Most of the time gardeners prefer a plant in their house that is beneficial for the garden, increases greenery and beautification, and is also good for health and edible purposes. If you are also among those who are searching for the same kind of plant then you must learn how to grow Yerba Buena. This plant contains all the qualities mentioned above.
Yerba Buena Plant
You might be wondering what is yerba buena in English. Well, it is also known as orange tea or Indian mint. As being native to the United States of America and Columbia, this herb can be grown in all zones of the USA, and it can also be grown in many other parts of the world. It is quite easy to be taken care of.
Is Yerba Buena a mint?
Yerba Buena is a creeping plant. It spreads just like a mint plant. There are some characteristics that make it more deserving and preferred than the common mint. It has quite a strong fragrance. This makes it stand out wherever it is grown.
Along with its strong smell, its leaves and flowers are both edible and can be consumed at any stage of their growth. These flowers and leaves can be dried and saved for further use. You can make some tea out of those dried leaves. It is quite common among people to enjoy Yerba Buena tea to freshen themselves and to enjoy their time.
Sometimes, along with being used for refreshment, this herb is also used for medicinal purposes according to cultures and prescriptions. Its health value has also been established among the masses.
Why Yerba Buena Plant?
As described earlier, it has many benefits regarding edibility and health. As a gardener, we always search for such qualities in any plant. How the plant is going to grow, how it is going to use space, and how much value it is going to add.
And also, how much care and effort this plant is going to take. So keep in mind that you are choosing the yerba Buena correctly. This plant as mentioned earlier creeps and spreads on the ground. It has very sweet and beautiful white flowers.
Along with that, wherever it is grown it adds beauty because it has greenery for a longer period and it adds value to the garden by its smell, flowers, greenery, and harvest. It provides a good raw material for teas to enjoy.
Along with its mentioned qualities, this plant is easy to grow and easy to take care of. It has been seen that people just dropped the seeds, and they finally got Yerba Buena in the spring season. It takes mild care to make it steady and healthy, for a long-lasting supply of this herb.
How to Grow Yerba Buena
Yerba Buena can be grown from two methods. The first one is to grow them from seeds. In this method, you will first sow the seeds and then transplant the seedlings to the container or the beds in the garden. This is considered to be the most efficient and effective method to grow Yerba Buena.
The other method is direct transplanting from the existing plants. Getting cuttings from the plants and then taking care of them to make sure that these plants grow steadily. This method is not highly encouraged as its success ratio is quite lower than the other methods of growing Yerba Buena.
So, here we will go for the method which is successful and has been tested over, again and again, i.e., growing yerba Buena from the seeds.
Growing Yerba Buena from Seeds
First of all, get the seeds of Yerba Buena. Make sure seeds are good to sow. They must not be damaged and are quite healthy to be sown. Keep the seeds in the pot and keep them moist. This will increase the chances of germination.
Soil for Sowing
You can get the soil that is commonly available for gardening. Keep it in the bed or a container where you want to sow the Yerba Buena. Make sure to add mild fertilizers to the soil for increasing the level of nutrients. Also, moisten the soil before sowing the seeds. Keep the soil well-drained.
Sowing and watering
Sow the seeds of the yerba Buena at the upper loose layer of the soil. Water enough to keep the moisture and make a schedule. Check the moisture of the soil before you water the plant. When germination starts, keep moisture somehow higher than the previous level.
Keeping the bed or a container in a greenhouse is also recommended as it would ensure steady and healthy growth.
Transplanting the Yerba Buena Plants
Dig the soil well before transplanting the plants to the beds or into the container. Make sure there are no weeds around in the soil. The best time to transplant the Yerba Buena plants is after the last frost of the spring.
Plant the Yerba Buena in the container by digging a hole that is enough to cover the roots of the young plant. It should be at the level of the ground. Make sure that the distance between the plants is 4 to 7 feet.
Watering the Yerba Buena
How often do you water yerba buena?
Water the plants once a week. Cut the watering routine during the rainy season. This plant can survive for a longer time in nature provided moisture. Make sure to water the plants in the dry summers, your plant is thirsty during a hot day and you need to quench its thirst.
The grown yerba Buena plant offers you its leaves. But they demand a little care in return. Spray them with water or wash them early in the morning. These leaves are the best fruit you are going to get from this plant. The dust covers the leaves during the day which makes them look dusty, and also you would not like it that way.
Taking Care of Yerba Buena Plant
Yerba Buena plants are very easy to take care of. These plants can survive on natural moisture and can grow steadily on poor soil as well. You just need to make sure that there is enough moisture for a week and make sure there is no around and on the leaves.
These plants would survive in totally dry soil, you have to keep some moisture in the soil. Drainage is also important for them. When grown in a container it usually dries out. So you need to keep an eye on the moisture levels.
It rarely fell prey to any pests or diseases. Being a herb it has quite a resistance to harsh weather and diseases. If hit with any of the pests, consult with a nearer horticulturist because pests can be area-specific, in terms of Yerba Buena.
Pruning and trimming are important for this herb for healthy growth and large leaves. Trim the plant if it is growing from the boundaries of the places which you have specified for it in a container or a bed. If you want to store the leaves for tea, harvest them before the bloom season of the plant starts.
Harvesting the Leaves of Yerba Buena
First of all, the leaves and flowers are used in tea. For this purpose, yerba Buena leaves and flowers are harvested with the sole purpose of drying in mind.
How do you dry yerba buena leaves?
After harvesting the leaves and flowers from the plant, you need to keep them in a bag made of cloth. Dry the leaves and flowers in the shade so that their essence of smell and freshness keeps intact. When it is dried enough make sure to clean it and take the hard stems and other unnecessary material out.
After cleaning the leaves, get the airtight jar to preserve the leaves and flowers for the tea. These leaves can be used for a longer period. It gives quite a smell and freshness when used.
Uses of Yerba Buena Plant
As mentioned earlier, it is a herb that is used for many purposes. It is used to increase the greenery and beautification of the garden along with its other uses, the yerba Buena is an edible and healthy herb. It is nowadays quite a common drink among celebrities.
The health benefits of the yerba Buena are also explored and well-known to the people that’s why it is grown and preferred over other mints. The most common benefits of yerba Buena tea are maintenance of the digestion system, weight loss, increased immune system, etc.
So, in a nutshell, the yerba Buena herb is quite a blessing of mother nature. Its easiness to grow and take care of makes it a preferred herb in the masses. Also, its edibility and usefulness regarding health are quite good. Yerba Buena makes the surroundings beautiful where it is sown and grown.
Planting this herb will add a very good plant to the garden. It will not benefit you, but also can be a chance to make it beneficial for others around you in times of emergency.
- 15 Best Vegetables to Grow in Winter
- How to Grow Garlic in Fall?
- How to Protect Plants in Winter?
- 22 Plants That Survive in the Winter?
- 20 Plants That Flowers in Winter
- Companion Plants For Beetroot
References
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-yerba-buena-72906.html
https://www.mygardenlife.com/plant-library/6762/mentha/spicata/yerba-buena
