Saflax - Organic - Lemon Balm - Melissa officinalis - 1000 seeds - Sweet fragrance on the windowsill – refreshing in drinks and salads. A nice gift for good friends - or for yourself. A small gift box (10 x 10 x 10 cm) with a pot, a dome lid made of biodegradable PLA for the ideal greenhouse climate, germ-free dried growing substrate and of course the seeds you have selected. Worth knowing: Lemon Balm is a long-lasting, up to one meter tall plant that produces small, beautiful, white-coloured blossoms from June until September. It smells of lemon and the fragrance is especially strong, if you crush the leaves between your fingers. . Lemon Balm provides freshness in your kitchen. The preferably young leaves are well-suited for blend of herbs and salad dressings, as well as for fruit desserts where the fresh, lemon-like flavour is desirable. Whole leaves can also be used for garnish. Lemon Balm leaves frozen in ice cubes are a real eye-catcher when serving the right cool drinks. If you want to prepare a Lemon Balm tea you will need quite a lot of fresh leaves, as the aroma will fade while brewing with boiling water. In its first year, you shouldn’t pick too many leaves off the plant. The best times for harvesting are in June, beginning of August and end of September. The plucked leaves should be dried quickly, but not in the sun. Dried leaves are almost black and can last for up to one year when kept in a sealed box. Yellow leaves should be taken out. The dried leaves should not be kept in a metal box. Natural Place: The plant originated in the Middle East and is cultivated today in Europe, North Africa and America. Cultivation: The best time for propagation is starting in February at a sunny place indoors as the seed is a light germinator. Scatter the seeds onto moist coconut substrate or organic herbal soil and slightly press them on. Cover the seed container with clear film to prevent the soil from drying out, but don’t forget to make some holes in the clear film and take it every second or third day completely off for about 2 hours. That way you avoid mold formation on the potting compost. Place the seed container somewhere bright and warm with a temperature between 20°C and 25° Celsius and keep the surface of the earth moist, but not wet (ideally using a water sprayer). Depending on the propagation temperature the first seedlings will come up after two to five weeks. Seedlings that are already raised indoors can be planted out with beginning of May. As soon as there is no more night frost expected, you can move the seedling with its complete root ball, to avoid stress for the plant. Place: The plant needs the sun, warmth and a wind-sheltered place to produce its full aroma. Care: Keep the soil always moist, but not wet. Water your plant as soon as the top layer of the earth has dried out. Fertilize the plant either very modest with compost or organic fertilizer for herbs, or don’t fertilize at all. During Winter: In late autumn, the plant retracts all aerial parts and its leaves and flowers wither. You may then cut back the plant close to the ground and your Lemon Balm will hibernate in its subterranean rhizome. Tub plants, however, need to be wrapped up for frost protection during the winter and kept in a dark and cool place for hibernation. Keep watering the plant also in winter, but only moderately and on frost-free days. Bonsai: No Picture credits: Because of technical limitations links are shown as text. 55315-melissa-officinalis-seed-package-front-german.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 15315-melissa-officinalis-cultivation-instruction-german.jpg - Frank Laue - © Saflax - saflax.de/copyright 15315-32-melissa-officinalis.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 15315-33-melissa-officinalis.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 15315-34-melissa-officinalis.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 15315-34-melissa-officinalis.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 15315-35-melissa-officinalis.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 15315-36-melissa-officinalis.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 15315-37-melissa-officinalis.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright