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Learn How to Grow Mint at Home and Enjoy Fresh Leaves
How do you feel when you get a chance to enjoy the refreshing mint flavor? Be it hot summer days or humid monsoon days; a mint-flavored mocktail is always blissful. Ranging from virgin mojito to blue lagoon, without mint, everything seems tasteless. Why only beverages? Mint adds rejuvenating taste and fragrance to any dish. You can add it to your vegetable salad, mix it with lentil soups, or use it with homemade tartar sauce to make your savory dishes more delicious.
In this way, we can say mint is an essential culinary herb that we all need in our life. To adore our tastebuds, a glass of mint mojito or a plate of mint salad is enough. But how many times will you go to the market and buy mint leaves? It is expensive and inconvenient as well. Also, you won’t get fresh leaves every time. So, why don’t you try growing it at home? Here, we will be sharing the complete process of how to grow mint at home. Stick to the end to know the tips on how to take care of the mint plants well.
Well, many of us raise our eyebrows in the name of planting mint at home. Because it sounds tough. Well, do not panic. Let me assure you that it is not as tough as you think. Let’s get into the simple steps of how to grow mint.
The mint leave plants can grow their roots rapidly under the ground. Thus, it may affect the neighbor plants deriving resources from them. So, if you plan to grow it, you must restrict the plant root’s growth by some methods. Anyways, it is mind-boggling to spend hours thinking about how to restrict the root growth. Even if you find a way of doing it, it is time-consuming to do.
So, to avoid this hassle, let us share with you a wonderful idea. Take a container of a measured size and grow the mint plant inside it. You can find plenty of such containers in the market easily. Find the perfect one that can hold your mint plant properly. Let’s know how to grow mint in a container.
The Process of How to Grow Mint at Home: A Detailed 3 Step Guide
Step 1: Get the Mint plant
The first step includes acquiring the mint. You can do it in various ways. Let’s know about them in detail.
- Cut the Branch from Existing Plants: If you have an existing mint plant, you can cut a branch out of it and plant it to grow a new one. Remember to cut a 4-inch sprig from the plant 1.5 inches above a joint. In this way, you will let the plant grow new branches in that place. Then, dip the freshly cut sprig into the water keeping the leaves above the waterline. Cut down the leaves that are below the water. Keep it as it is for few days to grow roots in it. Once it grows the roots at a good length, it is ready to be planted.
- Buy a Seedling: Growing mints from seeds may be difficult. That is why we are here focusing on how to grow mint in other ways except seed planting. Growing mint from a seedling is a good idea. You can buy a small mint plant or a seedling from the market. You can find it in nurseries and different plant stores. Bring it home and plant it accordingly. Also, you can ask your friend for a runner who has planted some mint plants. Runners often grow around the mint leave plants. You can dig it out of the soil and plant it in your home.
Step 2: Plant the Mint
Once you get the right mint, it’s time to plant it properly. It is pretty much important to know how to plant it well. Otherwise, all of your efforts will go in vain. So, to know how to grow mint, let’s know the process of planting it. The mint can withstand any weather condition. However, the best time to plant the mint is the spring or fall.
- Get a Container and Fill it with Soil: The first step is to get the right container first. Then, fill it with soil. The mint plant can grow in any soil. Nonetheless, as per the botanists, lightly moist soil enriched with proper compost is the best soil for growing mint plants.
- Place the Seedling in the Container: For the next step, place the acquired mint plant inside the container. Keep in mind to add a polymer to the container. It will keep the soil hydrated by preventing the container body from absorbing the water.
- Plant it Well: Plant the seedling or sprig inside the soil firmly. Make sure that the whole root is just below the soil. For more than one seedlings, keep at least 6 inches gap among them. In this manner, each of the plants will get enough space to grow without overlapping one another.
- Choose Proper Location: Mint plants are likely to grow well with proper sunlight. So, choose an area in your house with proper sunlight. And place the container there. You can find a place near your kitchen as well. As mint is a widely-used herb in various dishes, it is good to place it near the kitchen. If the flower bed in your garden gets enough sunlight, you can submerge the container with a mint plant inside the bed’s soil.
Step 3: Take care of the Plant
Knowing how to grow mint is not enough until you get an idea about taking care of it. The growth of the plant largely depends on the care you provide to it. So, let’s know how to keep your little green friend well.
- Keep Watering: Your little refreshment buddy needs water. So, keep watering it frequently. Well, one thing you need to keep in mind. You have to keep the soil moist, not overflowed with water. So, maintain an adequate amount of water.
- Trim the Top Leaves: Yes, it is important to control the height of the plant. Only then you will get a good harvest with full-grown healthy leaves.
- Keep a Check on the Mint Flowers: The mint flowers usually appear from June to September. Trim the buds off before it blooms well. In this way, your plant will not grow out of control.
- Sprinkle Fungicide Spray: You do not want your favorite plant to get harmed by the fungus. So, if you see any fungus growing on your plant, spray the fungicide immediately.
- Save it from Pests and Diseases: Diseases like Alternaria alternata, Verticillium dahliae, etc., may affect your plant. Also, pests and insects may come to disturb your plant’s health.
To avoid this, make sure that your plant has good air circulation and properly moist soil. The insects tend to get their shelter beneath the leaves. So, have a check there. Any time you see insects coming near your plants, wave them off immediately.
So, thus you know how to grow mint. Also, you have got an idea about the right way of taking care of it. Now, how to harvest these mints? When you do not know the proper way of harvesting, you may end up harming the plant. So, let’s know some tips on harvesting mint.
How to Grow Mint: Tips to Harvest it Properly
- Never harvest more leaves at a time. Pick up 1/3 of the total leaves and keep the plant aside to regrow the leaves before harvesting again.
- Try to harvest the leaves before the frost each year. And before winter arrives, cover the roots.
- To get dry leaves, you can hang up the stems upside down and let the stems dry by air. Once they get dried perfectly, pluck the leaves and store them for future use.
Bottom the Line
So, hereby, everything from growing the mint to harvesting it is described. Now, you know how to grow mint at home. Follow these methods and grow various kinds of mints at home. Enjoy a fresh fragrance of mint instantly in your regular dishes.
