Planting catnip: location, sowing & Co.

Catnip is not only popular with house cats. We reveal what you need to know about planting catnip in the garden or as a houseplant.

Catnip (Nepeta) is a real wonder herb. It has a very special effect on cats and people can use the fragrant plant as a medicinal herb or as a splash of color in the perennial bed. With a few tips and tricks, the catnip can also find its way into your garden. In this article, we'll tell you everything you need to know about the right location, the best time to plant and how to plant catnip.

The catnip is versatile: in the garden it looks wonderful in the perennial bed. In the fragrance bed, it contributes to a wonderful scent in the garden with its special aroma in summer. In the house it can be kept as a houseplant, on the balcony it looks good in the window box and is a delight for the bees and insects in the city. Catnip was already valued as a medicinal and aromatic plant in the Middle Ages and was a cat lover do their furry roommates a big favor by growing this special mint in their home. After purchasing your catnip, the next step is planting. So that you can enjoy your catnip for as long as possible, there are a few points that should be considered when planting.

When to plant catnip

When to plant catnip depends on whether you sow your catnip yourself, split it, or plant the plant out as a store-bought pot.

The ideal time to sow catnip is in spring, at the earliest in mid-March. You should have sown your catnip outdoors by the end of April, otherwise the likelihood that the mint will begin to bloom in the same year will decrease. Another way to multiply catnip yourself is through division. For this purpose, a perennial from the garden is divided with the spade and planted in a new location. The best time to do this is between April and June. If you have decided to buy early catnip in a pot, you can plant it out almost all year round. Only in the winter months should you not plant your catnip outside. The ideal time is between the end of April and mid-May.

Summary planting time for catnip:

• Sow from mid-March to the end of April
• Division from April to June
• Plant potted crops from spring to autumn, ideally between late April and mid-May

The right location for catnip

The catnip especially likes it sunny and bright. On the other hand, she doesn't feel at home in the shade. In general, one can make a rough distinction between the different types of catnip, namely between gray-leaved and green-leaved species. The gray-leaved catnip species usually prefer a dry, sandy location with as much sun as possible. The green-leaved catnip species like a fresh to moist location better, they usually have a little more shade less.

Tip: Catnip goes particularly well with Roses (pink). But it also gets along well with other perennials. Delphinium (Delphinium) or Indian nettle (Monarda) are also good neighbors for your catnip.

Catnip especially likes its soil to be loose and permeable. It should also be rich in nutrients - a sufficient supply of nitrogen is particularly important for catnip. The soils for the catnip can be sandy to loamy and should ideally have a pH value of 6.5. Catnip can deal with drought better than with conditions that are too humid. Waterlogging in particular can lead to asphyxiation of the roots and rot - this must be avoided at all costs.

Tip: Catnip has an almost magical attraction for cats. You should be aware of that. So it's best to choose a location for growing where cats are welcome.

Summary of the location and soil requirements of catnip:

• Gray-leaved catnip: Dry, sunny and sandy location
• Green-leaved species: Fresh to moist locations, sunny to partially shaded
• Loose and well-drained soil with a pH value around 6.5
• Nutrient-rich soil that is sandy to loamy and not too moist

Plant catnip outside in the garden

Once the right location for the catnip has been found, it is time to plant. As a first step, put the catnip in a bucket with water so that the root ball can soak up well.
The next step is to prepare the bed by loosening the soil well, removing stones, roots and weeds and incorporating nutrients. This can take the form of compost or organic slow release fertilizer. You can also use a soil activator like the Plantura organic soil activator use to loosen the soil and increase the humus content.

Now use a planting shovel to dig out planting holes at a distance of 30 centimeters from the next plant. If you want to achieve complete ground cover with several catnip plants, it is advisable to set a maximum of ten plants per square meter. The planting holes should only be as deep as the plant is in the pot. The top of the root ball should be just below the surface of the soil. Now the plant is placed in the planting hole. You should then fill the planting hole with the excavated material and water the catnip well.

Instructions for planting the catnip:

• Place the plant in a bucket of water
• Loosen the soil well at the planting site and remove weeds
• Enrich the soil with compost or a fertilizer with long-term organic effects
• Dig the planting hole
• Plant spacing: 30 cm
• Insert the plant and fill the planting hole with excavated material
• Water well

Plant catnip as a houseplant in a pot

If you want to make your cat happy in the house, you can also plant catnip in a pot or tub as a houseplant. All you need is a sufficiently large planter that should have a drainage hole. Through the drainage hole and a saucer, you ensure that the irrigation water can drain off easily and that no waterlogging occurs. A drainage layer in the pot is also important for this. This can consist of pebbles or potsherds, for example, and helps the water to drain off. For planting catnip in the pot, for example, the peat-free one is suitable Plantura organic herb & seed compost. outstanding. You should also enrich the substrate with nutrients for the catnip in the pot. Our Plantura organic universal fertilizerwith organic long-term effect, which provides the catnip with sufficient and gentle supply of the right nutrients. Now fill the pot one third with the substrate and place the catnip plant in the middle of it. Then the pot is filled with the substrate, the plant is watered and the excess water is removed from the saucer.

Summary of planting catnip in a pot:

• Select a sufficiently large planter with a drainage hole
• Create a drainage layer
• Enrich the substrate with a fertilizer with an organic long-term effect
• Fill one third of the pot with substrate
• Place the plant in the middle of the pot
• Fill the pot with substrate
• Pour on and remove excess water

The catnip does not only look good as a houseplant, but also in a box on the balcony. It attracts bees with its many flowers and is a nice addition to your balcony garden.

Tip: Good neighbors for the catnip in the balcony box are, for example oregano (Origanum), thyme (Thymus) or lavender (Lavandula). On the other hand, all moisture-loving herbs such as parsley (Petroselinum), Lovage (Levisticum) and chives (Allium).

Care for catnip after planting

Even after planting, the catnip is dependent on your attention and care. This of course mainly includes watering, fertilizing and cutting. Catnip should be watered regularly, especially in the pot. But don't overdo it. After all, catnip copes much better with brief periods of drought than with persistent moisture. Therefore, always let the surface of the soil or the substrate in the pot dry well before you water again. A single fertilization in spring with nitrogen-rich fertilizer is enough for catnip for the whole year. Suitable for this compost, Horn shavings or fertilizers with organic long-term effects such as our Plantura Organic universal fertilizer. Another care measure for the catnip is the cut. If you prune your catnip back to just above the ground right after flowering, you increase the chances of a second flowering in the same year.

More about the right one Pruning your catnip can be found here in our special article on the subject.