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Perennial plants always attract the attention of gardeners. Especially appreciated are those that have not only a beautiful appearance, but can also be used for other purposes, for example, in cooking. One such plant is Variegata mint, which combines both decorative and culinary and medicinal properties.
Description of mint variegata
Mint Variegata is a common garden plant that is grown mainly for culinary and medicinal purposes.
Its main characteristics are given in the table:
Parameter | Value |
Synonyms | Fragrant mint Variegata, pineapple mint, ginger mint Variegata |
Plant type | Perennial herbaceous |
Stem | Hard, straight, green, grows up to 0.4-0.5 m |
Leaves | Green, with light beige edging, lowered from top to bottom. The sheet plate is soft, strongly corrugated, with a wavy, uneven edge |
Flowers | Small, white, clustered in spike-shaped inflorescences at the tops of the stems |
Flowering period | July August |
Root | Branched, treelike, superficially horizontal, with a small lobe of adventitious roots |
The use of mint variegat in cooking
Cooking is one of the main uses of Variegat 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 aroma of Variegata mint
Variegat 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 Variegat mint
In cooking, variegat 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 the recipes for a large number of jams, compotes, mousses, fruit drinks. Fresh variegat mint leaves are used to decorate various dishes and glasses of drinks. Often, the leaves are used as spices for the preservation of various vegetables and fruits.
A short video about the use of mint in everyday life:
Landing rules
There is nothing difficult in growing Variegat mint. It grows well on moist, loose, fertile soils, heavy clay areas are not suitable for it. It is preferable to plant it in well-lit places, especially if the planting is carried out in order to decorate the personal plot. In the shade, mint Variegata also grows well, but the light border on the leaves, which gives the plant a decorative look, dims greatly in low light conditions.
It is better to prepare the sowing beds in the fall by digging them up with the addition of compost. The best time for planting Variegat mint in open ground is 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 for planting, and also disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 25-30 minutes. Then they are rinsed with clean water and air dried.
Planting Variegat mint is very simple. Seeds are laid out on the soil surface at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other and slightly sunk into the ground. Then the bed is watered and covered with plastic wrap until the first shoots appear. If the weather is warm outside, then it is not necessary to close the crops.
Growing features
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 Variegat mint daily. This should be done in the evening so that the bright sun rays, concentrated by drops of water, do not burn the foliage of the plants. The water should be warm and settled, so you need to collect it in containers in advance. If the weather is cloudy and cool, the frequency of irrigation should be reduced and be guided by soil moisture and natural precipitation.
It is imperative to remove weeds from the mint garden. They not only shade plants, interfering with the process of photosynthesis, but also absorb nutrients in large quantities from the soil, which inhibits the growth of cultivated plants. Simultaneously with the destruction of weeds, loosening of the soil is also carried out, but this must be done very carefully. The roots of Variegat mint are horizontal and close to the surface.
If the weather conditions allow growing variegat 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 put spruce branches, and with the onset of winter, additionally build a snow blanket.
Pests and diseases
With a competent crop rotation of the disease, pests are quite rare on Variegata mint. Problems appear in case of violations in care, as well as in case of unfavorable weather conditions. Here are the main diseases of Variegat mint:
- Powdery mildew. One of the most common fungal diseases affecting various garden crops. More often it manifests itself with a sharp 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 off. For the prevention of powdery mildew disease, it is recommended to carry out deep plowing of the beds in the fall, and during the growing season to process the plantations with ground sulfur or its colloidal solution.
- Anthracnose. Fungal disease, manifested in the form of brown spots on the leaves. To prevent disease, plants are treated several times during the season with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid.
- 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 the cultivation of mint in a multi-year cycle. In diseased leaves, spore pads of a characteristic reddish-brown color appear on the reverse side, over time they grow, the leaves turn black and die off. Fight rust with preventive fungicide treatments.
- Verticillary wilting, or wilt. A dangerous disease that causes the death of the mint bush. The plant affected by the disease begins to dry out from above, while the tip withers, and the leaves curl, turn black and die off. It is not possible to cure wilt with modern means. The affected plant is dug up and burned. Re-planting of mint in such a site is allowed no earlier than after 9-10 years.
Insect pests are no less dangerous for Variegat mint. In this case, all parts of the plant, both aboveground and in the soil, can be affected. Here are the most dangerous pests of Variegat mint:
- Mint mite. It is found mainly in the southern regions. It feeds on the juice of the apical shoots. To combat the mint mite, various acaricides are used, and at the end of the season, the soil on the site is plowed deeply. If these insects are found, it is recommended not to plant Variegat mint in this place for the next 3 years.
- Common aphid. Microscopic sucking insect that feeds on plant juices. Aphid colonies are located mainly on the stems and on the back of the leaf blades. If there are few insects, sometimes they can be washed off with plain water. As folk remedies 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 the mint leaves.
- Weevil. Adults feed on the young greens of the plant. It is better to collect them by hand or shake them off on 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 light yellow or light orange body. The wireworm feeds on the roots of plants, gnawing through long winding passages in them and nibbling at the tips. In the presence of this pest, it is better to change the site for planting mint.
When and how to collect Variegat mint
You can start harvesting Variegat mint from mid-July. At this time, inflorescences appear in the bushes, and a sufficient amount of aromatic substances has already been accumulated in the leaves. For harvesting 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 performed, removing damaged or blackened leaves.
How to dry variegat mint properly
Dried bundles of bound Variegat 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, this negatively affects the aroma. The dryness of Variegat 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 earthenware or glass container. It is allowed to use clean canvas bags for storage, but they must be kept away from other strong-smelling substances.
Conclusion
Mint Variegata is a beautiful ornamental plant that combines many useful properties. Planting it is quite simple, very little space is required for it in the beds, and care is not difficult. It can be grown both in a one-year and in a multi-year cycle, while the measures to prepare the plant for winter will not take much time and money.
