Control the spread of your garden mint by pruning it regularly.
Word to the Wise
Mint spreads rapidly, and needs to be grown in containers, or a contained area in the garden.
Mint needs to be root pruned annually when grown in containers.
Step 1 – Trim back by ½ its height to maintain its shape and encourage full growth. After bloom and straggly stems, cut to 2.5cm.
Step 2 – If roots have circled the pot, be sure to cut through all roots with a large serrated knife. With each cut, a new plant will form yielding a dense and full container of new mint stems and leaves. Crosshatch with the knife to cut the roots.
Step 3 – Fertilise lightly (too much fertilizer will yield lush growth with minimal flavour in the leaves). A balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10 granular works fine.
Step 4 – Add soil as needed to refresh pot taking into consideration the settling of soil during the year.
Step 5 – Mulch being careful to keep mulch away from stems
