2018 UPDATE – HYDROPONIC MINT
2019 UPDATE – HYDROPONIC HERBS, VEGETABLES OR LAVENDERS WORKSHOPS AVAILABLE
ROOTING HERBS METHOD
Many herbs can be propagated this way.
First, cut a stem from a plant or use any stem from the market with lower leaves removed.
Stick the stem cutting in water until roots appear.
Water needs to be changed when it became murky and for the best result, they root better in a bright area.
For mosquitoes safe method, use netcup + sponge method to seal access to the reservoir during rooting.
Various sizes available for local bottles/jars fitting.
TIP – More roots mass is better for planting
This method worked for most herbs, including basil, sage, rosemary, thyme, etc.
The more roots showed the healthier plants grew.
In normal pots, mint roots often get tightly coiled around the sides and as this progressed, the leaves became smaller and less healthy.
The best pots should be where the roots have space or can extend outside, thus aeration or fabric pots work better.
Quarter liter size fabric pot available in our blog’s SHOP.
To allow the newly propagated mint plant to thrive, cut away the older stem at the top of the plant.
New young leaves will regrow from the sides and bottom, lending renew life to the stem cutting.
The new branches will grow longer, lending a bushy look to the cutting.
TIPS – Watered soil and not leaves on hot days
In 2017 our mint plant was still thriving.
Their scent is heavenly, grown in our own made compost, and zero commercial fertilizers and pesticide.
Visitors are often offered cutting from this plant.
TIP – Herbs are best harvested (pruned the stems too) often to keep them young
We continue to grow mint outdoors to share with neighbors.
AGE Catches Up with MINT too!
Lack of room to grow at roots level as a result of too many planted cuttings or small pot will result in constricted growth.
This means the leaves will be small and sparse.
When they were young plants (just rooted), pruning and harvesting often helped to revive them.
However, when the plant is older (woody stems), sometimes pruning will not help.
TIP – It is best to re-root new cutting and start in a new pot of soil (older plants)
When roots are pressed for space to breathe, the leaves will not be healthy.
They are small and appeared yellow or brown colored.
When this happened, we would discard such roots bound plant (above) and re-start from a new rooted cutting.
TIP – To keep new herb plant healthy, harvest often
Woody stems mean the plants have gotten old.
The fragrance and taste of its leaves will wane as the plant ages.
This happened more frequently in small pots or when roots have no room to grow.
In the following video, our green pot’s mint plant had grown old, but we can renew the plant by propagating the stems!
My daughter, Summer, explained how to root mint cutting in 2015 in the following video.
See how simple it is to propagate an old mint plant?
There is no need to add too much fertilizer to renew our herbs at home.
TIP – Mint can thrive in a small pot if there is aeration at the roots level
Any pot that allowed roots to breathe and “run” is better for mint.
TIP – For thicker and bigger leaves, don’t plant too many cutting in one pot!
Our mint plants are grown in our own compost, and they taste and smell amazing.
A healthier scented thirst quencher anytime when we have fresh herbs at home.
Member Jason Ng shared his recipe for a chill-out any time mojito, a nonalcoholic option is available.
Jason Ng’s recipe for Non alcoholic Mojito :
1.Mint leaves (muddle in the cup with little sprite 1st, leave it for 5mins)
2. Big lime
3. Lemon grass ( use the stalk, smashed to release fragrance)
4. Sprite (softdrink)
5. Sugar (optional)
6. Vodka (Optional)
7. Add ice
Thank you, Jason!!!!
GROW MINT IN LIQUID
In 2018, we learned how to grow in non-circulating hydroponic (KRATKY method) after rooting cuttings in water.
This method allowed us to grow more in limited spaces as each pot is considerably lighter than soil-based plants.
Mint, in particular, seem to thrive in liquid than soil.
Growing mint in liquid base allowed us to observe how aggressive the roots developed.
In a matter of weeks, the above cutting grew rapidly.
In addition to the aggressive growth of the main roots mass, there were also runners and offshoots from the roots itself!
No wonder this plant is known to be “invasive” and in soil, the mint had often shown roots bound problem.
When this happened, we typically had to remove the plant from the pot and loosen the roots mass or re-pot in bigger pots.
Because of its invasive nature, it is best not to grow mint outside of a pot as it would soon overwhelm the whole garden!
In liquid base, I’d remove such plantlets from the roots end.
Left alone, they grew aggressively above the liquid base and we need to refill nutrients every day in our small KRATKY containers.
Whether soil or liquid based, we pruned our leaves hard to keep renewing the plants’ energy.
Too many leaves left unharvested can attract leaf sappers and turned most herbs old.
Thus, do grow to use! Enjoy them in infused tea, just the thing for a relaxing cuppa!
My daughter continues to enjoy her fresh mint tea and natural scent in the bedroom.
They don’t get fresher than mommy’s homegrown mint!
Its nice to harvest the greens/fruits and turn them into something good like food and refreshing drinks. Thanks for sharing and the blog is wonderful!
Hi, ive bought mint plant at least 3 times. All died 🙁 i read online that they dont need sunlight and to be watered twice daily. Am i doing it right?
After bringing plants home from stores, its best to check the soil its grown in. Are the soil pests free? Is the soil already wet? Mint thrive better in sun and generally love moisture, but not one rule fit all growing environment. Next time, you might want to consider propagating mint from stem cutting instead, I think if you prepare the soil yourself by buying good organic soil/compost from the start, it will grow better. Also, do remember to harvest often, to encourage new shoots, else it turned woody and die fast too.