pot juleps on tender Derby Day . blistering Camellia sinensis when you have a miserable cold . Chocolate dessert with a minty surprisal inside . Mint can do it all . The soft - to - grow herb is an essential plant that can be used for flavoring , as natural health care and as a cool refreshment on a sunny sidereal day .
I ’m sure you ’ve heard that mint is an invasive weed . That ’s true , and it ’s not . The cay is to plant with caution so that it stay where you require it and does n’t go where you do n’t . On the plus side , being such a intrepid plant intend that growing mint does n’t take much effort .
Mint is an enormous kinsperson that includes bee balm , basil , catnip , and oregano . In this guide , we ’re going to concentrate on the true batch such as peppermint , Mentha spicata and Malus pumila mint . Whether you use it in eatable landscape gardening as a groundcover , or as an addition to your herb garden , there is a range of change , vividness , and scents to take from .
Mint Varieties
How to Plant Mint
In the wilderness , mint develop in coolheaded , moist , semi - shady areas along brook and in wetlands . Once it finds a property it care , it be given to latch on and never let go . In the garden , this can be a negative or a confirming , so be sure to consider your needs and location before plant .
Soil and Sun Requirements
acquire muckle like well - drained , nutrient - full-bodied , moist soil with a pH between 5.6 and 7.5 . That said , mint is n’t picky .
Mints will rise pronto in sun , or part shade and some types even survive in shade , though they may become leggy . plant life thrive in zone 3 - 11 depending on the variety .
Where to Plant Mint
hatful spreads through underground rootstalk or roots . I advise planting deal in a container so that it does n’t obtrude upon other area of your garden .
If you need to embed in the earth , you may sink a 10 - gallon container into the earth , leaving 2 - inches of the container beat out . I have tried using cementum blocks dug down two deep to dominance mint , and after 2 years it escaped , so you need something that can contain the root .
Space mint set 12 - 24 inches apart in the garden or use a container that is at least 12 - inches wide .
Starting Mint From Seeds
you may grow mint from seeds , thinning or purchase plant life . Mint does n’t get true - to - type from come , and seed packets are often labeledcommon mint . Start lot seed indoors in pots a few weeks before transplant .
sprouting take up to 2 weeks at temperature between 65 - 75 ° F . Seeds require light for sprouting . Sow seed by softly press them into a moistened potting mix .
Transplant into the garden when seedlings are 3 - 4 inches magniloquent with good leaf growth .
you’re able to also verbatim - sow cum in the garden at a depth of a 4th - column inch once the danger of frost has passed .
Start From Cuttings
Do your supporter have mint plants ? communion is a great path to have a taste sensation test before planting . Mint is sluttish to arise through cuttings . Take a 6 - inch cutting from a friend ’s slew plant . If you’re able to dig down and get some roots , it will make your job easier .
When you get it home , lay the cutting horizontally and lightly cover with soil . Keep the filth moist . you may also root cutting off in water and then plant outdoors when the ancestor are 3 - 4 inches long .
Buying Mint
Another way to get originate with growing pot is to buy them from your local glasshouse . Many garden shops have a mixture of mint species to pick out from .
The welfare of grease one’s palms a plant is you’re able to taste the scent before you decide which change to prefer . Different mints have unique aroma .
Growing Indoors
Mint grows well indoorsas a house herb . works in light pot land with vermiculite . Place it in a windowpane with indirect sunlight and make indisputable the stain stay moist . Indoor plant benefit from a monthly coating of constitutive fertilizer such as Pisces photographic emulsion .
How to Care for Your Mint Plants
Watering Mint
Mint need moist ground and will need supplemental weewee during wry spells . Use mulch to help conserve water system and keep the leaves clean .
Fertilizing Mint
Mint appreciates an annual program of compost . Give flora a irksome - release fertiliser in the spring .
Pruning Mint
Mint accept 70 days to reach matureness , but you may begin harvest leaves once the plant life is demonstrate . Your raft plant will get shaggy and 3 - foot or so tall at adulthood .
Cut off the blossom buds because they take energy from the leaves . you’re able to use the mown flowers in tea or mixture . Leave the heyday inviolate if you have bees or require to draw pollinators .
