Home » Misc » Mint plants in pots

Mint plants in pots


How to Grow a Mint Container Garden

By

Kerry Michaels

Kerry Michaels

Kerry Michaels is a container gardening expert with over 20 years of experience maintaining container gardens in Maine. She specializes in writing and capturing photography for gardening and landscape design for print and broadcast media, including the Discovery Channel, Small Gardens, and Disney, among others.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 08/24/21

The Spruce / Cori Sears 

Mint is a vigorous, hardy herb that can quickly spread out of control in a garden. So to keep it in bounds, try growing mint in a container instead. Most types of mint take well to container growth, providing lush leaves that you can use in recipes and simply enjoy the scent of. You can even grow mint in a container indoors near a bright window. Or keep a pot on your patio just outside your kitchen for easy access when you're cooking. Most gardeners start their mint from cuttings or nursery plants, as seeds can be a little finicky.

Here's how to grow mint in containers.

Watch Now: Caring for and Growing Mint Plants

Starting Your Mint Container Garden

  1. Select a pot with drainage holes that is at least 12 inches in diameter. An unglazed clay container is ideal because it will allow excess soil moisture to escape through its walls, along with the drainage holes.
  2. Fill the pot with a quality potting mix. Work in some balanced slow-release fertilizer, following label instructions, if the potting mix does not already have it. Plan to fertilize the container annually each spring with slow-release fertilizer.
  3. Plant your mint at the same depth it was growing in its nursery pot. Gently press down the soil around it. Add more soil to the pot if necessary, so it reaches about an inch below the container's top.
  4. Water to evenly moisten the soil. Make sure water is able to run out of the drainage holes, and do not allow the soil to become waterlogged.
The Spruce / Cori Sears 

Mint Container Garden Care

Light

Place the pot where it will get around six hours of sunlight on most days. If you live in a hot climate, aim to give the container a little shade from the strong afternoon sun. Rotate the container as needed, so the plant grows evenly and does not stretch in one direction toward the sunlight. 

Water

Water the container whenever the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch.

Pruning

Remove flower stalks if they appear, as they will cause the taste of the mint to degrade.

Regularly pinch back the stems to encourage bushier growth. If the plant becomes very leggy or scraggly, it can be cut back to an inch above the soil line to regenerate with fuller growth. Pinch back the stem tips as they regrow.

Watch out for the plant spilling over the edge of its pot, as it's possible those mint stems will take root and spread if they come in contact with your lawn or garden soil. Cut them back to prevent unwanted spread.

The Spruce / Candace Madonna

Overwintering

If you live in a cooler climate than your mint variety's hardiness zones, bring the container indoors for the winter prior to the temperatures dipping in the fall. Place it by a bright window and away from any drafts or hot air blowing from heaters. Cut back slightly on watering, but don't allow the plant to wilt. Another option for overwintering is to put the container in an unheated garage or shed. The plant will go dormant, but it will likely regrow in the spring once you bring it back outside after the temperatures warm.

Growing Mint Plants | How to Grow Mint & Mint Plant Care – Bonnie Plants

Growing mint is easy—sometimes too easy. Learn to plant, grow, and control mint in your garden. Growing mint in pots is usually your best bet.

All types of mint (including sweet mint, spearmint, peppermint, and chocolate mint) are fast-growing, spreading plants, so you must give them a place to spread without getting in the way, or plant them in a pot. Mint sends out runners that spread above and just below the ground, quickly forming large, lush green patches. In the right place it makes a pretty seasonal ground cover. You can also contain mint in tight places such as between pavers of a walkway where your feet will brush against the leaves to release its fragrance.

Quick Guide to Growing Mint

Soil, Planting, and Care for Growing Mint

First, start off strong by planting young Bonnie Plants® mint plants. After all, you can't go wrong with a company that's been supplying plants to home gardeners for over 100 years! Plant mint in the spring, or in the fall in frost-free climates, setting seedlings 18 to 24 inches apart. Try growing mint in a pot where you can keep it in check and handy near the kitchen for a constant supply of sprigs. To give roots a just-right growing environment, fill the pot with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix, which contains aged compost to improve soil texture and nutrition. To keep mint from taking over space needed by other plants, you may want to plant it solo in a 10″ pot, then plant the pot in a larger container or even in the ground. Give the pot a turn every week or two to keep roots from escaping through the drainage holes.

