The exact origin of the name Melissa has not been clarified due to the disagreement of its interpreters. But it is known that the herbaceous plant of the Lamiaceae family, called lemon balm, whose cultivation as a medicinal raw material is widespread, is also called censer, lemon grass, lemon and bee mint. This inconspicuous herb is cultivated by gardeners, gardeners and even planters for industrial purposes, focusing primarily on the richness of biologically active substances contained in lemon balm.
Did you know?According to one version, the name melissa was formed from the addition of Greek words meaning honey and leaves. According to the second - on behalf of the nymph Melissa, who allegedly treated Zeus with honey and milk. According to the third, Melissa was the name of a beauty who was turned into a bee by the will of the Olympic gods.
Melissa: plant description
The height of the perennial can reach one and a half meters. Its basis is a strongly branching rhizome. Petiolate opposite leaves of a complex shape, resembling both a heart and an egg and having large teeth, are located on a branched stem, as if faceted on four sides.
The short pedicels are crowned with axillary tufts of small white flowers, which may also have pale pink or purple tones. The flowers have four stamens, the upper four-parted ovary of the pistil on a long style. The flowering of lemon balm is marked by July and August of the second year of growth.
A large, with a black sheen, four-nut fruit, gaining maturity in August-September, has an ovoid shape. Before flowering, the grass is fragrant with lemon. When flowering ends, the weakening smell becomes unpleasant.
How to choose a place and prepare the soil for growing lemon balm
In order for lemon balm to grow well, it is necessary to create certain conditions for it.
Lighting for active growth
Planting lemon balm is recommended to be done in a place with good sunlight, which is especially important for the germination of naturally small seeds. Frosts can kill new lemon mint bushes, so their cultivation should begin with planting in warm weather. In the future, the plant demonstrates a fair amount of resistance to cold, although the place where lemon balm grows is still better to choose on the south side, protected from air currents coming from the north.
Important!In an open sunny place, lemon balm has a richer aroma.
Soil preparation for planting lemon balm
The soil for planting should be fertile and free of weeds. Melissa prefers loamy soils, as they have high water and air permeability, which makes it possible to grow a full-fledged plant. Loose sandstones are also possible. They need good drainage from fine gravel or broken bricks, which will protect the root system from decay.
If the entire site is located on clay soil, then at the place where lemon balm is planted, it must be mixed with river sand. The reaction of the soil to acidity should be slightly acidic or neutral. The first digging with weeding and fertilizing can be done in the fall, and in the spring, loosen and clean the heated soil again.
Melissa breeding methods, how to plant a medicinal plant
To understand how melissa reproduces most successfully, you must first carefully study and only then choose seeds, melissa seedlings, cuttings or separated parts of the bush for planting.
Sowing seeds
A thousand seeds weigh approximately 0.62 g. Their germination persists for 2-3 years. Based on practical experience, it was concluded that plants grow stronger and more enduring from seeds. When it is better to sow lemon balm depends on the planting material chosen for open soil.
Landing in open ground
Rapid seed germination will occur when lemon balm is sown in open ground at the end of May. Moreover, as close as possible to the surface, that is, it is necessary to plant lemon balm seeds to a depth of no more than 1-1.5 cm. For a row spacing, a gap of up to half a meter is enough. Between the bushes, since they grow decently, it is advisable to leave at least 40 cm.
Gardeners who care not only about productivity, but also about the aesthetics of the beds, recommend increasing both distances to about 0.6 m. The first shoots appear only after 3-4 weeks, so the answer to the question: “Why doesn’t lemon balm grow?”, The answer is simple - the appointed time has not come.
Planting lemon balm seedlings
A rich harvest of fragrant lemon balm can be achieved not only by growing it from seeds, but by first obtaining seedlings from them. Planting on seedlings should be done at the turn of March and April, and in May, the resulting approximately 40-day material with four leaves on each seedling is planted in the soil.
Boxes with sown seeds, covered with glass, are kept in a warm room, the illumination of which is increased to a maximum after germination. Seedlings that have grown up to 3-5 cm need to be thinned out to five-centimeter intervals and then planted in separate small containers.
Growing lemon balm by dividing the bush
The shoots that began to grow by the end of May signal that it is possible to start dividing the bushes. Another, also favorable period is the end of August. The excavated bush is cut into pieces of the same size. Each of them should retain at least 4-5 shoots and roots. The separated parts take root well and bloom beautifully. The limitation for this method of reproduction of lemon balm is its age - it must be at least 3-4 years old.
