Grow Better Mint When You Divide it Yearly

I LOVE growing mint!  I love it so much that I have seven different varieties and am constantly on the lookout for new ones.  One of the most important spring chores for growing great mint is to divide it every year.  Since we are growing our mint in pots to keep it from spreading all over the garden, it is inevitable that the mint will become rootbound and use up the nutrients in its pot.  For me, this happens quickly over the course of a single growing season. Dividing mint every spring not only creates more plants to grow and share, it gives the plant the breathing room it needs to flourish the rest of the year.

Disclaimer: when you shop through my affiliate links I earn a small commission which helps me create more content, at no additional cost to you! Thank you so much for your support!

The Best Time to Divide Mint

Mint goes dormant over winter for me here in zone 8b. In early spring when the weather begins to warm, little green shoots will start to appear and this is the best time to divide the mint.  I like to wait until the mint has put out these new green shoots so I can be sure to select the most vigorous sections.  If it is summer and your mint is overgrown, the center is dead and brown, and its health is suffering, I would advise that you can still divide the mint but keep it out of full sun for a few weeks while it recovers.  You will also want to cut back some of the top growth so the freshly disturbed roots do not have so much foliage to support.

How to Divide Mint

Dividing mint couldn’t be easier.  One tool that I highly recommend is a Hori Hori knife.  This will allow you to cut through the roots like butter.  It is so much easier than trying to chop at it with a trowel.  This knife is life changing, trust me.  Pop the plant out of its pot and take note of where the green growing sections are (usually the edges) and where there isn’t much growth (usually the middle). As you can see in the photo above, the roots are circling the edge of the pot and that is another sign that the mint needs dividing badly. Cut up the mint in sections, each with some green growth.  Each section will be a single new plant and get its own pot or get passed on to a friend.  The center usually does not have very vigorous growth so I typically dispose of that part. 

Planting the Divided Mint

Congrats, you have divided up your mint!  You can keep them all or give some to a friend.  Now it is time to plant the sections.  I always plant one section back into the pot that it came from.  The best pot for mint is one that is wider on the surface instead of tall.  A window box or urn shaped pot is perfect! I always use Fox Farm Ocean Forest potting soil for my mint (and all my container plants).  Plant the mint at the same level that it was previously growing. Backfill the potting soil and water it in well.  As you can see from the photos, one month later my mint put on tons of new growth and filled in so much, even with me harvesting it a bit. 

Thank you so much for stopping by! Do you love growing mint as much as I do? If you have any favorite recipes to share- leave a comment below! In the meantime, if you are looking for other container sized edibles please check out THIS POST all about my favorite carrots for container growing! And don’t forget to join me on Instagram!

Happy Gardening,

Heather