In downslope , before heavy Robert Lee Frost , cut your stack works down to 6 inches . This will help them conserve energy during the winter and grow bushier the next year .
Mint Problems and Solutions
passel are hardy , but that does n’t mean they never have problems . There are a few pests and diseases that pestilence mint .
Powdery Mildew
Powdery mold is a fungous disease that spreads quick and can slow down or stop industrial plant development . White splodge and discolouration on the folio make it easy to tell apart . It can be spread by aphids and other sap - sucking insects .
The key to avoiding mildews is to have upright strain circulation . you may do this by keep back weeds aside and spacing plants adequately . ensure you water plant life from the bottom . trickle irrigation is a good choice if you have powdery mold in your garden .
Mint Rust
As the name implies , this rust is mint - specific . invalidate it in the same way of life you do powdery mildew .
Whitefly
Mint can also be sensitive to whitefly , especially if you are grow in a greenhouse or hoop house . Whiteflies are small louse that will hide under the leave-taking of your plants . They care a warm , humid environment so they can be particularly problematical in humid areas .
Aphids
These tiny arachnids do leaves to droop and stunt growth . Prune out infected plant , spray aphids off plants with water system and use canola fossil oil or neem vegetable oil spray if your infestation convey sorry .
Thrips
Thrips can cause produce mint leaf to become twisted , but the existent danger is that this insect spreads disease . Avoid planting next to onions and garlic , and use mulch to deter them .
Cutworms
Cutworms sever works at the soil and eat yap in the leaves of your turn mint plants . Till your ground in the spill before planting and spreading diatomaceous earth around plant to prevent .
Anthracnose
This fungal disease causes lesion on the leaves and stem of growing mint . It can disseminate rapidly in showery area . Toss any infected plants and spray them with a copper nebuliser if it get out of ascendancy , though be careful not to use copper too often because it can harm beneficial microbe .
Companion Plants for Mint
heap repels the white cabbage moth , so plant it near cabbage and tomatoes if you struggle with this pest .
Best companion :
defective Companions :
Harvesting, Storing and Using Mint
Mint is best harvested too soon in the daybreak when the leaves have the highest amount of oils in them and will be most flavorful . Younger leaves are more sensitive and have better flavour .
Use sharp scissors to cut off leaves or stems off growing mint . Do not harvest more than one - third of the flora and only take deep cuttings once per calendar month during the growing time of year .
you could store it in the refrigerator with the undercut terminate in urine or wrap the leaves in a damp paper towel . Freeze the leaves by set them in water system in ice block trays .
Recipes
Mint should be a staple in any kitchen . Throw a few sprig in your salad for a seraphic zest . Mint go away especially well with roasted Pisces and lamb dishes .
We often recollect of teatime when we think of using spate in drinks , but it also pairs nicely with many other types of liquids . Lemonade and fruit punch get an additional sparkle with a few mint leave-taking . And if you are a Kentucky miss like me , spring means mint juleps .
If you ca n’t use up all your great deal , try produce plenty jelly . It ’s a forget ducky that adds a special smell to winter dish . If you have n’t triedcandied mint leaveson your afters , make it a antecedence .
Mint as Medicine
Mint has several well - knownmedicinal property . It inhibit the growth of bacterium and virus in the body . It also relieves gaseous state and indigestion . One of the quickest and easiest ways to benefit from mint ’s healing property is to have it as a Methedrine of tea .
employ 2 teaspoons of invigorated leaves or 1 teaspoon of dry out leaf in a tea strainer . Seep for about 10 second to get the full benefits . Perfect on those days your digestive organisation is rumbling and become around . Mint is also a big instinctive easement for morning illness .
I think mint Camellia sinensis does wonderment for a stuffy olfactory organ . On those days I wake up engorged I reach for the tea leave of absence . It always helps clear my head and stupefy me going .
Mint has the reputation of revolt many pests admit mouse , cockroaches , deer , and pismire . It contains pulegone , an ingredient in many natural dirt ball repellents .
I ca n’t imagine my garden without mint in it . I have several growing mint motley throughout my yard , one of them in a shady area by my household . In the red-hot days of summer , I sometimes curl up in a chair nearby with a well book . The scent from the passel is novel . Where do you plan on putting yours ?
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