If you simply must plant mint directly in the ground (if you're using it as a ground cover, for example), select a damp area in your garden or yard in either full sun or part shade. Mint prefers fertile soil with a pH from 6.0 to 7.0. If you don't choose to test your soil, you can simply improve it by adding a few inches of Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose In-Ground Soil, also enriched with aged compost, in with the top layer of existing soil.

Mint is plenty vigorous on its own, but will grow even better when you pair great soil with regular doses of plant food, especially if you harvest a lot. Feed with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition (follow label directions), which feeds the soil as well as the plants. Be sure to keep the soil moist via regular watering and add mulch around the plant to help slow the evaporation of all that crucial moisture.

To help keep plants in check, harvest the tips regularly and pull up wayward runners. Mint's small flowers bloom from June to September; trim these before the buds open to keep the plant compact. Although slightly frost tolerant, the top of mint will eventually die back in winter except in zones 8 and south, but the root are quite hardy, surviving into zone 5 (some varieties even into zone 3). Lift and replant your mint every 3 to 4 years to keep your patch's flavor and scent strong.

Troubleshooting when Growing Mint

Although mint is a rugged plant, when it is young it is vulnerable to whiteflies, blackflies, spider mites, snails, and slugs.

How to Harvest Mint

Harvest mint leaves at any size by pinching off stems. For a large harvest, wait until just before the plant blooms, when the flavour is most intense, then cut the whole plant to just above the first or second set of leaves. In the process, you will remove the yellowing lower leaves and promote bushier growth. Three such harvests per season are typical for mint.

How to Use and Store Mint

Fresh mint leaves are a nice complement to lamb, fish, poultry, and vegetables such as peas, new potatoes, and carrots. Mint also blends well with green or fruit salads and beverages such as punch, lemonade, and tea. Two very well-known drinks, mint julep and Cuban mojito, both depend on spearmint for their cool zest. Freeze mint in cubes for iced tea. You can also preserve it in vinegar or dry it for potpourri or sachets.

Mint is frost tolerant. It usually dies back in the winter but comes back in spring.Because mint tends to take over, many gardeners plant mint in a small pot and then plant that pot in the ground or inside a larger container.Mint flavors drinks from mojito to iced tea. Orange mint leaves and slices of oranges add fresh flavor to this pitcher of water.

FAQs

Can I plant mint in a pot?

Absolutely. Set one plant in a pot that's about 12 to 14 inches in diameter, preferably one that will withstand freezing winter temperatures. Choose a quality potting mix, and consider adding a water-retaining polymer at the rate recommended on the label. Keep the pot watered when the surface is dry, and enjoy cutting your mint. Remember, cutting encourages flavorful new growth. The plant will go dormant in the winter, but it will sprout again in spring. Be sure to place the pot on a paved surface or pedestal so the mint will not escape into your beds through the drainage holes in the pot.

Do I need to fertilize mint? What do I use and how much?

Most people worry about having too much mint, but any herb grown in a pot or that you plant to harvest regularly needs extra nutrition. Use a time-release fertilizer in spring when growth begins; just read the label for the recommended rate. If growth slows in the summer, be sure the soil is moist. You can also top-dress a bed of mint in the spring with compost or composted manure. This will improve the soil, especially is your soil is sandy and quick to dry out.

Can I contain mint with steel edging?

It sounds like a good idea. Remember, when the stems get long in the summer, they can bend over and root on the other side of the edging. If you are worried about mint competing with other plants, especially in well-worked garden soil, plant it in a bed that is contained by concrete. No, don't pour a border, but a narrow strip between your house foundation and a sidewalk or driveway is a good spot. You can also plant it in a place where, if it escapes the edging, it will be in the lawn. When you mow, the aroma will be incredible!

How do I harvest mint for fresh-brewed tea?

Mint tea is easy to make. Cut 3 or 4 stems' worth of mint, 6 to 8 inches long. Rinse off the stems and leaves to remove any dust from outdoors. Put them in a pitcher or teapot and pour boiling water over them. After about 10 minutes, remove the green leaves with a long-handled spoon. Sweeten if desired and drink hot or pour over ice. Refrigerate any that is left and enjoy for the next couple of days. You can also add mint to the pitcher to steep with orange pekoe tea bags. Just remove the mint when you remove the tea bags. Sweeten the tea with honey, lemon, or however you and your family like your tea.

