Nature and Gardening

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Advice for raising Lemon Balm, Chocolate Mint and Orange Thyme indoors? (sopuli.xyz)

submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by piezoelectron@sopuli.xyz to c/greenspace@beehaw.org

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For context, I have no idea on how to take care of plants, but I'd like these three baby plants I bought to thrive.

I'd also love to snip them every now and then when I'm cooking, making a salad or a tea etc.

Right now each plant is quite young and in small plastic pots. The chocolate mint is already about 8-12 inches tall. The lemon balm and orange thyme are both less than 5 inches tall.

My questions where I'd love your advice are:

How often should I water these plants?
They're all newly bought and in disposable plastic containers. When I repot them, will it be dangerous to mix their current soil and the generic store bought soil I'm planning to get?
How fast do these plants grow? Should I be optimistic and already buy semi-large pots, even though they're quite tiny right now?
Any other general tips to care for these plants?

Appreciate your advice, whether it's plant-specific or applies to all the three plants. Thanks in advance!

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[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Make sure these guys get a fair bit of sun.
Clay pots are great for herbs because they keep moisture.
Houseplant mix is just fine. Compost mix may bring bugs.
Feed every month in summer and every three months in fall and winter.
You'll know when to water if you stick two fingers in just below the surface and it's dry. They like to be most, not damp. Make sure your pot has adequate drainage.
Grow rate is highly variable. Repot when they're overflowing. If you move them too early then their roots will spread before the leafy greens. They grow down first, then up, they want to be cosy first.

Think of where they'd grow in the wild. :)

Ps: old teabag contents, in moderation, make great fertilizer.

[–] piezoelectron@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Oh my god, this is extremely helpful -- thanks a lot!! Just a question about your third point, by 'feed' do you mean water or fertilizer? I'm assuming fertilizer?

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 3 points 2 years ago

Fertilizer, or old tea bags. Herbal teas are best.