Top UK Gardening Tips on Dividing Orange Balm
Orange balm is a fragrant herb with sweet citrus leaves, that has been a staple at Newlands Nursery for many years now. Historically, orange balm, also known as Melissa officinalis, is a member of the mint family and is grown mainly for its culinary uses. Our favourite use is making a simple yet refreshing tea.
Orange balm makes a wonderful pot-grown plant, where it will flow over the sides of a container, making it both a useful and attractive display. As the plant establishes, it can become root-bound, and that is our main focus for today's Five Minute Friday blog. Today we are going to show you how to divide this herb, which will benefit your plant as well as giving you a free plant. This really is a win-win!
What you need
- An orange balm plant: I know this is fairly obvious; however, what is less obvious is if your plant is ready to be divided. It is very hard to put an exact time on it, as depending on conditions, this will depend on how quickly your plants have grown. But if you have a plant that is at least 1 year old, it will almost certainly be ready to divide.
- A knife, spade or trowel: The size of your plant will depend on what tool we use for dividing. The bigger the plant, the larger the tool needed.
- Some fresh multipurpose compost: A good quality compost is ideal for this.
- A pot or pots: These will be used to put the divided plants into. I am using a 9cm pot, but if you have a large plant to divide, you may want to go larger.
When should I divide Orange Balm plants?
Orange balm is a perennial herb plant. It is best divided in early spring, when new growth has started to sprout through the ground.
How to divide your Orange balm plant
- Remove the plant: First, remove your plant from the pot. The best way to do this is to gently squeeze the pot to release the roots from the sides of the pot. Once this is done, it is easy to tip the plant upside down and take the pot off the root ball.
- Divide the Orange balm plant: Now to divide the plant. You will see natural clumps of growth. Each of these clumps can become a new plant. Using a trowel, knife or spade, gently tease each of these clumps away from the root ball. This is often best done by cutting down through the root ball and then gently levering the new clump away from the roots.
- Repot your new plants: Choose a pot that is slightly bigger than the new root ball. Place your new plant in the pot and surround it with the fresh compost. Repeat the process for as many root balls as you have created.
- Water well: Give the new plants a good water. Soak the compost all the way through, waiting until water comes out of the base of the pot.
Aftercare of your new Orange balm plants
Orange balm is a hardy plant and recovers very quickly from dividing. However, to give it the best start in life, keep the compost moist but not soggy, placing your new plants in a semi-shady spot.
