Mentha spicata var. crispa 'Marokko'
Moroccan mint
Common names: Nana mint, Tea mint
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Spacing
- 30 cm, rows 40 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Planting
- Apr–May
- Harvest
- Jun–Oct
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −15 °C
- Water need
- High
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The Moroccan mint 'Marokko' is the classic variety for sweet peppermint tea, mild, clear, and slightly sweet in aroma, lacking the sharp note of peppermint. It spreads by runners and will fill any bed you give it.
Care instructions
Plant it in a pot or a root barrier ring to prevent it from overtaking the entire bed. Water regularly; it prefers moist, semi‑shaded conditions. From June onward, prune fresh shoots continuously and cut back before flowering to preserve the strongest aroma.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
PlantingApr–May
HarvestJun–Oct
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, loamy, moist, nutrient-rich, well-drained
Moroccan mint likes humus-rich, loose soil that stays evenly moist but does not tolerate waterlogging. Improve loamy soils with compost or some sand so that water drains away; in a pot, choose nutrient-rich herb compost with good drainage.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Mar, Apr, Jun
In early spring (March/April), work mature compost shallowly in around the plant. Before flowering in June, you can add compost or some horn shavings once more to support leaf growth. Feed in moderation, because too much nitrogen reduces the aroma. Outdoors, two organic doses per season are usually enough; pot-grown plants you feed more often, for example with diluted nettle or comfrey liquid feed.
Overwintering
Moroccan mint is a hardy perennial: it dies back in autumn and shoots again in spring from the rhizomes; it is best to leave the dead shoots standing over winter and cut them back only in spring. In the bed you need no protection; in a container, place the pot sheltered against a house wall, on wood or polystyrene, and wrap it in horticultural fleece so the root ball does not freeze through.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Division
- Runners
The most reliable way to propagate Moroccan mint is vegetatively, because only this way does the cultivar's characteristic smoky, minty aroma stay intact.
Cuttings (easiest method): From April to August, take healthy, non-flowering shoot tips 10 to 15 cm long. Remove the lower leaves and stand the cuttings either directly in moist seed compost or first in a glass of water. Roots form after about 10 to 14 days. Then plant them out in the garden or into pots.
Division: In spring (March/April) or autumn (September/October), dig up an older clump completely and divide it with a sharp spade into several sections, each with its own roots and shoots. Replant the divisions immediately and water well. This method also rejuvenates the mother plant.
Runners/rhizomes: Moroccan mint spreads strongly by creeping shoots (rhizomes). In spring or summer you can cut off individual runner sections with at least one shoot node and plant them in a new spot, about 5 cm deep. If you want to control the spread in the bed, it is best to plant mint in a sunken pot with no base.
Note on sowing: Moroccan mint is a sterile cultivar. The flowers set hardly any viable seed, and plants grown from seed are not true to the cultivar. The aroma is lost in the process. Sowing is therefore not recommended for this cultivar.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
particularly well establishedYou will find that basil next to tomato and pepper improves taste and keeps whiteflies and aphids away.
For example PotatoSweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberryChili and 13 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
You will notice that the intense scent of basil, thyme, and others confuses the cabbage whitefly and keeps it away from the cabbage family.
For example KohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflowerBrussels sprout and 40 more species in the catalogue
Source: bio-gardening intercropping practice
Rather not
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Moroccan mint yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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