Care for new gingermint
SparklesJD
Posts: 344
in Plants
My mint 'Gingermint' (Mentha x gracilis) arrived today from T&M. It's a 'large plant', although I've never bought a plant mail order before and TBH it's not what I was expecting - it appears to be a couple of twigs in a 1 litre pot - I assume the root system is the important thing?!
I have taken it out of the polythene wrap and put it in a gravel tray, what do I need to do with it now?
We're in London and still getting frosts, but eventually I want to put it in a container on the patio. We have a Gardman compact growhouse (unheated) or I can keep it inside, as necessary.
Thanks!
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Posts
Grow just like any other mint. Pot it up and keep it protected at first then move to your growhouse. Keep it watered but not too wet.
I've had a plant for several years in a pot. The top dies off in winter but new shoots appear in spring. I'm not sure how hardy they are as I always put mine under cover in winter so that it doesn't get too wet and I'm not sure whether the pot it's in is frost proof.
Have look at the roots, they should quite plump and fleshy. Theyll be dormant now so twigs are about right. If you want early mint then you can pop it in the GH. I'd soak it for an hour, sometimes the compost can be a bit dry. They're pretty hardy so frost won't really harm it.
As above. Water and keep sheltered then pot on to a bigger pot as soon as strong growth starts. Keep well watered but make sure it can drain. I now have mine in a 60cm square pot which I take under cover in winter. However, some escaped into a veggie bed and has withstood temps down to -6C in the ground. Doesn't like it any colder though and certainly not that cold in a pot.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Thanks Mary and Dave.
Should I pot it straight into the pot I want it in long-term, or increase sizes as it grows? I know some plants like to be slightly pot-bound.
SJD
Cheers Obelixx. I now have visions of a Shawshank style prison break...!
Sparkles I'd just put it in a pot that will accommodate it and pot on as it grows.
All mints I've tried grow very well (too well!) here. I've seen other places where mints suffer, believe it or not, and even in my old garden in Sheffield mints were either not too happy or very well-behaved. Here in my Dundee garden I have some ordinary spearmint and some ginger mint that a friend gave me, and they need constant hauling out (especially the common spearmint) but of course the flowers are great for bees.
I also have pennyroyal, which is a wonderful plant though NOT TO to be treated as a regular herb - good as a companion plant, great for bees, apparently good in dealing with some pesky insects, but never NEVER to be a tea...
Ginger mint is lovely. I'd like some apple mint also. Agree with all other posters on treating a little plant at first with some care, and then with the regular respect for mints. Pots certainly best, particularly if you have a small garden and don't want it invading, as with all mints.
Thanks all!