growth slows down. Nitrogen compounds are most often used. Do not use fertilizer before collecting leaves.
5. Shelter for the winter. Some varieties of lemon balm do not tolerate frost well, so in the fall it is recommended to cut off the above-ground part of the plant and cover the soil with agrofibre, sawdust, spruce branches, and dry grass.

When growing lemon balm, you need to remember one feature of the plant - despite the fact that the bush can grow in one place for up to 10 years, already in the fifth year its cold resistance sharply decreases. It is necessary to cover adult lemon balm for the winter, otherwise it will die at the first frost.

Growing at home on a windowsill

You can grow lush compact bushes at home, using a sunny windowsill instead of a garden bed.

Growing and caring for lemon balm on the windowsill begins with seedlings. It is not much different from preparing young plants for planting in beds - sending seeds into a nutritious light substrate, waiting for germination and planting them in pots. After the bushes grow several full leaves and begin to branch, transplant them into larger containers. Transplantation should be carried out annually.

You need to care for lemon balm like you would care for unpretentious houseplants:

• do not allow the soil to become waterlogged;
• protect from direct sunlight;
• periodically loosen the top layer of the substrate;

Lemon balm growing on a windowsill needs to be pruned - this will allow you to get a compact, beautiful bush. For the winter, it is better to completely cut off the above-ground part - in the spring, young shoots will begin to grow from the root.

Melissa is one of the few crops that is easy to grow and care for. The main thing is that you can collect the spice 2-4 times a season, make preparations and even dry it, which will allow you to enjoy the aroma and taste of lemon balm in your favorite dishes throughout the year.