hi guys, i can't believe i did this, but i planted mint and it is growing out of control. How can i get rid of it? I have tried to dig it out but it is growing faster than i can control it. There is about 8 suare meters of it and spreading. can anyone help me please?

Sure wish I had your problem. My mint will stay in one place and will not spread for some reason. I live in Texas and water is scarce most of the time and I do not water the mint much if at all. This may help you but not sure. Good luck but you can have some really great tea.

Get some vietnamese and thai cookbooks, as some of their recipes call for 1-1 1/2 cups of mint! I had a problem like that, so I just put my mint in a flowerbed surrounded by concrete on all sides, and sprayed the old stuff (not as much as you have, however) with an organic herbicide that killed everything, and I kept at it when it came back the next year, and the next, until it was gone. Now I have about 3 square meters well contained.

Dave

Welcome! And keep digging. There's a second, deeper root layer underneath, and you have to dig that up too.

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger there dear. I ignored warnings about mint's invasiveness too. It darn near ate the AC unit last year, and is back for a second try this year.

Dear Reich 1982, yes the tea is good if you like mint tea, unfortunately i don't. Do you want some?? lol. Thanks for your reply. Warm regards and happy gardening, lizardlegs.

Dear Dave, thanks for your advice. While i like the smell of mint i actually dislike the taste and therefore i really want to get rid of the lot. So the recipe idea won't work for me. Do you remember what the organic herbicide you used was? Do you know whether vinegar is any good? Many thanks, Ellen.

Legs,

I don't remember what it was, just that I got it from GardensAlive!, and the price has gone up considerably since the first year it came out, so the vinegar may be a better idea - maybe you can get some strong acetic acid, like 10%, or something like that, to work better. It will work the same as what I used - it just killed foliage, and wasn't systemic, so I had to keep at it until it finally died.

Dave

Dear jennifrch, What!! not more digging please :_| Thanks for the advice, i was not aware the roots were so deep, but it makes sense, that is why it is so tough, eh? Thanks for the welcome warm regards, ellen.

Dear CountryKitty, i feel a lot better now that i know i am not the first. Thanks. :x

Dave, you are the best! It sure sounds better than digging the whole thing out. i will let you know how i go, Legs.

Roundup always gives me GREAT results!!! OH NO....WAIT!!! Darn, gotta quit thinking like that. BEFORE I went organic, I used to use an awful chemical weed killer but not anymore!!!

Still a little wet behind the ears on this OG thing. Think: vinegar, vinegar, vinegar.......


Sorry!!!

] ] ]

To get rid of that mint, mow it with the mower set on high (elevation) so each plant has leaves left. Then spray these with a mix of 1 gallon vinegar, 1 cup salt, and 1 tsp. dish soap. You might need two or three applications to kill it. This is a foliar spray, not a drench, so once the mint's gone it's safe to plant anything in there. :^O

Peterfoss;
I have used that recipe on lots of weeds and it really does work!

peterfoss,
thank you, thank you! this sure sounds better than digging, i am going out today to get the ingredients. I will be attacking the mint this afternoon B-)
lizardlegs.