Can Aromatic Crop Mint Repel Mosquitoes? Market Price, Planting, and Harvesting Time and Methods
Mint, also known as wild mint or night-rest fragrance, is a common aromatic crop. Because both its stems and leaves have high edible and medicinal value, it is quite popular among people. So can mint repel mosquitoes? What is the market price per jin? When should it be planted? When should it be harvested?
Can it repel mosquitoes?
Yes, it can, because the peppermint oil, menthone, and menthol contained in mint are easily released and can disperse mosquitoes to a certain extent. Second, mint also contains insect-repellent essential oil, and this essential oil has a very mild scent and is harmless to the human body. Therefore, it can be used as an indoor insect-repellent air freshener, and the effect is most obvious when sprayed or burned as incense in summer.
Market price:
Sowing time:
In the Yangtze River basin area of southern China, mint is preferably planted in autumn and winter, that is, from late October to late November, while in the north it is preferably planted in spring, that is, from March to April. If mint is sown indoors, its sowing period is very long, and it can be sown from winter to early summer. When sowing, choose relatively loose and breathable soil, then keep the soil moist, and sow the seeds on the moist soil. After sowing, do not cover the seeds with soil. You can cover them with plastic film to keep the soil moist. The temperature should be kept between 21°C and 25°C, and seedlings generally emerge in 1 to 2 weeks.
Harvesting time:
For medicinal use, it is often harvested 2 times during the growing period. The first time is 5 to 6 days before Minor Heat, when the leaves are lush and the flowers have not yet opened, and the aboveground parts are cut. The second time is between Autumn Equinox and Cold Dew, when the flowers are in full bloom and the leaves are falling. For medicinal use, harvesting between Autumn Equinox and Cold Dew is best.
Flowering time:
When mint blooms, its flowers are borne at the top of the branches. The blooming flower spikes are purple, white, and pink, giving a fresh and elegant feeling. Mint flowers are verticillasters borne in the leaf axils, with a spherical outline, slender pedicels, and fine hairs covering them. The calyx is bell-shaped, covered on the outside with fine pubescence and glandular dots, while the inside has no hair covering. The sepals are narrowly triangular-subulate. The anthers are ovate, and the disk grows with a flat top. The flowering period of mint is between July and September each year, when the flowers bloom lushly and brightly.
Pot cultivation tips:
1. Soil: For mint cultivation, choose loose, well-drained, fertile sandy soil.
2. Temperature: The cultivation temperature should preferably be kept at 20-30°C, and mint has strong cold resistance and can endure a low temperature of -15°C.
3. Light: Mint is naturally fond of sunlight, so sufficient light should be ensured. This can effectively ensure normal flowering of mint and promote the accumulation of peppermint oil and menthol.
4. Water: Mint cultivation requires a relatively large amount of water. Usually, the potting soil should be kept somewhat moist, with special attention needed in the early and middle growth stages. During the flowering period, the water supply can be appropriately reduced.
5. Planting: When selecting branches, dig out thick white rhizomes for planting, trim them into root sections about 8 cm long and bury them in the potting soil. After about 20 days, new branches can grow. Young stem tips can also be cut and used for shade cuttings in May-June.