If you’re a beginner gardener, then mint is the plant you must grow. It’s very easy to grow mint from cuttings and it requires a little water, which makes it perfect for beginner gardeners. Mint also spreads above and below the ground. Mint can be used in many things.
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A little about mint
It’s very easy to grow mint in a container or a pot. If you just put it in the ground, it will slowly take over your yard. Mint is super easy to grow from cuttings and today I’ll show you how. In fact, if you don’t have a mint plant to take the cuttings from, you can just use the mint from the grocery stores.
With over 600 varieties of mint to choose from, here are the most common mints gardeners grow: peppermint, spearmint, chocolate mint, strawberry mint, lavender mint, cat-mint, and pineapple mint. I’ll talk more about these varieties in another article in the future.
Supplies needed for you grow mint from cuttings
Here are the supplies you’ll need to grow mint from cuttings. All of these supplies you should already have at home.
- Glass jar with water
- Mint cuttings
- Paper Towel
- Scissors (if you are cutting the mint from a plant)
Steps to grow mint from cuttings
Step 1: The first step to grow mint from cuttings is to gather your supplies. After it’s time to cut the mint. If you have a mint plant, cut a piece. The piece should look healthy and should be 3” to 6” long. If you don’t have your own plant, you can go to the grocery stores and grab some mint. Make sure it looks healthy.
Step 2: Once you have your mint, remove the leaves. You should have 1/2 to 3/4 of bare stem left and 1/4 stem of leaves closer to the top. If you are not ready to grow it, you can store it in the fridge until you’re ready.
Step 3: The next step is to get a glass of water. Any clean jar should be fine. Then put the mint with the bare stem into the water and set it in a nice, warm place with sunlight. 1-2 weeks later, you should start seeing roots coming out the side. Change the water every 2-4 days. If you don’t see roots, wait another 2 weeks because in my experience mint will always root.
Step 4: Once you see a lot of roots, it’s time to place it in soil. Get a container and put some soil in it. Make a small hole in the soil with your hands and place your mint in it.
Step 5: The last step is to cover the roots with soil. Make sure to press down the soil good and then water it so all the roots have good contact with the soil. You might see the leaves dying, because it was in the water before. The mint is not used to the environment. Just continue to water it. After a while, it will get used to its new environment.
To summarize how to grow mint from cuttings, here’s a photo of all the steps that you can save and share!
When the mint has grown a lot, it will need some more space. You can plant it in a raised bed or in a bigger container. Here are some tips to help you care for your mint plant:
Tip #1: Make sure your mint has plenty of sunlight. In the summer, when it’s warm, you can place it outside in your backyard, or on your balcony.
Tip #2: Water your mint plant plenty, especially in the beginning. Mint likes water. If the soil is damp, then you don’t need to water it. If you forget to water it for a while, it’s ok. Mint can survive without water for a long time, that’s why it’s such an easy plant to grow.
Tip #3: Keep picking leaves off the plant so it’ll keep producing more. Just don’t over pick. You can dry the leaves out and use it to make mint tea.
Tip #4: If you’re planting the mint outside, make sure the area has good drainage and a lot of sunlight. If you don’t have a spot with enough sunlight, it can also tolerate shade.
Final Thoughts
It’s extremely easy to grow mint from cuttings. Anyone can do it. Growing mint also comes with other benefits. Mint will attract helpful insects to your garden and repel nasty insects. Mint is also good for pets, like cats, dogs, and chickens. You can feed a little to them. Just like mint, jerusalem artichoke also takes little to no work to grow it. Perfect for beginner gardeners, so check it out.
