Home Flowers Mint is a home plant. Is it worth growing plectranthus - signs and superstitions. Growing useful plectranthus at home - video

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Mint is a home plant. Is it worth growing plectranthus - signs and superstitions. Growing useful plectranthus at home - video

In addition to one or another, each country is famous for its special, a cuisine unlike any other, which he is proud of, appreciates, loves and would not trade for anything in the world. So, Georgian cuisine is a symbiosis of goodies: successfully combined meat and vegetables, seasoned with a huge amount variety of spices.

Which ones are here? appetizing and satisfying flour products and sweets, and sauces, and cheeses! In general, we won’t torment you for long and will try not only to unite, but also to describe everything the most delicious national dishes Georgian cuisine.

Dishes of Georgian cuisine

Easy to Georgia it's impossible not to fall in love. Everyone who comes here once strives to visit this place at least once more. hospitable and “tasty” country. Men will be delighted with meat dishes, and women and children will appreciate the rich selection Georgian sweets. And even if you are inveterate vegetarian, dishes made from various vegetables will undoubtedly make you fall in love rich taste and unusual presentation.

“Here you can safely forget about your diet and just enjoy delicious food,” this is how our new colorful friend O. succinctly put it. It’s hard to imagine a better statement about the cuisine of this country. After all, almost all tourists cannot refuse such delicious food and gain a few extra pounds.

Snacks

Snacks in Georgia are presented wide choice of dishes. This includes various vegetable salads or plants with seasonings, both raw, stewed, boiled, fried and baked, as well as salted and even pickled. By choosing a specific sauce for them, you can try to create your own unique snack right on the spot (if you prefer to cook and eat at home).

Most Popular The following dishes are used:

Badrijani(fried eggplants with nuts) - in Georgia, many delicacies are prepared with eggplants. They can be pre-fried and then rolled into a roll, stuffed with walnuts; prepare a stew in combination with other vegetables or serve fried and stewed. Blueberry lovers will definitely enjoy any of the listed dish options.
Frankly speaking, we didn’t like the fried eggplants. Maybe they weren't cooked well, or maybe we expected too much from this dish.
Lobio(beans) is a fairly popular product in Georgia. Various variations of dishes are possible from all types of beans that grow in the country. But the most popular dish is the one of the same name - lobio, cooked in a small clay pot. The composition of this dish, in addition to beans, necessarily includes dry red pepper and herbs.
Pkhali- essentially this is an appetizer of boiled vegetables, spices and herbs, decorated with pomegranate seeds. Most often it is made with spinach or eggplant.
Kaimagi- a prototype of the sour cream we are used to, but with its own bright taste and consistency close to thick cream. It is made from dairy products and is not only tasty, but also healthy. Georgians themselves use kaimagi with flatbreads from corn flour and cheese.
Pickles- decoration of any Georgian table. They are prepared from almost any available vegetables and even from plant inflorescences (for johnjolie They use the buds of Colchis klekacha, a small tree that grows only in the Caucasus, collected in the spring). Pickles made from beans, green peppers and tomatoes are especially popular.
Mushrooms on ketsi- champignons fried in a special clay pan and seasoned with pepper. The dish is brought in the same vessel in which it is prepared. In addition to mushrooms, the menu usually also includes suluguni cheese on ketsi.
Kuchmachi- a tasty, although quite spicy, offal dish. Most often used chicken heart and liver, but sometimes also veal. Pomegranate seeds and fried onions are used as decoration.

First meal

The choice of first courses in Georgia for travelers will be, although small, but very delicious varied. Even though in each region the soup is prepared and served a little differently, we are sure that everyone will choose the most worthy option for themselves.

By the way, in the first courses It is not customary to add vegetables, so you don’t have to look for the usual potatoes or carrots. The soup still works thick, but by adding eggs or flour-based sauces to it. The first course must be served hot.

Chikhirtma— hearty soup, usually prepared from chicken meat, corn flour, eggs, herbs and spices. The eggs in the dish dissolve completely without curdling due to their oxidation with a small amount of citric acid.
Kharcho- thick beef soup with the addition of rice, seasonings, herbs, garlic and tkemali (dried plums). Sometimes kharcho is made from pork or lamb, but beef is still considered traditional meat. The soup is often served very spicy.
Hashi- a rich soup, the consistency of which resembles diluted jellied meat. It takes quite a long time to cook (about 8 hours) from beef leg and offal. Hashi is served with garlic and herbs. Favorite hangover cure.

Second courses (main)

Since Georgia is mainly "meat country", fish dishes are not often found in restaurants and cannot be classified as national cuisine.

