How To Stop Mint Getting Out Of Hand?

[Cereus]

Oh gosh mint! I love them but yeah if given a chance they will literally take over. I grew a bunch as a kid and boy did they really take over. @_@;; Honestly like the others have said- mint's best kept in pots. They're extremely opportunistic growers.

 

[KimmyMarkks]

I’ve heard that mint is like a weed and spreads pretty fast! I’ve never grow it in my garden because of this. I usually keep it limited to a pot.


I would try ripping up the roots if you don’t want it spreading.

Can you try to contain it by putting a fence or rocks around it?

 

[Chuck]

I’ve heard that mint is like a weed and spreads pretty fast! I’ve never grow it in my garden because of this. I usually keep it limited to a pot.


I would try ripping up the roots if you don’t want it spreading.

Can you try to contain it by putting a fence or rocks around it?

If you don't get every last root it will just resprout and you will probably end up with more plants than before your ripped it up. Mint spreads underground and a fence won't do anything. It can spread quite a distance too, like underneath a cement sidewalk before it pops up again. If you don't want it to spread all over the place you must either have a deep underground barrier around it or plant it in a pot. When planted in a pot the bottom must not touch the ground or the roots will escape out of the hole in the bottom. Although most mint is propagated by cuttings it can reseed itself and spread that way too. The only fool proof way to grow mint without it eventually taking over IMO, is to grow it indoors

 

[KimmyMarkks]

If you don't get every last root it will just resprout and you will probably end up with more plants than before your ripped it up. Mint spreads underground and a fence won't do anything. It can spread quite a distance too, like underneath a cement sidewalk before it pops up again. If you don't want it to spread all over the place you must either have a deep underground barrier around it or plant it in a pot. When planted in a pot the bottom must not touch the ground or the roots will escape out of the hole in the bottom. Although most mint is propagated by cuttings it can reseed itself and spread that way too. The only fool proof way to grow mint without it eventually taking over IMO, is to grow it indoors

Thank you for this info. This is really good to know. I was thinking of growing it outdoors in the spring but I think I'll just stick to growing it in doors in a pot. I had no idea it could spread under concrete. I knew it grew like a weed but didn't realize it was so far under ground.

 

[IcyBC]

I also have mint that taken over my little garden area! Pulling their roots up and out is my only defense. I love the smell of mint, but it can get out of control if I don't pull them up.

 

[arthnel]

Another good way to control mint is to grow them in pots. The idea is to control the spread of the root network as what happens above depends on what is happening below. If you grow the mint in pots you get to restrict the root network spread. If you prefer to grow your mint outdoors root restriction can work as well by digging the hole large enough and lowering a container below the soil surface. Add your mint and cover up the rooting area and it should control the spread. All the best.

 

[ChanellG]

6. Is to invite me to take care of it - in ground herbs do not like me- even lavender died on me!

Lori, lavender loves heat. It doesn't like to be too moist and too much humidity makes the leaves all nasty. One of my three year old, grown from seed plants died this year because of a unbelievably hot summer and moisture issues. I bought a small plant at work and repotted it with soil-free mix blended into the potting soil. So far so good, so I'm going to try that again with another variety.

 

[ChanellG]

Another good way to control mint is to grow them in pots. The idea is to control the spread of the root network as what happens above depends on what is happening below. If you grow the mint in pots you get to restrict the root network spread. If you prefer to grow your mint outdoors root restriction can work as well by digging the hole large enough and lowering a container below the soil surface. Add your mint and cover up the rooting area and it should control the spread. All the best.

Submerging the pot to control the spread is a good idea if you put mesh in the bottom to keep the roots inside the container. However, mint that doesn't have room to spread will die, so it's best to put min in a long planter where it has room to spread and then occasionally dig out the excess.