Catnip

We now have two new little members to our house. Meet Mario and Mia 

Now  I could say I grew this catnip for them but to be honest I been growing it way before they came along lol. I thought it would be something fun to grow so I did. Now it finally is coming to use. We have made catnip pouches and gave them it fresh. Happy to say they love it. 

We grew our catnip in a small basket lined with coconut fiber and filled with miracle grow soil. 

Some things to keep in mind to have a successful plant~

~Plant in full sun

~Water frequently at first

~It is known to repel some bugs and spiders

~Not all cats are attached to catnip (our older two before we got these two did not but these two are)

~Catnip can take over a garden, even if you start with only one plant

~If your cat is a indoor cat, try planting a few plants in pots and bring one in at a time and rotate them.

~Pinch off flower buds as they grow to keep the plant looking full

~Catnip also spreed by underground runners.

~Use bamboo sticks to keep cats from laying on the plant and flatting it.

 ~Harvest leaves by cutting stems, scent stays better when air dried

~Catnip can grow to 3 feet

~Catnip does well in any soil really as long as it is well drained 

~Catnip is a perennial

Remember the plant needs to grow to a healthy size so try to keep pets away till it has. Catnip is apart of the mint family and the seeds can be easily carried to other places. So if you have one plant expect another to pop up. I have also herd of people using catnip for tea but that's a whole another story. 

These are the catnip bags we made from fleece. We glued together almost all of the sides, leaving a small opening to put some dried catnip and replace it as needed.