How to plant mint in a pot? Growing at home all year round

How to plant mint in a pot Growing at home all year round
How to plant mint in a pot Growing at home all year round

Mint rejuvenates food and is very good for digestion. Fresh mint is available all year round and is worth mentioning. It can be grown in pots. How to plant mint in a pot is answered in this article.

Mint is one of the most popular and beneficial herbs. It can be grown in the Garden, but it also grows well in pots. We will show you how to grow mint in the window.


MINT GROWS EASILY

Mint grows almost alone in the garden. All she needs is moist soil and light shade. Sometimes, it grows so fast that it becomes a problem.

Unfortunately, mint doesn’t grow as fast in pots, but it’s still worth a try. This is because mint has a very wide range of uses, both as a spice and as an herb.

Peppermint tea is the main way to “preserve” a meal (it makes digestion easier), but that’s just one way to use peppermint.

Dried mint is ideal for infusions, and the fresh leaves are a great addition to a variety of dishes (from meat and vegetables to desserts). Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the fresh mint flavor is always present.


POTTED MINT – HOW TO START GROWING

Mint is easy to propagate with young plants. In practice, this means that we simply pick a few leafy branches and place them in water.

In a few days, the roots are released and our seedlings are ready. Thus, we can get it from our own garden or from an acquaintance of the owner of the site.

We can also buy a bunch of fresh mints and spend some twigs on the seedlings. This fresh mint can usually be found in health food stores, but it can also be found in the bazaar directly from the garden. And this is definitely worth buying.

But when the time for fresh mint is over, you don’t have to wait until the next season. You can buy potted mint from the supermarket with just a little care.

Mint can also be grown from seed, but this process takes more time than getting it from chips or buying “ready-made” plants.


CONDITIONS REQUIRED FOR PLANTING

CONDITIONS REQUIRED FOR PLANTING
CONDITIONS REQUIRED FOR PLANTING

Temperature

Naturally, to grow mint in an apartment on a windowsill, you need a lot of light. Therefore, it is best to place the pot on a south or southwest (southeast) windowsill.

But it should be remembered that the midday summer sun can burn the tender leaves.

Therefore, it is recommended to reposition the pot in the west or east window on noon. If this is not possible, the plants should be shaded or moved to the back of the room for a while.

If there is not enough light on the window mint, the buds will start to overstretch and the leaves will acquire a light shade and reduce in size.

Naturally, in late autumn, winter, and early spring, it is necessary to illuminate the mint grown indoors. For this, you need special plant lights or full-spectrum LED lights.

The optimal temperature range for a well-developed mint is 20-25°C (68-77°F).

However, if you cannot give the plants a full day (12-16 hours), then the mint will start to stretch. This can be compensated by lowering the temperature to 15-18°C (59-64.4°F). This is especially true for winter.


Container

You should know that mint is wide and does not go deep, therefore, wide containers or pots will be the ideal choice for growing capacity.

Naturally, you must arrange for drainage: the pot should have drainage holes or a layer of expanded clay 2-3cm (0.78-1.18inch) at the bottom.


Soil

Mint is not modest in relation to the soil substrate, but since it grows more actively, choosing loose and fertile soil is the best choice.

Buy the most common peat, add river sand to it, and you are ready to prepare the substrate.


Seed preparation

As the main activity before sowing, it is worth germinating the seeds, i.e. soaking them in a wet cloth or 2 cotton pads for a day or two, placing them in a container, and covering them (to reduce water loss).

Please note that mint seeds are very small.


Preparing the seeds for sowing: germinating them

First, you need to cut off a plug about 10cm (3.93inch) long, while making sure to remove the lower leaves.

Important! If you use cuttings purchased from a store or market, make sure to trim (refresh) the ends.

Next, they need to be placed in water until the stems start rooting (this takes 3 to 7 days).

Potassium humate can be added to the water for better root formation.

Although in principle, you can immediately stick mint chips in the ground.

Direct sowing (sowing and rooting plugs)
Step-by-step instructions for sowing mint seeds on a window.

  1. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle (warm water).
  2. Sow the seeds on the soil surface.
  3. Lightly spray again with warm water.
  4. Cover with glass or film (same food grade) until sprouts appear!

