Content
Spearmint is considered the most common representative of a large family. The plant grows in wild and cultivated forms. Many gardeners specially grow mint in their gardens to repel pests, prepare aromatic teas, and use them for medicinal purposes.
What does garden mint look like?
Externally, most varieties of mint have similar features. However, each variety has characteristics unique to it. Spearmint is also called garden mint. The plant has an even long stem. The leaf is elongated, slightly oval, up to 7 cm long. The width of the leaf blade reaches 2 cm. In the photo, garden mint is shown during the flowering period. Small flowers in groups create a spikelet at the top of the stem.The color of the petals is snow-white, sometimes with a pink tint. The height of one flower is 3 mm.
The herbaceous garden plant is distinguished by its intensive growth. The stem is capable of stretching from 30 to 100 cm over a season. The leaf blade is wrinkled, the edges are jagged.
Varieties and varieties of garden mint
Common people are more likely to call mint peppermint or garden mint, which is not entirely true. These are completely two different varieties, and in total there are about 40 varieties. The following types of garden mint are found most often in home gardens:
- Peppermint has a high menthol content. The culture is a hybrid obtained by crossing garden and aquatic grass. The plant is considered medicinal. It is used in medicine for the production of drugs that treat diseases of the heart, nervous system, respiratory system and other ailments.
- In spearmint, menthol is weakly expressed. This is its main difference. In addition to spicata, the crop is also called field or meadow. In nature, the plant is found on lawns near ponds and any other places where moisture is present. Due to its low menthol content, the garden crop is more often used in cooking, and cosmetic preparations are made from it.
- Sweet mint has more rounded leaves. A plant with a pronounced specific aroma. The culture is popular among bakers and is also used for making tea and alcoholic tinctures.
- Schisandra or lemon balm is not a mint variety, but the plant is often called garden lemon balm.The culture is widespread among gardeners and is found in almost every yard. Mint is used for medicinal purposes and aromatic tea is brewed.
Other types of garden mint are less common and less widely used.
How does spearmint reproduce?
Garden crops are propagated by dividing the bush, layering and seeds. The first two methods are considered the simplest and most reliable. If you want to have spearmint on your property, just ask your neighbors to dig up a bush. It can be planted whole or divided into several parts so that each separated plant has a full root. The culture takes root in damp soil and quickly develops its root system. Next year the garden mint will grow. It will still have to be limited, otherwise the plant will crush neighboring crops.
Growing spearmint from seeds is a complex process. First, in February, the grains are sown in pots with soil or peat. The standard process of growing seedlings takes place over two months. Grown and hardened young spearmint plants are planted in the garden beds in the spring. If desired, several garden seedlings can be left to grow in a pot on the windowsill.
The video tells in detail about sowing mint:
What is the difference between garden mint and peppermint?
The distinctive features of popular varieties are shown in the table. If we talk about the main difference between spearmint and peppermint, it lies in the aromatic substances. Garden spicate crop is less fragrant. When chewing the leaf, the minty taste in the mouth quickly disappears. Peppermint contains a lot of menthol. After chewing the leaf, there is a feeling of cold in the mouth for a long time.
What is the scent of garden mint?
Spearmint has a similar flavor to menthol, but it's mild. It is not coldness that is felt in the mouth, but a sweetish taste. The aroma freshens the breath when chewing the leaf, but does not clog it with cold.
Medicinal properties of spearmint
Despite its limited menthol content, spearmint has medicinal properties. The garden crop is used to eliminate nausea, headaches and toothaches, and calm the nervous system. Infusions help remove sand from the kidneys, disinfect wounds, and strengthen gums. Spearmint menthol has a freezing effect on a sore joint or area of the body that has suffered from a blow.
Uses of spearmint
The scope of horticultural crops is so vast that it is impossible to imagine many medicinal and cosmetic preparations and culinary products without its participation.
In pharmacology
Since the medicinal properties of mint extend to many human organs, pharmaceutical companies use it to make tablets, tinctures, and aerosols. The culture is part of biologically active additives (BAA). Based on it, drugs are produced for the treatment of the respiratory tract, nervous and cardiovascular systems.
In folk medicine
Folk healers make decoctions, infusions, oils from garden crops, and use fresh leaves of the plant. There are many recipes for diarrhea, constipation, headaches and toothaches. Peppermint oil is used as an antiseptic, astringent and anesthetic. In folk medicine, the garden plant is used for childbirth and the treatment of female diseases.
In cosmetology
Women make face masks using fresh mint leaves. By adding various ingredients, they prepare formulations for oily and dry skin, getting rid of acne. Peppermint extract is often found in creams, shampoos, and detergents.
