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BeginnerLaura
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Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2007 2:26 pm

Mint plant is taking over my garden......help!

I have absolutely no gardening experience but am keen to get stuck in this year and help out my partner but in the past couple of weeks our mint plant(s) (that we totally hate) has/have started growing back. This plant is now quite a few years old and we've noticed over the past couple of years that it's started to get out of control - this year though it's taking over our lawn and we have shoots of it coming up through in an area of approx 3m square. :cry:

How on earth do we get rid of this, when we try to pull it up, it snaps at the stem and if we are lucky enough to pull it up we've found the roots are growing ou of one central source? It's a nightmare, please, please , please help a beginner gardener in dispair...................

Laura
aqh88
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Posts: 90
Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 3:33 pm
Location: Iowa
Contact: AOL

I love mint but I have seen it frequently suggested to put it in a 5g bucket and then bury the whole thing in the ground so it's less likely to spread and take over. Best way to get rid of it now is to get a shovel and dig it up. Make sure to get well under it and especially that spot where the roots seem to be going back to. Remove all of it at once or relocate to a more controlled location and then check back frequently to remove any leftovers that try to come back. I have it planted in an area with a sidewalk all the way around it so it can't run away but I still have to do mint control sometimes. It actually manages to spread through the cracks in the sidewalk to the edge of the lawn.
opabinia51
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Posts: 4659
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
Location: Victoria, BC

Mint is VERY invasive and the roots travel great distances and will even take over grass. The only way to get ride of it is to use a shovel to the main blocks and get down on your hands and knees to pick out everything else.
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Jess
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Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:50 pm
Location: England

Don't get rid of it completely. Put some in a pot and every year take it out chop it in half, put half back in and chuck the rest.
It is wonderful with new potatoes and in summer punches you just have to restrain it.
pixelphoto
Senior Member
Posts: 155
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:13 pm
Location: Middle Georgia USA

wish I had your problem as I love mint and so do my customers. I would try selling ti to someone at a local farmers market.
Only way to get it out is either dig it out make sure you get all the roots. or spray nasty chemicals on it to kill it back. I choose digging.


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