Catnip Plant Varieties: Cultivating Various Nepeta Species
Catnip Plant Varieties: Cultivating Various Nepeta Species: Catnip is a member of the mint family and is beloved among feline companions. Catnip comes in various types that are easy to grow, vigorous, and appealing.
In case you’re wondering, these plants will entice your feline companions. Crushing the leaves releases nepetalactone, a cat-loving chemical.
Contact with the plant makes the cat happy and provides several photo opportunities as you watch “Fluffy” frolic.
Varieties of Catnip, The most common type of catnip is Nepeta cataria, sometimes known as actual catnip.
Other Nepeta species exist, each with its blossom colour and aroma.
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Catnip plants are native to Europe and Asia, but they have become naturalised in various parts of North America.
Catnip and its cousin, catmint, have interbred, resulting in several variants of the original species.
The following are the five most prevalent species:
True catmint (Nepeta cataria) reaches a height of one foot and bears white to purple flowers.
The tall Greek catmint (Nepeta parnassica) is 112 feet tall with pale pink blooms (1.5 m).
Camphor catmint (Nepeta camphorata) grows to 3 feet (1.5 m) in height and has white blooms with purple patterns.
Lemon catmint (Nepeta citriodora)- A 1-metre-tall plant with white and purple flowers.
Persian catmint (Nepeta mussinii) has lavender flowers and grows to 15 inches (38 cm).
The majority of catnip cultivars have grey-green, heart-shaped leaves with fine hairs. All have the characteristic square stem of the mint family.
Other Nepeta species are available for bold gardeners or cat lovers.
Giant catmint can reach heights of over 3 feet.
The flowers are purplish blue and come in several varieties, including ‘Blue Beauty.’ The blossoms of ‘Caucasian Nepeta’ are massive and magnificent, while Faassen’s Catmint forms a thick clump of massive, blue-green leaves.
Catmint plants are grown in countries such as Japan, China, Pakistan, the Himalayas, Crete, Portugal, Spain, and others.
Almost every country appears to have some variation of the herb growing.
Most of them demand the same dry, hot circumstances as common catnip, but some, such as Kashmir Nepeta, Six Hills Giant, and Japanese catnip, prefer moist, well-drained soils and can bloom in partial shade.
Learn more about the plants that grow in conjunction with catnip.
Catnip resembles other mints in appearance, but it also contains the aromatic oils for which the mint family is famous.
Catnip is, therefore, an ideal garden companion plant.
According to several studies, putting these oils on your fruit and vegetable plants can help keep them healthy and pest-free. Using catnip as a pest control agent is a natural way to keep insects at bay while protecting your landscape.
Catnip as an Insect and Plant Companion If you’ve ever seen a cat circle a catnip plant, you know how strong the allure is. Catnip is not only great for a kitty-friendly garden, but it also repels several common pests.
Chard, for example, is one of catnip’s many friends. The plant’s herbal oils keep flea beetles away from the veggies, preventing harm caused by their feeding.
Catnip can be grown alongside other plants that benefit from its strong aroma. Many insects are repulsed by catnip’s beneficial oils, including:
Ants and Aphids Weevils that consume cabbage Aphids on potatoes Japanese beetles Flea-eating beetles Cockroaches Weevils Bugs should be eliminated.
That’s a long list for a plant that’s easy to colonise. Catnip, a vegetable garden companion plant, can help protect crops from pest damage without the use of toxic chemicals.
The following plants can be grown using catnip:
Chard (Swiss) (Swiss) Squash, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes are all root vegetables. The herb’s pungent perfume appears to prevent mice and voles, two common vegetable garden pests.
As a Plant Companion, Catnip may quickly become invasive and spread throughout a bed.
Plant the herb in a pot and bury it among catnip companion plants to avoid this.
Of course, the herb attracts cats, but the blossoms attract honeybees. You can apply catnip as a border if you don’t want cats in your garden.
Cats will be so distracted by the plant’s enticing aroma that they will avoid the soft soil near your plants and go elsewhere to relieve themselves.
As a bonus, you may watch a cat frolic among the fragrant foliage and flowers.
There will be numerous photo chances!
Catnip can be grown from seeds, cuttings, or cuttings. It proliferates and has little disease and pest problems.
Plant catnip in well-drained soil near plants that need protection for pest management.
Catnip grows lanky, so prune young plants early to achieve a thicker, bushier shape.
To use the plant at home, cut the stems and hang them upside down in a dry place.
Once the herb leaves have dried, remove them from the stems.
Crush the leaves and sprinkle them on doorways, windowsills, and anyplace else small bug invaders might enter the house.
The odour can linger up to a week and keeps various pests away from your home.
What else is catnip helpful for besides making cats happy?
The name, or nearly so, says it all. Catnip is a common herb that can be grown in a garden or in the wild.
You can profit from the catnip for yourself and your feline buddies if you know how to use it.
Catnip for Cats, also known as Nepeta cataria, is a mint-family herb traditionally used to treat cats.
One common misunderstanding is that all cats respond to catnip. Only about two-thirds of cats lick, rub catnip toys, roll in the herb, or drool in response to catnip.
Even feral cats are affected by catnip. Catnip can be fed to cats as a fresh plant in a container or in a bed outside.
If you put it in a container, make it big enough and heavy enough to keep a curious cat from knocking it over.
To limit access, wrap toys in dried catnip leaves and store them covered and out of reach when not used.
Other ways to use catnip Catnip isn’t just for cats.
If you grow the herb, you have various options and may wonder what to do with the leftover catnip from making cat toys.
Nepetalactone, a molecule found in catnip, is an insecticide.
It can keep mosquitoes, spiders, ticks, cockroaches, and other bugs away from your home.
You can deter certain pests by planting catnip between vegetable rows as a gardener.
According to one study, growing catnip with cabbage vegetables reduced flea beetle infestations.
Catnip can even keep rabbits and deer away from your vegetable garden. Catnip may have medicinal properties for humans, but before using it as a food supplement, see your doctor.
Tea from dried catnip leaves and flowers has been used for centuries to cure stomach disorders, fever and flu symptoms, insomnia, and stress.
It is perfect for ill children because it calms and helps with gastrointestinal issues.
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