Meanwhile, they do not need to be covered by the earth! This is necessary to create greenhouse conditions and rapid germination.

Simply stick to the soil and press again, then water. Starting from above, it is recommended to cover the pots with plastic bags (to create the same greenhouse effect) and to make sure that holes are punched in the top for proper air exchange.

Further growth will depend only on high-quality care and the creation of proper conditions.


Daytime temperature

This has already been written earlier, but we repeat.

In winter (and in late autumn and early spring), the daytime hours are short, so it is necessary to replenish the seeds in the morning and in the evening.

For the rest of the year, it is best to place the container with mint on a south, southwest, or southeast window. The temperature should be about 20-25°C (68-77°F).

If you do not give the plants sufficient daylight (12-16 hours), then the mint will begin to stretch. This can be compensated for by lowering the temperature to 15-18°C (59-64.4°F), especially in winter.


Watering

Mint likes to be moist, but should not be poured into the plant as it will rot. In addition, it can tolerate short-term drought well.

More frequent watering is needed in summer, but frequent watering should be avoided in winter. However, during the heating season, when the air is battery dry, you will need to spray the leaves daily with warm indoor water…

In such cases, irrigation water should be separated and kept at room temperature.

Main idea! To simplify the care of window sill mint, a small amount of hydrogel can be introduced into the soil. It will accumulate water and evaporate over time, thus reducing the frequency of watering.


Fertilization

Mint is a simple, uncomplicated crop and therefore does not need fertilizer. The main thing is not to flood and provide more light (please make sure to supplement light during short periods of the day).

Thus, by taking proper care of the mint, you can get great results, and then the plant will delight you with its appearance as well as its unusual aroma.


YOU NEED TO GROW MINT IN A POT

YOU NEED TO GROW MINT IN A POT
YOU NEED TO GROW MINT IN A POT

If we buy mint from the supermarket, make sure you transplant it into a large pot with good soil.

Mint grows naturally in partially shaded and moist areas. We will have to provide similar conditions at home. To grow mint, you will need a fairly large pot – the mint will have strong roots and will therefore be crowded in a small pot.

The pot should have holes in it, and in its bottom need to pour for example small pebbles or expanded clay. Because even though mint likes moisture, water should not be placed in the pot.

Mint can easily be grown in the prevailing soil to flower, but it is better to pour some sand in it.

In such prepared pots, we placed seedlings or store-bought bushes.

By the way, if we buy it in the supermarket and leave it in the original pot, it will be “disposable“, because neither the soil nor the pot will provide the plant with conditions for long-term growth.

Mint pots can stand on the windowsill of an east or west-facing window. A south-facing window will also be appreciated in winter when there is not enough light.


HOW TO GROW MINT IN A POT

Mint has no special care requirements. In fact, we just need to remember to water it regularly. The soil in the pot must always be moist (but do not get wet, the mint in the pot will not be able to withstand the watering).

The same spray will be appreciated in the fall and winter when the batteries make the air dry. From time to time, we will add biotin to the watering of the plants to water them.


POTTED MINT – CONTINUOUS GROWTH

It is important to remember that potted mint is not a “lifetime” plant. But we can use it for several months. In addition, our mint bushes can make new seedlings from time to time.

By the way, it is a good idea to plant it in two pots. So, we can take turns using it and growing it.


HARVESTING TIME FOR MINT

The first shoots of mint appear in about 14-21 days.

The beginning of economic adaptation (adaptation to food – adaptation to tea) starts only 80-90 days (depending on the variety) after full germination.

Naturally, the process is faster when growing from plugs.

Once the mint has been planted, the leaves will be removed throughout the year and new mint leaves will gradually grow. If the leaves are needed to make a tea, it is best to wait until there are more essential oils on the leaf plate. Usually, this moment occurs at the same time as the formation of the peduncle begins.

Therefore, growing mint on the windowsill of your home in winter (or any other season) is not difficult at all. The main thing is to properly insert (or sow) seeds, create all the necessary conditions for the successful growth of the plant (light, temperature), do not forget to take care (water), and then you will get homemade mint for a whole year.

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