How to Propagate Mint Plants
Mint can lend a dash of flavor to soups, salads, cocktails and main dishes. This versatile herb loves to spread and is best grown in containers. Popular varieties of mint include spearmint, peppermint, apple mint and pineapple mint. Mint is a very easy plant to grow and propagate, so beginning gardeners should start with this herb. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Purchase a small mint plant to propagate from your local nursery if you don't have one already. Mint is challenging to grow from seed, and a healthy mint plant will give you a more stable crop.
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Take several cuttings of your mint plant to propagate, using the scissors. For best results, choose long stems to cut and remove at least 4 inches with a clean snip through the stem.
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Place these cuttings in a vase with water and allow to sit until the stems start developing small roots, usually within 1-2 weeks. During this time, refill the water as it evaporates and place the vase in a sunny location.
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Fill your empty pot 3/4 of the way with potting soil when the mint cuttings have grown new roots. Since mint is a fast growing herb, you should choose a plant that is larger than your mint plant so you don't need to re-pot within a couple months. Try a 6- to 8-inch pot if you begin with a 3-inch plastic pot.
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Place the mint seedlings in the new pot. Fill the pot the rest of the way with potting soil.
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Water the new plant before placing it in a sunny location. Water the plant periodically so that the soil is moist.
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Tips & Warnings
Mint is such a hardy grower that you will be able to propagate the new plant within a year by taking cuttings. If you don't want another container of mint, you should trim back the plant to encourage new growth and prevent flowering, but you don't need to take cuttings.
Keep your mint containers outside in the summer and move inside during the winter if there is a danger of freezing.
Plant mint in a container rather than in the yard, because mint is highly invasive and will take over your yard.
