Melissa officinalis belongs to the Lamiaceae or Lamiaceae family. The bushes of this perennial plant are well branched, they come in various heights depending on the variety. Leaves resembling nettles, all wrinkled, with teeth on the edges, covered with fluff.
Melissa is an abundant source of honey for bees, which is why it is also called " bee mint ", and for its citrus smell is called" lemon mint ". There is a variegated variety of lemon balm, which is distinguished by light spots on the foliage. Among the varieties of Melissa officinalis, the most famous are:
Varieties and types
A perennial plant that grows a little over half a meter. The foliage is egg-shaped, strongly scented, may be smooth and covered with down. It is eaten raw and dried.
Forms high lush bushes up to a meter high. The foliage is jagged, dark green in color, smells strongly, but not as strongly as the previous variety. The flowers are small, white.
The bush grows up to 60 cm. The foliage is strongly wrinkled, with large teeth. Like other species, it produces honey well.
In addition to these varieties, suitable for our latitudes:
- Quadrille ;
- Isidore ;
- Tsarynska SEMCO ;
- Freshness ;
- Lada .
Melissa landing and care in the open field
When preparing the soil for planting lemon balm, you need to dig it up in the fall and fertilize it with manure or other organic top dressing. It is impossible for water to stagnate in the substrate, it must be loose enough and, if this is a problem, then take care of the drainage layer.
It is also undesirable to plant bushes close to groundwater and in lowlands. If you don't have to choose, then you have to high beds. The best soil acidity is neutral or slightly acid close to neutral.
The growing area should be well lit, a light shade is allowed, which will even be useful for the variegated variety. And an excess of shadow will lead to a decrease in the amount essential oils, as a result of a decrease in aroma, and also in the shade, the bushes do not grow very lush.
In the spring, when the soil warms up, the dug-up flower bed is loosened, cleared of weeds and beds are outlined. The distance between rows and individuals is about 50 cm, it can be a little more or less depending on the size of the variety. In general, the bushes branch well and fill the empty space.
Medicinal or peppermint is also grown by gardeners in their gardens as a medicinal plant, you can read more about the plant at the link.
Watering lemon balm
Watering lemon balm in the open field is important only in hot weather. If the soil dries out, pour about 10 liters per square meter site.
Melissa fertilizer
Top dressing should be carried out in the spring, introducing mullein diluted in water with mineral fertilizer (half a liter of mullein per bucket of water and a spoonful of complex mineral top dressing).
Melissa transplant
This is perennial And he doesn't need frequent transplants. In one place, lemon balm can grow up to 10 years, but it is better to transplant every 4-6 years. In this case, the division of the bush is carried out.
Melissa breeding
A simple way is to layer. You just need to bend a couple of shoots to the soil and sprinkle them with soil, after which they should take root.
In this case, it is necessary to water the plants.
Reproduction of lemon balm by dividing the bush
During transplantation, lemon balm can be divided if she is already 3 years old. They do this at the beginning of spring, when young greens only appear, or at the end of summer.
This is a simple procedure, which is cutting the mother plant into equal parts, so that each has at least 4 stems with roots.
Melissa growing from seed
If you want to use seeds, they can be sown directly into the soil in late spring.
For seedlings, the material is sown at the end of March. When the seedlings have 4 true leaves (usually they appear when the bushes are about a month and a half old), they can be planted in a flower bed.
Melissa from seeds can also be grown in a pot, but in such conditions this plant feels worse than in open soil.
Diseases and pests
The main diseases of lemon balm are rust and septoria .
They are saved from them by cutting off diseased parts and treating them with fungicides, including Bordeaux mixture.
Of the pests, the most dangerous is mint leaf beetle . This green beetle, as its name implies, feeds on lemon balm leaves.
To get rid of it, you need to destroy wild-growing individuals of mint, and breeding sites are treated with insecticides.
Melissa medicinal properties and contraindications
This plant is used in folk and official medicine, because it has a number of useful properties.
Melissa has a calming effect on the nerves and can be used as a sedative.
Tinctures from it have a good effect on heart diseases and high pressure However, they should not be used without a doctor's prescription.
Melissa has anti-inflammatory properties, so teas and decoctions from it are used to relieve spasms, gum disease, headaches, improve metabolism and eliminate menstrual irregularities.
Melissa is used in cooking as a spice or simply as a tea.
