Has anyone out there grown this type of mint? My peppermint, spearmint, chocolate mint are growing like gangbusters (the chocolate mint tried to grab me yesterday, luckily I was holding my secateurs, hah) but this mint is not doing a darn thing. All my mints are in their 4 inch pots stuck in the ground in the sun, well-draining soil, etc. The Greek oregano and French tarragon near them, unpotted, are doing well too. I've been making pots of tea with the other mints, and I haven't had a single julep from the Colonel. Any advice appreciated.
Help with Kentucky Colonel mint
LOL at your grabby chocolate mint!
I'm not sure what to advise... My 'Kentucky Colonel' seems a little less aggressive than my other mints, but it's still doing just fine. You might dig up its pot and shake out the plant to get a look at what's going on with the rootball. 4 inches is a pretty small pot for a mint, and if its rootbound, that may be the problem. Alternately, if you see hardly any roots, then you're not getting topgrowth because the plant is putting all its (puny) efforts into trying to grow more roots. A little drink of fertilizer may also be beneficial... I think one with a higher middle number is supposed to be good for root growth.
I have the same problem with my Kentucky. :o(
Spider, if you are having trouble, that's not good. I thought you were the wiz at mint. We gotta figure this out. Critter, I'll take a look at the roots and see. High middle is for blooms, high N is for growth.
I bought it from Fragrant Fields in late July, of course it came in time to be planted during the HEAT WAVE. I wrote to them at the time that it was struggling in the heat; they said to cut it down to 1" and water it at least once a day. Which I did. And it is still limping along, looking terrible.
LOL!!! Me, wiz of mints?!?!
Critter is the one!
I am learning.
I noticed that the branches get ver woody, not soft like the other mints.
really? hmmm. My KC mint pretty much seems to grow like my other ones... most of my mints have more stiff/woody stems on them, only the new growth seems soft.
Maybe it's high potassium (K, the third number) then that's supposed to be good for roots? In any case, a little drink or sprinkle of dilute miracle grow might be well received.
Maybe that bed behind my deck is just KC Mint Paradise, LOL.
I hesitate to fertilize, because of nitrogen burn, especially when the plant is stressed. I know, I'll give it a shot of SuperThrive, just vitamins and a few microminerals. And check the roots, etc.
Is it stressed, or is it just not growing?
The risk of N burn is why I suggested a dilute feeding... but repotting and a shot of Superthrive should give it a boost also. How long has it been in this pot?
Let us know what you find out about the roots when you check...
my rule of thumb when fertilizing is to use half or quarter strength solutions twice as often, or to just fertigate with a weak solution. Usually prevents burns that way.
I use fish emulsion on mine. Does it burn the roots?
They are all growing very well apart from Kentucky.
Yes Garden_mermaid, the fertilize weekly weakly rule is a good one.
Fish emulsion is not supposed to burn; all 3 numbers should be very low, Spider- check and see. They should be something like 5-5-5, that's sort of the same as weak or half-strength fertilizer.
Now while I was giving the good mints a big haircut (to make a pot of mint tea for tomorrow), I noticed that since the sun moved around to the south, the KY Col mint is now in more shade, in the shade of my big white lilac bush and partly in the shade of that chocolate mint (the hussy). Maybe that's it? I'll move it to more sun and see. How about you Spider, yours still getting enough sun?
Bbinnj,
you may be right. Mine is in partial shade. I am going to move it to a sunnier place. :o)
OK, as soon as I see the sun again I will do the same. Then we'll compare notes again.
OK, I have just moved mine. (It is in a big pot).
No sun yet, just heavy overcast. Not a single shadow came out while I was dead-heading the black-eyed Susans, trimming the roses, weeding. Groundhogs would have been pleased. On another note, I checked the pot and do not see roots coming out the bottom, Critter, so maybe not pot-bound. I'm placing my bet on too little sun here.
BB, any improvement yet in your KYC spearmint? LMK if you need a replacement plant... In cooler weather, mint will travel fine in a BE and is easy to send!
Hi, I saw the sun for the first time today in weeks (in my herb garden that is- usually it's in shade when I leave for work and when I come home). So I moved it this morning.
No, it is still ailing. Thanks for the offer. I'm hoping it perks up, plus I wrote to the place I bought it (maybe they'll send a replacement plant). Will advise.
OK! I'm not planning to till up the deck bed next spring, so there should be a ton of it popping up next year also in case yours hangs on but doesn't make it through the winter.