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2012
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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)
