How to grow mint on the windowsill: 3 ways

In the cold winter, drink some tea with mint leaves ... Who doesn't love? Yes, with fresh! And where do you get them in January? It’s expensive to buy in a store, and it doesn’t smell that much weed. So, we will breed yourself.

How to grow mint on the windowsill? Totally easy. We follow the recommendations and wait for the result.

Mint on the windowsill can be grown in three ways:

• adult plant
• grafting
• sowing seeds

Consider each method. The first two give coarse leaves with a strong taste, and the third - a young fragrant greens.

We grow mint grown bush

For this fall, we choose a nice neat little bush in the garden. Together with a small lump of earth, we transfer it to the pot. Capacity should be large enough, because the root system of mint decent volume.

Add a little humus to the bush did not stagger in the pot. At the same time it will be the nutrition of the plant for the first time. Now you need to periodically water the mint and be sure to arrange additional lighting. For normal development, you need at least 12 hours of daylight. Otherwise the leaves will be pale, stunted and almost odorless.

By the way, watering the mint is necessary only after the top layer of the soil dries out. She does not like to swim in the roots of the swamp, so after watering, be sure to drain the excess liquid from the pan.

The temperature of the mint on the windowsill should not exceed + 25 ° C. Otherwise, the plant will simply begin to dry and turn yellow. And all your attempts to water it will end up rotting the roots.

Council Tear off young leaves more often. This stimulates the growth of new shoots.

We grow mint from cuttings

If you do not have a plant in your garden that can be transplanted into an entire pot, then go to the market or to the store. Choose there the freshest and even sprigs of mint. Further actions are:

1. We bring mint home, we tear off the lower leaflets. They can be used for its intended purpose.
2. We take a plastic or glass cup, pour clean distilled water.
3. We drop a grain of any stimulator of root formation or drip a bit of any biological adaptogen. For example, epin, zircon, aloe juice.
4. We put prepared mint sprigs without bottom leaves into the container, and wait for the roots to appear.
5. Lighting and temperature is maintained as described in the first method.

Sprigs can be planted in a pot with soil after the formation of at least 5 roots. Care in the future is no different from the usual. The same regular watering, periodic loosening and tearing of fresh leaves.

By the way, it is not necessary to buy the soil for planting mint on the windowsill in the store. It is very easy to mix it yourself. For this you need to take in equal parts good fatty humus, sand and earth from under the birch. For looseness, you can add a little peat. About a handful of 3 liters of land.

At the bottom of the pot under the mint must put a layer of drainage. Just not moss or egg shells. It is compressed and there will be no effect. It is better to take small gravel, marble chips. Lightweight expanded clay or small pebbles will also work.

Instead of water, the branches can be rooted in wet sand. In this case, the cut of the stalk should be dipped into the root-formation stimulator, stuck it in the sand and for some time covered with a miniature spindle. After about 10 days, the shelter is removed, and after another 7 days, a new plant can be transplanted to a permanent place.

Council Do not let mint bloom. Otherwise, it will lose all its aromatic properties.

Grow mint seed

The first two methods give the required amount of fragrant leaves. But they turn out rude. If you need the finest greens without fibers, then try to grow mint from seeds on the windowsill. Moreover, this matter is not at all troublesome.

First prepare the container. This can be a wide plastic tray or a small wooden box. Small clay pots are also suitable.

Fill with soil. It should consist of humus, garden soil, peat and clean sand in equal parts. Now it is necessary to make shallow grooves on the surface. 0.5 cm, not more. Carefully arrange the seeds. Top gently sprinkle with a thin layer of earth. It will be enough to 0.8 cm.

Now we need to moisten the whole thing. Watering is impossible, it is likely to blur landing. Therefore, we use the spray gun. Vodicka we have room temperature. Sprinkle the soil until lightly moistened. In a transparent container it is difficult to overdo it.

Next, the entire structure is closed with a lid. You can just a piece of transparent plastic glass. Even dense polyethylene will do. Then put the landing in a dark warm place. Periodically ventilate and remove condensate. It is enough to turn the shelter on the other side.

Approximately in 9-12 days the first shoots will appear. Now the shelter can be removed completely, and the container can be removed in a bright place. Just not under direct sunlight. They are able to burn the foliage even in an adult mint plant. What to say about young landings?

The first days we do nothing with shoots. Only moisturize when drying the soil. When the second present leaf appears, mint can be smashed into separate cups. In order not to hurt your fingers thin delicate roots, use a teaspoon. It is very convenient for her to transfer the sprout to another container together with a lump of earth.

After the appearance of 5 of this leaflet you need to pinch the top of the mint. This contributes to the emergence of lateral shoots. If you do not pinch, then a lonely branch will stick in your pot. But mint grows up to 90 cm in height. Why do you need to wind up on the windowsill?

And each new shoot after 5 leaves pinch again. Then the bush will be dense, lush and neat.

Useful recommendations

1. Mint on the windowsill need to be fed. She responds well to organic fertilizers, but she will not refuse from mineral fertilizers. Just do not overdo it with nitrogen. Urea is also better not to use. No doubt, the green mass quickly grows after such a treat. That's just unlikely you will enjoy the taste of such leaves.
2. Of the pests mint is most fond of aphid. On the window sill of the seeds of the plant is completely protected from it. But transferred from the garden by adults may well be a surprise. Washing the leaves and shoots with soap will not help much. It is better to use a short duration insecticide. This is necessary so that mint can then be used for food purposes.
3. Do not grow mint on southern windowsills.Direct sunlight can burn foliage in one day. If there are no other options, be sure to use shading in the form of white paper or thick tulle.
4. In winter, it is recommended to spray the air around the landings more often. This will increase the humidity of the microclimate and mint will be much easier to live. Instead of spraying, you can put a number of additional containers with water. Even a saucer with wet expanded clay or peat saturates the air with the necessary amount of moisture.

How to grow mint on the windowsill? As you can see, it is very simple. Mint does not need special care. She needs just a little of your attention and a little care. But she will thank you in full. And you will be able to enjoy fresh leaves with an enchanting scent all winter.

Video: how to grow mint at home in a few days