Q&A for How to Grow Catnip

Yes, and the cats it may attract would be a deterrent to rabbits and other animals that may otherwise eat your vegetables.

You can! Once you've air dried your leaves, take one to two teaspoons of dried catnip and place it in cheese cloth or any tea dispenser you might have on hand. Steep it in one cup of boiling water for ten minutes, then enjoy!

Catnip grows best outdoors from the spring through fall, but you can grow it indoors year round if you have a window that gets plenty of sun. Place your plant within three feet of that sunlit window.

Some people just enjoy the taste, others drink it for mental or health benefits. It can make you calmer and help clear your mind. Tea also has antioxidants, which have beneficial healing and protective effects in your body and brain.

Yes! It is a perennial plant, so it grows back. Just make sure you used catnip and not catmint!

Cats can eat it fresh. Breaking the leaves up will release the aroma.

Cut a stem and leaves to harvest it. Trim it either down to the base, or cut just the joints where a leaf or leaves sprout from the stem. Cutting it just above a leaf joint will promote more rapid new growth.

Yes, which means it will come back each year. You "deadhead" (snip off) flowers and pinch back leaves to promote fuller, sturdier growth.

It really depends on what you're looking to do with it. If you're planning on using it for tea, then the answer would be yes. If you are planning on giving it to your cat, just give them a dried leaf.

Yes, you can give your cat one or two leaves each day.

It depends on the size of the plant, but usually not more than a few inches. I've had some pretty hardy catnip in my garden and the most dominant root was only about 5-6 inches deep.

Yes, cats can have catnip as a treat (though many will choose to just enjoy the smell and not eat it).

Deadhead (cut back) the flowers, and if you harvest the top of the plant, cut above where a leaf joins with the stem. It also helps if you shear the plant.

If you let catnip age too long, it will taste very bitter. The bloom (flower) is the most potent.

Outdoors, put it away from delicate plants you wouldn't want roaming cats to mess with. Indoors, put it three feet from a sunny window. Make sure it gets sun year-round.

Just let the soil drain and dry out and watch the plant rejuvenate itself! Only water the plant when the first two inches of soil feel dry to your fingertips. Plants don't like too much water; they tend to develop "root rot," in which case the whole plant will die. In that event, replace the potting soil with new potting soil, and don't over-water them. Of course, there must be some oxygenating and drainage holes in the pot bottom too!

Sun would be best, but don't let it get too warm.

The essential oil -- which is10 times more effective than deet -- repels mosquitoes and cockroaches, but only very fragrant plants are likely to repel them in the open air.

It has no affect on dogs.

Catnip is an "annual" plant, meaning it will come back each year. Typically if you let your catnip's blooms fall around the plant, the plant will be bigger and much fuller.

It should, as it's known as an “annual” plant. Just make sure the plants are sprouting in spring. If not, then remove the potting soil and replace it; you will have to regrow your plant.

To humans? No. To cats? Yes - it acts as an aphrodisiac because the nepetalactone in it mimics the sex pheromones found in tomcat urine.

At the point when you see some leaves, you should cut the catnip. If you are trimming the catnip's stem, you should do it when you have lots of leaves and flowers. If you are just cutting off the leaves, you should just do that when you see the flowers/leaves.

Water it, but first check its growth to determine if it is alive or not. If it has died, you can still use the entire plant for tea and give it to your cat. If it's still alive, give it water, but be careful not to drown it.

A normal pot you would plant a seedling so many around 8 by 8 cm pot. Or, you could put a few in a large pot together.

Yes. There are lots of places online to buy catnip, and it is also found in pet stores, and the pet section in department stores and grocery stores. Health food stores that sell dried herbs may also stock dried catnip.

If you have enough plastic bags, once the flowers begin to turn brown, you can put a bag over the flowers, and then seal it tight.

Yes, it will thrive in the warmer climate, and you can harvest it year-round.

No need, you can just plant a whole bunch of seeds in one small container. And they will grow fine. Just water and follow the watering instructions above.

Some people do, mostly as a tea. Food wise or chewing wise though, it is meant for cats. It doesn't really have a culinary flavor appealing to humans. Your cats can eat it fresh or dry.