How to Grow Catnip: Your Complete Guide

Nepeta cataria, commonly referred to as catnip, are plants that are excellent for creating a small oasis for your cat in your garden. With a variety of uses from culinary spice to medicinal tea for dyspepsia, colds, and other maladies, this simple-to-grow herb is a great addition to any garden, provided it is planted in the proper hardiness zone. The perennial catnip plant, which belongs to the mint family, is most known for being a fan favorite of felines. Catnip is easy to grow at home, but there are a few things you need to know in order to do it correctly.

In this guide, we’ll break down the basics of catnip, from how to grow catnip to how to transplant it with ease.

The Botanical Classification and History of Catnip

Nepeta cataria, a hardy perennial herb that is a member of the mint family, is also known as catmint or catnip. It is indigenous to the region of Eurasia, which includes sections of southern and eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and specifically China. Catnip is rather easy to grow and has now become a common naturalized plant in northern Europe, New Zealand, and North America. Catnip can be grown indoors in containers and grows well in USDA hardiness zones three to nine, extending one’s growing season throughout the entire year.

Catnip, which attracts cats and is known for giving them a sort of high, has been used in recorded history for several centuries. The essential oil nepetalactone is the substance that makes catnip active. Nepetalactone is believed to imitate a feline pheromone in cats, activating brain receptors and causing the euphoric side effects that follow. Your cat will experience sedation if it eats catnip, whereas stimulation results from sniffing it. It is absolutely safe and non-addictive in both scenarios. Plus, it’s a lot of fun to watch catnip in action.

Catnip is an excellent herb to add to your indoor herb garden because it can be used in cooking and as a human medicine. While not producing the same euphoric effects in people as it does in cats, catnip has several medical applications for humans.

Where to Grow Catnip

Catnip grows best in gardens with lots of sunshine and well-drained soil. Verify that no taller plants in the area are casting too much shade on the catnip during the day. That being said, catnip plants will welcome some afternoon shade if you live in a warm environment. 

Catnip thrives in containers as well. In fact, a planting area with a border, such as a pot, raised garden bed, or stone wall, will aid in controlling the growth of your catnip. You can also raise a catnip plant indoors. You only need a sunny window sill with natural light to do so.

How to Grow Catnip

When given the right growth circumstances, catnip is relatively easy to grow and cultivate. It’s a great beginner-friendly herb that requires just minimal maintenance beyond watering and trimming. Just as well, outdoor plants can easily be pollinated by itself or by bees and similar pollinating insects in your garden.

Temperature and Hardiness Zones for Catnip

Catnip can be grown indoors at the right temperature regardless of the hardiness zone. However, if you want to grow your catnip in the garden outside, ensure that you are in USDA hardiness zones three through nine. This plant is cold-hardy, but it won’t tolerate extremely cold or extremely hot climates.

The ideal temperature range for catnip is between 55 and 85 degrees F. In hot, humid areas, the catnip plant doesn’t grow as well or yield as much crop. Make sure there is excellent air circulation around the plant to aid in preventing fungal development, particularly in areas with high humidity. Fungal infections can quickly kill off catnip plants as well as other delicate herbs.

Soil and Fertilizer Requirements for Catnip

Catnip can grow in a variety of soil mediums as long as they are well-draining. While it is not necessary, it is helpful to incorporate a thin layer of compost into the garden bed in order to improve the nutrients of the soil. Mulch with leaves, straw, or shredded bark will help with drainage, retain moisture, and control weeds.

It is advised not to fertilize your catnip, along with mint and other herbs containing essential oils. Fertilization promotes vigorous vegetative development while degrading the quality of the oils in the flowers and leaves. Unless your soil is extremely poor quality, no fertilization will ever be needed for your catnip plants both outdoors and indoors.

Remember that this plant grows aggressively and might spread if it is not controlled. So, to lessen the chance of spreading, it can be advantageous to plant it on a raised bed or container.

Sunshine and Lighting Requirements for Catnip

Catnip plants require full light, preferring at least six hours of sun exposure each day, although when planted outside in warm areas, they prefer shade in the late afternoon. Place the containers on a sunny ledge of a south or west-facing window when growing catnip plants inside.

