Introduction to the article: What is the language of mint and the explanation of the meaning and symbolic significance of green plants and flowers, followed by a detailed sharing.
In ancient times, there was a type of small grass growing by the roadside that often suffered from being trampled by passers-by. To everyone's surprise, this unremarkable small grass released a cool and迷人的 fragrance the more it was trampled. There is also a beautiful legend about this small grass in Greek mythology.
Hades, the god of the underworld, fell in love with the beautiful spirit Mansi, which made Persephone, the wife of the god of the underworld, very jealous. She tried every means to make Hades forget Mansi, but failed. Driven by jealousy, Persephone finally resorting to drastic measures and turned Mansi into an unremarkable small grass, letting her grow by the roadside to be trampled by people. However, the strong and kind-hearted Mansi, after becoming a small grass, possessed a comfortable and迷人的 fragrance, which became more intense the more she was trampled. Although she became a small grass, she was loved by more and more people.
This small grass is mint.
Mint, also known as silver丹草, fish fragrant grass, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Labiatae family. For Chinese people, mint is a kind of wild vegetable that can be used for both medicine and food, growing in lowlands, roadsides, riverbanks, lakesides, and gardens. In China, the artificial cultivation of mint has a history of more than 2000 years.
The distribution of mint is very wide, and it grows in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. The Mediterranean and Western Asia are rich in mint production. In China, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces are the largest producing areas of mint. Mint has a very strong vitality; it does not have high requirements for soil and sunlight and has a natural fragrance, making it very useful and a plant that is very suitable for home planting.
The most important tip for choosing mint is to choose a pot of mint that is locally produced as much as possible. Why? Because the local mint has already become accustomed to the local climate during the growth process, naturally, it is the easiest to raise. Generally speaking, as long as it is placed in a sunny place, watered once or twice a day, and kept ventilated without being hot, the mint can thrive.
Mentioning flower cultivation, many online articles will repeatedly emphasize the need to master the three elements of sunlight, water, and soil. However, when it comes to specific operations, it is often confusing for even experienced flower friends to figure out the relationship between these three elements. The reason for the confusion during specific operations is often due to a lack of understanding of the plant's growth habits. So, let's first get to know the growth habits of mint.
Wild mint prefers a warm, humid environment with plenty of sunlight. It grows best when the temperature is between 20-30℃. As long as there is sufficient water, mint can maintain its body temperature through transpiration, and even in the hot summer near 40℃, mint can still grow vigorously. In autumn and winter, when the weather cools down, mint will slow down its growth and protect itself by reducing the water content in the leaves. If the temperature approaches zero, the above-ground part of the mint will wither. However, don't think that mint withering means it's dead. Among herbaceous plants, mint is known for its cold resistance. When grown in the open, mint can safely survive in extremely cold environments of -30℃. For potted mint, you can choose to care for it indoors, and under suitable conditions, it can stay green all year round.
Mint bought from the flower market should be placed in a sunny place for maintenance. Balconies, south-facing windowsills, and desktops by the window are all good places to grow mint. The leaves of mint have an active transpiration process and are a plant that consumes a lot of water. In spring, summer, and autumn, with sufficient sunlight, we should keep the potting soil of mint moist. Generally speaking, when the surface soil is about to dry, it's time to water the mint. If the weather is hot and dry, sometimes it is necessary to water it every day, or even twice a day, to ensure that the mint has sufficient water supply.
Many mint-growers have experienced the situation where the newly bought mint wilts overnight, and if not saved in time, the mint may die. For mint, which loves water, this kind of wilting is a common condition, and there's no need to worry as long as the water shortage doesn't last long. I once forgot to water the mint in the morning, causing the whole pot of mint to be wilted by the midday sun. Usually, there's no need to worry in this situation. As long as you water it thoroughly with a lot of water, within a few hours, the wilted mint will recover and become vigorous again.
What is the language of mint
If you want to propagate mint in a home environment, the simplest and most successful method is hydroponics. Mastering the correct hydroponic method allows us to let mint multiply from one to two, from two to three, and from three to another pot of mint.
