agriculture, forestry & fisheries Department: Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA Further information can be obtained from: Directorate Plant Production Private Bag X250 PRETORIA 0001 Tel: +27 12 319 6072 Fax +27 12 319 6372 Email [email protected] 2012 (revised) Printed and published by Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Obtainable from Resource Centre Directorate Communication Services Private Bag X144 PRETORIA 0001 Lemon balm Lemon balm Melissa officinalis Family: Labiatae Pest and disease control Whitefly, spider mite and thrips are pests that occur on lemon balm. Lemon balm is susceptible to mildew. Several prac- tices will reduce or prevent powdery mildew. Do not plant in low, shady locations. Acknowledgement We thank the members of SAEOPA and KARWIL consultancy for information provided.
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agric
ultu
re,
fore
stry
& fi
sher
ies
Dep
artm
ent:
Agric
ultu
re, F
ores
try a
nd F
ishe
ries
REPU
BLIC
OF
SOUT
H AF
RICA
Fur
ther
info
rmat
ion
can
be o
btai
ned
from
:
Dire
ctor
ate
Pla
nt P
rodu
ctio
nP
rivat
e B
ag X
250
PR
ET
OR
IA 0
001
Tel
: +
27 1
2 31
9 60
72F
ax
+27
12
319
6372
Em
ail
Tha
bo.R
amas
hala
@da
ff.go
v.za
2012
(rev
ised
)
Prin
ted
and
publ
ishe
d by
D
epar
tmen
t of A
gric
ultu
re, F
ores
try a
nd F
ishe
ries
Obt
aina
ble
from
R
esou
rce
Cen
tre
Dire
ctor
ate
Com
mun
icat
ion
Ser
vice
s
Priv
ate
Bag
X14
4
PR
ETO
RIA
00
01
Lem
on b
alm
Lem
on b
alm
Mel
issa
offi
cina
lisFa
mily
: Lab
iata
e
Pes
t and
dis
ease
con
trol
Whi
tefly
, sp
ider
mite
and
thr
ips
are
pest
s th
at o
ccur
on
lem
on b
alm
.
Lem
on b
alm
is s
usce
ptib
le t
o m
ildew
. S
ever
al p
rac-
tices
will
red
uce
or p
reve
nt p
owde
ry m
ildew
. D
o no
t pl
ant i
n lo
w, s
hady
loca
tions
.
Ack
now
ledg
emen
t
We
th
an
k th
e m
em
be
rs o
f S
AE
OP
A a
nd
KA
RW
IL
cons
ulta
ncy
for
info
rmat
ion
prov
ided
.
Bac
kgro
und
Ess
en
tia
l o
il cr
op
s a
re c
rop
s th
at
ha
ve v
ola
tile
, a
rom
atic
oils
in c
ert
ain
pa
rts
of
the
pla
nt.
Ess
en
tial
oils
are
na
tura
l pla
nt
pro
du
cts
wh
ich
acc
um
ula
te in
sp
ecia
lised
str
uctu
res
such
as
oil c
ells
, gl
andu
lar
tri-
chom
es, a
nd o
il or
res
in v
esse
ls. T
he o
il is
ext
ract
ed
fro
m t
he
pla
nt
thro
ug
h s
tea
m d
istil
latio
n,
che
mic
al
extr
actio
n or
CO
2 ex
trac
tion.
Me
lissa
off
icin
alis
is a
sp
rea
din
g h
erb
with
a s
ho
rt
root
stoc
k an
d sq
uare
bra
nchi
ng s
tem
s th
at g
row
30
to
60 c
m h
igh.
The
top
of th
e pl
ant d
ies
dow
n in
win
ter,
th
e ro
ot, h
owev
er,
is p
eren
nial
.
Orig
in a
nd d
istr
ibut
ion
Lem
on b
alm
is p
art o
f the
min
t fam
ily a
nd in
dige
nous
to
So
uth
ern
Eu
rop
e,
the
Me
dit
err
an
ea
n r
eg
ion
, W
este
rn A
sia,
and
Nor
th A
fric
a.
Lem
on b
alm
is g
row
n on
a s
mal
l sca
le in
the
Low
veld
o
f M
pu
ma
lan
ga
, K
wa
Zu
lu-N
ata
l, G
au
ten
g a
nd
th
e E
aste
rn a
nd W
este
rn C
ape
prov
ince
s.
Clim
atic
and
soi
l req
uire
men
ts
Le
mo
n b
alm
sh
ou
ld b
e c
ulti
vate
d in
te
mp
era
te a
nd
sub
tro
pic
re
gio
ns.
Ra
infa
ll o
f 3
00
to
1 3
00
mm
pe
r an
num
is n
eces
sary
, ho
wev
er,
it sh
ould
be
wat
ered
re
gula
rly if
rai
nfal
l is
not s
uffic
ient
. Lem
on b
alm
gro
ws
best
in fe
rtile
, dee
p, a
nd w
ell-d
rain
ed s
oils
with
a p
H
of 5
,0 to
7,5
.
Use
s
• T
he o
il is
use
d in
per
fum
e.
• F
resh
or
drie
d le
aves
are
use
d in
hea
lth te
a an
d ot
her
tea
blen
ds.
• T
he le
aves
and
fl ow
ers
are
also
use
d in
win
emak
-in
g an
d liq
ueur
s.
Cul
tura
l pra
ctic
es
Pla
ntin
g
Th
e p
lan
ting
de
nsi
ty s
ho
uld
be
45
00
0 t
o 1
00
00
0 pl
ants
/ha.
Sug
gest
ed s
paci
ng is
20
to 3
0 cm
apa
rt in
th
e ro
w, a
nd 5
0 to
75
cm b
etw
een
the
row
s.
Pro
paga
tion
Le
mo
n b
alm
gro
ws
ea
sily
fro
m s
ee
d s
ow
n i
n t
he
sprin
g or
ear
ly a
utum
n. D
irect
see
ding
can
be
done
at
7 to
9 k
g/ha
. Sto
lons
are
the
fast
er a
nd e
asie
r w
ay to
es
tabl
ish
lem
on b
alm
.
Fer
tilis
atio
n
Alth
ough
spe
cific
rec
omm
enda
tions
are
not
ava
ilabl
e fo
r fe
rtili
satio
n o
f le
mo
n b
alm
, yi
eld
an
d o
il co
nte
nt
may
be
incr
ease
d w
ith s
ever
al n
itrog
en a
pplic
atio
ns
durin
g th
e gr
owin
g se
ason
.
Irrig
atio
n
The
cro
p ha
s a
high
wat
er d
eman
d. A
reg
ular
wat
er
supp
ly s
houl
d be
pro
vide
d by
ove
rhea
d sp
rink
ler
ir-
rigat
ion.
Alw
ays
avoi
d ex
cess
wat
er a
s it
is h
arm
ful t
o th
e cr
op.
Wee
d co
ntro
l
Th
ere
are
no
he
rbic
ide
s cl
ea
red
fo
r u
se o
n le
mo
n b
alm
as
the
pla
nt
is u
sed
mo
stly
fo
r m
ed
icin
al p
ur-
pose
s, a
nd t
oxic
ele
men
ts h
ave
to b
e el
imin
ated
as
far
as p
ossi
ble.
Wee
d co
ntro
l pro
gram
mes
mus
t be
m
aint
aine
d st
rictly
.
Lem
on b
alm
spr
eads
rap
idly
(P
hoto
s: W
.G. A
lber
ts)
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