How to cut melissa
Cuttings for planting lemon balm are made from the apical part of its young shoots, which, after cutting, are placed in water. After the roots appear (this happens after about two weeks), the cuttings are grown in fertilized loose soil.
Rules for caring for melissa in the garden
There is no difficulty in planting lemon balm, it is unpretentious in any case, and therefore caring for it does not provide for special specifics. But in the first year, until the branched roots of the overgrown bushes began to independently provide them with food and moisture, the plant needs close attention. First of all, it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil and remove weeds.
In one place, lemon balm can exist for up to 10 years. But in the sixth year, winter-hardy qualities deteriorate, therefore, in a frosty climate after this period, it is better to divide and seat.
Important!After five years, the winter hardiness of the plant decreases.
Watering and feeding the plant
Several waterings are needed in the initial growth stage. Be sure to water in case of significant drought. Watering must be supplemented by loosening the soil. A protective layer of mulch laid on top will help the soil stay moist longer and also serve as a weed protector. Melissa is fed after each cut of greenery.
Complex liquid fertilizers are used (for 10 liters of water - 20 g of ammonium nitrate, 50 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium chloride) and mulching with organic matter - a significant layer of humus or compost. Feeding is not done before flowering, as this prevents the seeds from ripening in time.
pinching lemon balm
Pinching seedlings of lemon balm grown for seedlings is carried out at a height of 10-15 cm. The result of this procedure is compact bushes with greater branching.
Melissa pruning
Two or three times per season, lemon balm shoots are radically cut at a 10-centimeter distance from the surface of the earth. Such an operation leads, in addition to a very quick recovery, to a fairly active formation of a large number of new branches and dense, pretty bushes, so attractive that they are used as elements of landscape design.
Drainage is laid at the bottom of the container, and then a moistened mixture is poured from a part of garden soil or two parts of humus. The roots of the plants should be in the ground, and the aerial part is cut at a height of 5 cm above the surface.
To speed up the process of leaf regrowth, the planted mint is placed as close to the light as possible.
Plants should be regularly watered with settled water at room temperature. It is desirable that it be constantly in the pan, since mint prefers air with a humidity of about 80%. It is also useful to periodically spray the leaves.
When the mint takes root and the leaves begin to grow, you can carry out one feeding with a solution of urea (1-2 g of urea per 1 liter of water). As a rule, the plant is fed at the end of September. In winter, top dressing is not carried out, they are resumed in February, when the sun appears.
How to grow lemon balm
For seedlings, lemon balm seeds are needed in early March. To do this, dry seeds should be placed in a container with a ready-made soil mixture (one part of peat, soddy soil and humus) in grooves 0.5 cm deep and spilled with warm water. Before germination, the soil must be sprayed every other day. Shoots appear in 8-10 days.Seedlings should be planted between April 25 and May 5. Plant the plants at a distance of 12 cm from each other. Melissa is watered 3 times a week. When the plants reach 20-25 cm in height and buds appear, they should be pinched off to prevent flowering. This will increase the lateral branching, and during the summer period the greens can be cut 2-3 times.
When the plant reaches a height of 40-50 cm, it is cut off along with the stem, leaving 10 cm each. Thus, the splendor of the lemon balm bush will be increased several times.
Melissa is not afraid of the cold, so she can be left on the loggia or balcony until the late autumn cold sets in. Further continue. At the same time, 1-2 plants are placed in each flower pot, along with clods of earth from the box. Plants do not need fertilizer. For this purpose, you can use sleeping tea and eggshell infusion for watering.
Melissa is a perennial herb that contains an essential oil with a recognizable lemon scent. Species of the genus Melissa (Melissa) of the Lamiaceae family. This well-known herb has many other names: lady's happiness, bee grass, lemon grass, lemon balm, lemon balm, hearty joy, censer, honey slipper, bee leaf and many others. Under natural conditions, this plant grows most often in the Mediterranean countries, on the Black Sea coast, in the north of the African continent.
Melissa can be found in Europe, in the north of America and in Iran, as well as in Central Asia and in the CIS. This lemon grass chooses its place of growth on forest edges, among shrubs, in clearings and clearings, as well as in the mountains. Grows well in moist soils.
It quickly adapts to shady areas, but more fragrant representatives of lemon balm grow in illuminated areas.
People, noticing its benefits, began to grow lemongrass as a medicine everywhere, including in our country: in the Krasnodar Territory and other regions. There are many options for using lemon balm as a natural healer. It is good as tinctures, decoctions, teas that have a positive effect on the human body.
You can read more about the beneficial properties and contraindications of lemon balm in this one.
