Tips for growing lemon balm fragrant indoor plants for health and happiness

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is the mint family’s bushy, perennial herb. This plant can offer a fresh, clean scent to your house. When brushed between the fingers, the plant’s compact, oval leaves give off a pleasant lemon aroma. The care and fertilization requirements for lemon balm are very low. You can move it outside during the warmer months, which will draw bees and keep insects away. Lemon balm fragrant indoor plants are incredibly useful in addition to their aromatic qualities. The leaves can be cut often and used to add flavor to soups, salads, sauces, and ice cream. You can also boil the leaves to make lemon balm tea, which is good for your mood, helps you sleep better, eases pain, and more.

The International Herb Association named lemon balm Herb of the Year in 2007. It is a hidden gem in the world of herb gardening. Continue to explore more about growing lemon balm fragrant indoor plants.

Variety of Lemon Balm Fragrant Indoor Plants

(a) Citronella 

It has a very soothing smell and is one of the most flavourful. It also works well to keep mosquitoes away. 

(b) Variegated 

This variety of lemon balm fragrant indoor plants smells and tastes strongly of mint and is often used in cooking and aromatherapy. 

(c) Limonella 

This kind of lemon balm smells the best of all the different kinds. You can put this plant’s leaves in salads or soups. 

(d) Lime Balm 

This type has leaves that are bright green and smell strongly of lime. it has a use in cooking and decorative purpose.

Care of Lemon Balm Fragrant Indoor Plants

(1) Light 

Lemon balm loves a sunny spot, whether it’s inside or outside. But unlike lemon balm plants that grow outside, which can handle shade, the ones grown inside need at least five to six hours of sunlight a day.

Put your herb pots near a windowsill that gets a lot of light all day. If your lemon balm fragrant indoor plants are getting a lot of direct sunlight or their leaves are turning brown, turn them around every so often to keep them from getting burned. 

(2) Soil 

You can use a pot of almost any size, but the bigger the pot, the more lemon balm you’ll get as the plant grows.Lemon balm grows best in soil that is a little sandy and drains well.

Most basic potting soils will work fine, but if your mixture is too thick or stays too wet between waterings, mix it with sand or a drier type of soil, like the cactus mix. Also, the pH of your soil should be somewhere between neutral and acidic, with the best level being between 6.7 and 7.3.

When choosing a pot for your lemon balm plant, choose one with many drainage holes to keep the herb from getting too wet and the roots from rotting. One made of porous clay or terracotta can also be helpful because it will help pull any extra water out of the soil. 

(3) Water 

When watering your lemon balm plant, always prefer giving it less water instead of giving it too much. Reason: Like many herbs, lemon balm plants can easily recover from wilting, which is caused by thirst, but if they get too much water, they quickly die or bolt.

Your exact watering schedule for lemon balm fragrant indoor plants will depend on your home’s climate and how much sun the plant gets, but a good rule of thumb is to water in small amounts (don’t soak) when the top inch or so of soil in the pot has dried out. 

(4) Temperature and Humidity

The lemon balm plant doesn’t have many needs regarding where it lives indoors. In general, it’s best to keep your herbs away from drafts of too cold or too hot air, like in front of an air conditioner or next to a radiator.

Also, lemon balm fragrant indoor plants don’t need a humid environment to grow, so you don’t have to worry about using a humidifier to add more moisture to the air. 

(5) Fertilizer 

Lemon balm doesn’t need extra food beyond what the soil gives it, but you can help it grow by giving it a light liquid fertilizer every few weeks. Remember that fertilizing some herbs can make their smell or taste less strong. If you’re growing lemon balm specifically for cooking, you probably don’t need to fertilize it.

Pruning Lemon Balm Plants

Lemon balm trimming is difficult to do wrong because of its aggressive growth. Even if the herb is cut back several times a year, it will always grow back. But we don’t think a final heavy pruning right before winter is a good idea. The plant needs dead shoots to protect it from the cold winter weather.

Harvesting and Curing of Lemon Balm Fragrant Indoor Plants

Frequent harvesting encourages branching and keeps lemon balm bushy and compact. You should take off about a third of the leaves monthly to promote healthy growth. Please don’t hurt the leaves when you pick the plant before it starts to bloom.

After harvesting, tie the stems together and hang them in the shade or away from direct sunlight to dry. Dried leaves still look green but don’t smell as good as fresh ones. Carefully pull the dried leaves off the stems and store them in containers that won’t let air in.

Propagating Lemon Balm Plant

(1) Seed

• From a seed, lemon balm grows quickly. Take a container at least 4″ wide and 1 L volume. Press two seeds into the ground at each spot. Keep the soil warm, between 65°F and 80°F (70°F is best).
• Most sprouts show up in 10 days, but it can take as little as 7 days or as long as 14 days, depending on the conditions.
• Please don’t cover the seeds because they need light to grow. You can speed up the process by soaking the seeds in water for 12 to 24 hours before planting them.

(2) Stem

• If you already have a Lemon Balm plant you like (or a friend does! ), you can easily “clone” it with sharp scissors and a clean glass of water. First, cut a few new shoots that are 6 inches long (avoid anything woody).
• Next, remove the lower leaves, leaving just the stem at the bottom. Put the leaf in a glass with 3″ of water and ensure the spots where you cut it are under the water. Put the glass on a bright windowsill and change the water every few days.
• In a couple of weeks, roots should start to grow, at which point you can move the plant into your container. Even though it won’t hurt Lemon Balm plants to use more rooting hormones, it’s unnecessary. 
• Cut a 6-inch piece of the new growth. Take off half of the leaves and put them in water on a sunny window sill. Wait 7–14 days until a few 1/2-inch roots have grown, then carefully move the plants into their final container.

Weeds in Lemon Balm Plant

Controlling weeds is very important because weeds in the dried product will make the herb less useful.

Like mint, lemon balm grows quickly and can quickly take over a herb bed.

Growing plants in containers can solve this problem. If you plant it in soil, you should pick the leaves often, take off the flowers before they produce seeds, and dig around the edges of the plant to stop the roots from spreading.

Diseases and Pest Lemon Balm Plant

In general, lemon balm fragrant indoor plants are highly resilient and rarely harmed by pests or illnesses. If there are indications of an infestation, one of the following possibilities may apply. There are occasionally pest outbreaks on lemon balm. 

Powdery mildew: White coating on the leaves indicates the presence of powdery mildew. 

Mint Rust: When you observe brownish-red blotches on the leaves of lemon balm, you most likely have a rust fungal infestation. 

Aphids: The little insects themselves swarming on the plant are a sure sign of an aphid infestation. 

Heavy pruning typically helps in the prevention of these diseases and pests. They often occur due to excessively nutrient-rich soil when too much nitrogen is available to the plant.

(Also Read- Everything about Growing Medicinal Plants Indoors).

Conclusion

Lemon balm is a great choice for a houseplant because it smells like lemons, tastes good in food and drinks, and makes a beautiful potted plant for a sunny window ledge. If you know what this herb needs, you can grow it indoors all year. Grow lemon balm fragrant indoor plants following these tips.