Mint - an aromatic plant of the familyclearing. It is widely used in medicine and cooking. But mint exists not one kind. Now they are known more than 25. They contain different essential oils. Therefore, they have different smells on which their use depends. In addition to natural, there are about a dozen hybrids. One of the species is peppermint.
Peppermint is a perennial plant.Its height depends on the conditions of growth and growth. It can reach from 30 cm to 1 m. The stem is straight, rather soft. Leaves ovate, wrinkled, pubescent with soft hairs. Their edges are jagged.
Peppermint differs from peppermint morelight and sweet aroma. It can grow in one place for many years. But if the site is not digged, soon degenerates and disappears. The tip of each stem ends with an inflorescence - a false whorl. Peppermint blooms in small white or light pink flowers. This happens in July and August.
Peppermint has become the basis for the creation of the widely known peppermint - one of the most popular hybrids of this culture. And their appearance is not very different.
In the wild, spearmint has long been found in Western Asia, Egypt, in southern Europe. Now its territory has expanded. Peppermint mint grows in a temperate climate.
Peppermint is distinguished by its originalmenthol flavor. But, unlike peppermint, does not cold in the mouth. It is used in cooking for making chewing gums, sweets, gingerbread and other confectionery.
Fresh leaves are put in desserts and salads.Tea made from mint garden helps with insomnia, neuroses. Widely used in the manufacture of liqueurs and other wine and vodka products. Used in the manufacture of soap and cigarettes.
Gadgets for the eyes will help restore the state of tired eyes, the mint broth will remove excess sweating. In flatulence, too, it is recommended to consume peppermint.
Mint prickly planted in fragrant gardens andapothecary gardens. Beautiful leaves allow using it in mixborders. Plant mint on the shores of lakes, including artificial ones. We need only take into account that it is rapidly expanding and occupying new territories. Therefore, periodically you need to remove excess shoots. It can be planted in a new place.
The soil for growing peppermint is betterchoose a fertile and moist one. Methods of reproduction: from seeds, layers, bush division. Which one should I choose? The easiest way is to multiply by layers. Mint forms them very much. One has only to dig a part of them with a shovel and transplant it to a new place. It's also easy to get a new seedling by dividing the bush.
Cultivation from seeds is much more difficult.We must constantly monitor the humidity of the earth. Sow the seeds to a depth of about 0.5 cm. The distance between them should be 15 cm. You can plant and thicken. But then it will be necessary to thin the shoots. Watered, cover with a film. After the seeds ascend, they do not remove it. Wait until the first real leaflets appear.
Cultivation of mint prickly on homesteadsite does not require special efforts. It is planted on a sunny plot or in partial shade. There it will need to be watered less often. After the bushes take root, you need to weed out the weeds, loosen the soil, periodically water. You can fertilize once a month. After mint grows to a height of 35 cm, its tops pinch. Too thick bushes are thinned using cut stems with leaves and flowers for drying or freezing. In one place it is recommended to grow minty minty not more than 3 years.
If there is no possibility to plant mint garden onin the summer and spring it can be grown in pots on the balcony. The soil must be moist, it can replenish the water supply from the pallet. To the plant grows not up, but in the form of a bush, its top is pricked. For pot plants, it can be carried out at a height of 25 cm.
By the winter, the pot can be moved to the house. Install where there are no drafts. There mint heads will also grow. But it must be fed regularly with mineral fertilizers.
Peppermint leaves a drop in temperature. But getting it from under the snow is quite difficult. Therefore, mint leaves can be harvested for the winter. They are dried or frozen.
