A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Spearmint

Hi,
I bought a spearmint plant in 1 4'' pot. It has been 2 wks, it is getting light from south and west window.It is putting off new growth a lot but none of it is maturing into big leaves. I heard it grows really fast. Also if I have to repot what kind of mix should I use? Do I have to sterlize the mix as I am planning to use the mint
Thanks!!

I am assuming you meant 1.4" pot, if this is right then yes you do need to repot it. As far as how big of pot...Well the bigger the pot the more it will spread, but I'd go with a medium sized pot, and I am not sure about the leaves getting very big growing indoors, Once it gets to the desired height, you pinch or prune the top off, and it will make it bush out more. I would recomend a good potting soil and no it does not need to be sterilzed, there are other mixes that others might suggest as far as soil that would work well.

sorry I meant 4" pot, the plastic one they usually have. I did cut the tops off from the leggy branches and it is branching out more but the leaves don't mature , the branches just become leggy and set out more leaves...It gets enough light but only on sunny days here in Chicago. Do I need to give additional light??

Thanks!!

An artifical growth light would help the plant out during this time of the year.

And be sure to keep the plant within a couple inches below the light. Lower it as it grows..this assures it from not getting leggy! They're getting leggy now because they're trying to reach for the light. Good luck. Keep us posted.

BTW...u can get fluorescent lights really cheap at Walmart. That's all you need.

Christina

Thanks guys,

My mint is getting better! I kept it a little closer to window where it gets more light now