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Aperennial herbsometimes used in medicinal teas , catnip works is most well known for the intoxicate upshot it has on kat . “ The odour can trigger strange behaviour patterns . Some of these behavior include licking , chewing , chief judder , chin and cheek rubbing , rolling , and salivation , ” notes Jeff Schalau of theUniversity of Arizona Cooperative Extension .
However , only about two - third of adult cats have any reaction to the herb . ( Kittens do n’t . ) When take how to turn catnip , keep in mind that the plant ’s chemical substance paper resembles kat pheromones , and fascinated felines may end up damaging your catnip plant .
Growing Catnip at a Glance
Common Name : CatnipScientific Name : genus Nepeta catariaHardiness Zone : 3 to 9Soil : Light , well - drainedLight : Full Sunday to fond shadeWater : ModerateFood : Low - nitrogen organic fertilizerPropagation : SeedsSafety : Nontoxic in temperate amounts
Catnip Characteristics
A extremity of the mint sept , a full - grown Nepeta cataria plant reaches 3 foot tall and has square stems and toothed , triangular leaves up to 3 column inch long . A exclusive catmint flower is ¼ to ½ inch in sizing . These two - lipped flowers are blank with pink or purple smear , and blossom are produced on a whorled 1- to 6 - column inch spike with other blush in late spring and early summer .
According toMissouri Botanical Garden , “ catmint leaves have been used for making an herbal afternoon tea that reportedly help reduce anxiousness , stimulate rest , elevate perspiration , soothe mad throat , and puff bowl over tummy . ”
Fresh catnip can also be used as an herb for cooking . chop up catnip leave-taking make nifty additions to soup , sauce , pasta , and vegetable .
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Additionally , catnip plants are good for your garden . The herbrepels harmful insectssuch as aphids and squash bugs that can damage your crop .
Self - sowing heavy enough to be invasive , the herbaceous plant has naturalized throughout much of the U.S. So if you already have wild Nepeta cataria , you wo n’t involve to plant it .
Recommended Catnip Varieties
MostNepetacultivars are of species other thancataria , but there are a couple of straight Nepeta cataria cultivars .
Planting Catnip
Because the herbaceous plant tend to get mangled by cats , when planting catnip , you may want to choose a location out of their reach , such as ahanging basket . Alternatively , treat the plant with an upside - down telegram basket or bottomless birdie John Milton Cage Jr. to forbid them from getting to it .
When is the best time to plant catnip?
Start catnip from seeds indoors under a grow light 1 to 2 months before your last bounce frost . Once the catnip seedlings have reached 2 to 3 inches in superlative , you’re able to harden them off and transplant them into the ground outdoors in late fountain after all chance of frost has passed .
Where can catnip grow?
In the North , choose a positioning in full sun with well - drained soil that has a pH near 6.6 . In the South , opt for a position that receives sunlight in the first light and some refinement during the afternoon .
How do you plant catnip?
industrial plant catnip near where you sit outdoors to helprepel mosquito , deter emmet , and perhaps reduce the need for hemipterous insect sprays .
Can you grow catnip in containers?
If you have no elbow room to grow catnip in your garden or if you desire to keep your plant out of reach of prowling neck of the woods feline , you’re able to plant it in a hang basket that is at least 10 inches inscrutable . Keep it pinched back since it ’s typically too tall and gangly to make a skillful basketball hoop plant . The height of catmint makes growing Nepeta cataria indoors in a pot less than idealistic .
Watering Catnip
TheUniversity of Minnesota Extensionadvises that you irrigate in - ground herbs such as catnip “ once a calendar week by soaking the soil to a depth of 8 inches , to ensure that the root zona is invite enough moisture . ”
It also note that container plants may need watering as often as once per mean solar day during summertime to prevent their wilt but warn that soggy conditions can do root putrefaction . For that reason , make trusted those container have drainage holes and are occupy with a fast - draining grime .
