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Bergamot mint (Mentha citrata) profile

Written by Maggie

Mar 01 2021

Bergamot mint (Mentha citrata) profile

Bergamot Mint is a perennial herb, prostrate with leaves, all glabrous or nearly glabrous. Bergamot Mint stem is decumbent, tortuous, 30 -- 60 cm tall, much branched, four-prism, microfluted.

Bergamot mint picture

Bergamot mint

Morphological characteristics of the Bergamot mint

Bergamot mint is a perennial herb, prostrate with leaves, all glabrous or nearly glabrous. Stem isdecumbent, sinuous, 30-60 cm tall, much branched, tetra-prism, microfluted. Middle cauline leaf short stipitate, ca. 2 mm long, wide ovoid or oblong, 2-4 cm long, 1.5 3 cm wide, apex obtuse, base nearly rounded to shallow heart, edge thin sharp blade, thin paper, the green, light green, below two sides glabrous, lateral veins 4 or 5 pairs, with midrib slightly concave on the following obvious uplift and white; Upper stems and leaves of bergamot mint are often small, sometimes nearly lanceolate, apex acute. Inflorescences are densely growing spikes of 2.5 -- 4 cm at stem and branch tips; Bracts are linear-lanceolate, shorter than cymbose; Pedicels ca. are 1 mm, glabrous. Calyx of Bergamot mint is tubular, 1.5 mm long, glabrous outside, glandular, calyx teeth 5, linear subulate, 0.5 mm long. Corolla of Bergamot mint is lavender, 4 mm long, glabrous, tube 2.5 mm long, eaves with 4 lobes. Bergamot mint has 4 stamens, extended, subequal, filaments filiform, glabrous, anthers purple, ovoid, 2-loculed. Style protruding corolla many, apex equally 2-lobed, lobes subulate. Disk flat-topped. 

The ecology of the Bergamot mint

Bergamot mint is pleasant to grow in temperate climate, sunshine, moist soil, soil loose fertile, good drainage place. It is better to plant oil sand soil and chicken dung soil, and it must be replanted in the ground after planting 2-3 years, otherwise the plant growth is poor, many diseases and insect pests, low yield, poor quality.

The Bergamot Mint distribution area

Bergamot mint originates from Europe.China Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou and other places are cultivated.

Bergamot mint

Bergamot mint propagation

Cultivation method is mainly propagated by rhizome, also propagated by cutting.

Rootstock propagation

It is better to choose the great cold planting at the end of winter. First, the selected land was sown with barnyard manure, about 1,500 kilograms per acre of land were ploughed into the soil as base fertilizer, the ploughed land was about 0.8 to 1 chi deep, the soil was finely raked, and the soil was opened with a width of 4 chi and a drainage ditch 8 cun deep. Then, select strong, fat and white rhizome growth, cut into about 8 inches of nodes, each node must have a new bud at the end. In the prepared soil on the drill trench, trench depth 6 inches, trench distance 0.8-1 feet. According to 6-8 inches of plant distance, put the cut knot straight in the drill ditch, pay attention to the apex of each section must be exposed to more than 1 inches of soil, each put a ditch, that is, the soil compaction, and then open the second ditch, immediately after planting water or water irrigation, about half a month can take root, began to sprout.75 kilograms per acre.

Cutting propagation

Generally in spring to choose a strong stem on the ground, remove the tip, cut into 8 inches long node, according to the plant spacing 6 inches, row spacing 8 inches, oblique inserted in the whole good soil moisture, timely irrigation, often keep the soil moist, about 15 days can survive. The survival rate of this method is low, the yield and quality are not as good as rhizoma reproduction.Therefore, it is generally not used.

Bergamot mint growing methods

In the seedling unearthed to seal ridge before, should often weeding, such as in case of drought to timely irrigation, keep the soil moist, soil block knot to loose soil at any time, seedlings of Bergamot mint grow to 5-6 inches can apply the first fertilizer, each mu with 8 kilograms of urea, dung 1500 kilograms, and combined irrigation for absorption, to the beginning of summer season can harvest the first Bergamot mint. Fertilizer immediately after harvest, each mu with 12 kilograms of urea sprinkled under the Bergamot mint, and then irrigation, weeding, when the new seedlings grow to 3-4 inches high, and then apply fine oil cake, and timely watering (if not watering in the rainy season), to the beginning of autumn before and after the second harvest mint. After the harvest is still according to the method of appropriate fertilizer, to the frost that fell after the third harvest, at this time should be applied farm fertilizer, in order to protect the roots over the winter, the coming year spring is easy to emerge.

Bergamot mint