How to Grow Mint? Detailed Guide to Growing Methods and Precautions

Mint, also known as wild mint, night-fragrance, silver danshen herb, etc., is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Mentha in the Lamiaceae family. It mostly grows in mountain wetlands and by riversides, and is distributed throughout our regions. The whole plant has a fresh, fragrant aroma, with opposite leaves and small light purple flowers. It can be used as medicine, as a vegetable, and can also be cultivated as a potted plant for ornamental purposes. Now let us take a look at the growing methods and precautions for mint!

Mint Propagation Methods

1. Rhizome propagation: Cultivate seed roots in late April or late August. After harvesting the above-ground stems and leaves in early winter, the rhizomes are left in place as seed plants.

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

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

Mint Growing Methods

1. Soil: Mint is not picky about soil, but prefers fertile, loose soil. If the flower pot is too small or there is too little soil, nutrients cannot keep up and growth will be very slow. Therefore, use soil with strong air and water permeability and fertility. Ordinary garden soil or leaf mold with a little chicken manure fertilizer will do.

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 leads to leggy growth, leaves that do not grow large, and especially weak, thin plants. An entire pot may gradually become smaller and smaller.

3. Water: Mint likes a moist soil environment and is fairly moisture-tolerant. Especially during the growing period, the soil should be kept 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 if not dry, water thoroughly when watering.”

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

5. Temperature: Mint has strong temperature adaptability. Its rhizomes overwinter and can tolerate a low temperature of -15°C. 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 it is pruned, the more luxuriant it grows.

7. Repotting: Mint grows quickly, so repot it once every spring. Mint is not strict about soil requirements, but prefers fertile, well-drained neutral or alkaline soil. Potting substrate can be made from 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 the following spring. It is best not to plant it in a flower bed, because it will compete for nutrients with 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 every 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 flowering branches.