Chocolate Mint Container Gardening Harvesting Herbs Mint Peppermint Spearmint Sweet Mint

How to grow homemade mint: useful properties of a houseplant

Since ancient times mint has been grown as a medicinal plant. Its unique medicinal properties have been noticed since ancient times. There are mentions of mint in the Gospel, it was discovered in the tomb of the pharaohs of Egypt. According to an old legend, the goddess Minte, in love with the god Persen, was turned into fragrant grass. Her wife Persen bewitched her out of jealousy.

Description

Potted mint or plectranthus is a deciduous ornamental plant grown in hanging pots.

Characteristics of the plant:

Plectrantus has many varieties. Most of the species are shrubs (not ampelous plants), reaching a height of 40 cm.

Plectranthus species:

As it was said: the leaves of the plant have a minty aroma. They have special glands that secrete essential oils. Several varieties can be grown at home .

  1. The most popular subtype is the mole tree. This plant is about one meter tall. The evergreen tree pleases with fresh shoots all year round.
  2. The second type is Scandinavian, Swedish ivy with creeping meter shoots.
  3. The third subtype is a green shrub, with shoots hanging from a flower pot.

Useful properties of indoor mint

Home mint, as well as garden mint has the healing effect of . In addition, indoors, the fragrant plant drives out moths, flies and mosquitoes (which is why mint is also called fly bug in Russia).

The aroma that this plant emits has a beneficial effect on the human nervous system. The fresh leaves are used in folk medicine to treat enuresis in children by making fragrant baths. Take a glass of fresh leaves of the plant and pour them with boiling water (half a liter). The medicinal liquid is infused and filtered. The infusion is added to the bath for bathing the baby. It is important that the temperature does not exceed 29degrees. Each time the infusion needs to be prepared fresh.

Mint is also used as a spice for meat dishes and roasts, the main thing is to observe the norm so that the smell is not too strong. It is added to tea as an excellent tool that helps to calm down in a stressful situation. It is desirable that the tea was without any flavorings or impurities.

Mint and pomegranate juice mixed in equal doses relieves nausea. This is due to the presence of tannins and astringents in the composition of mint.

Chinese, Japanese and Arab healers actively use mint, prescribing it for bronchial, liver and gynecological diseases .

The leaves of this plant help relieve irritation and itching after mosquito bites. Before applying the leaflet to the bite site, it must be washed and kneaded.

Cool drinks with mint for a refreshing feeling on hot summer days, is an excellent tonic. It is impossible to imagine cough drops without mint, as well as Mojito cocktail, oriental dolma, sauerkraut and printed gingerbread. Curly, long-leaved, apple mint adds piquancy and a distinctive flavor to dishes.

Planting house mint

The fate of plectranthus depends on the correct planting. In order for mint to easily adapt to new conditions, it is necessary to prepare a special soil for its growth.

The best option would be fertile soil with a low level of acidity . The following mixture is ideal:

Before filling the pot with earth, line the bottom of the pot with a three-centimeter layer of drainage. Expanded clay, small pebbles, small bricks are perfect as drainage. In order not to disturb the growth of roots, the soil is not heavily tamped. After planting a plant, it must be watered.

Mint is a fast-growing plant , so when choosing a pot, it is important to pay attention to its size. For the initial planting, you need a medium pot. It will last for several years. There will be enough space for the root system to strengthen and grow.

When transplanting a plant, you will need a pot two to three times the size of the previous one. These conditions must be met every year. The pot should not be too voluminous, high and made of quality material.

Conditions of detention

Room mint is very demanding on air humidity. It tolerates the proximity to a heater or a battery well in the presence of high humidity in the room.

To regulate the humidity, place a plate of water next to the flower or place wet pebbles, moss or expanded clay in the tray. Care should be taken that the pot does not touch the bottom of the water in the pan.

Plectranthus should be watered frequently . In summer, spray its leaves or pour water over them from a watering can. The earth should not be washed out of the pot.

In winter, the plant rests, so watering should be reduced to a minimum.

To grow and multiply any plant, including house mint , requires a certain temperature in the room . In summer and spring, the optimum temperature is 22-26 degrees. If this norm is not observed, the leaves from the lower part of the plant will begin to fall intensively.

During the cold period, the temperature of the content should be reduced to 12 degrees

At home, the best option would be to place mint on the western or eastern windows. The south side is categorically not welcome, as the direct rays of the sun can cause negative consequences, including leaf burn.

Indoor mint loves diffused bright light . With the onset of the warm season, it is advisable to take the plant to the balcony. It is important to protect the plant from drafts. Plectranthus should not be placed near air conditioners, vents or balcony doors.

In winter, the plant needs additional lighting, so a fluorescent lamp may be needed.