Let's list main or second dishes, familiar to Georgians:

Ojakhuri- potatoes cooked and served in a ketsi (frying pan) with meat, herbs and seasonings. A very beautiful, tasty and satisfying dish.
Khinkali- the most famous dish in the world. In appearance and taste they resemble huge dumplings with a tail, sprinkled with black pepper. The filling can be very varied: from meat to vegetable. They eat khinkali with their hands, holding it by the tail. First, they take a bite and drink the juice, and then immediately begin the meal.
Borano- a very high-calorie dish consisting of Adjarian cheese, butter, corn flour and eggs. It has an unusual taste.
Mtsvadi(kebab) - prepared from various types of meat. Usually the tenderloin is not pre-soaked.
Satsivi- chicken stew in tandem with walnuts, sauce and seasonings.
Chicken tabaka- chicken cooked under pressure (tapaka). Served with garlic and spices.
Chakhokhbili- stewed meat stew. Most often it is prepared from pieces of chicken with garlic, herbs and seasonings.
Ostry or chashushuli - a dish made from veal or beef. Prepared with tomatoes, herbs and garlic. Often very spicy.
Kupaty- delicious sausages, essentially reminiscent of our usual homemade sausage. First they are boiled (literally 1 minute), and then fried in a frying pan or coals.
Chanakhi- a hearty dish consisting of stewed meat with vegetables. It is prepared in a clay pot.
Chakapuli- young meat stewed in spices and herbs. Lamb is usually used.
Chkmeruli- tender chicken with creamy garlic sauce, cooked on ketsi.
Gomi- delicious corn porridge of uniform consistency with melted suluguni cheese.
Fried trout in pomegranate sauce- the sourness of the sauce gives a spicy taste to this dish.

Sauces

Sauces in Georgia are very tasty and interesting. They like to add them in many dishes for saturation. And many tourists, having tried and fallen in love with a certain sauce, even go home with a bottle of the newly created delicacy.

Basic of them:

Bazhe- the king of all sauces. That's what they serve on festive tables Georgians, bringing it to the consistency of sour cream. Prepare sauce from the mixture walnuts, spices and garlic. Ideal for meat and fish dishes.
Adjika- Very spicy sauce, which uses red pepper, seasonings and garlic. This Georgian adjika tomatoes were never included.
Tkemali- a hot and sour sauce that goes with almost everything. It is prepared from tkemali plums of the same name (cherry plum), various seasonings, herbs and garlic.
Satsebeli- a delicious sweet and sour sauce, reminiscent of the familiar ketchup. It contains: tomatoes, Bell pepper and spices. Suitable for almost all dishes, especially meat and fish.

Flour dishes (baked goods)

Many tourists Georgia is associated with shish kebab, hot seasonings, various sauces, wine. And only when you get here, you understand - a real queen country is rightfully bakery. Tasty and aromatic khachapuri, hearty bread, pies with a wide variety of fillings... All this becomes integral part Georgia, winning the worldwide love of travelers.

As one Georgian told us, a family of 4 people can eat 5 or even 6 of these shotis puri (breads) in a day.

Most Popular flour dishes:

Shotis puri(bread) - very tasty, eaten quickly and unnoticeably. Sold as a long flat cake with a round “pancake” in the center. It is baked in special large floor ovens - tone. Most appetizing when warm with the addition of cheese.
Mchadi- small unleavened flatbreads made from corn flour. Locals like to eat them with cheese.
Imeritinsky khachapuri- a round pancake with cheese inside.
Megrelian khachapuri— differs from Imeritinsky by the presence of cheese on top of the flatbread.
Adjarian khachapuri- the most beautiful and appetizing. Served in the form of an open boat, with cheese, egg and a piece of butter inside.
Khachapuri on a spit- khachapuri with cheese, which is cooked and served on a skewer.
Royal khachapuri- a huge khachapuri with cheese not only inside, but also outside.
Penovani- most popular look khachapuri. It looks and tastes like a cheese puff.
Achma- a hearty dish. Essentially the same puff pastry, but made from boiled layers of dough, which are spread with butter and cheese.
Lobiani- boiled bean pie. Usually quite a spicy dish.
Kubdari- pie with meat, with the addition of hot seasonings.
Gurian pies— unusual dish, resembling a bagel. An egg and cheese are placed inside.

Read our separate article.

Cheeses

Cheeses in the country quite a bit of, and the most diverse. They all differ in taste, texture and cooking process. To the most popular worth mentioning:

Imereti— It is customary to prepare khachapuri from it. Very tasty both on its own and in various dishes. Refers to lightly salted species.
Suluguni- salty cheese, which is considered brine. It has a few eyes and an elastic consistency.
Nadugi - curd with incredibly gentle creamy taste. Often served in a thin suluguni envelope.

Dessert

How can we not remember Georgian desserts? Even those who don’t really like sweets will find something to pamper and surprise themselves here.

Churchkhela- walnuts or hazelnuts strung on a string, generously doused with a mixture made from grapes, sugar, wheat and corn flour. They come in different types and colors depending on the grape variety. Always a very tasty, sweet and unusual dessert.
Gozinaki(kozinaki) - pieces of walnuts fried in honey.
Pelamushi- made from grape juice and corn flour. Serve cooled and sprinkled with nuts.
Baklava- a complex and painstaking dessert. It is made with thin layers of dough, which are coated with sweet syrup and nuts.
Nazuki- big delicious bread with honey and raisins.
Tklapi- a sweet and sour dessert, essentially a marshmallow that is dried in the sun.