It is important to remember that this plant is contraindicated for people with low blood pressure, because it, in turn, also lowers it.
If mint is named after Menta, beloved of the ancient Greek God, then lemon balm got its name in honor of the ancient Greek nymph Melissa, the ancestor of beekeeping. Melissa is a godsend for gourmets who dream of pairing together a citrus aroma with a pleasant minty flavor with some honey notes playing weakly through two such strong aromas. Therefore, it is lemon balm that is suitable for many dishes where you want to feel a citrus flavor, but without the acid inherent in many citrus fruits. Often referred to as "lemon mint" (not to be confused with the peppermint variety), Melissa is a wonderful soothing and useful plant in the "heart" areas and is widely used in food. It can emphasize and make many dishes elegant, for example, cabbage soup from tasteless spinach will acquire a piquant, bright taste with lemon balm.
This plant belongs to the mint family. Medicinal or lemon balm grows in the form of branched bushes from 45 to 125 cm tall. Melissa flowers can be white, pink and yellow. Essential oils are mostly found in the tips of the shoots and leaves. This plant is a good honey plant, in connection with this, beekeepers and many gardeners call lemon balm "bee mint". It belongs to perennials, so it will please more than one year.
Melissa planting
For lemon balm, you should choose a sunny or slightly shaded place with fertile, well-drained loose soil (sandy loam, for example). Soil reaction can be neutral or slightly acidic.
For perennial herbs, I usually prepare the ground in the fall. I dig well, free from weeds, apply organic and mineral fertilizers. I do not have a problem with water outflow on the site, but if you have acidic soil, consider drainage. It can be small gravel or broken brick. The main thing is that there is no souring of the roots and rotting does not happen. I have slightly acidic soil in a place where herbs grow, this is evidenced by the presence of coltsfoot. I add wood ash to the soil. My soil is loose and fairly light. But if your soil is clayey or lowland, then dilute the soil with river sand and make high beds when planting lemon balm.
In the spring, when the soil warms up, you need to loosen the prepared area, as well as remove the weeds. I marked out small ridges, between rows about 45 cm, planted in 2 rows. I took about 40 cm between plants, I was not mistaken, since the bushes grew very large. If I were to plant this plant again today, I would take a larger distance both between rows and between plants, about 60 cm, for a more aesthetic look.
Melissa reproduces by dividing the bush and seeds. My delenki take root immediately and give good flowering. It is worth dividing the bushes when the shoots begin to grow, this is around the beginning of May, or you can divide the plant at the end of August. Seeds sprout weaker. They are small and require light to germinate. Embed them in the soil no deeper than 1 cm.
You can sow lemon balm immediately into the ground at the end of May, or you can plant seedlings somewhere in late March - early April. In May, ready-made seedlings with 4 normal leaves are planted in the ground (seedling age is about 40 days). Many lovers dig up a part of the lemon balm bush for the winter and grow it at home on the windowsill. You can also grow a potted plant from seeds, but lemon balm loves freedom, so it does not grow well in a pot.
Melissa Care
Melissa does not require any specific care. I watered several times, the first time I planted it, and several more times when there was a severe drought. Melissa welcomes loosening the soil and getting rid of weeds, and mulching also saves from the latter. You still have to break through, but not in such quantities. Mulch also prevents moisture from evaporating quickly.
In non-chernozem regions, so that the plant does not freeze in winter, it must be covered.
Collection and preparation of lemon balm
It is worth collecting lemon balm leaves before flowering, although many gourmets collect lemon balm during its flowering period. It is best to start harvesting in June, young leaves have a delicate aroma and taste. As the lemon balm blooms, its aroma and flavor intensify and become tougher. Lemon balm leaves have essential oils, so they should be dried in the shade, but not more than 35 ° C. After drying, carefully fold the raw materials into airtight containers. Melissa does not go into freezing, because it loses its beneficial properties.
Melissa varieties
In total, there are 5 types of lemon balm in the world, but only lemon balm grows in our country. Melissa officinalis has an unusual variety - variegated lemon balm. Its original leaves not only contain many phytoncides that purify the air, but also look great in flower beds. I like Melissa in plantings due to the fact that her bushes are dense, they live in partial shade, while the bushes themselves are even beautiful shape, truth, to a smell I am indifferent.
