8 Essential Tips for Growing Mint

Tips for Growing Mint Indoors



Get ready to serve up mojitos, mint juleps, and decadent mint desserts! Why? Because growing this herb indoors will leave you with plenty of fresh mints to use in your favorite recipes. Mint is one of the easiest and most popular perennial herbs to grow in the garden, but it's also easy to grow indoors. All it takes is a good light and a little knowledge. Whether you're looking to extend your growing season or don't have the space to garden outside, these tips will help you create a thriving indoor garden of mint plants.


1. Buy replacement plants instead of seeds


Growing transplants from the garden center will ensure that you start your indoor growing project with a real mint plant with all your expectations in mind. Growing mint from seed is unreliable because different varieties often cross-pollinate, leaving you with plants that don't have the characteristics you expect. Be sure to choose mint varieties you won't see at your local grocery store, such as apple mint, chocolate mint, and orange mint—after all, growing unique varieties is one of the benefits of growing your own mint plants.


2. Select the appropriate container



When you get your new mint plants home, pot them in a container at least 8 inches deep and one or two sizes larger than the original container. Most herbs do best when planted in pots at least 12 inches wide with room for root growth. Mint also grows well on hanging plants. Remember that a plant in a fine clay pot needs to be watered more than once in a plastic or ceramic pot because it dries out faster. Make sure the container you choose for your mint plant has holes in the bottom for drainage.


If you already have a mint plant in your garden and you want to extend the growing season, you can bring it indoors and replant it. Transplant your mint indoors before temperatures drop below 40℉ to protect it from cold damage.


3. Use fresh potting mix


Buy a potting soil mix designed for edible plants - one that allows good drainage and contains only a small amount of fertilizer. You can also mix your own potting soil from equal parts bagged and sterile compost, perlite, and coarse sand. The mix should provide both air space and adequate water retention to keep the roots healthy. Starting with fresh, sterile compost will help prevent the emergence of diseases, pests, and weeds.


4. Keep sprinkling the mint



Water your mint plant when the top of its container feels dry, or once a week. If there is excess water in the saucers under your pots, empty them to prevent excess moisture in the soil that can cause root rot. Soil that is too wet can encourage pest problems such as moldy mosquitoes. Mint, on the other hand, tolerates short droughts and bounces back quickly if it wilts. But if the plant dries out too much, the edges of the leaves turn brown and crisp.


5. Provide plenty of light


South-facing kitchen windows are usually a good place to grow mint indoors as it is comfortable while cooking and have enough light and air circulation. Rotate the pot a quarter of the way on a weekly basis so that all sides of the plant get four to six hours of bright sunlight. If you don't have enough sunlight indoors, place your mint plant under grow lights for 12 to 14 hours each day.


6. Increase air circulation



If you see fungal diseases like powdery mildew on your mint plant, it is a sign that the humidity around your plant is too high. To reduce some disease and pest problems that thrive in high humidity, use a small fan to gently move moist air around the plants.


7. Avoid temperature extremes


For the best indoor growing conditions, keep your house temperature between 65℉ degrees and 75℉. Avoid placing your potted mint on windowsills where temperatures fluctuate near heating vents or cooking appliances.


8. Harvest mint leaves before flowering



When the plant is at least 3 inches tall, you can start pinching the leaves to use in your favorite recipes for a little minty kick. The flavor is most intense before the plant blooms. Flowers do not openPinch them early so the plant will produce new buds.

 Aglaonema

Ant control

Aphid

Backyard Garden

Begonia

Carrots

Compost

Container Gardening

Fall Garden

Flowers

Garden Ideas

Hanging Plants

Home Garden

House Plant

House Plant Care 

Hydrangeas

Indoor Plants

Kitchen Garden

Lawn

Lettuce

Mulch

Location: United States

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

7 Big Impact Dwarf Flowering Shrubs

Image
Scale with dwarf flowering shrubs Big gardens have a season in life, and we have unlimited energy to maintain perennial gardens and a quarter-acre vegetable patch that produces enough food for the entire neighborhood. But if you have a balcony garden or small garden three floors up when you're starting out, you can still use dwarf shrubs to create a beautiful outdoor living space. Dwarf shrubs are perfect for small space gardens When thoughtfully designed, a small space garden can be as visually appealing and emotionally pleasing as a sprawling yard. No need to sacrifice your favorite shrubs like roses and lilacs. You need to choose the right size varieties to match the size of the space. A short hedge or even a casket of flowering shrubs may be just what you need to make your patio feel like "home." Dual purpose dwarf shrubs One key to making the most of any space—but especially a small one—is choosing plants with a dual purpose. Peach sorbet blueberries pro...
Read more

It's not a yellow ladybug - it's an invasive Asian lady beetle

Image
It's not a yellow ladybug They are similar, but one type helps control unwanted pests in the garden, while the other is a pest. Here's how to tell them apart. You usually want to see a ladybug in your garden, but the yellow ladybug doesn't look like one — it's an Asian beetle. Ladybugs are beneficial to your garden because they eat plant pests. However, many colored Asian beetles look like yellow ladybugs, but have turned out to be an insect. It is common to find large numbers of Asian lady beetles congregating in houses and other buildings in the fall. They can bite and emit an unpleasant odor when disturbed. Unfortunately, these invasive insects crowd out native ladybugs. If you can tell the difference between two pests, you can stop an annoying problem before it starts. Asian Lady Beetles vs Ladybugs You can identify a ladybug by its markings and size. There are many species, and most sport red shells and varying numbers of black spots. Their heads are b...
Read more

11 Succulents That'll Grow Without Bright Light

Image
 Low light Succulents  Even in a home with limited natural light, you can keep plants, including succulents. There are many low-light succulents that can grow without bright light. They may not thrive or grow as easily as partial or bright light, but they are available. Most succulents are drought tolerant, which means you don't need to water as often, so they're fairly easy to care for once you learn their needs. Can succulents grow in low light? Succulents can grow in low light, although they will not grow as well as in bright, indirect light. They cannot grow in complete darkness, so try to find at least a partially shaded spot. They may start to grow a little leggy as they seek sun, but you can prune and propagate to adjust their appearance. 1. Desert rose The thick, fleshy leaves of this succulent retain water, so you don't need to water as often. The desert rose gets its name from its habitat and its resemblance to a rose. 2. Aloe Vera When someone says a...
Read more