Hydroponic mint can be divided into three steps:
1. The first step: Find a piece of mint with good growth and thick stems, cut off the top part, generally a section containing 3-4 internodes, put it in a glass bottle or beverage bottle filled with water, and pay attention to cut the cutting surface into an oblique shape to increase the mint's water absorption capacity and help the mint take root.
2. The second step: Fill the hydroponic container with 2/3 water, then insert the cuttings of mint into the water. Note that the stem of the mint can be soaked in water, but do not let the leaves soak in the water. For convenience, we can remove the two lowest leaves of the cutting.
3. The third step: Place the hydroponic container with the cuttings in a place with scattered light or shade for a few days. During this time, we don't need to do anything, just wait. In just 3-5 days, you will see that the cut surface of the mint has grown white and tender new roots.
Before they take root, you don't even need to change the water. The cuttings may experience leaf wilting and shedding during the initial rooting process, which is normal, caused by insufficient nutrient supply. Just wait patiently for a few days, and after the new roots sprout, everything will improve.
Seeing the thriving hydroponic mint, you might ask whether you can let these hydroponic-rooted mint seedlings stay in the hydroponic bottle all the time. My answer is, of course, you can. However, if you want the mint in the hydroponic bottle to grow well, you still need some skills.
1. After the hydroponic mint takes root, it should be placed in a place with sufficient light and shade, usually by the window, and pull the gauze during the strong midday sun.
2. It's not necessary to change the water too frequently. If the water in the bottle decreases, you can add water appropriately, but be careful not to add too much water, allowing the mint's water roots to slightly emerge above the water surface is very suitable.
3. Spraying water on the leaves of mint is not only for beauty but also can reduce the water consumption of mint. Therefore, it is advisable to spray water on the leaves to keep them moist.
4. To promote the growth of mint, we can add some nutrient solution appropriately. You don't need to buy very professional nutrient solutions; just dilute common foliar fertilizers and add them to the water, which can be used as a nutrient solution. If no nutrients are added, mint will grow slowly due to the lack of mineral elements. But don't worry, even if you only use tap water, mint will not die.
5. When changing the base water, it's best to clean the roots of the mint. The slimy stuff on the roots is adherent bacteria, and cleaning the roots will make the mint more vigorous. If there is green algae in the hydroponic bottle, it should also be cleaned, as green algae can also adhere to the roots of the mint, affecting the health of the roots.
6. If the leaves turn black during the hydroponic process, they should be removed in time. For herbaceous plants like mint, there's no need to worry about picking leaves; on the contrary, the more you pick, the better they grow.
Mint grows very fast and can be branched, that is, one branch is pinched off and divided into two branches to continue hydroponics. If you like, you can just hydroponic like this; with a beautiful bottle and green branches randomly placed on the desktop or windowsill, it is a delight to look at.
Of course, mint grows better in soil because soil contains a more comprehensive range of mineral elements. When the hydroponic mint has dense roots, it can be transplanted into the soil. As mentioned earlier, mint does not have high soil requirements and can grow well in garden soil, sandy soil, or mixed soil.
Many flower friends often complain that why does everyone else's mint grow fast, but my mint always stays small and doesn't grow? Actually, if you want mint to grow in a pot, there's a small trick: every spring or autumn, give the mint a slightly larger pot. When changing pots, you can add a little base fertilizer and add fertile nutrient soil. The roots of mint grow rapidly, and the more developed the roots, the faster the leaves of the mint will grow. With proper topping management, mint can sprout more new buds and grow more luxuriantly.
Long-term interaction with plants will make you discover that plants are very spiritual lives. Plants don't understand the concept of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, but they can infer the change of seasons through the changes of sunlight, temperature, and water. Spring for growth, summer for prosperity, autumn for harvest, winter for storage, plants follow these laws to grow throughout the year. Plants grown at home, as long as sunlight, water, and temperature are controlled well, can help plants survive the harsh winter.
If the minimum temperature in your home during winter can also be higher than 15℃, you can let the mint get more sunlight and maintain its growth. If it doesn't reach such temperature conditions, you should let the mint enter dormancy and reduce the watering amount appropriately, without letting the soil completely dry out. When spring comes and everything grows, the mint can recover its vigorous state.