Whats wrong with my mint?

[Dave25]

I recently (about 3 days ago) replanted some mint I have to give to someone for christmas, and I think something is wrong... one part of the plant is growing well, and the other became limp and hardly showing any life. And it all happened over night lastnight.

Also I took a sprig and rooted it in a glass of water and it was doing great in the water alone, until I planted it in some soil. That too became limp and lifeless.

Heres a picture of what it looks like...



What should I do to keep it looking great for the next couple weeks until it goes to its new home?

[applestar]

First, if you used straight potting soil, I would have mixed in 1/4 to 1/3 sand. But if it is a good quality, light potting mix, then it may be OK.

Water roots and soil roots are different so it takes a while for the plant to be able to take up water and nutrients from the soil the way it did with water. The dug up/planted one is probably suffering from transplant shock as well -- if this was growing in the ground/divided from a larger plant, it used to have a much larger root system supplying it. The part that has gone limp may have been exclusively supplied from the lost root system.

Good news is that mint roots easily in soil. Don't over water but keep the soil moist -- I.e. water again when the soil surface feels dry

What kind of light do you get in that window? Newly transplanted mint will be better off in indirect bright light with no direct sunlight where you can cover it with supported (use chopsticks, re-shaped wire clothes hanger, etc. To keep the plant from touching the cover material) plastic bag with top corners cut off for ventilation. You DO NOT want direct sunlight hitting this set up.

The limp stems should perk up once the added humidity helps to reduce moisture loss, and new roots start to form.

Also, place the mint where it is cool-ish for now -- on the floor next to sliding glass/French door is ideal, but if not, find coolest situation you can find.

After 3-4 days to a week, if you start seeing the plant stretch for the light, slowly remove the plastic bag (cut more holes in it, lift up higher, or remove entirely for 30 min at first, then longer) and move the plant to brighter and brighter location. During the winter, it can manage southern exposure window, but it should be moved to east window or behind sheer/lace curtains as the sunlight intensifies, and then put outside after danger of frost if possible.

[Dave25]

Everything has been planted in Miracle Grow Potting Mix since the beginning.

The one shown in the picture was only replanted into a bigger/better looking pot and was grown from root cuttings that were planted a few months ago. Everything was doing fine until last night when everything became limp and looks like its starting to die.

I water them about every 3 days, and use tap water for the majority of the time, and about once every 3 waterings I use water from my aquarium, which all my plants seem to love.

The plants are in a window that gets the most light, usually direct sun for a few hours a day, but its been cloudy outside for about a week or so. And putting the plants outside wont work for me because I live in an apartment, and the temp here is barely in the 30's now.

[applestar]

Putting outside, I meant in spring.

So, you really don't think it is transplant shock? Lack of humidity causing transpiration loss?

Now, I don't like MG potting soil, but that's neither here nor there. Remember though, that it is already fortified with fertilizer, so you won't need to fertilize for a while.

Overnight limpness could mean damping off. This pot has a drainage hole right? Do you water until you see water coming out of the bottom, then drain off the excess water? Wait to water again until top of the soil feels dry. With the larger pot than before, you probably won't need to water as frequently as before. With their thick stems, mint is pretty drought tolerant.

Try steeping a chamomile teabag and a cinnamon stick in a quart of warm water, let steep and cool overnight, and try watering with that next time it needs to be watered -- it is fungicidal and may help. If it is foliar fungal issue, then spraying with milk solution can help (1/4 milk, 3/4 filtered or de-chlorinated water).

Also, be sure to let tap water outgass the chlorine overnight or 24 hrs before using..

Something else to consider, though last night was warm for this time of the year, and mint shouldn't be affected (my mint outside is still unfrozen and I could probably harvest some of the still good looking tip growth) -- next to the window/just below the sash can be colder and frosty draft can form. On the flip side, many heating vents/mechanism are located near windows and can also play havoc with the micro-environment.

Hmmm... I can't think of anything else. What do you think?

My applemint cutting I took this fall just before first frost is in a NW window (behind a plastic sheeting) under an old aquarium light fitted with a daylight tube -- it gets no direct sun but the light is on a timer for 16 hrs. I thoroughly mist all my indoor plants first thing in the morning during the winter to make up for the heater induced low humidity. You can see the new growth and looks like it could use some fertilizer. It hasn't been fertilized since October when it was first planted.

[Dave25]

The only thing I could honestly think of that was different, is the window was closed and it's usually open slightly overnight. But would that really matter? And yes, I water until it drains out the bottom. Should I just use the aquarium water since it has no chlorine in it opposed to tap water?

I think I figured it out... I used direct tap water to moisten the soil. I used my aquarium water last time. And my guess is the chlorine killed the plants.

[Dave25]

Repotted it with fresh soil and fishtank water, and clipped what was dead, and the stems turned back to green from brown. and its looking much better already.

[applestar]

That's great! (Some municipal water systems are heavily laden with chemicals so you are probably right)

...and healthy aquarium water contains live beneficial microbes that give plants a healthy start. Ahhhh... Happy mint plant.

Maybe you'd like to also try putting used coffee grounds in the watering can like I do to give your mint and other plants.

[Dave25]

What's the best size pot to grow mint in? I can't really find a good answer. I have the "plain mint" that's in the picture, that I'm giving away for the holidays. And I have chocolate mint and peppermint root cuttings that should be delivered today.

[Dave25]

Is it safe to grow peppermint and chocolate mint in the same pot together?

[Dave25]

I cut off the side of the plant that seemed to keep dying and I noticed some sprouting from under the soil the next day.

[applestar]

I fertilized mine
Let's hope both our mints will be happy now.

[Dave25]

Quick update. Since it almost died, I repotted it with completely fresh soil and trimmed it back to the lowest set of leaves, and this is what I have now.



Should I split each individual plant now, or should it be fine the way it is now?

[ElizabethB]

Leave it alone. Let it get well established then make starts from cuttings. The only way you can kill mint is to love it to death. Mint is a real beast and will survive inspite of anything you do except over watering. Put your mint in a sunny (south or west) window and be careful not to over water. No soggy soil. Let it dry out between watering. Give it time to recover from your transplant/thinning. By March your pot will be over grown with mint. Don't ever plant mint in the ground unless you want your great grand children to be working on getting it out of the beds. Your mint will be fine.

[Betsy Muse]

Hmmm...after reading this thread I think I may have my citrus mint and chocolate mint too close together. They are in different rows and are about 5 feet apart, but I'm going to enlarge my herb garden next year. Should I move the chocolate mint further away? It's the smaller of the two plants, though I work pretty diligently to contain them. (I use them in cooking and to make teas!)

[ElizabethB]

I would not plant different flavors in the same pot. Have you considered hanging baskets for your mint? Easy to harvest and beautiful. Mint will cascade 2' -3' or more over the edge of a hanging basket. My patio cover is pretty shaded by an ancient southern live oak. I have identified the sunniest spots for a couple of baskets of mint.

Happy New Year

[Dave25]

Yesterday girlfriend noticed my chocolate mint doesn't smell like chocolate at all, and I plucked a few leaves off and she was right, it smells like a skunk. Is that normal?

[Dave25]

What's the normal size for a mint leaf? Mine seem quite small compared to the first ones that grew...

[applestar]

I think leaf size gets somewhat larger depending on the age of the plant. may have something to do with the size of the root system. Summer leaves are much bigger too.