If you are afraid to go to Russia because of the specific heat and spiciness of the dishes, we assure you: here you can find quite normal food(as a last resort, cook it yourself). In addition, in cafes and restaurants often listen to the wishes of customers, they make the food less hot or do not add any seasonings. In popular tourist places they obviously prepare what travelers are more accustomed to ( no pungency or fat). By the way, great amount greenery in almost any dish - this is the norm for Georgia.

Trying all the national dishes of a country in one visit is quite difficult and almost impossible. You shouldn't order a lot of dishes if there are only two of you. After all, the portions in Georgia are really huge.

We advise you to pay attention, first of all, on flour. Of the brightest that we tried, we will separately highlight Adjarian khachapuri. It’s hearty and tasty easily can serve as breakfast for two. It's worth the pleasure 6 lari GEORGIAN GEL RATE:
6 lari = 1.99 euros;
6 lari = 2.28 dollars;
6 lari = 151.32 rubles;
6 lari = 63.84 hryvnia;
6 lari = 5.1 Belarusian rubles.
. We tried the most delicious Adjarian khachapuri in Batumi, in the “Retro” and “Tserodena” restaurants.

And this is what the most expensive kebab in Georgia looked like for us. Not only did it take a very long time to wait, it was also tough and burnt.

If you come to Georgia to enjoy local kebab, you will most likely be upset. Due to the fact that meat is usually do not pre-soak, it turns out dry and a little tough.

We tried many different kebabs, and came to a conclusion - the most delicious turned out to be pork from the cafe "Dukansky Caucasus" on the highway to Passanauri (by ). If you don’t have the opportunity or desire to go on an excursion, try pork kebab in Batumi at the Sachashnike restaurant or in Tbilisi at the Mravaljamieri restaurant.

Of the soups, it turned out to be the most delicious chicken(chihirtma). At first, however, it was a little strange and unusual to eat soup without vegetables. The most delicious chikhirtma was served in 5 lari GEORGIAN GEL RATE:
5 lari = 1.66 euros;
5 lari = 1.9 dollars;
5 lari = 126.1 rubles;
5 lari = 53.2 hryvnia;
5 lari = 4.25 Belarusian rubles.
Exchange rates and prices may not be accurate.. Huge portion enough for two. It is best to try chikhirtma in the Tbilisi restaurants “Mravaljamieri” or “Maspindzelo”, and in Batumi in the “Bremen” restaurant.

Khinkali frankly speaking to us didn't like it. Either we ate them in the wrong place (not in the “khinkal houses”), or this dish was simply not ours. By the way, despite the fact that khinkali are considered big dumplings, in any cafe or restaurant you can choose them with: vegetable, cheese, curd, potato, etc. fillings. Their cost starts from 0.45 GEL GEORGIAN GEL RATE:
0.45 lari = 0.15 euros;
0.45 lari = 0.17 dollars;
0.45 lari = 11.35 rubles;
0.45 lari = 4.79 hryvnia;
0.45 lari = 0.38 Belarusian rubles.
Exchange rates and prices may not be accurate. per piece, but orders less than 5 are usually not accepted. If you want to try really tasty khinkali, go to. Almost the only place where we ate normal meat khinkali was the village of Pasanauri.

But what we really liked was this ojakhuri. We ordered it often and in different places. He was almost everywhere perfectly tasty, with juicy pieces of meat. The cost per serving started from 7 lari GEORGIAN GEL RATE:
7 lari = 2.32 euros;
7 lari = 2.66 dollars;
7 lari = 176.54 rubles;
7 lari = 74.48 hryvnia;
7 lari = 5.95 Belarusian rubles.
Exchange rates and prices may not be accurate..

Imereti cheese, as we noticed, not only tourists, but also Georgians themselves love it very much. We advise you to try it too. Personally, we took this cheese and it turned out to be salty enough. As the owner of the apartment in which we lived in later said, in fact, it can be different. At her place we treated ourselves to practically unsalted Imeretian cheese.

We also definitely recommend trying it churchkhela(from 2 lari GEORGIAN GEL RATE:
2 lari = 0.66 euro;
2 lari = 0.76 dollars;
2 lari = 50.44 rubles;
2 lari = 21.28 hryvnia;
2 lari = 1.7 Belarusian rubles.
Exchange rates and prices may not be accurate.). This is an absolutely unique delicacy. does not look like similar to what can sometimes be found on store shelves in post-Soviet countries. Churchkhela in Georgia - popular dessert, which is eaten by both adults and children. The most delicious one is sold in Batumi in a specialized store, “Badagi”. In addition to churchkhela, there are beautiful ones that are well suited as a present.

And finally: if you want to taste real Georgian food, look for places that Georgians themselves visit.

