Peppermint is easy to grow. However, it only thrives with proper care. We'll show you what to look out for.
Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) is not only delicious, but also easy to cultivate yourself. However, it only thrives if you take proper care of the popular medicinal and spice plant. If you treat it with care, peppermint will thank you with a bountiful harvest of wonderfully fresh, aromatic leaves. You can then use this to make delicious teas or scented sachets. Of course, dishes can also be wonderfully rounded off with it.
Water and fertilize peppermint
Peppermint appreciates loose, moist soil in bright locations. The plants cope well with short dry periods. However, you should definitely prevent prolonged drought. Therefore, water your peppermint regularly at intervals of a few days. Peppermint needs water daily in summer and twice a day in dry heat above 30 °C. A lack of moisture can be quickly recognized by drooping leaves, which then straighten up again just as quickly after watering.
If your peppermint grows in humus-rich garden soil, you can do without additional fertilizing. Lean soil can be optimally improved with mature compost soil and horn shavings. When cultivating in a bucket, it is advisable to regularly enrich the substrate or replace it completely.
Pruning and Harvesting Peppermint
Peppermint leaves and shoots can be harvested throughout the growing season. It is best to only cut off as much as you currently need. If you want to stock up for the winter, you can also dry the peppermint. But then you have to know that some of the aroma is lost.
In order to optimally maintain the he althy growth of peppermint, you must cut back the plant heavily at least once, but better twice a year. The best times for this are early spring and August immediately after flowering. In addition to cutting back, use a spade to cut off all the side shoots of the plant, which is quite propagating.
Winter Peppermint
Peppermint is one of the hardy mints that usually withstand severe frost unscathed. If you want to be on the safe side in case of extreme sub-zero temperatures, cover the plants with a layer of brushwood in late autumn. The branches of coniferous trees such as fir or spruce are very suitable for this.
Treat Peppermint Rust
The fungus Puccinia menthae is one of the few pests that often endanger peppermint. The infestation is called peppermint rust and can be recognized by mottled leaves and thickened or dried shoots. Immediately cut a diseased peppermint back to the ground and water it with a decoction of field horsetail for several days. If the new shoots and leaves continue to show the symptoms, you must remove the plant together with the roots to protect neighboring plants.