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Perennial plants always attract the attention of gardeners. Particularly valued are those that not only have a beautiful appearance, but can also be used for other purposes, for example, in cooking. One of these plants is Variegata mint, which combines both decorative and culinary, as well as medicinal properties.
Description of Variegata mint
Variegata mint is a common garden plant grown primarily for culinary and medicinal purposes.
Its main characteristics are shown in the table:
Parameter | Meaning |
Synonyms | Variegata fragrant mint, pineapple mint, Variegata ginger mint |
Plant type | Perennial herbaceous |
Stem | Hard, straight, green, grows up to 0.4-0.5 m |
Leaves | Green, with a light beige edging, lowered downwards. The leaf plate is soft, highly corrugated, with a wavy, uneven edge |
Flowers | Small, white, collected in spike-shaped inflorescences at the tops of the stems |
Flowering time | July August |
Root | Branched, tree-like, superficially horizontal, with small lobes of adventitious roots |
Use of Variegata mint in cooking
Cooking is one of the main uses of Variegata mint, in addition to medicine and cosmetology. The leaves of this plant are widely used as a dietary supplement. Moreover, for culinary purposes they are used both fresh and dried.
What is the scent of Variegata mint?
Variegata mint leaves contain a large amount of aromatic substances. They give the plant a characteristic pleasant aroma and a pronounced refreshing menthol flavor.
Where can you add Variegata mint?
In cooking, Variegata mint leaves are used as a flavoring additive in the preparation of various meat and fish dishes; it is added to alcohol, tea and soft drinks. It is included in recipes for a large number of jams, compotes, mousses, and fruit drinks. Fresh Variegata mint leaves are used to decorate various dishes and glasses of drinks. The leaves are often used as spices when preserving various vegetables and fruits.
A short video about using mint in everyday life:
Landing rules
There is nothing difficult about growing Variegata mint. It grows well in moist, loose, fertile soils; heavy clay areas are not suitable for it. It is preferable to plant it in well-lit places, especially if planting is done for the purpose of decorating a personal plot. Variegata mint also grows well in the shade, but the light border on the leaves, which gives the plant a decorative appearance, fades greatly in low light conditions.
It is better to prepare the beds for sowing in the fall by digging them up and adding compost. The best time to plant Variegata mint in open ground is considered to be the second half of spring, when the temperature at night no longer drops below + 5 °C. Before planting, the seeds must be discarded, selecting the largest and densest ones for planting, and also disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 25-30 minutes. They are then rinsed with clean water and dried in air.
Planting Variegata mint is very simple. The seeds are laid out on the surface of the soil at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other and lightly sunk into the soil. Then the bed is watered and covered with plastic film until the first shoots appear. If the weather is warm outside, there is no need to cover the crops.
Features of cultivation
In order for Variegata mint to grow well, it requires some care. The following events are held during the season:
- watering;
- weeding;
- loosening the soil.
In dry weather, it is necessary to water the beds with growing Variegata mint daily. This should be done in the evening so that the bright rays of the sun, concentrated by drops of water, do not burn the foliage of the plants. The water must be warm and settled, so you need to fill it in containers in advance. If the weather is cloudy and cool, the frequency of watering should be reduced and guided by soil moisture and natural precipitation.
It is imperative to remove weeds from the mint bed. They not only shade plants, interfering with the process of photosynthesis, but also absorb large quantities of nutrients from the soil, which inhibits the growth of cultivated plants.Simultaneously with the destruction of weeds, the soil is also loosened, but this must be done very carefully. The roots of Variegata mint are horizontal and located close to the surface.
If weather conditions allow you to grow Variegata mint in a multi-year cycle, then the plants must be covered for the winter, this is especially important in the first year after planting. It is best to do this in several layers: first sprinkle the root zone with fallen leaves, then add spruce branches, and with the onset of winter, additionally build a snow blanket.
Pests and diseases
With proper crop rotation, pests are found quite rarely on Variegata mint. Problems arise when care is not taken care of, as well as in the event of unfavorable weather conditions. Here are the main diseases of Variegata mint:
- Powdery mildew. One of the most common fungal diseases affecting various garden crops. More often it appears during a sudden change in weather, a decrease in air temperature and in conditions of high humidity. Outwardly it looks like a white powdery coating on the leaves, which then very quickly turn black and die. To prevent powdery mildew, it is recommended to deep plow the beds in the fall and treat the plantings with ground sulfur or its colloidal solution during the growing season.
- Anthracnose. A fungal disease that appears as brown spots on the leaves. To prevent disease, plants are treated several times during the season with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
- Rust. This fungal disease often manifests itself at low temperatures and high ambient humidity.Risk factors for rust are also an excess of soil nitrogen and growing mint in a multi-year cycle. On the reverse side of diseased leaves, spore pads of a characteristic reddish-brown color appear; over time, they grow, the leaves turn black and die. They fight rust using preventive treatments of plantings with fungicides.
- Verticillium wilt, or wilt. A dangerous disease that causes the death of mint bushes. A plant affected by the disease begins to dry out from above, while the top withers, and the leaves curl, turn black and die. It is not possible to cure wilt with modern means. The affected plant is dug up and burned. Replanting mint in such an area is permitted no earlier than after 9-10 years.
No less dangerous to Variegata mint are insect pests. In this case, all parts of the plant, both aboveground and in the soil, can be damaged. Here are the most dangerous pests of Variegata mint:
- Peppermint mite. Found mainly in the southern regions. It feeds on the sap of apical shoots. To combat mint mite, various acaricides are used, and at the end of the season, the soil on the site is deeply plowed. If these insects are found, it is recommended not to plant Variegata mint in this location for the next 3 years.
- Common aphid. A microscopic sucking insect that feeds on plant juices. Aphid colonies are located mainly on stems and on the underside of leaf blades. If there are only a few insects, sometimes they can be washed off with plain water. As a folk remedy against aphids, you can use an infusion of ash, hot pepper or tobacco dust.This is not always justified, since the products used can greatly spoil the taste of mint leaves.
- Weevil. Adults feed on the young greenery of the plant. It is better to collect them by hand or shake them onto a cloth or newspaper. Weevil populations are rarely significant, and they do not appear every year.
- Wireworm. The pest is the larva of a click beetle and is a worm several centimeters long with a dark head and a hard body of light yellow or light orange color. The wireworm feeds on the roots of plants, gnawing long winding passages in them and gnawing off the ends. If this pest is present, it is better to change the area for planting mint.
When and how to collect Variegata mint
You can start harvesting Variegata mint from mid-July. At this time, inflorescences appear on the bushes, and a sufficient amount of aromatic substances has already accumulated in the leaves. To harvest for future use, the bushes are cut off entirely. They are washed under running clean water, dried and tied into bundles. At the same time, culling is carried out, removing damaged or blackened leaves.
How to properly dry Variegata mint
Dried bunches of tied Variegata mint are hung in the attic of the house, on the veranda or terrace. It is better if they are not exposed to direct sunlight, as this will negatively affect the aroma. The degree of dryness of Variegata mint can be determined by the characteristic rustling of the leaves.If they become brittle and easily break off from the stem, then drying can be stopped. Store dry mint in a hermetically sealed clay or glass container. Clean canvas bags can be used for storage, but they must be kept away from other strong-smelling substances.
Conclusion
Variegata mint is a beautiful ornamental plant that combines many beneficial properties. Planting it is quite simple, it requires very little space in the beds, and care is not difficult. It can be grown in both annual and perennial cycles, and measures to prepare the plant for winter will not take much time and money.
