If you love the taste of fresh mint in your mojitos (or any other recipe!) you may be interested in growing your own mint plants. Growing mint from cuttings is an easy and inexpensive way to get yourself a new plant. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to grow mint from cuttings to help you get started.
Growing Mint from a Cutting
Mint is a refreshing and versatile herb that can be used in everything from marinades and sauces, to salads, to teas and cocktails to salads, and sauces.
Luckily, it’s very easy to grow from cuttings. With just a little bit of care, you can have a thriving mint plant in no time!
The easiest way to propagate mint is by taking a fresh cutting from an established plant. But I have also had success growing it from cut fresh mint from the grocery store!
Scroll down for the printable instruction card for how to grow mint from cuttings, or read on for all the details.
How to take mint cuttings
Take your cuttings in the morning. At this time of day the plant will be full of water (vs after a day in the sun)
Select a stem that has good growth at the top, and a thick well established stem. Aim for a stem cutting of around 6 inches or longer.
You want a nice clean cut, so be sure to use sharp scissors or secateurs to take a cutting from a healthy mint plant directly above a leaf node.
Remove the lower leaves so that there is a length of bare stem of around 3 inches at the base of the cutting.
How to start mint cuttings
The most successful way to cultivate mint from a cutting is to allow it to grow roots in water first. This means that when you transplant it into soil it will have a better chance of taking root.
To do this, simply place your mint cuttings into a tall vessel of fresh water. And leave them in a bright spot where they won’t be disturbed.
Using a glass vase or tall drinking glass is a good option, as it is easy to keep an eye on the root development.
After a few days you will notice rootlets starting to grow at a few points along the stem where it is in the water. When these have grown to around an inch long (2cm), the cutting is ready to be planted into soil.
Alternatively, you can skip this stage if you dust the ends of the cuttings with a rooting hormone before planting them directly into the soil.
How to plant mint cuttings
When the cuttings are ready to be planted, fill a small pot with good quality potting mix.
Poke a hole in the moist potting soil with a pencil or your finger around 3 inches deep (one for each cutting you wish to grow), and plant the mint cutting into the hole. Gently press the soil into place around the cutting to support the stem.
If you have more than one cutting to plant, space them out with at least 6 inches between cuttings.
Keep your new mint plants in partial shade until established, and water regularly to keep the soil moist.
>> Related post: How to Water Mint
You can repot your new mint plant as it grows if you are wanting a large mint plant, or keep it in a small pot and prune it back regularly to keep it small (e.g. if you wanted to keep your mint indoors on the kitchen windowsill).
However, it is a good idea to grow mint in containers rather than planting it out into the herb garden, since it has a rather invasive nature and will try to take over if planted in a garden bed.
Growing Mint from Cuttings Instruction Card
How to Grow Mint from Cuttings
Step-by-step instructions for growing mint from cuttings.
Materials
- A healthy mint parent plant
- Fresh water
- A tall jar or vase
Tools
- Sharp scissors or secateurs
Instructions
- Take a cutting from the parent mint plant. Ensure it is a healthy stem. The cutting should be around 6-7 inches long.
- Remove the leaves from the lower 3-4 inches of the stem.
- Place the cutting in a tall vessel (e.g. a vase or jar) with 2 inches of fresh water in it.
- Leave cutting in a bright place (such as a window sill) until roots have sprouted and grown to at least 1 inch/2 cm long (approximately 1 week).
- Plant cutting into fresh potting mix, water and place in a sunny spot.
Notes
- If some time has passed between taking the cutting and placing in water then re-trim the ends to ensure the cut is fresh.