Mint plants are highly nutritious herbs (and sometimes spices) that fit potted plants and are a kitchen garden mainstay.
Most importantly, mints are a collection of aromatic plants grown for their herbal benefits.
They can be chewed raw, at least some people do, or they can be incorporated into your cooking. Think of spearmint, peppermint chocolate mint, or about sixteen more species in the Lamiaceae family.
Under this scientific family, mint is mentha. Mint oils are popular with toothpaste and candy manufacturers.
While cooking food, mints add flavor, and significant nutritional benefits, such as reducing sodium and sugar consumption.
In this article, you’ll see how to grow mint from cuttings. But first, let’s see some of the benefits of mint plants.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Mint Plants
Mint has been used in medicine for centuries, and it’s with good reason.
Moreover, it’s a budding nutritious culinary addition to your diet. Below are some of the benefits of mint plants.
1. Nutritious mint
The mint barrage of species contains antioxidants and vitamin A which is critical for vision. It’s a useful herb, more potent than its counterparts. For this reason, it should be consumed in small amounts.
It would help if you thought of mint as spices as far as usage is concerned, remember they got a high fragrant.
2. Helps combat indigestion
The mint leaves come in handy when there are irregular bowel movements caused explicitly by indigestion. Mint plant contains methanol, which aids in the digestion process.
When you have a stomach upset, its fundamental properties help fight bacteria and relieve pain.
3. Helps treat breathing ailments
In case you haven’t noticed, breathing aids and relievers contain mint. The mint will help soothe asthmatic problems and clear blockages when you have a common cold.
4. Boost your immune system
The vitamin A found in the mint plants is an effective immune booster. The vitamin offers cell protection against microelements. Weaker immune systems mean you can quickly get fatal diseases such as cardiac diseases and diabetes.
5. Oral health care
For the longest time, people have been chewing mint to cure bad breath. The mint is best used either infused in chewing gum or the fresh leaves. It does magic through its bacteria growth inhibition properties.
More benefits would make you learn how to plant a mint plant from cuttings. Additionally, mint has anti-inflammatory properties, and it is linked to improved brain activities and weight loss.
Growing Plants from Cuttings
Growing plants from cuttings are referred to as propagating.
With a mint in your home, you have a continuous supply of mint herbs within your reach. The mint is planted in water or soil.
It’s good to mention that propagating plants isn’t rocket science— anyone can do it. Obviously, from an environmental standpoint, the soil is a better anchor than water. That said, the soil process is demanding of the two.
The process is relatively simple, but if you cut the wrong spot, your mint plant won’t have much leverage for survival. Your identification and subsequent cutting of the correct spot should be spot on! (Pun intended)
Where to Cut?
You can source your cuttings from the store or a friend or from another mint plant you have; if you get an opportunity to get the cuttings yourself, that would be great for learning.
Choose the greenest stems for your cuttings from the top-level section. The height doesn’t matter as long as it has some leaves left before rooting begins.
The cutting should be below the leave nodes (this is where the leaves were). You have to cut all the lower leaves and remain with the topmost leaves. The idea is to allow the cutting to focus its energy on developing roots and the remaining leaves.
The leaves removal is either done by a pruner or any specialized cutting tool. However, some people still use regular scissors or even plucking them out with their fingers.
Now that you have your cuttings, you can move on to the rooting process.
How to Plant Cuttings
Even though the cuttings can develop roots in water or soil, some people prefer doing them as subsequent steps.
Essentially, they’ll insert the cuttings in water to allow for root development. Afterward, they’ll transfer the rooted mints to the soil. Again, the cuttings will still develop roots in either of the methods you choose.
The water process is incredibly simple and straightforward. All you have to do is insert the cuttings into a vase. Ideally, a glass vase will do a better job because you can monitor the progress.
It’s only the stem that is supposed to touch the water because the leaves rot over time if they contact water.
If you are familiar with transplanting, you are aware that there something referred to as transplant shock. Technically, transplant shock is when a plant cannot withstand the change of environment and may wither.
To avoid this, transplant your mint plant once it develops the right roots (the roots should be dense and sturdy). The sturdier the roots are, the higher the chances of surviving transplant.
The transplant process requires some level of meticulousness to ensure your mint plants make it to their new home safe and sound.
Nevertheless, you may choose to stick with the water method and prefer to grow your mint in water. Be warned that there are shortcomings in the pure water method growth.
For one, your mint plant is rooted in a weak foundation. Secondly, you have to keep replacing the water (they tend to get smarmy and stinking).
The planting process
If you skipped the water process (at least like most gardeners do), you would have landed on this step. It would be best if you had a pot, you can get that from your local store. Preferably, the pot should be high and narrow.
Moreover, the pot should contain holes at the bottom to offer a dependable drainage system. Of course, you may choose to rely on an excellent DIY pot. Just remember to make holes at the bottom.
The pot should be filled with soil and any form of useful compost. Mint plants can grow on various soil forms, so you need not worry much about your dirt source. Still, the soil in your pot needs to be watered until it is hydrated.
You’ll know the soil is hydrated when you notice it spilling from below. Using your fingers creates a hole in the soil to begin the process of planting. Carefully transfer your cutting (with or without roots) into the spot you’ve just created.
You can plant a few mint plants into one pot, but you must space them to avoid congestion as you’ll notice the water process plants may lose their erectness because of the new environment.
Regardless of the transplant methods, the plants need to be protected from sunlight until they develop a formidable anchor.
Once they start gaining ground, you can add nutrients through fertilizers (preferably organic). Lastly, you may transfer the plant to the garden if that was what you had planned for.
Making Sure the Mint Grows
As long as you follow the instruction presented here and avoid the caveats, your mint plant will grow and blossom healthily.
But they need to be cared for as any typical plant you have. Water them accordingly, weed them, and provide necessary nutrients. The mint plant may grow into a leafy bush that keeps on giving.
The best time to plant mint cuttings is the last days of spring and early days of summer.
The mint plant is in full growth and yet to blossom during this period. Keep the cuttings away from sunlight. The mint plant performs best in humid conditions.
Mint plants will perform well in moist, light soil. Ordinarily, the mint plants are found along river banks with a lifetime supply of water.
Mint will take about three months from seedling to full growth (about one to two feet high).
From the cuttings, it may take only a few weeks.
You pick the leaves just as you require them. The tender leaves will have a more robust flavor than the older and light green leaves. During the season, it’s even possible to harvest 2-3 times.
One benefit of planting the mints indoors is that you get a winter’s supply of garden-fresh mint leaves. The best-dried leaves are ideally cut before the mint plants flowers. Later on, the leaves are kept in a sealed container.
Final Thoughts
If you know the mint beneficial charms, you’d want to have more of it through propagation.
The process is relatively simple, and anyone can do it if they follow the steps highlight above.
The mint species offer a myriad of health benefits rare in other herbs. Plus, it does excellent cooking with its potent flavors. Thus, for whatever reason, you need to know how to grow mint from cuttings. Follow the simple steps laid in this article.
