Catmints are an aromatic herb that is commonly grown by gardeners. This is because the plant produces small flowers that make your house look quite appealing. The colors on the flowers range from a bluish to a lavender shade that attracts most people to your garden. The plant is quite easy to maintain, and it has an interesting story behind its origin. In older times, people used to plant catmint as a ground cover because of how easily it spreads. It was spread all across the small Roman town of Nepeti where it was often used to repel insects.
Additionally, the plant also contains medicinal properties which are why people also use it to make herbal tea. Aside from this, you should note that there are also some questions that people ask regarding this mint. A common query that is recently being reported is “Can you split catmint?”. If you are also wondering about this, then there are some things that you need to go through. This is why we will be using this article to provide you with all the relevant information required to understand this question.
Can You Split Catmint?
Catmints are small herbs that start spreading quickly. Although, the mint usually stays in its place and the leaves on It start making the plant taller. This is why people often ask if you can use cuttings to grow new plants. When it comes to this, the answer is “yes”, catmint plants can be split into multiple herbs as long as you do this carefully. Several factors play a huge role in how the split herbs will perform but as long as you take proper care of them, most problems can be avoided.
Now that you understand this, the first thing to look out for is the condition of your herbs. The healthier your plant is, the more chances there are of its new cuttings growing out without any issues. The maintenance is quite easy as you only have to plant the plant in an optimal spot. Just make sure that the herbs get constant sunlight throughout the day and that the soil around them is kept moist. As long as these factors are in check, the mint should stay healthy.
You will notice the plant trying to spread in awkward positions sometimes which is why its growth has to be kept under control. When it comes to this, people can use different types of cutting techniques to ensure that the plant only spreads in the desired locations. As long you follow these steps, the catmint plants can stay healthy throughout the year. Now that you understand this, the next step that you need to be aware of is how the herb can be split into several plants.
The process is quite easy as you don’t even have to take cuttings out of the existing plant. The only thing that has to be done is that you take off your existing catmint and remove it completely from the soil. This helps in easy separating different roots and stems so that they can be split. Make sure that you evenly distribute the plant so that it stays strong and healthy enough to grow new roots.
Depending on how much your catmint had already spread out, people might be able to make 3 or even 4 herbs out of the single one. Some users might wonder why splitting the herb is required when they can get the same amount of mint by keeping it as a single plant. When it comes to this, you should note that the plant growing out in a single spot will eventually stop as it finds it difficult to access the nutrients required to keep it healthy.
On the other hand, if you split your catmint then this will start growing new roots and stems that will eventually allow it to form separate plants that have the same size as your single plant had previously. This is a great way of spreading catmint all around your garden without ever having to plant new seeds. Keep in mind that some users often confuse this type of mint with catnip. While these are both similar to look at and even have similar names, the plant is completely different. This is why you shouldn’t accidentally confuse the two varieties.