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Mint issues

User
10 years ago

I have a spearmint plant that I purchased potted. After I bought the plant, I repotted it in potting soil mix from the big box store. As a beginner gardener, I am not sure what I am doing wrong but the plant is not flourishing. I've had the plant about 2 months and there has never been enough to harvest. The sun exposure allows about 4 hours of direct sunlight. I have been watering it about once a week and not heavily.

This is my first post and, hopefully, the first of many about my herb issues. Thank you for you input!

Comments (7)

  • ibarbidahl
    10 years ago

    LOTS of shade. I keep my mints planted in their pots (Does that make sense? IN a pot, but planted in the ground.) underneath a tree. That way they only get early morning and late afternoon sun and they have their own root space. NO direct sunlight otherwise. Lots of water... but someone else may come along and say something different. LOL

    Barbie~

  • sun_worshiper
    10 years ago

    Mint doesn't like it here very well in my experience. It wants a hot, dry summer and all the humidity messes with it. I grow mine in large pots and it does ok, but never really flourishes like it did in the northwest. Brought the plant with me when I moved, so it is the exact same plant. This is the time of year when it begins looking ratty. I get good growth from late winter to early summer.

  • whgille
    10 years ago

    Hi Gator99

    Mint is very invasive in my garden, that is the reason that I have a row of different mint plants planted in a container on the east side of the house, it gets some shade in the afternoon and is by the fence. They grow for me all year round and it does grow better in the colder months. Because my plants are already established in the containers, they only get water with the sprinkles twice this time of the year.

    My mint plants today

    Silvia

  • User
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Wow, I want my mint to look like Sylvia's. You're not in Zone 10, are you?

  • whgille
    10 years ago

    Gator, I am in zone 9b and to give you an example, one day I went to eat in the Vietnamese restaurant and they had a very delicious mint that I didn't have so I took a piece in a napkin and I rooted at home, it is that easy. I have not bought a mint plant in a very long time, recently I was gifted another mint plant that is rare, I have maybe 10 different kinds now and I supply my friends with mint for mojitos and recently for a Derby party.

    Silvia

  • User
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Sylvia -- do you follow a certain planting/potting or watering style?

  • whgille
    10 years ago

    Gator, I use terracota pots mostly and use a fast draining mix, I make my own mix for tomatoes and potted plants, google Al's mix 5-1-1 which is 5 parts of park bark fines, 1 part peat moss, 1 part perlite, some lime and slow release fertilizer. When the plants are young for about 2 weeks I keep an eye on the watering, using it daily if necessary, after they are established they get watering with the sprinkle system twice a week in summer and in winter once a week.

    Silvia