The State Register of the Russian Federation includes 8 varieties of lemon balm, adapted to the conditions of the middle lane, recommended for planting on garden plot. They are not inferior to new varieties with an unusual golden color of foliage. Different leaf shape, color, height of the bush, winter hardiness and intensity of aroma and flowering time distinguish some varieties from others.
Melissa "Lemon Flavor"
Designed for fresh and dried use. Perennial, grows in one place for about 5 years. From the second year of life from germination to the first cut, about 40 days will pass. The leaves are dark green with a bloom, raised. Leaf shape is ovoid. Smooth leaves, there is pubescence. The height of the plant is about 60 cm. The green mass of the bush of this variety in the first year of life is about 120 g. The aroma is strong.
Melissa "Dozya"
It has a medium early ripening period, is a perennial plant, grows in one place for about 5 years. In the second year of life, the growing season will be about 1.5 months. The height of the bush is about 90 cm. The leaves are semi-raised, have a slight pubescence and "wrinkles". Dark green with serrated edges. Flowers are small, white color. Pronounced lemon aroma, but not as sharp as the previous species.
Melissa officinalis (Melissa officinalis L.) is a well-known perennial medicinal plant native to the Mediterranean, North Africa and East Asia.
The Swiss physician Paracelsus called the fragrant herb "the joy of the heart" and "the elixir of life." He believed that lemon balm gives the body vitality and prevents disease. O medicinal properties perennial was known back in ancient greece, where it was considered the plant of the goddess Diana.
Characteristic
Melissa leaves are light green, heart-shaped, white or pink flowers located in the axils of the leaves, bloom in June and bloom until September. Full of nectar, flowers in large numbers attract bees, which is why the name of the genus is translated from Greek as "bee".
The plant has a highly branched rhizome and a stem up to 45 to 100 cm high. Due to the large amount of essential oil, the herb gives off an aroma that resembles the smell of a lemon, and the taste is bitter-spicy.
Growing lemon balm in the garden
Melissa is grown in one place for up to 5-10 years. Perennial can grow in almost any soil, however, fertile permeable sandy loamy loose soil and a sunny, warm place ensure intensive growth and splendor of the bushes. The grass will grow in partial shade, but then the oil content will decrease and the plant will be less fragrant.
Perennials should be provided with constant soil moisture, but without stagnant water and top dressing with fertilizers once a month. After flowering, shoots should be cut back to encourage new growth. Thus, we will always have fresh leaves, and its shoots will not be lignified.
Pruning also prevents overgrowth of bushes. In autumn, cover the soil at the base of the stems with compost mulch or rotted leaves. This will provide the plant with nutrients and protect the roots from low temperatures especially during cold snowless winters.
Growing lemon balm from seeds
Melissa is propagated by sowing seeds, which are sown in late March - early April in pots or containers to a depth of 0.5 cm. Seedlings should be kept in a room with a temperature of 20 ° C. They require constant soil moisture, but should not be over-watered as they are susceptible to fungal diseases. A large amount of sunlight is also necessary for the rapid emergence of seedlings.
Seed germination lasts about three weeks, but the first sprouts may appear as early as 2 weeks. Seedlings are planted on permanent place in May, after passing spring frosts 20-40 cm apart. Before planting, add humus to the soil and a little wood ash.
The plant also reproduces vegetatively by dividing bushes in mid-spring. Adult 3-5-year-old specimens are divided into parts with 3-5 growing points each. Delenki take root well and grow quickly.
Several popular varieties these greens that are grown in the garden: "Citronella", "Lemonella", "Quedlinburg", "Lime", "Aurea".
Harvesting time
Leaves of fragrant greens are collected no later than at the end of August so that the plant can still grow before winter. The grass is cut, leaving 5-10 cm above the ground. The leaves are used both fresh and dried.
Melissa is incredibly easy to grow in flower beds in mediterranean style, in containers, in
More often than not household plots found lemon balm, or lemon, - Melissa officinalis. This is the only species of the genus Melissa that can be grown in our climate. The remaining four species are not cultivated. The growing popularity of growing lemon balm is facilitated by its practical benefits and at the same time simple care.
This herbaceous perennial is from 60 to 120 cm high. Melissa rhizome is powerful, branched. The flowers are small white, pinkish or light lilac, appear in June-August. The leaves are serrated along the edge, densely covered with glandular hairs.
