Mint Plants. Dividing Plants
My potted mint plants are leggy: the leaves look great. But, there are few over the top of the pot, just hanging off the side. I saw a post that said that herb plants can sink in the middle and that it means they need to be divided. Whats "divided", how does one do that?
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(post #12788, reply #1 of 4)
Mints tend to have very strong underground runners, so dividing them is not much of a problem, they will regrow just fine. Even small pieces of root will grow, given just 1/2 a chance. If you tip your pot upside down and knock on the bottom to loosen the soil the clump of roots and plant should fall out into your hands pretty easily. You should see a mass of roots in the soil. These can be divided by cutting through them with a sharp soil knife or a small spade or trowel. Replant or repot them as you wish. I just tore out some hidden spearmint runners to make some more room for violas next to my kitchen door, hoping to slow down the spring invasion of new mint growth.
New Mexico home organic gardener
Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience. Emerson
(post #12788, reply #2 of 4)
thank you Astrid :)
(post #12788, reply #3 of 4)
You're welcome! Today I'm waiting for the sun to warm up the outdoors a bit more, then I will be off to do some more composting and digging in my vegetable garden.
New Mexico home organic gardener
Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience. Emerson
(post #12788, reply #4 of 4)
Florida51: I laughed when I read your post! It reminded me of the time right after we bought our house and my daughter's kindergarten teacher asked if we would like "some" mint for the garden. Seems like they were having a problem in the kindergarten "garden", no one had tended it for a few years and it had become overgrown. I naively volunteered to sort it out and we wound up with 24 mini mint plants which I planted along the strip of ground between the driveway and the house. Planted is a nice way of saying that I cut a hole in the soil and stuck the mint in!
They have been thriving for over 20 years now, kept in check by the asphalt of the driveway and the stucco of the house. Go ahead and cut out a chunk of the mint and repot it. Then move back quickly before it knocks you over ;)
mimi