If your mint plants have grown to the sides of your pot, leaving a bare patch in the centre, or if it’s almost flowering and you’re wondering whether to cut it back or not then here are our 3 top tips for growing mint.
Mint is growing to the sides
If you have some established plants growing in a pot, you may notice that the new seasons shoots appear only around the edges of the pot, with little growth in the centre. This is the way that mint grows and spreads, and eventually the centre of the plant becomes quite woody. It’s a sign that the plant needs to be divided. Upturn the pot, divide the rootball into 2 or 3 sections, and re-pot into fresh compost.
Mint is flowering
In the summer, after your mint plants have flowered, cut them back to 5cm above ground level and you should get a second growth of fresh mint leaves over the autumn before they die back for the winter. Don’t worry, they’ll grow back again next spring!
Mint looks a bit yellow and straggly
Check that the soil isn’t too dry. Mint needs a good amount of moisture, but many gardeners often forget to water it! You’ll get much healthier looking mint if you give it a drink every so often. If you think the moisture level is okay, then ask yourself how long it has been growing in that particular pot – it may be root bound, or lacking nutrients. If root bound, you can divide it (see point 1), if lacking nutrients, try an all-purpose liquid feed or re-pot into fresh compost.
If it’s all gone horribly wrong, and your mint is unsalvageable, don’t worry, we have plenty of organic mint plants for you to try!