In the course of breeding work, varieties were obtained with a high content of essential oils, with different heights of bushes, the number of shoots, the size and shape of the leaves, as well as their color. The latter are more thermophilic, growing lemon balm of these varieties in the open field is possible only where the minus temperature drops below -15°C.
Melissa Variegated is very decorative - with dark green leaves covered with golden pattern. The Pure Gold variety has golden yellow leaf blades. Growing these lemon balm, as well as other varieties, is possible on a balcony or loggia, and even in room conditions- care and requirements in this case are the same easy.
Growing lemon balm from seeds
It is known that plants grown from seeds are more hardy and strong. Therefore, more often lemon balm is propagated in this way. Moreover, the plant forms a lot of seeds, grows rapidly, increasing useful spicy-fragrant greens, and also blooms quickly, showing the best honey properties.
Spring sowing in the ground is carried out after the soil warms up well. Small seeds of lemon balm are not soaked - dry mixed with sand and sown to a depth of 0.5 to 1 cm. The first shoots appear after 20-25 days. After a few more days, the extra seedlings are removed, leaving 25-30 cm between plants.
It is more convenient to use for growing lemon balm seedling method. Sowing seeds is carried out from mid-March to mid-April in a small box or container and sprinkled with a loose substrate. The box is covered with glass and left in a warm room. After the shoots appear, the illumination is maximized.
When the seedlings reach 3-5 cm in height, they are thinned out or seated in separate cups. To get more branched, compact bushes, plants are pinched at a height of 10-15 cm. Otherwise, caring for lemon balm seedlings comes down to watering a drying substrate. At the age of 40-45 days, it is planted in open ground with the onset of warm weather. Seedlings bloom in the second year.
Growing lemon balm by dividing the bush
In this way, plants are propagated at the age of 3-4 years. The division is carried out in the spring, when new shoots are just beginning to grow, or at the end of August. healthy bushes dug up and cut into approximately equal parts so that 4-5 shoots remain on each of them and enough roots.
Delenki are planted in a permanent place in the garden or in pots to grow lemon balm on the windowsill in winter. At the bottom of the pot, pebbles, gravel or broken shards must be poured so that after watering excess water flowed freely into the tray.
Growing lemon balm from cuttings
At the beginning of summer, young shoots that have reached 10-15 cm in height are bent down and pinned. Fertile soil is poured on top. During the summer, weeds are carefully removed around the plants. If necessary, planting watered.
spring next year new bushes are separated from the mother liquor, but they are transplanted to a permanent place only in the fall.
Growing lemon balm from cuttings
Melissa can be propagated by cuttings. In this case, the apical part of the young shoots is cut off and placed in water. After 1.5-2 weeks, roots appear, after which the plants are planted in loose fertile soil and grown.
Growing lemon balm in open ground
When growing lemon balm in open ground, site selection is important. If lemon balm grows in an open sunny place, its aroma becomes more intense. But variegated forms do not tolerate the bright sun and feel better in light partial shade.
It is good if the land in the selected area is fertile, moderately moist, with a neutral soil reaction. Heavy and acidic soils are not suitable for the plant. Melissa also does not tolerate dampness and stagnant moisture.
Care
In the first year for Melissa, care should be thorough. In the future, the bushes grow, form a branched root system and provide themselves with moisture and nutrition. Mature plants need to be watered only during a prolonged drought. At proper fit and care in one place lemon balm can grow 6-10 years.
Fragrant greens are cut no more than three times per season. After each cut, the bushes are fed with complex fertilizers or mulched. organic materials. A thick layer of manure or compost retains moisture in the soil, keeps weeds out, and provides plants with essential nutrients.
Melissa is a frost-resistant plant, it winters well under the snow. But in areas with little snow, it must be covered with sawdust, foliage or spruce branches. Most often, bushes older than 5 years freeze out, so growing lemon balm in one place for longer than this period is undesirable, and the plants are divided in a timely manner.
In wet weather and on moist soils, melissa suffers from fungal diseases. AT closed ground danger to her aphid and whitefly.
Varieties of lemon balm for cultivation
lemon tea- white flowers appear 80 days after sowing, the yield of green mass reaches 2.9 kg per sq. m, starting from the second year of cultivation.
Mahito- yields of more than 3 kg per sq. m, blooms 5 months after sowing with white small flowers.