Fertilizing Catnip Plants
The University of Minnesota Extension also warns against overfertilizing herbs as “ deep grunge may hurt the herb ’s quality by promoting rapid , luxuriant growth that will contain only small amounts of the essential oils that give herbs their characteristic aromas and feeling . ”
For in - ground herbs , apply a 5 - 10 - 5 organic fertilizeronce per year in spring at the rate of 1/8 cup per plant life , scratching it into the grease around the plant and watering it in . For container plants , choose a down in the mouth - nitrogen liquid organic fertilizer such as 2 - 4 - 1 , but apply it at only half the recommended pace once per month during the grow season .
Pruning Catnip
When turn Nepeta cataria , which is a naturally gangly plant , pinch it back early to encourage it to separate out . Once your seedlings are 3 to 4 column inch tall and have a few leaf , pinch or clip off the upmost twain of folio on each one to force it to produce side shoots . Then , when harvesting your catnip after it blooms , cut it back to within 3 to 4 inches of the ground to further it to number back thickly .
Propagating Catnip
You will getbetter germinationfrom catnip seeds by freezing them twice before you sow them . To do that , plainly place them inside a aught - top bag in your deep-freeze for a month , tolerate them to warming overnight , then place them back in the freezer again for another month .
Afterward , place them in lovesome water to melting before you press them into the airfoil of damp and sterile seed - start commixture without covering them . Keep that mixing at 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and you should see catnip sprouts in 10 to 20 mean solar day .
Safety Considerations
Although catmint is broadly speaking safe for both humans and their pets , theASPCAwarns that “ it can make vomiting and diarrhea ” and that “ it makes some cat sedated and others stimulated . ”
According toWebMD , “ Catnip is possibly safe for most adult when taken by lip in small amount , ” but it does note that it can cause vexation and disgorge if it ’s taken in excessive sum , such as if one were to drink several cup of Nepeta cataria tea .
Potential Pests and Diseases
Due to its insect - repelling qualities , catnip generally is n’t bothered by pest — unless you count stray cat .
Catnip may now and again contractpowdery mold , which looks like white powder on the leafage . This mildew is especially probable to appear when the weather condition is rain - free but humid with cool nights . To prevent mold , make certain your works obtain mass of Lord’s Day and are well space to allow tune circulation around them . Also , avoid overfertilizing when catnip is growing , as that can cause too much new growing that ’s susceptible to mould .
Harvesting Catnip
Because catnip grows quickly , you may be able-bodied to reap more than once a yr .
When is the best time to harvest catnip?
Although herbs are usually cut just before they bloom , some informant advocate harvesting catnip when it is in full blossom , as its flowers and leaves are the most strongly perfumed role of the plant . Flowering generally get in early summertime for plants more than a year quondam . Just - get down seedling may bloom later on .
How do you harvest catnip?
Because catnip efflorescence attract bee and white Anglo-Saxon Protestant as well as butterfly stroke , be measured where you grasp the stems while cutting them .
How do you store catnip?
Once your plants have dry out altogether , strip down off the catnip leaves and blossom and keep those , while discarding the stems . hive away the dried leaf and blooms in airtight container such as cap chalk jar or zip - top bags in a dim , nerveless emplacement for up to a year . If moisture build on the interior of the containers , this means the herb was n’t ironical enough when you stored it .
Preparing Catnip Plants for Winter
When Jack Frost begins nipping at your catnip in fall , your catnip works will snuff it back to the dry land . That is rude and nothing to be alarmed about . Unless your catmint is growing in soggy basis where water may freeze around its ascendant , it should pull round the winter well enough .
Hardy in USDA zone 3 through 9 , it may not have nine lives as its friend do , but it is a elusive plant . However , you may require to mulch perennial herbaceous plant with 2 or 3 inches or more of straw or drained folio to provide some tribute from drastic temperature variation .
Looking for more beginner - favorable herb ? Check out our guides on growingbasilandmint .
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Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners
We ’ll serve you set up your first garden — whether that ’s a few pots on your terrace , a call down layer , or an in - ground plot of ground out back — and take the correct plants for your soil and region .
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Photo: istockphoto.com
Photo: istockphoto.com
Photo: istockphoto.com
Photo: istockphoto.com
