Some medicinal plants grow vigorously and robustly in pots, just like in the garden. They only thing they need is fertile soil and plenty of light, and you will enjoy all year long the benefits of each medicinal plant. Because the human body is prone to diseases, and ingesting pills isn’t quite the best solution you can use, I recommend to everybody growing the following medicinal plants in pots.
► ALOE VERA
The cactus’s cousin, aloe vera, grows faster in pots than any other cactus. In its natural environment, it reaches the size of a shrub, but in pots it will remain in the modest dimensions of a decorative plant. It’s not a pretentious plant, but it needs a lot of light. Put the pot on the window or on the balcony so that it gets the sun light it needs (but only in the morning) and fresh air. Water it frequently, especially on warm days. Fertilizers can be added twice a year in small quantities. Keep in mind that fresh aloe vera leaves juice heal wounds, burns and treat skin infections.
► ECHINACEA
This pink daisy-like flower is one of the most beautiful medicinal plants you can grow in pots. Originally from North America, today it’s cultivated all over the world. Drought-resistant, Echinacea needs to be watered every 3 days, but it will require a lot of sunshine. You can add fertilizers only once a year, but be careful to avoid the nitrogen ones. Once it blossoms, cut the flowers over a knot like new buds to grow.
► LAVENDER
Growing lavender is very easy, being a less pretentious plant in when it comes to fertilizers. It’s a miniature, silver-colored shrub with purple-violet flowers. It needs sun all day long and regular watering, but it has to be protected from wind. In the first year of life, the stems are green and soft, and then they will become woody. It will grow nicely in large pots, if you leave it on the balcony to the sun. If you want to multiply it, cut the cuttings from the branches that didn’t had flowers and plant them in a mixture of sand and peat.
► MINT
Ask someone who have mint in the garden for some mint tuber-forming, and plant those in a large and deep pot. Put normal soil, mixed with peat and sand, and place the plant a brighter place, but not in direct sunlight. The most aromatic variety is peppermint, with small and purple flowers. Menthol leaves are delicious in lemonade, and tea is indicated for gastric problems.
Caution: Mint is an annual plant, so next year you will need new mint tuber-forming if the plant you have won’t produce resistant tuber-forming s over winter.
BASIC RULES FROM EXPERTS
► Pots must be deep and wide, because the medicinal plants develop long and richly branched roots; clay or plastic vessels with large holes for water drainage are indicated;
► the soil must be alkaline, that is, slightly salty, composed of flower soil and a little sand; the celery land, which you find in the specialized stores, is indicated;
► Almost all medicinal plants, less mint, need six hours a day of sunlight or direct light, especially in the morning.
Image Credits: Wholefully