How pleasant it is to enjoy the singing of birds, the sound of the wind, fresh air and small sips of delicious herbal tea with an exquisite lemon aroma on a warm summer evening in the dacha with your family. The combination of mint and lemon balm is the most popular for making a tasty and healthy drink.
Melissa officinalis - height from 30 cm to one and a half meters, the stem is straight, branched, tetrahedral. The leaves have a petiole - the stem to which they are attached, oval in shape, with grooves along the edges. The surface of the grass is covered with small hairs. Melissa flowers are tiny, on short pedicels, pale crimson, light lilac or white. They are located in the axils of the upper leaves of the plant.
Healing grass pleases with flowering from the second year of life in the second half of summer.
The fruit has a very interesting shape. It consists of 4 oval-shaped nuts of light coffee color.
Melissa contains an essential oil that has a pleasant, light lemon scent. The aroma has the greatest strength before flowering, and then the smell becomes much weaker and even becomes unpleasant. The birthplace of lemongrass is the eastern Mediterranean. This wonderful herb was grown two thousand years ago in ancient Rome. It was from there that the plant came to the rest of Europe.
What does lemon balm look like and how is it different from mint?
People who monitor their health actively use healthy herbal teas. Two fragrant herbs are especially popular: lemon balm and mint, which are often grown in the backyard.
The leaves of these herbs are similar, they are often confused, so you need to know how mint differs from lemon balm. Let's look at these differences in a table.
|
Mint |
Melissa |
|
Stem straight |
stem branched |
|
Smells like methanol |
Smells like lemon |
|
Spike inflorescences |
Flowers form false rings |
|
High content of essential oil |
Moderate essential oil content |
The photo below shows the difference between lemon balm and mint. The first photo on the left shows lemon balm, and the right photo shows mint.
The difference between lemon balm (left) and mint (right)
How to grow lemon balm at home?
Is it difficult to grow lemon balm at home? Not at all! This is very easy to do. Before growing lemongrass at home, you need to purchase high-quality fresh seeds. In the spring, seeds are sown in a container filled with moist soil, deepening them by 0.5 cm, the distance between rows is at least 5 cm.
Until the first sprouts appear, it is necessary to water the crops every two days, keeping the air temperature at least +10 degrees. After 10 - 20 days, the first shoots will appear. In May, the grown sprouts are planted in flower boxes at a distance of 15 cm from each other, after the appearance of true leaves, the plant is thinned out.
It is best to place pots with lemon balm on a sunny windowsill (east, south, west) - the sun will fill them with aroma.
Home care
Many gardeners and flower growers prefer to grow lemon balm on their own in order to always have fresh fragrant leaves for brewing tea at home. Planting lemon balm and caring for it is a fairly simple matter. Melissa, grown in the garden or on the street, may grow with defects: too elongated stems, tiny leaves, it is more susceptible to pest invasion.
Lemongrass grown on a window sill or balcony will give a great harvest: stems of moderate length, large, wide and fast-growing leaves.
Melissa can be planted at any time of the year, but it is still better to do it in the spring. The rules of care are standard: regular and proper watering, loosening the soil, sufficient lighting, optimal air temperature.
Lighting for Melissa
Melissa does not like direct sunlight, prefers diffused light, does not tolerate drafts. In winter, due to a lack of illumination above the plant, additional illumination is arranged. For this, a fluorescent lamp with a power in the range of 40-80 watts is perfect. You need to turn it on in the morning and illuminate the plant for 6 hours.
Humidity and temperature for the plant
The condition of the plant will depend on the regularity of watering. This should be done three times a week, but waterlogging can lead to unpleasant consequences and various diseases. Lemon grass is very fond of moisture, so it will be grateful to you for frequent spraying.
Fertilizer
For top dressing, you can use the following types of fertilizers:
- organic (eggshell, tea leaves);
- liquid mineral fertilizers (superphosphate, potassium salt, ammonium sulfate).
You need to fertilize after each cutting of the leaves, which is carried out before flowering. The plant germinates at a temperature of +10 degrees, but the most comfortable for growth in the future will be a temperature of +25 degrees.
What should be the soil for room lemon balm
This amazing grass feels great in almost any soil, but prefers a fertile substrate with neutral acidity. It is better to take the soil for sowing easier, since the seeds of the crop have low germination. For planting use ordinary garden soil, or a mixture of soddy soil, humus and sand in equal proportions. You can purchase any ready-made universal soil for indoor plants in specialized stores.