In mass production
In cooking, aromatic mint leaves are used as a spice. They are added to baked goods, first and second courses, sauces, and salads. Mint desserts, carbonated drinks, and candies are popular. Spearmint menthol is used as a flavoring for cigarettes, tea, and alcoholic beverages.
Location on
The garden plant has good decorative properties. Spearmint is planted along paths, on mixborders and rock gardens. The crop is considered a good honey plant, and the smell of menthol repels harmful insects from the area.
Landing rules
Ornamental mint can grow in one place for many years. The site must be selected immediately so as not to be replanted later. The roots remaining in the ground will give rise to new growth next season, which is quite difficult to get rid of. Select a place that is illuminated in partial shade, preferably humid. Garden crops grow under trees, but develop poorly. The plant stretches on thin stems and grows small leaves.
If the area is not moist, the mint plantings will need to be watered frequently. The soil is preferably loose, fertile with good water permeability.Sandy loams and loams are excellent. If the area is swampy or the groundwater is high, a drainage layer 15 cm thick is installed on the bed.
Spearmint can be grown in the area where legumes were previously located. It is not advisable to plant it near vegetables, root crops, fruit and berry bushes. Firstly, spraying chemicals against insects and diseases cannot be done for a specific plant. Scattered mist will fall on the leaves of the spearmint and it cannot be used temporarily. Secondly, the rapidly growing root system of spearmint will choke neighboring plants.
The optimal time for planting a garden plant is spring or autumn. If the seedlings grow in a flower pot, they can be sent to the garden bed even in summer. Seeds are purchased from trusted retail outlets. Sowing is carried out in separate cups or in a common container. The seeds are buried in the soil to a depth of 5 mm. Seedlings are grown from February until the onset of stable heat outside.
Planting material is planted in the holes and watered abundantly. The soil on top is mulched to retain moisture. A border strip or pieces of slate are dug along the contour of the bed to limit the spread of roots throughout the area.
Growing garden mint
Caring for spearmint plantings is easy. The plant needs regular watering, otherwise the stems will not develop well. If the area is dry, water can be poured every day. The optimal time for watering is late evening, but before dark.
There is no need to feed garden crops. Spearmint grows well in fertile soil. Chemical fertilizers can change the taste and aroma.If the area is depleted, water it once in the spring with a weak solution of complex fertilizer.
To form a bush, pinching is performed. Cutting off the top promotes the growth of side shoots. If spearmint is grown for leaves, the flower stalks are removed at the formation stage.
The soil in the beds is loosened shallowly. Weeds are removed manually. This specificity of care is associated with the superficial location of the root system. Usually the weed is pulled out at the stage of mint growth. When the bushes gain their strength, they themselves will crowd out the weeds.
How to get rid of garden mint on the site
The excellent vitality of a garden plant is both a plus and a minus. When the need comes to get rid of it, it is not easy to do. Manual uprooting or digging with a shovel is not always successful. The remaining small roots in the damp soil instantly produce new shoots.
Herbicides help reliably get rid of the annoying plant, but they cannot be used everywhere. When sprayed, the drugs fall on the leaves of neighboring crops, and they also die. If the use of herbicides is not possible, the area with mint is covered with old linoleum or roofing felt. It will disappear under light-proof material.
Pests and diseases
Spearmint is rarely susceptible to disease or destruction by pests, but sometimes such cases occur. The problem of combating diseases is limiting the use of chemicals. The leaves cannot be used as a spice. It's better to try to prevent the problem. For example, rust is a common disease. It occurs from excessive humidity. The bushes need to be thinned out for better ventilation and the intensity of watering reduced.
The appearance of a white coating on the leaves indicates the presence of powdery mildew. The bushes are sprayed with a solution of ground sulfur. Anthracnose is recognized by brown spots. To treat the plantings, they are treated with a solution of Bordeaux mixture. In order not to wait for illnesses to appear, they resort to early harvesting - in July.
Mint mites and leafhoppers are considered dangerous crop pests. Here you cannot do without the use of insecticides. While the drug is in effect, the leaves cannot be used for any purpose.
When to collect garden mint and how to dry it
The timing of the preparation of spices is determined visually. The stems are cut when they reach a length of 25 cm. Harvesting time usually falls in July - August. Trim 2/3 of the plant so that the bush recovers faster. It is best to cut mint stems before flowering. At this time, the leaves accumulate the maximum dose of aroma.
How to properly store dried mint
After harvesting, the best way to preserve it is drying. The finished product is stored in bundles suspended on ropes under the ceiling of a dry shed. The leaves can be crushed into a fine powder and packaged in plastic bags or glass jars.
Conclusion
Spearmint retains its medicinal properties and aroma even when dried. The duration of storage of the crop depends on the conditions created, but it is better to replenish stocks every season.
