Somewhere somebody mentioned that you can bury an open ended coffee can and plant your mint inside it to keep control. Has anyone done this? Won't the can rust? And if it does rust, does it matter?
Sure like the idea. I have choc. mint on the way. And already have catmint or catnip that has taken over.
A friend said catnip has white flowers and my plants have lavender flowers,but my plants match up to nepeta cataria in my herb book. So, can someone 'plain the difference?
Yes, the coffee can works, keeping the root from spreading. Yes, the can rusts - but you replace it, or use a deep flower pot with the bottom busted out instead. Rust doesn't hurt the soil or the plant.
Mints have deep runner roots, and a deeply place metal barrier can help.... but, mints also send out long top growth and that readily roots, so be sure to check the plant once each month....
That said, mints are also prolific bloomers and set seed readily, so if you allow the mints to set seed, those seeds are going to fall everywhere... What I do with mint is to let it bloom, let the bees enjoy those flowers, then about a month later, take all the blooms off.
Be sure to pick up every little piece of snipped mint, as the tiniest piece, if it lands on damp soil, can sprout!
When I first moved into my house 13 years ago, I planted a little mint on the north side. I can't get rid of it! A little coffee can or flower pot with the bottom busted out will NOT contain these viscious (sp?) beasts!
Don't get me wrong, I love my mint. I love that it pops up when I think it's gone, it smells nice when the lawn mower runs over it, but it's definitely a life long pursuit to yank out those running roots.
I can't imagine just a coffee can containing mint. I had some mint send a runner under a 4" thick, 36 inch wide layer of concrete, and come up between that and the house! I had to spray it and it's "parent plant" with repeated coatings of an organic herbicide, until it finally never came back to life! Those things are tough!
Dave
Posts: 986 | Location: Zone 6b Woodbury, NJ | Registered: December 10, 2003
Living in Los Angeles (where It's hot & dry, not exactlly ideal mint environ) I can't imagine wanting to contain mint, or cat nip! They are bug repellant & I'm trying to get my catnip (w/ lavendar flowers) to grow around my patio. It's been a long road, but it is finally gaining ground. Remember.... catnip/catmint repell mosquitos, great for the patio!
Evil succeeds when good people do nothing. No trees were killed or animals harmed in the sending of this message; however a great many electrons were horribly inconvenienced. Farm's blog: http://allnaturalsimplelife.blogspot.com/
Posts: 578 | Location: SoCal Zone 11. MO Zone 6 | Registered: February 11, 2002
I planted a sprig of mint from my grandmothers yard about 8 years ago. It is in perfect control. Get a pickle bucket, drywall mud bucket, paint bucket (properly cleaned of course) whatever. It needs to be around 10 gallons and plastic. Remove the handle and cut off the bottom. sink it into the ground leaving 1 inch above the soil line. plant inside. Plastic doesn't rust and the runners cannot go a foot and a half down. If you do not have access to a pickle bucket, home depot and lowes have them for about 2 bucks.
I've used a clay pot buried in the ground but with about an inch of top left above ground. That method seems to have been able to control the spread, the mint has survived 3 winters and hasn't taken over.
Posts: 34 | Location: MN Zone 4a | Registered: May 04, 2004
I have mint planted in two areas, and the coffee can deal does the trick for me too. Both plantings are going on their third year. Does it have to do with harsh winters maybe? I live in Zone 4, Minnesota.
The coffee can will rust, the mint will send its roots deeper than the coffee is. The single best way I have seen to keep mint from spreading is to plant it in a clawfoot bathtub.
The best luck I've had is with sinking mints in the sheetrock-mud buckets. I used to get them all for free from my sheetrocking buddies. In this area a coffee can would never contain any mints for ten seconds. Always leave a little edge above soil surface, about a half an inch, because otherwise the plants will jump the edge and keep on truckin'. A little leaf humus conceals the edge nicely.
OK, coffee cans I have, and I plan to give it a try here in zone 5. After I transplant them I intend to speak to them in a severe way and tell them to 'stay within the cans'. The bathtub idea :^O excellant! But then I'm sure some of my neighbors would be gunning for me for sure. :^O I have catmint growing, am starting choc. mint and lemon mint so I'd need like a...bathroom showcase :^O So many great ideas! B-)
If you end up with failure to thrive, especially after a year or so, it'll be because they don't have enough root depth and spread within the coffee can. Forewarned is forearmed, good luck with them.
Lately, I grow mint in little terra cotta pots because it took over the acreage at my old house. But I like the drywall bucket idea and I'm tired of replacing my mint every year. I'm going to try that this year. Does chocolate mint taste remotely chocolatey?
The catnip never lasts anyway. Once I take the protection off and the cats find it, it's all over. One day I'll just see a dusty spot of dirt where the plant used to be. They will literally love it to death. I used to surround it with chicken wire but one cat got scratched, which got infected which resulted in a vet bill.
Trudy
Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Abe Lincoln
Posts: 26 | Location: Z 6 SC Pennsylvania | Registered: October 21, 2003
We don't have cats but the neighbors do. Occaisionally one will be hiding out in the herb bed enjoying the catnip and jump out when you go by. The first time it happened I knelt down right by the catnip to weed and it leapt up and whizzed right by my face. Well it didn't really whiz but I almost did!! :^O
Posts: 96 | Location: Indiana Zone 5 | Registered: February 06, 2005