In Georgia, everything is connected with food and feasting - it’s almost impossible to return home without gaining a couple of kilograms, because everything is so fresh and tasty!

In this post I will tell you what Georgian cuisine is, and also show you the most popular Georgian dishes. I highly recommend trying all this directly in Georgia itself, because national restaurants are not the same at all. After all, the atmosphere itself is important, and the company, of course! After all, in Georgia, a feast and friendly communication during it are sacred;-)

The most popular Georgian dishes

There is a legend in Georgia that when God distributed lands to people, the Georgians drank wine and ate all this time. This touched God so much that he gave the Georgians the land that he had reserved for himself. And the soil is really fertile and rich in harvests of grapes, apples, peaches, apricots, plums, pomegranates, fresh fragrant herbs- all this is precisely the basis of Georgian cuisine.

1. Khachapuri

Probably everyone knows this flatbread with cheese. Recently, the Georgian authorities issued a patent for khachapuri - that’s how important this flatbread occupies in culture! There are many varieties with different recipes: for example, Adjarian khachapuri is boat-shaped with the addition of egg, Imeretian khachapuri is round, Mingrelian khachapuri is topped with suluguni cheese, Rachinskie is made with beans and bacon. Another variety of khachapuri is foamani, only yeast-free puff pastry is used for it.

In general, in each region they bake the “most correct” khachapuri, although the dough is mainly made with matsoni, sometimes yeast is used.

Adjarian khachapuri - a calorie factory

2. Khinkali

Pieces of minced meat in dough (mostly beef is used). The correct way to eat them is this: bite the edge, drink the broth and then eat the rest, leaving the top of the dough on the plate uneaten. Georgians are offended when you compare khinkali to dumplings, although many cultures have a similar dish (for example, poses in Buryatia). Distinctive feature Khinkali is the addition of cilantro, onion and garlic to minced meat.

Source: shankar s./Flickr

3. Wine

Georgian wine is just a song: you will surely try Kindzmarauli, Tsinandali, Saperavi, Khvanchkara and many others during your trip. Most of the famous Georgian wines are produced in the region in the Alazani Valley. Be sure to visit these places! Ideally, if you go to the grape harvest festival in mid-September, fun is guaranteed.

4. Lobio

Translated from Georgian, “lobio” means “beans”. Hence the name of the bean pie - lobiani. There are also several variations of this dish, but they always contain beans, cilantro, various seasonings and tomato puree. In addition, they use hot peppers, adjika, celery leaves.

5. Lobiani

Pie filled with boiled beans with the addition of Svan salt and cilantro. Very satisfying!

6. Chakhokhbili

Chakhokhbili is a chicken stew. The meat is stewed for quite a long time, it should literally melt in your mouth. During the cooking process, tomatoes, adjika, hot peppers, and garlic are added. Decorate the finished dish with fresh herbs.

7. Chikhirtma

Quite easy to prepare thick chicken soup. The peculiarity is that the chicken and onions are first stewed together - this gives unique taste soup. And at the end, more egg yolks are added, mixed with wine vinegar. This soup is believed to be a great hangover cure. IN armenian cuisine there is also a dish that removes hangover syndrome: called hash.

Source: abugaisky.livejournal.com

8. Pkhali

Almost all previous Georgian dishes contained meat, but pkhali is suitable for vegetarians. Pkhali is a paste-like appetizer made from stewed vegetables, often spinach, green bean, eggplant, beet leaves. Walnuts, garlic and all sorts of greens are added to the vegetables. And the finished dish is decorated with pomegranate seeds.

Source: salvagekat/Flickr

9. Satsivi

Satsivi is a nut sauce mainly served with chicken pieces. The nuts are ground and mixed with fresh herbs and spices: cloves, coriander, cinnamon (this gives a special piquancy), and boiled for a long time until a creamy mass forms. Finally, chicken pieces and onions are added to the sauce.

10. Kharcho

Kharcho is a famous Georgian beef or lamb soup. In addition to meat, rice, garlic, tomatoes, suneli hops and other spices are added to the soup, making it spicy and satisfying.

Source: Lesya Dolyk/Flickr

11. Chanakhi

Chanakhi is a Georgian roast with lamb. In addition to meat, eggplants, onions, carrots, tomatoes, peppers are added, and at the end Bay leaf and fresh herbs. It is believed that it tastes better in pots.

Source: Food and Drink/Flickr

12. Chakapuli

Stewed young meat with the obligatory addition of tkemali, tarragon and vegetables. This dish is mainly eaten in the spring, because it is in the spring that young tkemali berries and plums, which have a sour taste, ripen, which is why chakapuli has a sour taste.

Source: PovarOFF/Flickr

13. Kveri

Megrelian variniki - kveri - only inside they have suluguni cheese. It’s not so easy to get real suluguni here, so try this dish while you’re in Georgia. Served with fermented milk matsoni, and put a piece of butter on top.

