20/07/2014
Caring for a Chocolate mint plant
A Chocolate Mint herb can be used for many different things like; cooking, making herbal tea and putting fragrance into a room or even just sucking on a leaf or even rubbing a leaf between two fingers to smell the sweet smell of chocolate. Since chocolate mint is part of the mint family it is a perennial and loves full sun. As with most square-stemmed members of the mint family, growing chocolate mint can take over the area in which it is planted in the ground, readily and quickly. This is why it is recommended to place this plant in a pot to help control it spread and taking over (which it does do very well in).
Instead of going to the store and purchases more Chocolate mint plant it is very easy to reproduce new plants from your existing plants. Simply take longer stems of the chocolate herb plant cut them above where two leaves are place in a glass in full sun and put about 2 inches of water in it. Make sure to check your water level every couple of days and in about two weeks you should start seeing roots. Once you have lot of roots you can now plant your new chocolate mint plant. Give about 1-2 months and it should start sprouting other stems from the root.
How to care for a Chocolate mint plant.
This is also very simple.
1. Water every 3-5 days.
2. Fertilize ground every couple of months with normal vegetable fertilizer (depending on big your plant is).
3. Once per month take 1 hand of Epsom salt (non-fragrance) and spread it on the soil or mix ¼ cup with 1 liter bottle of water. The magnesium not only helps the plants but helps keep some bugs away.
4. Keep in full sun 4-6 hours for maximum flavor.
5. Harvest throughout the growing season, unless you want the plant to display its attractive pink flowers in late spring to midsummer. If so, clip after flowering. Root new cuttings in late summer to bring inside for the winter.
6. Do not place outside in temperatures below 50 degrees.
7. When cutting the stems, cut above two leaves so it looks like you giving the stem a top. Leave a little stem leave because 2 stems will sprout from that spot later. Every time you cut a stem it will make it stronger and thicker so try so cut the stems that look a little thin to help the plant growth. This is called pinching
Note: If you find that you stems and leaves are drooping, DON’T panic! Give it some water and wait about 1 hour and your plant should bounce back.
Pinching and Harvesting Herb Plants
Pinching is the act of removing an upper portion of a stem on an herb plant in order to encourage new leaf growth from the lower dormant leaf buds. If you look at an herb plant, you will see that right in the crutch, where a leaf meets the stem, there is a small k**b. This is a dormant leaf bud. As long as there is growth above it, the lower leaf buds will not grow. But, if the stem above a leaf bud is removed, the plant signals to the dormant leaf buds closest to the missing stem to grow. Since a plant normally produces these dormant leaf buds in pairs, when you take one stem off, two leaf buds will start to produce two new stems. Basically, you will get two stems where one was before.
Harvesting is rather easy, as it is the point of growing herbs in the first place. All you do is simply harvest the herbs when you need them, and Mother Nature will take care of the rest. Don’t worry about hurting the plants when you harvest. They will grow back stronger and better.
Deliberate pinching should be done when the plant is small or during times when you may not be harvesting much. All you need to do is remove a small top portion of each stem every week or so. You do this with a pinching action on the top of the stem. This removes the top part of the stem cleanly and those dormant leaf buds will then start to grow. Pinching and harvesting do not damage your herb plants. Your herb plants will grow back bigger and healthier if you take the time to regularly pinch and harvest them.
How to split a plant into smaller plants.
What you will need;
4 pots (this is usually the min a chocolate mint plant will split into.) For people with no a lot of room use 8 inch long window box
Dirt
Scissors
Spray bottle
Epsom Salt ( non-fragrance )
1. Place dirt in a pot (about ½ full)
2. Gently place your hands over the dirt/around stems and turn pot upside down
3. Place plant back upside right
4. With one hand take about 1 hand full of dirt up near the top soil and gently push your fingers into the dirt
5. Once you can’t push your fingers in anymore start to push and pull gently, this will help the roots separate and break. It your plant is so condensed with roots you can take a pair of sharp scissors and cut sections of your soil for replanting. Please note by cutting roots it will not kill the plant but it will take extra time for the plant to bounce back.
6. Once you have your plant section separated, place it in the new pot. Top of the old soil should be a 1 inch below pot rim.
7. If you are happy where your plant is in the pot take about 1 handful of Epson salt and spread it around where the roots of your plant will sit.
8. Now place your plant back and start placing new dirt inside your pot. Once done press dirt down firmly.
9. Take you spray bottle and give the dirt a good soaking.
10. Water plant every day for about 1 week or until you see your plant bouncing back.
Note: if using 8” window you will follow all the steps above but place plants about 3” about. If you have single stems with roots place them on the side of the box in between plants.
