Mint – Everything you need to know about mint

Mint has started to be cultivated in our country since 1926 and today spread throughout Romania. Piperita menta is a term used for different species and hybrids of the Mentha genre, of the Lamiaceae family. These are perennial plants, famous for their ability to drag and include large areas of the garden.

Piperita mint is a herbaceous plant, with an erect stem, with 4 edges, which can reach a height of 1 m. In the ground, it has fierce and numerous roots. It has pink flowers, which appear starting from June throughout the summer. The mint leaves are pigeoned, lanceolate and have the evening edge.

hybrid Mentha x pepper it derived from the free hybridization of the species Spicy mentha AND Mentha Aquatica And it has the highest content of menthol, 40%. It is used in various preparations and drinks, which gives them a refreshing taste. It is a sterile hybrid, which multiplies exclusively by vegetative. Mint is not used only in the kitchen, but also in cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. In addition, it is also appreciated as a melifera plant.

What requirements do mint have for climate and soil?

Piperita mint has low needs on environmental factors. It has greater resistance to negative temperatures during the cold season, wintering without problems and starting again in the spring vegetation. Mint needs water, therefore in the case of drought, it is necessary to irrigate the peppermint.

As for the land, mint prefers those of the clay, bad, with slightly acidic pH, neutral. It is a plant that supports well and semi-shadow. On the contrary, the increase in the intensity of light influences production from a quantitative and qualitative point of view.

Mint is a plant that adapts well to various environmental conditions, as it is a rustic species.

How is mint cultivated?

It is recommended to plant mint in the autumn, to have a high increase in production. However, spring can be planted. The soil must be prepared in advance, be destroyed and administer organic or chemical fertilizers.

To create the culture of mintUse portions of about 15 long cm, with 5 knots, well hydrated, without traces of diseases or parasites. It is advisable to collect the first year of vegetation, since they are the most vigorous.

The pampering must be modeled before sowing, the waste of the stems and the brown portions must be removed and must be well hydrated until sowing.

Mint is planted at a depth of 6-10 cm, with a distance of 70 cm between the files. If it is planted in autumn, it is advisable to do a depth of 8-10 cm, to protect frost and dehydration plants.

Mint can also be planted in pots, to obtain fresh peppermint in the cold season.

How does the culture of pepper mint takes care?

The work of care for the culture of mint provides for the struggle with weeds and irrigation. Control of weeds can be done through prey or applying Herbicides approved. In terms of irrigation, this is better to obtain pungent systems or drips, administering moderate quantities of water, so that the occurrence of diseases and parasites is not favored.

Diseases and parasites in the culture of peppermint

Mint can be attacked by rust, flour or vascular disease of the genre Verticillium. As for the parasites, the main pyperite mint are aphids, tripods, mites and white muscles.

In order to prevent plants infestation, it is advisable to avoid watering the leaves, guarantee good ventilation at the level of plants and apply approved products if the symptoms are observed.

How is the mint collection and stored?

Peperite mint is collected at the morning, after the dew evaporate. It can be collected by fluting in the event of a large surface or cutting the individual plants.

If you want to use the peppermint for tea preparation, the plant can be collected at any time during the vegetation period, preferably before flowering. It is recommended to start collecting after the leaves have reached a length of 5-6 cm.

For further use, peppermint stems can be collected, dried and preserved in well -ventilated places. For use in order to obtain volatile oil, it is collected when half of the plants are flourished.