14. Ajapsandali

Another vegetarian dish of Georgian cuisine: vegetable stew. Usually these are eggplants, sweet peppers, carrots, tomatoes. They also add cilantro, dill, parsley, garlic and simmer in a large cauldron.

Source: www.gastronom.ru

15. Kubdari

Traditional Svan pie with meat. Highlanders know a lot about simple and delicious food, the filling is made from lamb, pork or goat meat with the addition of herbs, garlic, and various spices.

How to properly care for sha plectranthus (moth tree)

How to properly care for plectranthus when growing at home?

Below are several useful tips for growing a plant. First of all, you need to create conditions as close as possible to natural subtropical ones, which means high humidity, a lot of fresh air, warmth and light in large quantities. Adapts well to new conditions.

Location: bright, even sunny. The light should be soft and diffused - such lighting can be obtained on the windowsills of the southwestern or eastern part of the room. If the plant is placed on the south side, it is necessary to provide protection from direct sunlight, otherwise the shoots and leaves will instantly lose their decorative appearance.

The wrong amount of light - too much or not enough - will cause harm. When daylight hours are too short, a plant called plectranthus can receive light from a lamp. Can tolerate light shade. In summer, the plant feels great outdoors, on the balcony, in the garden.

Temperature: Not higher than 20 °C. The optimal temperature for it is 18-25° in summer and 12-16° in winter. Temperatures below these will cause leaf loss.

Air humidity: high only in very warm rooms. Since the flower develops quickly, it takes a lot of effort to grow leaves, which requires more moisture. This can be achieved by spraying and generous watering. It will be especially useful to carry out this procedure on days when the temperature is above 22°.

Watering: the substrate must always be damp. In March-September, watering should be plentiful, when the top layer is already dry. During the autumn-winter season it is quite moderate. It is necessary to water with settled water, making sure that the temperature is at room temperature.

Plectranthus care when grown in cold seasons, it becomes less intense: the soil in the pot may dry out a little - at this time the plant is dormant. Watering in winter accordingly becomes more rare and less intense - it will be enough to do this once every 3-4 days.

Substrate: Flower soil mixture. The soil mixture for mint is not very well prepared. high density: 2 parts - humus, turf soil, 1 part leaf soil (or garden soil), 0.5 parts each - peat, river sand.

If these conditions are met, even for a beginner, caring for plectranthus in normal home conditions will be a simple matter.

Feeding: every week during the growth period. In winter, once every 4 weeks. Fertilizing in spring and summer twice a month, with alternating fertilizers - either mineral or organic.

Transfer: It is better to grow young plants. When you have just purchased mint, it is better to transplant it at the same time. Without disturbing the earthen lump, move the mint into a container with a large diameter. IN open ground They can be planted only when the weather has become stable and frosts are not expected at night.

During the first 5 years of growth, replanting should be carried out annually, the rest of the time - depending on the growth of the flower, but much less often. The root system of plants is powerful, so high pots are needed and a drainage layer must be placed at the bottom.

Pests, diseases: rarely. But nevertheless, plectranthus, or indoor mint, is easily accessible to pests such as spider mites, aphids, scale insects, and whiteflies. They arise due to insufficient air humidity.

Only spraying with various insecticidal preparations will help get rid of these pests. Be sure to do this in the fresh air.

When growing this subtropical beauty, it is necessary to solve all problems in a timely manner. These include, for example, the following difficulties:

Yellowing of foliage;
Drooping stems;
Leaf discoloration;
Excess irrigation water.

The foliage turns yellow and falls off usually due to too low air temperature or excess moisture. This also leads to the root system rotting.

Withering leaves and limp stems - due to lack of irrigation water, and constant. Leaves become discolored and burn out when exposed to direct sunlight.

Excess irrigation water leads to the formation of powdery mildew. It looks like grayish spots on the surface of the leaves.

You can cure the plant by spraying it with the following solution: 100 g whey per 300 g water. Also at the same time reduce the amount of water used.

Trimming: If you regularly trim the tops of the shoots, the plant bushes better.

Propagation of indoor plectranthus by cuttings

Indoor plectranthus is propagated by stem cuttings about 10 cm long, as well as by dividing the bush when planting. The cuttings take root well in water, then they are transplanted into small containers, usually several seedlings together. Roots in 2-3 weeks. More than one cuttings planted together will help produce a large, lush bush.

For example, such as in this photo - here is a picture of plectranthus, also known as indoor mint, in its prime:

Propagation by apical cuttings. In spring, plants are pruned by 50% of the total length of the shoot. It is worth pinching the top, which promotes branching, and new young shoots are formed. Weak branches as they appear, all year round.

Properties of the houseplant plectranthus

Indoor evergreen plants called plectranthus with their minty smell repel moths indoors, thereby protecting woolen clothes and various products with them. The essential oil from this plant refreshes the room and removes any germs that may be present in it. Phytoncides also calm nerves and improve sleep.

