What are the cultivation methods and precautions for mint?

Mint is also known as wild mint, night-breathing fragrance, silver penny grass, etc. It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Mentha in the Lamiaceae family. It mostly grows in mountain wilds, wetlands, and by rivers, and is distributed throughout our country. The whole plant has a fresh, aromatic scent, with opposite leaves and small light purple flowers. It can be used as medicine, as a vegetable, and can also be grown as a potted plant for ornamental purposes. Now let us take a look at the cultivation methods and precautions for mint!

Propagation Methods for Mint

1. Rhizome propagation: Cultivate seed roots in late April or late August. After harvesting the aboveground stems and leaves in early winter, leave the rhizomes in place as seed plants.

2. Division propagation: When mint seedlings are about 15 cm tall, thin and fill in the seedlings. At this time, the thinned seedlings can be used for division and transplanting.

3. Cutting propagation: In May to June, cut the aboveground stems and branches into 10 cm long cuttings for cutting propagation. After rooting and sprouting, transplant them to the field for cultivation.

Cultivation Methods for Mint

1. Soil: Mint is not picky about soil, but it likes fertile, loose soil. If the flower pot is too small or there is too little soil, nutrients will not keep up and it will grow very slowly. Therefore, use fertile soil with strong air and water permeability. Ordinary garden soil or leaf mold with a little chicken manure fertilizer is enough.

2. Sunlight: Mint likes ample sunlight, so it must be placed in a sunny place. Do not worry even if the summer sun is strong. Insufficient sunlight easily causes leggy growth, leaves that do not grow large, and especially weak, thin plants. A whole pot may become smaller and smaller.

3. Water: Mint likes a moist soil environment and is relatively tolerant of moisture. Especially during the growing period, keep the soil moist, but the amount of water must not be too large, and waterlogging is strictly prohibited. When watering normally, maintain the habit of “do not water until dry, and water thoroughly when watering.”

4. Fertilization: Mint likes fertilizer. During its growing period, apply fertilizer once a month, mainly nitrogen fertilizer, and appropriately apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. If branches and leaves need to be harvested during the growing period, topdress at the time of harvest to promote the plant's recovery to a good plant shape.

5. Temperature: Mint has strong adaptability to temperature. Its rhizomes overwinter and can withstand -15°C low temperatures. Its most suitable growth temperature is 25-30°C. When the temperature is below 15°C, growth is slow, and when it is above 20°C, growth accelerates.

6. Pruning: Mint grows very vigorously, so it must be pruned regularly. Once old plants no longer have a fresh fragrance, they can be cut. Mint is also very tough. Frequent pruning and using its leaves to make tea or for other purposes is no problem. The more you cut, the more luxuriant it grows.

7. Repotting: Mint grows quickly, so repot once every spring. Mint is not strict about soil requirements, but likes fertile, well-drained neutral or alkaline soil. The potting medium can be prepared with materials such as leaf mold, garden soil, rice husk ash, or coarse sand.

Precautions for Mint

1. When it snows in winter, the mint leaves in the flower pot may all wither and look lifeless. Do not worry; they will still sprout and grow again in the spring of the following year. It is best not to plant them in flower beds, because they will take away nutrients from other plants.

2. Mint grows very quickly and very luxuriantly. If you want mint to fill the pot, there is a little trick: repot it once a year. In spring or autumn, change to a larger pot and make the soil more fertile, and it will grow faster.

3. Mint generally blooms in autumn. After blooming, the growth of the leaves for that year basically stops. Even if they do not completely wither, they will enter a semi-dormant state. Therefore, if you want mint to continue growing in winter, be sure to remove the flower branches.