Plectrantus is fed with organic and mineral fertilizers, using them alternately. Liquid type fertilizer for quick absorption should be diluted with a small amount of water.

Mint needs spring pruning to remove weak, bare branches. To form a beautiful crown of a plant, twigs should be pinched regularly.

Flowering and propagation

Potted mint begins to bloom in summer. Small spike-shaped inflorescences appear on the plant. The flowering of plectranthus takes a lot of energy and strength from him, so it is recommended to cut the flowers on time.

Young mint can be grown from cuttings or seeds . But it should be borne in mind that a plant from seeds may differ from the mother.

Plectranthus is a cross pollinated plant, so it can cross with related different species. To be sure, it is better to propagate the plant vegetatively.

Cuttings must first be rooted in sand or water. When the regrown roots get stronger, you need to take a small container or pot, lay drainage on the bottom, fill in the soil and plant the plant.

The soil for mint must be taken fat, fertile and acidified, containing peat .

To destroy pathogenic microbes, before use it is necessary to water the soil with potassium permanganate, then with water and ignite. In this soil mixture, the plant will grow quickly, as it contains a lot of oils and other nutrients.

You can plant the plant in another way. In autumn, dig a bush from open soil along with a lump. If it is large, divide it into parts so that each of them has shoots with roots.

Before planting in a pot, cut off the old shoots , leaving 5 cm from the root. This way the plant will quickly take root in a new place. New buds will appear on the bushes in two weeks. During this period, it is useful to feed mint with a solution of urea (1-2 grams per liter of water).

Pests and diseases

Plectranthus is quite resistant to diseases, however , some complications may occur during its cultivation:

How to harvest mint

Harvesting from a mint bush must be done according to the rules of so as not to harm the plant. Leaves are taken from different places on the left and right, while leaving half a centimeter of the leaf axil near the stem.

In place of the plucked leaves, young, new ones will soon appear. Carefully harvesting, they form a neat, pretty bush and stimulate the further growth of the plant.

Choice of house mint variety

The choice of mint variety depends on the specific purpose . For what exactly it will be grown: for use in cooking, for treatment or for home soap making.

Varieties of plectranthus differ in the chemical composition of essential oils, in the intensity of the smell and in its shades:

Poisonousness and beneficial properties of the plant

Indoor mint - non-poisonous plant . This flower, on the contrary, has many unusual beneficial properties.

Very often plectranthus is used in cosmetology or for medical purposes. Its magnificent qualities have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, normalize sleep and mood.

Mint tea is recommended for colds. An allergic reaction may be contraindicated .

Plectrantus has magical properties and attracts good luck and prosperity to the house.

Growing mint at home

Many plants that are traditionally grown in the garden can be successfully grown at home. Mint is one of those.

To grow mint indoors, take a pot with a diameter of about 20-25 centimeters . The bottom should have at least one drainage hole. Mint, although it loves moist soils, does not tolerate stagnant water in the root system. Therefore, in order not to cause root rot, be sure to provide drainage. The material of the pot itself can be any - plastic, clay, metal, wood, it does not matter.

Ready potting soil can be used to fill the pot. If you want to make the filler yourself, then ordinary soil from the garden should be mixed with clean sand (or vermiculite) and compost in a 2: 1: 1 ratio. As a result, the soil will become more drained and saturated with nutrients.

After planting, the soil must be kept constantly moist. The frequency of watering will depend on the conditions of detention. So, in unglazed clay and wooden pots, the soil dries out faster than in plastic and glazed ones. Mint should be watered when the soil dries to a depth of 2-3 centimeters. Trays serving to collect excess water, on which pots of mint are placed, should be cleaned after each watering.

Place the mint pots in places where there is at least 6 hours of sunlight a day . The plant will reach for the sun, so rotate the containers 180 degrees once a week. If natural light is not enough, consider artificial plant lighting.

Although mint does not require additional fertilizer, it still needs to be fed periodically when grown indoors. It is enough to do liquid top dressing with mineral water-soluble fertilizers twice a month. The first top dressing should be done no earlier than three weeks after planting mint in a pot.

Be aware that overfeeding can be harmful. Too much fertilizer can cause stress and lead to diseases such as mint rust. Although in general, mint is not susceptible to any disease. The disease can also be provoked by overhead watering on the leaves. Try to water the mint under the root.

Over time, you may notice a white coating on the ground in the container. This means that a lot of salt from fertilizers has accumulated in the soil.

Learn more