Sow – Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is easy to produce from seed in the spring, but only ready-grown plants are available for specific kinds. From March to May, sow seeds indoors by dropping a few seeds into a small pot or tray of seed compost. Water carefully after covering with a thin layer of perlite, vermiculite, or finely sieved compost.
- Place the pot in a heated propagator or in a warm location covered with a transparent plastic bag.
- As soon as seedlings emerge, which may take up to three weeks, remove the container from the propagator or remove the lid.
- When the seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant them to separate pots.
Once all risk of frost has gone, transplant the young seedlings outside.
How long does it take for the seeds of lemon balm to germinate?
How to Cultivate Lemon Balm Lemon balm’s Latin name is derived from the Greek word for bee (Melissa) and the old idea that putting sprigs of the plant inside an empty hive would attract a swarm of honeybees. Grow this plant in a container or a confined area of the garden, as it is invasive.
Continue reading for our best advice on how to produce lemon balm from seed. Melissa officinalis (Latin) Family: Lamiaceae Difficulty Easy Climate & Zone The season is the cool season Sunlight or partial shadow Timing from Hardy to Zone 5 Start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost, then transplant outside or sow directly when daytime temps are consistently over 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit).
Beginning Barely cover the little seeds. Utilize sterilized potting soil and water minimally, just enough to prevent the medium from drying out. Germination requires 10 to 14 days. In the garden, plant at a spacing of 45cm (18 in). Choose a shaded area or one where plants will be shielded from the noon light.
Lemon Balm Lemon Balm has high concentrations of citronellal, which gives it a lemony fragrance and flavor that insects find repulsive. Crush the fresh leaves and apply them straight onto the skin, particularly around the ankles, arms, and other susceptible regions.
- The aroma of lemon, which repels insects, is potent.
- It wipes off quite well on the skin.
- Lemon balm repels mosquitoes and gnats.
- Marigolds Marigolds, which are typically planted as attractive border plants, are hardy annuals with a fragrance that mosquitoes and other insects find particularly irritating.
Marigolds contain Pyrethrum, an ingredient used in several insect repellents. Mint White cabbage moths, ants, rats, flea beetles, fleas, and aphids are repelled by mint. It makes cabbage and tomatoes healthier. Mint blooms attract hoverflies and wasps that feed on insects.
- Mint plants are very attractive to earthworms.
- Mint is an extremely invasive perennial that must be planted with caution.
- Placing fresh or dried peppermint cuttings in areas where mice are a problem is an effective way to repel them! Both mint and parsley are rivals.
- Eep them far apart from one other.
Pennyroyal Excellent protection against ants, fleas, and ticks. The crushed leaves repel chiggers, flies, gnats, mosquitoes, and ticks when rubbed over the skin. Pennyroyal is extremely poisonous to cats. It should never be planted in areas where cats may swallow it or rubbed against their skin.
- Peppermint You may use crushed peppermint leaves on your skin to repel insects since its aroma repels them.
- As an added bonus, peppermint can help relieve itching if you are bitten! Rue On roses and raspberries, rue repels aphids, fish moths, flea beetle, onion worm, slugs, snails, flies, and Japanese beetles.
Rue’s companions include roses, fruits (especially figs), raspberries, and lavender. To increase its effectiveness against Japanese beetles, smash a few leaves to release the odor. Additionally, it is known to repel cats. Plant rue away from cucumbers, cabbage, basil, and sage.
- Rue is a beautiful perennial with bluish-gray leaves that may cause skin irritation in certain people.
- Sage Sage repels the same insects as rosemary, including snails, cabbage moths, beetles, black flea beetles, and carrot flies, as well as potato- and sweet potato-feeding flea beetles.
- Plant away from cucumbers, onions, and rue.
Tansy Plant among fruit trees, roses, and raspberries, having in mind that it is invasive and unattractive. Place Tansy cuttings at the entrance to discourage ants. Flying insects, Japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs, ants, and mice are repelled by this product.
Does lemon balm repel ants?
Peppermint, Catnip, and Lemon Balm: A Medley of Mints – A Medley of Mints Peppermint The peppermint plant has hundreds of applications. This is one of my favorite herbs. As previously said, this is an efficient ant repellant. Keep plants immediately outside entrances.
However, mint does not end there. Additionally, flies, spiders, gnats, and mosquitoes avoid this plant. Add some to hanging baskets. The mint grows over the top and hangs down to deter insects from climbing and flying. Use dried peppermint indoors. Make ant and spider-repellent sock pouches out of dried mint and scatter them throughout the home.
Catnip It is known as the “cat herb” because cats find its aroma enticing. This smell is an effective insect repellant. According to a research conducted by Iowa State University, it has a natural oil that is 10 times more potent than the commercial insect repellent chemical Deet.
