Most people are more than familiar with the crisp, refreshing taste of mint––which is the common way to refer to many varieties of plant that belong to the Mentha genus.
Used in everything from iced tea to toothpaste to gelato, these prolific green leaves have a place in a wide variety of cuisines.
Mint is surprisingly easy to grow. It loves water and is quick to spread when grown in the right conditions.
As long as you are watering it regularly and are increasing your watering during the heat of mid-summer, you will likely produce bountiful mint plants, whose leaves you can either use fresh or dry for year-round use.
Look into how to harvest your mint for optimal results, as this can be a trickier process than it might sound.
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How often to water mint?
Water mint when the top inch of soil is dry. If growing mint in pots indoors, it usually needs to be watered about twice weekly. If in pots outdoors, water approximately two to three times per week. If growing mint in the ground outdoors, water thoroughly about twice per week. Water mint seedlings in trays every morning.
How much to water mint seedlings
If you are seeding mint indoors before transplanting into a pot or an outdoor herb garden, you will want to water it regularly. As a rule, give your trays a good showering first thing every morning after seeding them.
Once your mint seedlings reach between an inch and two inches tall, you can reduce your watering schedule to once every other day.
Place your trays in bright, indirect light indoors or in another warm environment such as a small greenhouse.
How much to water mint in pots indoors
You should check on mint you are growing in pots indoors about twice weekly, and water it when the top inch of soil in the pot has dried out. Use pots with drainage holes and a well-draining potting mix for best results.
While it is true that mint likes water and prefers to be kept in soil that is consistently gently moist, you still need to be careful not to overwater it, as this is one of the main causes of dying mint plants.
If mint is overwatered, it will begin to wilt and its stems will go soft as the result of root rot. Badly affected mint will turn yellow and begin to droop.
Look into how to save a plant from root rot if you think you have been overwatering your mint and it is suffering because of this.
Be aware that there are other reasons why mint may be struggling and ensure you have correctly diagnosed the problem before reducing the amount of water you are giving your mint.
Things like pest infestations can also cause mint to wilt, and will only be made worse if you reduce your watering schedule. If your mint has white spots on its leaves, consider that it may be playing unwilling host to thrips or spider mites and take action to get rid of them in order to save your mint plant
Even if your mint is not wilting or showing signs of overwatering, if you notice that something seems to be taking nibbles of your mint, look into what pests might be eating your mint!
How much to water mint in the ground outdoors
Water mint growing outdoors––whether it is a volunteer perennial or mint you have planted––about twice per week. Follow the general guidance that you should water your plant mint when the top inch of soil is dry.
While most mint likes to be in soil that is gently moist, Water Mint, or Menthus Acquatica, is an exception to this rule. It is native to marshes and so enjoys wet soil or the edges of ponds.
Make sure you look up the specific care guide for the variety of mint you want to grow to ensure that your variety does not present another exception to the general guidance about watering mint.
Most mint varieties are partial to bright, indirect light.
Be aware that how much you should water your outdoor mint also depends on how much sunlight it is getting. If you have perennial mint growing in a sunnier spot, you will need to water it slightly more regularly than mint that is being grown in shade.
Mint growing the shade will logically require a bit less water.
The goal is to keep the soil around mint consistently gently moist. Make sure to adjust your watering schedule based on the amount of rainfall as well as on the temperature.
If you are having a week of heavy rainfall, there is no need to water mint that is living in the ground outdoors as the soil will be moist or wet at all times.
However, if you are experiencing a heat wave, you may need to water slightly more regularly than usual in order to keep the soil moist.
How much water to give mint growing in a pot outdoors
Growing mint in pots outdoors requires a similar amount of water to growing it indoors. Again, follow the rule that you should be watering your mint once the top inch of soil is dry.
Ensure that your pots have drainage holes as this is important for ensuring that the plant does not get root rot.
How to grow mint plants in water
You can actually grow mint in just water if you want to! While mint cannot survive in water forever, propagating it is a great way to keep mint alive in your kitchen in the short term, or to expand your mint crop.
Cut five-to-seven-inch-long snippets of your full-grown mint plant and place them in a vase or bottle of water.
Place it in a location that gets between four and six hours of sunlight per day and the mint will continue to grow as normal.
Mint that is growing in water can survive for several weeks. Once its roots are well-developed, you can transplant it in a pot to keep indoors or outdoors, or else can put it directly into the soil of your garden.
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.