Freshness- a variety of lemon balm for growing in personal plots and farms. The flowers are blue, a bush up to 80 cm in size. From 1 sq. m for two cuts you can get up to 4.3 kg of leaves and young shoots.
Lada- a variety for growing on an industrial scale (pharmaceutical, food, canning industry). Plants consist of extractive substances by a third, the dry weight yield is 34 c/ha.
Pearl- a powerful plant, the number of shoots of which reaches 70, and its weight is up to 1.6 kg. The yield can reach up to 5.6 kg. The variety is recommended, including for farms, suitable for cultivation in all zones of agriculture of the Russian Federation.
lemon balm- semi-erect plant purple flowers, the yield is about 3 kg per sq. m, flowering after 2.5 months from germination.
Dozya- plant height 90 cm, dark green leaves, white flowers. The yield of green mass in the second year is up to 3.4 kg.
Quadrille- the yield of this variety is 1.2 kg per sq. m, and the number of shoots does not exceed 15. Light lilac flowers open after 80 days.
lemon flavor- small plants are well suited for horticultural cultivation. Their height is not more than 60 cm, which allows them to be grown in containers. Yield 1.2 kg per sq.m.
Tsaritsynskaya Semko- in plants small leaves and flowers. Bush upright, branched. The yield of green mass is about 2 kg or more.
Isidore- when grown from seeds, the yield for the second year can be 3.3 kg per sq.m. Plant height up to 80 cm, the first cut is carried out 2 months after germination.
All these varieties are included in the State Register of the Russian Federation, have a pronounced lemon flavor.
Melissa is a perennial herbs. Translated from the Greek, the name of this plant sounds like "bee mint". It is also called "lemon mint". Melissa is used as a seasoning in salads, fish and meat dishes and as medicinal plant, which has antispasmodic, analgesic, wound healing and soothing effects.
Melissa planting
Before planting lemon balm on your site, you need to know that this plant does not tolerate wet, heavy soils, and especially acidic soils. A sunny area is selected for planting, it is possible with a little shading. The soil on it should be light and fertile.
The site for planting is prepared in the fall, digging up the soil and introducing organic and mineral fertilizers into it: per 1 sq. m - a bucket of humus, a glass of wood ash and a tablespoon of complex mineral fertilizer. If the soils in your area are clayey, then river sand is additionally added to them. Melissa is quite a heat-loving crop, so it is better to grow it in high beds.
Planting lemon balm seeds
Melissa can be propagated by dividing the bush and seeds. Seeds are either sown immediately in open ground, or for seedlings. Lemon balm seeds are small and germinate for a very long time. From the moment of sowing to the appearance of the first shoots, about 28 days pass.
Seeds can be sown in open ground at the end of May, but due to the very long germination, seedlings may not be seen among the grown weeds. So experienced gardeners it is advised to sow the seeds of lemon balm along with the seeds of radish or lettuce, that is, very early crops.
Lemon balm seeds and, for example, radish seeds are planted in different grooves, which are located close to each other to a depth of 1 cm and in no case deeper, because lemon balm seeds are very demanding on light. By the time the seedlings of lemon balm seedlings appear, the radish is already ripe, the roots can be carefully pulled out of the soil and the melissa can be grown further.
Melissa lemon: growing seedlings from seeds
For seedlings, lemon balm is sown at the end of March in containers and pots. Seeds are prepared in the same way as for sowing in open ground. Next, the soil mixture is moistened in containers and the seeds are sown to a maximum depth of 0.5 cm. The seeds germinate at a temperature of 20 degrees, in sufficiently moist soil and in good sunlight.
When the seedlings have the first true leaf, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving a distance of 3 cm between the plants. After a month, the seedlings can be planted in open ground in holes at a distance of at least 40 cm, since lemon balm loves space and can grow up to 10 years in one place.
Melissa lemon: cultivation
Lemon balm care is not difficult because it is unpretentious plant, and if you do not limit its growth, lemon balm is likened to weeds. The main recommendations are loosening the soil and good watering, especially in dry, hot weather. Usually lemon balm is watered twice a week with a water consumption of 10 liters per 1 sq. m.
Every spring, lemon balm must be fed - 0.5 liters of mullein and a spoonful of complex mineral fertilizer are added to 1 bucket of water. This top dressing is enough for the entire growing season. For the winter, it is advisable to cover the lemon balm, spudding the bush with humus or peat and falling asleep from above with fallen leaves.