My indoor mint is very crispy and watering hasn't help

[jasriel]

I have a mint plant in a pot on the window sill that we kind of adopted (asda didn't have any sachets of fresh mint so the delivery guys brough us an entire plant instead ).

We've kind of muddled through watering it very carefully for several months with a fair bit of success, we even had to cut it back once because it was going wild and taking over the window sill. I always let the surface layer of soil dry out between waterings cos otherwise I seem to water stuff until things go mouldy... It was repotted once into a slightly larger pot than the one it came in. I don't know if this is how it works but I've been trying not to let the growth get that out of control again because I thought it might take the pressure off the root system trying to expand, just to put off the need to repot it if anything.

Recently I noticed the leaves looked like they were curling at the edges and when I checked the soil the top layer was very dry so I gave it some water. Usually this perks it up very quickly but nothing after 24 hours so I gave it a little more.

The curling got worse and I realised it's dry-crispy-curling not soft-wilted-curling. Is there anything I can be doing for it? I've not given it any more water as the soil is damp if I poke my finger under the surface and more obviously isn't helping it. I don't know if this is supposed to happen or if something about the unusually hot weather the UK has had recently has bothered it.

 

[zigs]

It's hard to keep the forced grown supermarket herbs going for any length of time so you've done good so far.

Has it been in full sun, and did you get the leaves wet when you watered it?

 

[BlueLotus]

It might be because your room is to humid, try opening the window with a breeze and see if that helps. You might be able to put a fan on your plant to make sure there is circulation through all your leaves on less windy days. Otherwise it might root problem, make sure you don't waters four hours before the mint plant stops getting sunlight to minimize root rot.

 

[Corzhens]

Our mint in the front yard is very prolific with lots of runners. Once in a while I replant some runners in small plastic pots intended for house decor in the living room. And from what I remember, the mint lasts only for a week or so before it looks unhealthy. I guess it needs a good dose of sunlight because another potted mint in the backyard which was placed under the mango tree had already died when we had neglected it - but the watering is regular though, just no sunlight maybe.

 

[jasriel]

It's hard to keep the forced grown supermarket herbs going for any length of time so you've done good so far.

Has it been in full sun, and did you get the leaves wet when you watered it?

Not all day but it gets full sun for a while each afternoon when the sun is around that side of the house before it drops too low. We always water it down close to the soil so the leaves don't get wet.

It might be because your room is to humid, try opening the window with a breeze and see if that helps. You might be able to put a fan on your plant to make sure there is circulation through all your leaves on less windy days. Otherwise it might root problem, make sure you don't waters four hours before the mint plant stops getting sunlight to minimize root rot.

The kitchen window is always open as long as we're not freezing and its been a few hot months (for UK standards anyway ) so the window is nearly always open. How quickly can humidity affect it? The window was closed for a couple of cooler days but I can't think whether or not that coincided with the crispy problem. We do usually water it fairly late in the day (he's too busy in the morning and I work late shift so I often do it when I wake later in the day) so maybe the roots are struggling with when we water it then.

Our mint in the front yard is very prolific with lots of runners. Once in a while I replant some runners in small plastic pots intended for house decor in the living room. And from what I remember, the mint lasts only for a week or so before it looks unhealthy. I guess it needs a good dose of sunlight because another potted mint in the backyard which was placed under the mango tree had already died when we had neglected it - but the watering is regular though, just no sunlight maybe.

Unless it just overall doesn't have enough sunlight and this has affected it over time, I don't think the sunlight is the problem as it hasn't changed since when it was doing well. Tomorrow I'll keep an eye on roughly how long it gets in full sun. It's between when the sun makes it around that side of the flat block and before it drops below the houses over the road so not ages.

 

[KimmyMarkks]

The same thing happens to my plant. For me it happened when I forgot to water it for a long weekend. The leaves dried up and even though I kept watering it after the fact it seemed that it was along long gone. I would suggest cutting all the leaves off. Many times it regrows it's self.

 

[IcyBC]

I found that mint doesn't grow well in pot! I never had any problem growing mint in the garden, but this year I grew them in pot since I live at a condo complex, and we have no room to grow. My mint doesn't do well. They are harsh to the touch and yellow very fast.

I think your mint will do better in the ground!

 

[digger]

I found that mint doesn't grow well in pot! I never had any problem growing mint in the garden, but this year I grew them in pot since I live at a condo complex, and we have no room to grow. My mint doesn't do well. They are harsh to the touch and yellow very fast.

I think your mint will do better in the ground!

Oh! I just bought two pots of peppermint from a heath plant vendor. I guess I'll have to transplant some to the ground although they look healthy at the moment. I thought they just needed a little soil to grow and they look perfect in front of the window where I can smell them anytime i want to.

 

[jasriel]

I found that mint doesn't grow well in pot! I never had any problem growing mint in the garden, but this year I grew them in pot since I live at a condo complex, and we have no room to grow. My mint doesn't do well. They are harsh to the touch and yellow very fast.

I think your mint will do better in the ground!

I would love to grow it in the ground but apartments in central birmingham sadly don't allow for that. I have found having container plants on the windowsill cheers me up quite a lot though, so I'm working with what I've got. Although weirdly it did very well for a few months.

The same thing happens to my plant. For me it happened when I forgot to water it for a long weekend. The leaves dried up and even though I kept watering it after the fact it seemed that it was along long gone. I would suggest cutting all the leaves off. Many times it regrows it's self.

This is the option I have gone for - I figured at this point all the dead stuff isn't doing it any good. I'm wondering if maybe it just got roasted when the temperature shot up weirdly high... (High for UK anyway.)
Hopefully it will regenerate at some point. Fingers crossed.

 

[Beth_B]

I've had mint coming up every year on the same 2-gallon pot (outdoors) for about six years. It gets huge and flowery. I'm wondering if your container is now too small? Also I'm guessing supermarket herbs are potted in the cheapest, most generic soil the chain can find. So that's my suggestion...repot in a decent quality soil.

I've found that peppermint/catnip is pretty indestructible when grown outdoors even in a four season climate like mine, but can be a bit fussy when potted indoors.

 

[HappyKoi]

I lived in Michigan and mint grows wild there. It's almost considered a weed! Judging by that and the mint I've grown inside, I would say that it likes water and humidity. Are we talking garden mint or some of the other varieties? One thing I found out when growing mint is that it's hard to over-water it in the summer. Mine used to like at least two waterings per day. I did the "put the pot in a saucer and put the water in the bottom" style, and that seemed to work for me.

 

[clair02]

Mint is a definite must-have in my kitchen. I"m so looking forward to growing my own, and I really appreciate all the tips from everyone here about how to care for it. At least now I know what to avoid to keep my plants alive. Thanks all.