Planting and breeding methods
Reproduction of lemon balm is carried out:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- dividing a bush or rhizome.
seed way
You can buy ready-made seeds, or collect them yourself in the garden or in the garden. To collect seeds, choose bushes that are healthy, developed, with large foliage. Seeds are harvested from late August - early September. Stems with seeds are cut from selected plants, folded into bunches, and dried.
After drying, the bundles with seeds are put into linen bags and threshed.
Planting containers are pre-treated with a solution of potassium permanganate. A drainage layer (expanded clay, fine gravel, broken brick) is placed at the bottom of the tank, then a layer of earth. Melissa seeds are very small. They must be sown in moist soil in spring or autumn. Shoots will appear no earlier than in half a month. Picking is not necessary, but you can thin out. After a couple of months, the grown sprouts can be transplanted to a permanent place.
The division of the bush
Dividing a bush is the easiest and fastest way to propagate bee grass. At the beginning of May or in August (this is when the lemon balm sprouts), the bush is carefully divided into the required number of parts and the delenki are planted in a permanent place. This method allows the plant to quickly take root and grow, grow rapidly and bloom in the same year.
Reproduction by layering
Propagating lemon balm by layering is easy. This requires an adult large bush. In summer, before the plant blooms, shoots up to 15 cm long are bent to the ground, fixed with brackets and sprinkled with earth. The place of instillation must be watered. After a while, roots should appear. A new rooted bush is separated from the parent bush and transplanted to a permanent place.
How to cut indoor lemon balm
The process of cuttings is as follows: they acquire fresh stems of lemon balm, cut off the top, put in water. After 10 days, roots appear on the stems, and then the cuttings are transplanted into containers in which they remain. After 21 days, young shoots appear.
Graceful pale green and very fragrant lemongrass will fill the air with healing aromas. Melissa is an inimitable plant, with an amazing smell, worthy of developing in every household plot, in the garden or on the windowsill.
Melissa has a subtle, unobtrusive pleasant aroma. It, like mint, has been popular with gardeners all over the world for many centuries. Already from the very name of the plant, one can judge its splendor, because the melissa was named after the exquisite ancient Greek nymph - Melissa.
Melissa is a wonderful herb that is a real find for the culinary specialist. Due to its aroma, the plant is used to prepare various dishes. In lemon balm, a honey and mint aroma is intertwined with a thin thread, ideally complementing salads, compotes, and desserts.
You can grow lemon balm on your own plot and even in pots on the windowsill. According to professional summer residents, there is nothing easier than growing lemon balm at home.
Plant features
Melissa is a perennial herb up to 80 cm high. The plant, depending on the variety, has leaves from green to silver, may have a different shape. It is worth noting that the leaves of lemon balm, regardless of the variety, are “pubescent” with slightly noticeable villi. The plant has a well-branched root. It blooms with small fragrant flowers of white, pink or purple color. This exotic herb is able to set fruits - leave the color until fully ripe and brown berries will definitely form in its place.
At the first breath, the leaves mashed in the hands resemble a lemon sound. But the more you enjoy the aroma of culture, the more versatile the aroma becomes.
Melissa, the cultivation of which has been popular in recent years, is a spicy culture valued for its aroma. It tastes bitter.
Beneficial features
The fragrant plant has not only a unique smell, but it is also very useful. The delicate leaves of the plant contain a large amount of vitamin C, which is indispensable for the immune system, and essential oils.
Due to its composition, the plant has always been popular not only in cooking, but also in medicine and cosmetology. Melissa tea or tincture will help get rid of poor appetite, insomnia, eliminate headaches, relieve stress, and eliminate depression.
Melissa retains its medicinal and culinary properties for a long time. Even after 24 months, dried melissa grass will still be fragrant and healthy. 
Features of varieties
Melissa is a popular aromatic plant. Today, many varieties have been bred, but the most beloved among summer residents are lemon, lime, upright, pearl.
Breeders also bred decorative varieties. For example, the Pure Gold variety has yellow leaves. In the sun they play with rays, shimmer and shine. Such plants are used to create flower beds and rockeries. It is not suitable for use in food or for the preparation of medicinal tinctures.
Variegated variety has a rich aroma. The plant is easy to care for and can even be grown in flowerpots on the windowsill. Variegated melissa has small leaves with a rich green color.
In European countries, lemon balm is grown on a field scale. It has become an irreplaceable spice. In our country, lemon balm is grown only for our own needs. If you have not yet settled lemon balm in your summer cottage, be sure to do it. Just a few leaves of a fragrant plant can add a twist to a familiar dish.
seed propagation
The easiest and most affordable way to grow this grass in a summer cottage is seed propagation. Seeds can be collected from an adult bush or purchased at a specialized store. Melissa growing from seeds which allows you to enjoy the freshness of the entire warm period is not demanding on soil, humidity, tolerates low temperatures perfectly. 
