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#Cat mint for cats how to#
#Cat mint for cats full#

It is also a natural insect repellent and will bloom midsummer and again in the fall. This is the plant that contains nepetalactone, the compound that may make the cat more playful or rambunctious. While both are members of the Nepeta or mint family, they are actually two separate plants.Ĭatnip (Nepeta cataria), is leggier in appearance and produces white flowers. Is there a difference between them or are the names one and the same?Ī: Yes, there is a difference, and the names are sometimes used interchangeably. Mulch touching the plant stems can encourage rot and disease.Q: I’ve heard people talk about catnip and catmint.

Mulch around the base, but keep the mulch from touching the stems.

Water the new plant and surrounding soil well.

Create a shallow ring around the plant with the leftover soil to slow water from running away.

Be sure to firm the soil to eliminate air pockets around the roots.

Set your catmint in the hole and backfill with the removed soil.

Use a handheld garden tool to cut any girdling roots.

Remove the catmint from its pot and tease apart any pot-bound roots.

Adjust the depth by digging or filling in the hole as needed.

Test fit the plant in the hole, ensuring the crown will be level with the top of the surrounding soil once planted.

The hole should look like a shallow bowl, not a fencepost hole.

Dig a hole 1.5-2 times as wide as the rootball and the same depth.

Your plant will have a nice drink before the stress of being transplanted, and it will slide out of the pot easier. Let it absorb while you are prepping the hole.

Water your catmint while it is still in the pot.

If planting in a pot, use a high-quality potting mix and consider adding some perlite. Catmint enjoys drier sites and will suffer in soggy soil. Try to get catmints in the ground at least 4-6 weeks before your killing frosts to allow the root systems time to develop before the plant goes dormant for the winter. You can still plant catmint all summer if needed. However, if you find one on the discount rack later in the summer, grab it. When to Plant CatmintĬatmint is usually planted in spring when it is available from garden centers. Southern gardeners may find catmints enjoy afternoon shade to give them a break from the harsh sun.Ĭatmints are not picky about soil and thrive in drier locations and less fertile soil.

#Cat mint for cats full#

They like full sun but will still do well in partial shade.

Most catmint varieties are hardy in USDA zones 3-8 but check the tag to be sure. Most catmints have a lower concentration of nepetalactone than catnip, but many cats still love it. Bruising or eating the leaves exposes the cat (or us) to the chemical, which acts like a pheromone to the cat–not to humans. The chemical that makes cats go bonkers is nepetalactone, a volatile oil found in the plant.

Best yet? Many gardeners, including myself, report that deer won’t touch their catmint (and my deer will eat anything). Catmints are attractive to native bees and honeybees alike. Their long bloom time and tubular-shaped flowers make them a favorite.

It is sterile, so there is no need to worry about spreading.Ĭatmints are wonderful perennials for pollinators, even though they are not native. One of the more popular catmints is the hybrid Nepeta x faassenii and its cultivars. They have a tidier form than catnip and are available in several sizes to suit containers, borders, or beds. cataria.Ĭatmints are generally a better landscaping plant, and blooms are available in whites, pinks, lavenders, blues, and purples. For this article, we’ll consider catmint to be any member of the Nepeta genus besides N.

Confused? It’s like how all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. Thus, there is some confusion with names–all catnips are catmints, but not all catmints are catnip. Catnip, the famous feline pleaser, is Nepeta cataria. There are about 250 species in the genus, and many are called catmints. About CatmintĬatmints belong to the genus Nepeta in the mint family.

#Cat mint for cats how to#

Learn how to plant, grow, and care for catmints. A herbaceous perennial that needs little care, catmint will provide your garden with years of color and habitat. Few plants are as beloved by our pollinators, or our cats, as catmint.