There are certain specimens, the influence of which helps relieve anxiety, Bad mood, relax. The properties of plectranthus, or homemade mint, are such that it can rightfully be called a family psychotherapist, and practically free.

The plant also helps with some health problems.

If an insect bites you, the washed and crushed leaf can be applied to the bite site - it relieves irritation and itching after the bite. Spread the juice on your skin to prevent mosquitoes from bothering you. Indoor flowers called plectranthus are used as a diuretic and expectorant, against inflammatory processes, and with high efficiency. From very green shoots with buds you can brew tea, which is used for treatment.

Traditional medicine has also found use for the popular favorite. When the throat is inflamed, decoctions or tinctures are used to gargle. For bedsores, a powder of dry crushed leaves mixed with powder is applied to the wound. A herbal decoction or infusion is added to the baths.
In Indonesian cuisine it is mixed into refreshing drinks, preserves, and teas. Local cuisine can also be prepared using its leaves - for example, as a seasoning. The smell - mint, thyme, oregano - allows you to improvise. Some varieties are cultivated for their edible leaves or tubers.
Types and varieties of plectranthus: photos, names and descriptions of all varieties
There are many varieties of evergreen plectranthus - over 250 species in total different plants. When purchasing this plant for your home or property, you need to know its type, because agricultural technology may be different and will not bring the expected result.

Varietal differences are so diverse that it is very difficult to list them all.
Some characteristic features different types varieties of indoor plectranthus are presented in the photo, as well as their description:
It is a shrub in shape, sometimes a subshrub, or a grass. A plant with semi-succulent properties - their tissues can store moisture). The cells contain essential oils. The stem is often bare, sometimes covered with hairs, its shape is tetrahedral, erect or creeping.
The leaves are arranged crosswise, smell, shades differ depending on the variety, shape is round, oval, oblong, the edges are usually jagged.

In total, there are four main types of these hanging plants.
Plectranthus fruticosus(Plectranthus fruticosa), called the "lord of the moth", with heart-shaped leaves that emit a very intense camphorous odor. This type of plectranthus is also called the moth tree - it is it that helps drive away this insect, namely with its essential oil contained in the leaves: it is released at the slightest touch to the shoots.
It is a branched shrub, up to a meter high. The branches are pubescent, the shoots are tetrahedral. The leaves are evenly colored, of various shades, about 5 cm long. The flowers are ring-shaped, with a strong aroma, the color is pale blue. From February to May it blooms profusely and thrives in apartments.
Plectranthus oertendahlii(Plectranthus Erdenthal) has almost round, light green leaves with white edges. It is this type of green plectranthus that is called Swedish ivy. Unusual shape leaf, with cut out edges, and the double-sided color of the leaves - a bright green tint and a purple-pinkish tint - make it a favorite among indoor plants.
The leaf surface is covered with thin veins light color, feels like velvet. The flowers are small, collected in brushes. It blooms from mid-summer until the end of September.

It is worth taking a closer look at the above photo of this plectranthus: of all the varieties, it is considered the favorite.
It is curious that this is the only type of plant that does not emit a scent. It is very decorative. More than any other species, it requires constant plucking of shoots so that bushiness is even higher. In interior decoration it is used as a hanging plant - weak stems cause easy lodging.
The flower of this plectranthus is a bell, grows in racemose inflorescences, the length of which reaches 30 cm. The bells are light purple, sometimes white, each of them grows up to 1.5 cm long.

In general, mint is unpretentious, and many people grow it in their garden beds, others grow it at home on a windowsill, and somewhere it just grows like a weed. But all this is medicinal mint, the decoction from which we drink when we have a cold. But not everyone knows that there is also indoor mint. Meanwhile, this fragrant plant of the Lamiaceae family, also known by its botanical name Plectranthus, is quite popular among amateur gardeners. And if oh healing properties of this specimen, one can argue, its ability to replace peppermint as an additive to tea is undeniable. What kind of plant is this, and how easy is it to grow it at home? Let's figure it out.

Varieties of indoor mint

This plant is called indoor or home mint. Like all Lamiaceae, plecranthus is valuable for its fragrant leaves. And they smell thanks to special glands in the leaves that secrete essential oils. In indoor floriculture, several varieties of plecranthus are known, and the most popular of them are three:

Plectranthus bush or Moth tree is an evergreen shrub reaching one meter in height;
Southern plectranthus, also known as Swedish or Scandinavian ivy, is a herbaceous plant with lodging shoots reaching a meter in length;
Plectranthus Ertendahl (has no other names) is an evergreen subshrub, the crown of which forms clumps.

However, the most common type of home mint in indoor floriculture is the Moth tree. This is what they mean when they talk about growing indoor mint. And it looks more like garden mint than its other brethren.

As we have already said, this plant is unpretentious. However, for favorable growth and reproduction it requires certain conditions. Plecranthus bush (domestic mint) grows well on fertile substrates and organo-mineral fertilizers. He does not like exclusively mineral supplements. This plant is light-loving and needs year-round (evergreen after all) bright, but diffused lighting. The leaves of homemade mint are pubescent, like those of a violet, so it does not tolerate spraying well, and when water gets on the leaves and stems, spots appear on them, which then dry out or rot. But this plant requires abundant watering in the warm season and moderately abundant in winter.

