Growing Catnip

[passingcat]

I was wondering how easy it is to grow Catnip? I'm always buying this herb for my cats, and it is quite expensive. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience growing this popular herb? I've heard it is a wonderful herb to help humans sleep too! I would love to grow Catnip, and appreciate any advice?

 

[Soliloquy]

I tried growing this outside, but the plant was repeatedly destroyed by the neighborhood cats. It was fine while the plant was intact, but as soon as the plant received any kind of injury (like cutting a few leaves off for our own cats) it would be destroyed by the next day. I think once it was injured it must have started to release the scent. So, try to protect it from the cats somehow.

 

[ACSAPA]

I tried growing this outside, but the plant was repeatedly destroyed by the neighborhood cats. It was fine while the plant was intact, but as soon as the plant received any kind of injury (like cutting a few leaves off for our own cats) it would be destroyed by the next day. I think once it was injured it must have started to release the scent. So, try to protect it from the cats somehow.

I think it's funny that a bunch of stoner cats gathered around your plant to feed their nip addiction. It must have been like a rave out there.
I'm sorry your plant got destroyed but it's funny that a plant can drive cats that insane. They're like furry little drug addicts.

 

[happyflowerlady]

When I was growing up, there used to be a huge stand of catnip out in the back yard . It pretty much just grew wild, and spread all around the area. It was very hardy, and we really didn't do anything with it, or even anything special to take care of it.
If you only have one plant, and several cats around, then you might have to watch out for it, but I think if you get a small plant, and when it grows, you can put it outside where it can spread, it will do that just like other mint does, and you will have all the catnip that you want or need.
It seemed a little strong to me, but you can make catnip tea, just the same as regular mint tea.

 

[Soliloquy]

I think it's funny that a bunch of stoner cats gathered around your plant to feed their nip addiction. It must have been like a rave out there.
I'm sorry your plant got destroyed but it's funny that a plant can drive cats that insane. They're like furry little drug addicts.

Yes, it was pretty funny; at least we could make the neighborhood cats happy for a while Kind of weird to become a drug dealer for cats. We finally had to give up on the catnip plant, but I've always wondered what would happen if we tried again. We do have fewer stray cats around now that a rescue society opened around the corner.

 

[ACSAPA]

Yes, it was pretty funny; at least we could make the neighborhood cats happy for a while Kind of weird to become a drug dealer for cats. We finally had to give up on the catnip plant, but I've always wondered what would happen if we tried again. We do have fewer stray cats around now that a rescue society opened around the corner.

Are you able to grow it indoors at all? It seems like it's too easy for them to get to it when it's outside.
If not, maybe you can try growing it in a container outside and bringing the pot indoors at night.

 

[Soliloquy]

I could try, but with two cats in the house we might have the exact same problem! I wonder if a little planter with a dome on top would do the trick.

 

[passingcat]

I think it's funny that a bunch of stoner cats gathered around your plant to feed their nip addiction. It must have been like a rave out there.
I'm sorry your plant got destroyed but it's funny that a plant can drive cats that insane. They're like furry little drug addicts.

Hehe! I did have a giggle at your post! I can imagine neighbourhood cats gathering together to go on Catnip hunts! It really is a very potent herb for our feline friends! Thanks for your lovely humour!

 

[TheCrazyPlantLady]

I started a number of catnip seedlings last winter, and grew them in pots on the porch until I had dug a special bed for them, because I understand they can take over. They are really easy to grow, but they love lots of sunshine, so make sure you have a sunny spot for them. The cats love fresh catnip much better than dried!

I also found that if I grab a handful of leaves when I go out to garden, rub them into a pulp in my hands, then spread the juice on my arms and neck the mosquitos leave me pretty much alone. And it smells so much better than bug spray. And I get kitty licks when I go back inside

So, I had a whole bunch of seedlings growing this winter, and I'm terrible at labeling things, so things got a little mixed up towards the end. I took what I thought were 5 hollyhock seedlings out in the spring, and planted them all in the same bed. Well, it quickly became apparent that one of the seedlings wasn't a hollyhock at all! I didn't figure out until it was over a foot high that it was catnip!

 

[Ruth B]

Studies have proved that catnip is stronger than deet. I use it dried in a herbal flea powder mixture I make up for the dogs. I use arrowroot, corn starch, and baking soda as the base, I use dried herbs for it. I use cedarwood leaves, (tho that won't be happening when I run out as my source for them is gone), catnip and lemongrass. I will vary it up with mixture of other things too sometimes, like lavender, mints, ect.

I work with essential oils, and my company does not have catnip essential oil. But another company does, so it can be bought that way too. Of course, e oils are quite a bit more potent by the drop than herbs. It takes only one drop of peppermint oil for example to equal 28 cups of peppermint tea.

 

[IcyBC]

For some reasons I have catnip growing here and there around my home and I don't even have a cat. Stray cats from the neighborhood use my garden area as their litter, and the catnip grew without me having to do a thing, except trying to clean up the poop

 

[Beth_B]

For some reasons I have catnip growing here and there around my home and I don't even have a cat. Stray cats from the neighborhood use my garden area as their litter, and the catnip grew without me having to do a thing, except trying to clean up the poop

@IcyBC , why do you keep resurrecting very old threads without adding any useful information? It's really annoying. FIY, the "similar threads" link you see is just clickbait which is fine I guess. But old; like two years ago old. Do you really not realise that these threads are from early 2013? Why on earth are you typing responses to people who have not even been on this forum for over two years? Really, why? I sincerely would like to know.


It just clutters up the more current threads. Please, you and others, stop doing this. It just makes you look ignorant and it clutters up the current threads. Stop it.Thank you.

 

[Greenhorn]

I grew some and the cat didn't like and either the cat or my wife had a mild reaction to it, sorry can't remember which, might have been both, I think it was my wife. Oh and it wasn't dried at that point, still fresh.

 

[Trellum]

For some reasons I have catnip growing here and there around my home and I don't even have a cat. Stray cats from the neighborhood use my garden area as their litter, and the catnip grew without me having to do a thing, except trying to clean up the poop

That sounds just awful! Plain gross! So do you think the cats use your garden as litter box because they are initially attracted to the catnip? Thanks for the tip, I will definitely never be growing that! By the way, be careful when cleaning their poop, most strays are full of parasites.

 

[IcyBC]

That sounds just awful! Plain gross! So do you think the cats use your garden as litter box because they are initially attracted to the catnip? Thanks for the tip, I will definitely never be growing that! By the way, be careful when cleaning their poop, most strays are full of parasites.

I used a long handle shovel @Trellum to clean the poop and uprooted all the catnip plants that I saw. I also spray some bleach around to keep the cats from coming back. So far so good! I just wish people who have cats follow the same rules as for those with dogs.