Budra (Glechoma), or as the people call it "Catnip" - is an unpretentious perennial ornamental plant from the Labiaceae family. Widespread in the wild in many European and Asian countries, as well as in North America. Its place of cultivation can be shady, partial shade and well-lit areas in forests, meadows, near swamps and just by the road as a weed.
The plant has green or variegated two-colored pubescent leaves of a rounded shape with denticles at the edges and a pleasant light mint aroma. Budra is well known in folk and traditional medicine as a medicinal plant. Fragrant mint leaves are used as a flavoring agent in the production of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Growing budra at home and in the open field
Budra can be grown on a garden plot in the open field, on a balcony or loggia, and also as a houseplant.
When kept on the balcony, you can use joint plantings with other plants (deciduous or flowering). When using form trimming, you can shape any shape. As an indoor flower budra looks great in a hanging planter or container. But on open flower beds or flower beds, catnip is grown as a ground cover plant, thereby creating a beautiful lawn or a dense grassy rug on the site.
This green perennial feels great under a snow cover in winter, and in May it begins to bloom actively, which attracts a large number of bees to its lilac or blue flowers. Honey from this melliferous plant is not only very beautiful in color, but also useful in composition.
Location and lighting
Budra prefers a location with bright and diffused lighting or light shading. A window sill on the south, south-west and south-east side of the room will be favorable for growing indoor buddha. In summer, the flower needs regular ventilation or "walks" in the fresh air, during which you need to take care of protection from direct sunlight. Outdoors, the growing area should be well lit and warmed up by the sun for a long time during the day.
Temperature
In spring, summer and autumn, the temperature will be in the range of 18-20 degrees Celsius, in winter - 10-15 degrees.
Watering and humidity
Boudre requires abundant watering and high humidity between March and October. The rest of the time, the frequency and volume of humidification (watering and spraying) are reduced.
The soil
On an open flower garden, budra can grow on almost all types of soil with moderate moisture. In room conditions, the soil mixture should consist of one part of leaf and sod land, as well as humus and half of a part of clean fine river sand.
Top dressing and fertilizers
Additional complex dressings are recommended to be applied during the period of increased growth of a houseplant from mid-spring to the end of the summer season, once a month.
Pruning
It is recommended to carry out formative pruning of budra before the active growth of the plant begins in early spring. The shoots that remain after such pruning can be used for propagation by cuttings.
Transfer
The frequency and time of transplantation depends on the growth and development of the culture and is not carried out regularly, but as needed.
Dormant period
The winter months are a dormant period for Budra. During this long rest, watering and feeding are almost completely stopped. All that is needed at this time is an average temperature of about 5 degrees Celsius, a bright room and light moistening of the soil.
Reproduction of budra
The most popular and effective way is to propagate budra with stem cuttings. Cut cuttings are placed for rooting in a vessel with water, root-forming solution or in moistened river sand. The first young roots will appear in about 3-5 days, after which the plant is ready for further growth in a separate flower pot or outdoors.
Budra is a fast-growing plant, and in the open air and a large plot of land, its creeping stems, in contact with the ground, very quickly release new roots and take root. The culture is able to grow in a short time and cover all the space empty from plants. This must be taken into account if such a green covering on the site is not intended and is not planned.
Diseases and pests
The main pests are aphids and whiteflies. Their appearance is often associated with significant violations of the rules of care and maintenance of the budra.
