Herb Lemon Balm Rooted Cutting Liner

Herb Lemon Balm (also known as Melissa Officinalis) is native to southern Europe and has been naturalized to much of North America. This popular perennial herb is a member of the mint family. This herb grows 10-24 inches tall and offers numerous benefits for your customer. Lemon Balm flourishes in average, well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. It attracts honeybees and its leaves have a strong, fresh fragrance. While it is typically planted in herb gardens or along borders, it can also be used as ground cover. Use this herb in cooking and to make tea; it is often recommended for use in flavoring ice cream, making Lemon Balm Pesto, adding to salads, and garnishing soup, chicken, pork, and egg dishes. Lemon Balm also has homeopathic healing applications as a soothing tea for anxiety and depression and for its anti-viral and antihistamine properties. Its white, pale yellow, or pink flowers bloom June-August.

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Lemon Balm Selling Tips

Sell Lemon Balm to your customers who want a low-maintenance herb for an herb garden or border. Many homeowners want easy, useful plants to grow in landscape borders. Lemon Balm offers many benefits. It attracts bees, flourishes in average well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade, and requires little ongoing maintenance other than pruning and removing flowers to prevent seed spreading. Though Lemon Balm is part of the mint family, it spreads by setting seed when it is finished flowering, whereas mint spreads through an underground root system. Lemon Balm has fragrant leaves and its white, pale yellow, or pink flowers bloom June-August. It will fill in a landscape border or grow tall and up to 24 inches wide as ground cover.

Coach your customer:

1. Plant Lemon Balm in containers, herb gardens, or along borders in well-drained average soil in full sun or partial shade. Plants should be spaced 24 inches apart.
2. Prune before flowers set seed to prevent Lemon Balm from spreading and taking over your garden. Cut back to half height in midsummer to encourage new, vigourous growth; water well after this cutting.
3. New leaves have the best fragrance. Snip stems or leaves off the plant to use in cooking or medicinally at any time, especially before flowering. Hang stems to dry, and then store leaves in a sealed container or freeze leaves for later use.
4. Lemon Balm may be susceptible to powdery mildew, leaf spot, and gray mold. Plant in well-drained soil in a sunny spot to help avoid these diseases.

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General Growing Tips For Your Rooted Cutting Liner

For best results with Lemon Balm, use well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade with a pH of 4.5-7.8 and no fertilizer. Plant one starter plant per 4 inch pot or 2-3 starts plants in 6-10 inch pots. We recommend spacing small containers 4-6 inches apart for airflow and light penetration. Larger containers will take more room. Watch for aphids, mites, thrips, and whiteflies as well as powdery mildew, leaf spot, and gray mold.

Flowering

Lemon Balm has small white, yellow, or pink flowers that bloom June-August. It is more known and used for its leaves, although bees are attracted to the flowers. Cut back to half height after bloom to encourage new, vigourous growth. Be sure to water thoroughly after this pruning.

Pinching

We recommend that you pinch Lemon Balm 5-10 days after transplanting to your final container. Growing herbs at cooler temperatures will help to keep the plants short and bushy.

Spacing

Space 4-inch, 6-inch, and gallon pots as needed to allow air flow and penetration of light between plants. Lemon Balm can grow to a 24" spread. We do not recommend planting them in 1801 or other traditional market trays as they tend to get leggy and have the potential for fungus problems when planted too close together.

Height Control

Lemon Balm can grow up to three feet in height. Cut back to control height and spread. Plant growth regulators are not recommended on herbs.

Pests

Whiteflies, aphids, mites, and occasionally mealybugs are all insects to watch out for with Lemon Balm.

Disease

Lemon Balm may be susceptible to powdery mildew, leaf spot, and gray mold. Planting in well-drained soil with plenty of space for airflow, watering at the base of the plant, and not handling foliage when wet will help mitigate risk for these diseases.

Powdery mildew is unlikely to cause the plant to die. This fungus causes a grayish powder on the surface of leaves, and can be treated by removing affected plant parts and using a preventative fungicide. Fungal leaf spot should not present a major problem, as it usually only causes cosmetic blemishes on plant foliage; this broad group of plant disease appears as small brownish lesions on plant leaves or flowers. It can be prevented by providing sufficient airflow, keeping plants away from standing water, and watering at the base of the plant. A fungicide can be used to treat leaf spot if the integrity of the plant will be damaged.

Gray mold appears as a dark blight on plant foliage. Manage gray mold by providing sufficient airflow, keeping plants spaced, and watering at the base of the plants in the morning so they have a chance to dry off during the day. Take care not to wound plants when pruning or harvesting, as wounded plants are more susceptible to gray mold. Remove infected plant parts.

Planting Lemon Balm Liners

1. If you are planting 4" pots, 1 plant per pot should be sufficient. We recommend at least 3 starters per pot for 6" and larger. Use a well-drained soil in your pots and plant your starter plants deep, allowing the ellepot to be completely covered by the soil. Plant it directly in the middle of your pot.
2. Pinching is recommended 5-10 days after transplantation of rooted cuttings. A second pinch may be necessary depending on the size and shape of the final pot.

Rooted Cuttings

Cuttings vary in size between different plant families. These rooted starter plants will arrive ready to be transplanted in to your final container. If they are to be used in a landscape application, you will need to establish them in a 4 inch pot or an 1801 before planting outside.

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