In nature, the moth tree grows in a temperate climate, so when kept indoors, an average temperature of about 20-24°C is favorable for it. However, homemade mint can also tolerate hot weather, but hypothermia is destructive for it. The minimum temperature this plant can withstand is 10 degrees Celsius. Homemade mint is undemanding in terms of air humidity, but does not tolerate proximity to a heating radiator or dry hot air. So ideal conditions This plant will need a warm, bright room, good watering without spraying, and fertilizing with flower fertilizers twice a month.

Care and cultivation

The main care for indoor mint consists of timely watering, fertilizing, pinching and replanting. It must be replanted once every two to three years, pouring a mixture of turf soil and garden compost into flower pots. During active growth(and the plant is practically active all year round) indoor mint needs to be pinched and the flower stalks broken off. These measures will make it possible to form a compact and fluffy bush. Woody shoots that lose their foliage and decorative properties need to be pruned. Rejuvenating formative pruning can be done at the end of winter or in March, and pinching can be done all year round. Mint tolerates pinching and pruning painlessly and responds with numerous new shoots.

Possible problems:

if the plant experiences a lack of light, then its shoots become very elongated and droop, and the leaves become yellow;
the edges of indoor mint leaves dry out and turn black if it is not fed or watered enough,
hypothermia is fraught with damage to roots, young leaves and growth buds,
Homemade mint is quite resistant to pests and diseases, but it is possible that the plant can be damaged by aphids, scale insects, whiteflies or spider mites.

Indoor mint is propagated by cuttings, cutting off the apical shoots or rooting parts of woody stems. You can take mint cuttings throughout the year, and root the cuttings in water or wet sand. Rooting cuttings do not require special conditions, except constant temperature about twenty degrees.

Few people have ever encountered mint, which can be seen everywhere. Due to the prevalence of this plant, most ordinary people are sure that it grows on its own in natural environment a habitat. This misconception is refuted by indoor mint, which has several species that are successfully grown at home. An unpretentious culture will delight appearance and benefit from quality care. Knowing the characteristics of varieties, you can get the maximum benefit from them.

General information about culture

The genus Mint includes about 250 representatives - evergreen herbaceous plants. The second name of the culture is Plectranthus, which is translated from Greek as “flower spur”, which is located at the base of the corolla. This genus belongs to the Lamiaceae family. The plant's homeland is the tropics and subtropics of Africa, Asia, and Australia. Plectranthus belongs to ornamental plants, can be a shrub 40 cm high or a subshrub. Mint is grown in the garden or in pots from which the plants hang. Even an inexperienced gardener can cope with breeding.

Homemade mint has voluminous foliage, thin shoots on which there are oval matte and smooth leaves from 5 to 10 cm long with a clearly defined structure. There are small notches along the edges. Indoor mint has miniature flowers with 5 pale petals, their arrangement is whorled, 8-10 pieces each. Inflorescences in the form of an umbrella or brush. Some gardeners remove flowers so as not to disturb the decorative appearance of the plant. Decorative mint blooms in summer. 4 nuts ripen inside the fruit.

Many signs of money are associated with plectranthus or indoor mint, so many people strive to acquire a plant in order to get rich.

The benefits of indoor mint

Indoor mint can rightfully be classified as a medicinal plant - it has many beneficial properties, which makes it similar to lemon balm - lemon balm. The leaves of almost all varieties emit a characteristic strong odor, which is explained by the production of essential oils by the glands of the plant, the evaporation of which has a beneficial effect on the body.

All types of potted mint are endowed with a number of beneficial properties:

improve digestion;
calm the nerves;
promote free breathing;
relieve childhood enuresis by taking baths with mint leaves;
eliminate problems in the gynecological field;
soften itching from insect bites;
The decoction is used for colds;
Mint juice combined with pomegranate helps get rid of nausea.

When treating ailments, the astringent properties of the plant are used. Homemade mint provides invaluable benefits in air disinfection, destroying harmful insects, including moths. One of the species was even nicknamed the moth tree.

A decoction is made from mint leaves and drunk during the cold season. In hot weather, a mint mojito is a great refreshing drink; everyone is also familiar with mint candies. The leaves can be added to a mug of black or green tea and used as a seasoning for meat and fish dishes.

Mint tea is a delicious and very healthy drink

Types of Plectranthus

Varieties of plectranthus are varied and numerous. Plectranthus Ertendahl is said to be the most known form. Also, many gardeners can boast of having in their apartments a Molny tree, which belongs to the shrubs. Other varieties are Plectranthus southern, Plectranthus ampelous silvery, Plectranthus coleus and caudex, Plectranthus amboinensis variegated, Plectranthus oakleaf aromatic, Plectranthus Ernst and Forster, Hadiensis or felt, Tomentosa, Mona Lavender (Lavender). Each type should be described separately.