To stop plants from phototropism, or bending toward the sun, rotate your pots every couple of days. If these plants do not receive enough sunshine, they will grow leggy and won’t yield as much crop. If additional lighting is required indoors, artificial growth lamps can be bought online or at a nearby nursery.

Water Needs for Catnip

These plants tolerate somewhat dry soil between waterings and are drought-tolerant. Before watering your plant, let the top inch of the potting soil dry up. Next, fill the container to the point where water can easily drain out the bottom.

For outdoor catnip plants in the first year, provide approximately an inch of water every week. Established plants can withstand drought and only require water during extended dry spells. No additional fertilizer is usually required for these plants.

How to Sow Catnip Seeds

Catnip, which belongs to the mint family, is renowned for its aggressive growth and capacity to swiftly take over a garden or growing area. Growing it in pots is an excellent approach to keep this rapid growth under control. Either seeds or stem cuttings from a catnip plant can be used to establish a new plant.

It’s preferable to plant seeds for indoor catnip in the spring or fall. Online retailers, local nurseries, garden shops, and even pet supply stores all sell catnip seeds. Instead, if you know someone who has plants, you can ask them for some catnip seeds.

To sow your catnip seeds, fill containers with a growth medium that has already been watered. Your catnip seeds should be planted around a quarter-inch deep. Keep the growth medium wet but not drenched in water. Water is necessary for catnip seeds to germinate, but you don’t want damping off to happen and potentially kill your seedlings.

Usually, germination takes around seven to 10 days for catnip in the right conditions. Once the seeds have successfully germinated, let the plants grow until they have five or six leaves before thinning them to one plant per eight to 12-inch container.

How to Propagate Catnip from Cuttings

You can avoid buying seeds by starting plants from stem cuttings, but you can only do this if you already have mature catnip plants or know someone who does.

Start by placing your growth media in a container once it has been dampened. Harvest your cuttings using sterilized, clean scissors or shears. Remove all of the leaves from the bottom two inches of a six-inch stem cutting. You can get a rooting hormone at any garden center, and you should dip the cut end of the stem in the hormone to stimulate growth. Plant the stem cuttings in your pots with care.

The two best alternatives for growth media are regular potting soil and coconut coir. Both have a strong water-holding capacity and are lightweight. Plus, they tend to be pretty cheap!

How to Transplant Catnip Plants

Early spring is the best time to transplant catnip plants. Water your catnip well with one inch of water to begin the transplanting procedure. After that, give it a day or two before transplanting. In an area that is eight to 10 inches deep and four inches broader than the plant, turn the soil over. Add approximately six inches of organic material, such as compost or chopped leaves, to the soil to increase fertility and drainage. Catnip can be grown in the sun or in the shade, as mentioned earlier in this guide.

Dig a circle around the catnip that is around six inches deep. Cut underneath the middle of the plant to get to the root ball. Create a hole in the new planting area that is four inches wider than the root ball. Backfill the hole with the improved soil mixture after placing the catnip in the middle of the hole. Tamp the earth lightly; you don’t want to compact the soil too much.

Give the catnip that was transplanted one inch of water. Continue watering the soil two or three times a week to keep it damp but not soaking wet. Reduce watering once the catnip sprouts new growth and only water when the soil feels dry to the touch about three inches deep.

How to Prune and Harvest Catnips

Your catnip plants will get scraggly if they aren’t occasionally pruned back. Pruning on a regular basis promotes bushier plants. Cut the plants down to around three or four inches above the ground after your catnip blooms. It will come back in a few weeks, and this new growth will start a fresh flowering cycle. Regularly remove dead or dried leaves to avoid pest or disease issues.

Your catnip plants can be harvested whenever you’d like to give your feline companions a treat, but the oils are at their best while the plant is in bloom. Before harvesting, try to wait until your plant is at least half a foot tall. Then, cut a whole stem off at the surface of the growth medium using a clean pair of sharp scissors. Catnip can be dried or dehydrated for storage.

There’s certainly a lot to love about catnip! These lovely plants are perfect for most vegetable or herb gardens. And if you have a cat at home, they’ll definitely be happy that you’ve planted this beneficial herb.

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