The plant is not afraid of frost and feels great even at high sub-zero temperatures. That is why you can sow seeds at any convenient time - even in the autumn. There are no clear restrictions for sowing fragrant grass seeds. Seeds can be germinated in spring, summer and even late autumn.
Rules for sowing melissa seeds:
- Grows in luxurious bushes. Therefore, it requires enough space for full development. When planting seeds in rows, it is necessary to ensure a row spacing of at least 30 cm.
- It should be sown at the rate of 2 g of dry seeds per m2.
- Seeds do not need strong deepening. They are sown to a depth of no more than 2 cm.
- Seeds are durable. Even after 3 years of storage, they will give friendly and uniform shoots.
- Dry seeds are sown in open ground. Do it in the spring. When planting in summer, it is recommended to use seedlings.
Lemon balm seeds are very small, and seedlings do not differ in abundance at the first stage of growth. That is why professionals recommend mixing lemon balm seeds with other crops, for example, lettuce or radish. Seeds are mixed 2:1 - for 2 parts of additional culture 1 part of lemon balm. This approach will allow you not to lose seedlings. Until the culture rises and grows to a noticeable size, radishes or lettuce can already be eaten.
In the first year of growth, young plants bloom, but do not set seeds. The fragrant culture needs time to gain strength and form an adult bush, ready before seeds are formed. Melissa simple cultivation and easy care which allows you to enjoy fragrant tea gives a full harvest only in the second year of growth.
The best option for planting melissa from seeds is to grow seedlings. 
Growing seedlings
Planting seedlings in open ground
Melissa is picky about the place. To plant a plant, you need to choose a space under the tree. But the place should not be dark, direct sunlight can also have a detrimental effect on the plant. Fragrant culture feels ideal in partial shade.
The soil for planting seedlings is prepared in advance. Melissa prefers slightly acidic sandy soil.
Preparing a place for planting seedlings of lemon balm:
- In autumn, they dig up a bed for lemon balm, choose weeds, unnecessary roots.
- Apply mineral fertilizers, rotted manure.
- In the event that the site has acidic soil, the place for seedlings is drained with brick or fine gravel. Acidic soil contributes to the formation of root rot - the plant dies sooner or later.
- Melissa loves high places. That is why the grass bed is made high.
Clay soil should be diluted with sand. 
In the spring, the prepared bed should be cleared of weeds. Can be weeded by loosening the soil after winter rest. Mark the rows at a distance of at least 30 cm between each other. The ideal row spacing is 45 cm. Seedlings are planted in one or two rows in a checkerboard pattern. The distance between plants should be 40 cm. If there is no need to save a landing site, the distance between plants increases to 60 cm. In such “chic” conditions, lemon balm will be able to reveal all its advantages. Having room to grow will allow a strong and branchy shrub to form.
The aroma of lemon balm is most saturated and refined until the moment of flowering. That is why it is harvested before the formation of flower stalks, trying to get the most sophisticated smell. .
Agrotechnics for sowing melissa seeds
Although propagation by lemon balm seeds is not an easy task, it is he who is preferred by professionals. After all, a bush grown from seeds is more resistant to adverse environmental factors. The lemon aroma with the seedling method is revealed much deeper. 
Seed sowing technology:
- Melissa seeds are soaked for several hours in a weak solution of manganese. A simple procedure will ensure the disinfection of seeds, the elimination of fungi.
- Seeds are sown in prepared containers 0.5 cm deep.
- Crops are gently moistened with settled water at room temperature.
- Boxes with seeds are covered with plastic wrap or glass, forming a kind of greenhouse.
- After 2 weeks, the first sprouts of fragrant lemon balm appear.
- After the formation of 2 leaves, the crops are thinned out.
Using this technology, you can grow lemon balm on the windowsill.
Care of young plants
- Melissa prefers bright places to grow. Provide her with such a place, and she will thank you with fragrant greens.
- Melissa is demanding on soil moisture. In summer, in extreme heat, it must be watered abundantly. When the temperature drops, watering the plants is stopped.
- Melissa responds well to timely pruning. In addition, removing greenery from the bush delays the flowering period.
- Melissa loves nutritious soil and is grateful for the fertilization. You can use both mineral and organic fertilizers.
Melissa is an amazing plant that is very easy to grow in your own country house. With very little effort, you can achieve a high yield and enjoy the lemon-honey aroma of an exquisite plant all year round.
