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Can you grow lemon balm indoors? expert tips for success

Pabio November 12, 2024

Lemon balm is a great houseplant, bringing a touch of greenery and a delicious citrus scent to an indoor space. It’s a simple herb to grow, but there are a few important facets to master for the plants to thrive year-round indoors.

To grow lemon balm indoors, plants can be purchased from garden centers or grown from seeds or cuttings from existing clumps. Whichever option you choose, aspects such as location, soil, watering and feeding are essential for your plants to thrive.

Whether you want to use the fresh, fragrant leaves in teas, salads, cooking, baking, flavored water or homemade ice cream, find out everything you need to know to grow lemon balm inside successfully.

How to Care for Lemon Balm Indoors

Lemon balm can make a fantastic houseplant, however, it is important to give it the right home to help it flourish.

Lemon balm can grow year-round as a houseplant, or plants can be moved outdoors for the summer to a patio or deck and brought indoors to overwinter.

The plants have specific growing requirements as houseplants, which differ from growing lemon balm outdoors. aromatic herb planter all year round. Avoid making indoor herb growing mistakes and learn about the light, soil, watering and fertilizing requirements for success.

Light

Lemon balm growing on a bright windowsill

Light levels are very important when growing lemon balm indoors. It needs at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day to thrive, so choosing a bright location with plenty of light is crucial. A bright windowsill facing south, southwest or east can provide all the necessary light levels, however, too much direct sunlight can damage plants.

As David Denyerflower expert at Eflorist, warns: “While it can tolerate some direct sunlight, direct heat from the sun can burn its leaves.” Although a plant can be turned if the leaves begin to burn, choosing a location that receives plenty of bright, indirect light, rather than intense direct sunlight in summer, can avoid leaf burn problems.

Using indoor plant standsOr indoor plant shelvescan help increase natural light levels by raising them to heights where they get the ideal light levels. During the winter months, LED grow lights may be needed to supplement the light and help caring for indoor plants in winter.

David Denyer

David Denyer has over 35 years of experience in floristry and has won numerous honors and awards. David has captivated audiences around the world, showcasing his passion for floristry in Europe, China, Australia and America. Her captivating demonstrations have left a lasting impression on flower lovers around the world.

Ground

A good potting soil for herbs as lemon balm will above all be well drained, as the plant does not like to stay in damp and soggy soil. A well-formulated and labeled potting soil for herbs or vegetables will be a good choice. Alternatively, you can make your own potting soil by combining compost, coconut fiberAnd vermiculite or perlite for additional drainage.

The container can be made of many different materials, but there must be holes in the bottom for drainage to allow excess water to escape. No drainage hole is a container gardening mistake this can lead to smothered roots and dead plants.

Watering

Lemon balm prefers evenly moist soil, but not wet or waterlogged soil. David Denyer says “watering is essential to keeping your lemon balm happy and growing” and adds: “The soil must be kept consistently moist for maximum growth. Allow the top inch of soil to dry slightly between each watering to prevent roots from rotting, so use your finger to check before watering.

It is recommended to use your fingers to measure humidity levels a few centimeters below the surface when watering plants in containers. If it’s wet, don’t water. If it is dry, water, but not too much.

Alternatively, using a soil moisture meter, available on Amazoncan help you judge when aquatic plants and avoid overwatering houseplants. Plants can be watered from above with a watering can or from below by placing them in a container and allowing the soil to absorb the moisture.

Food

Lemon balm does not need regular supplemental feeding when grown outdoors, however, it will benefit from additional nutrients in an indoor container as it can utilize all the goodness of the soil.

“A balanced liquid fertilizer once a month during the growing season will help keep the plant lush and vigorous,” recommends David Denyer. “A mixture of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, such as a 10-10-10 ratio, meaning it is balanced, is a good choice.”

Balanced fertilizers dedicated to indoor plants are granular or liquid products. The former are mixed into the soil, while liquid foods are water-soluble and applied when you water the plants.

FAQs

Can I root lemon balm in water?

Costs plant cuttings lemon balm can be propagated in water to grow indoors. Take a 4 to 6 inch softwood cutting of fresh growth using sharp pruner or scissors, remove the lower leaves and place them in a glass of water. It should begin to develop roots when kept in a bright location and can be planted in the ground once the roots are a few inches long.

Can I grow lemon balm from seed indoors?

To grow lemon balm from sow indoorssow the seeds directly into pots and cover them lightly with soil. Keep them at 65 to 70°F on a bright windowsill and the seeds should germinate quickly. Thin the plants as they develop so that you have one strong lemon balm plant per pot.

Pruning and harvesting lemon balm regularly will keep the plants compact and bushy. Once the plants reach at least six inches tall, begin cutting the stems for use.

Frequent harvesting will prevent the plant from flowering, making the citrus leaves more bitter. Lemon balm is also known for self-seedingthus preventing the formation of flowers – and dead head any flowers that appear – eliminates the risk of the plant spreading to nearby containers.

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