Find out how to propagate mint from stem cuttings and root cuttings in soil.
Plus, learn how to root cuttings in water.
How to Propagate Mint from Root Cuttings
Mint has creeping underground stems called rhizomes.
Credit:Pete Krumhardt
These rootlike stems can be divided to grow new mint plants by following these steps:
1.
Fill a 6-inch or larger container with potting soil, firming the soil to just below the rim.
Water the soil and wait for the water to drain.
Credit:Marty Baldwin
Select rhizomes that have plenty of buds where new growth will develop.
Divide the roots into 112 to 3-inch sections with an angled cut at the base.
Plant the rhizome cuttings.
Position the rhizome cuttings vertically with the bud toward the top.
Space them 1 to 212 inches apart, and water the cuttings to settle the soil around them.
Place the potted cuttings in a bright location.
Bright light is ideal, but avoid direct sunlight.
Cover the pots with a clear plastic bag and dont water the cuttings until roots develop.
New roots form in two to three weeks.
Transplant the rooted cuttings.
Plant the rooted cuttings in larger containers filled with potting mix and continuegrowing your new mint plants indoors.
Orharden off the rooted cuttingsand move them outdoors.
How to Propagate Mint from Stem Cuttings
Fill a 6-inch-diameter pot with potting mix.
Take 4-inch-long stem cuttings from a healthy mint plant using a sharp,clean knife or shears.
Carefully trim the base of each cutting just below a node.
Then remove the leaves on the bottom third of the stems.
Leave the top two or three leaves to feed the cutting as it roots.
verify a few of the plant nodes are below the soil; the roots develop from the nodes.
Firm the soil around the base of the cuttings to keep them upright.
Add water and a cover.
Water the soil until the excess drains out of the bottom of the pot.
Cover the cuttings with a clear plastic bag supported on stakes so the bag doesn’t touch the leaves.
After about four weeks, the mint cuttings will be rooted.
Youll know the cuttings have rooted when they begin to produce new growth.
Transplant the rooted cuttings.
Keeping the soil around the roots intact, separate each new plant and transplant them into their own containers.
Continue growing them indoors in a brightly lit location, or harden them off and move them outdoors.
Be sure to change the water every few days.
Once you see that the roots have grown, plant the cuttings in a container of soil.
