A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Yellowing lemon balm and catnip

I have lemon balm and catnip planted in pots outdoors. The past month the leaves have been yellowing on both plants. Are these herbs that die down for the winter? My neighbor's lemon balm is still green and healthy looking and we haven't had a killing frost yet.

Hi Cricket,
I think maybe cause your plants are in pots...
That might be why they're turning before your neighbors...
Usually they'll have a small root system in a pot, are usually dryer, cause they can't send a tap or water roots down or out because of the pot.
And maybe like the plants being in the pot, and the pots' tempeture is like the airs temp. cause I think it takes it on...
Where as the roots in the dirt are still the temps of the dirt and maybe a bit warmer and happier..

Those factors could tell your plants they just need to go to sleep for the winter faster????

Weezie

Thanks, Weezie. Do I understand from your email that both lemon balm and catnip will die down for the winter? I was hoping they might be like parsley, staying green all winter. I'm in zone 8.

Cricket,
They may very well do that for you in your zone 8,
I usually assume your are in a "frozen" area when we hear Canada!!
I am not completely firmilar with that zone...

I am hoping another gardener, alot more firmilar with that zone would come thru and give you an ans.

Have you had the plants for awhile of is this the first year with those plants???

Weezie

Thanks, Weezie...this is my first year with these plants so I really don't know what to expect of them.

Cricket,
From my own Lemon Balm here at home and
anything I ever read about it, is that
that particular plant is VERY HARDY,
and re~seeds it's self almost to the point
of being a "weed" sometimes...
So, I don't think I'd worry tooooooo much over that one.... and watch around the plant for babies.
The Catnip is also a hardy type plant, and re~seeds prolifically as well..
but watch the richness of the soil, it likes a bit more "plain dirt" and with rocks...than the richer more nutrient filled type dirts.

My mother had that it grew well on the sides a gravel driveway.

Weezie

Thanks, Weezie,

I cut both plants back nearly to the soil and they are growing back with healthy-looking green leaves, so maybe somthing benign caused the initial yellowing? If they are ill plants, would it be harmful to makes teas and cook with them?

Assuming of course that they look healthy enough for me to even think of ingesting them!

Both my Lemon Balm and Catnip die down for winter , I dont prune mine until spring because the dead leaves help protect the plant for insulation. As soon as I see any green under the dead leaves, I prune to about 3 " tall to allow for the new growth.