Ertendahl

Plectranthus Ertendahl is a subshrub, rightfully considered the most common variety of indoor mint.

This is due to its external attractiveness: one side of the leaves is green, the other is purple. The leaves are velvety to the touch and prone to active growth. In the natural environment of Africa, its shoots spread even more, reaching 40 cm. At home, shoots should be pinched regularly. Indoors the average size Petiolate leaves are round in shape - 5 cm. The shade of the leaves is dark green interspersed with light stripes and reddish spots. The flowers are collected in clusters measuring 1.5 by 30 cm. Flowering occurs in the second half of summer and September. Many people associate the smell of Plectranthus Ertendal with camphor.

Many people have Plectranthus shrubby growing in their apartments, whose second name is Moth Tree. It is planted to combat moths, which do not like the strong smell of essential oil. It is useful for headaches, sleep disorders, and is released at the slightest touch to the shoots. It grows naturally in Africa. The height of a houseplant can reach 1 m. The serrated oval leaves of the bush plectranthus, up to 5 cm long, are slightly pubescent. The blue flowers grow in a ring pattern throughout the spring. The plant needs timely pruning.

The moth tree needs regular and timely pruning

Southern

This variety is not intended for interior decoration due to its underdeveloped stems. Some gardeners compare this mint with ivy, although there is no external resemblance. The peculiarity of this species is the absence of any odor from the plant. The shoots can grow up to 1 m. The round leaves shine brightly, especially in sunlight.

Ampel silver

Ampelous Plectranthus is also nicknamed silver due to the characteristic color of the jagged leaves. This shrub emits a strong aroma that repels harmful insects. In order for the flowers to look attractive, you have to work hard. The houseplant is unpretentious and can easily survive a temporary lack of care.

coleus-shaped

Also a fairly common variety of home mint, distinguished from others by its large leaves, average length which are at least 6 cm. There is a border along their edge, giving them a decorative effect; white spots may be present. The coleus-shaped shrub grows up to 1 m in height, the shoots are tetrahedral. The aroma emanating from the leaves is very strong.

Caudex

An unusual species, the peculiarity of which is the caudex - thick Bottom part trunk Thanks to this feature, many gardeners consider the plant as an analogue of bonsai. The average height is 0.5 m; it grows naturally in India.

Oakleaf fragrant

This variety has a double name: the dense leaves are very similar to oak leaves. They give off a strong menthol smell. Plectranthus aromatica can have colorful leaves with amazing patterns. There are blue flowers on large inflorescences.

Ernst

It has a caudex with a diameter of up to 10 cm. On white shoots there are medium leaves, shaped like a heart. On one side they are green, on the other they are purple. The plant blooms in summer. During dormancy, the leaves fall off. This is one of the most unpretentious varieties of indoor mint.

Hadiensis or Plectranthus tomentosa

The small shrub has fairly large fleshy leaves about 10 cm long. You can often see fibers on them - hence the name. Some subspecies have multi-colored leaves. The plant's homeland is India, where it is widely used as food. At home, Plectranthus tomentosa needs good lighting.

The flowering period occurs in winter. The plant's homeland is South Africa. On the stems there are leaves of saturated Green colour with teeth. In order for the flowering to be abundant, it is necessary to constantly pinch the plant.

Mona Lavender is the most beautiful variety indoor mint

Growing mint at home

Indoor mint is a relatively easy plant to grow and care for. For propagation, the method of propagation by cuttings is used. There is also a method of propagation by dividing the bush, but it is not so popular. For successful propagation by cuttings in the spring, it is necessary to cut the shoots to half and place them in water. After the roots appear in a couple of weeks, they need to be planted in separate containers. The land must be fertile. Sometimes several seedlings are placed in one pot. They should be provided with regular watering so that propagation of plectranthus by cuttings is successful.

Caring for indoor mint

It is necessary to care for homemade mint in the same way as for its counterpart in nature. She need a large number of sun. But it is best to place the pot not on the south side, but on the east or west side, so that there is a slight darkening. Excessive light can cause the plant to wilt. In winter you will need artificial lighting. Fresh air should always reach mint; in summer the pot can be safely placed on the balcony.

One of the important components of caring for plectranthus at home is watering. During flowering, a large amount of water is needed. The need for it is felt by the dryness of the soil. The moisture on the surface of the flower evaporates quickly, so additional spraying will not hurt. Drafts should be avoided. You need to know that mint grows quickly, because of this you need to change pots often, and replant them no more than once every 3 years. Ideal soil composition:

humus;
peat;
leaf soil;
sand.

Indoor mint does not need constant fertilization. You can alternately apply organic and inorganic fertilizers from time to time. When caring for plectranthus at home, you need to know that the roots of the plant can rot and the leaves change color. Powdery mildew is also likely. Preventative treatment with insecticides will not hurt.