# How to Replant a Mint Plant
Mint is an invasive herb. If not contained, it can take over a garden, yard and neighboring yards. A simple planter that contains mints and does not cause a drainage problem for mint is a flue liner planter. This type of planter can be placed in the herb garden, kitchen garden and even in the flower bed without the fear of the mint getting out of control. Mint thrives in an all-purpose soil with a small addition of a slow-release fertilizer but to keep mint growing healthy, periodically pinch the first two leaves from each stem during the growing season.
Things You'll Need
- Goggles
- Measuring tape
- Marker
- Circular saw with masonry blade
- 1 flue liner
- All-purpose soil
- Hand spade
- Patch of mint that needs to be transplanted
- Powdered milk
- Garden spade or shovel
- Sharp knife
- 1 tablespoon of slow-release fertilizer
- Watering hose or can
- Compost
- Garden soil
- Wheelbarrow
Instructions
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A terra cotta flue liner can be repurposed into a planter for mint. Measure flue liner into 6-inch sections. Cut with a circular saw.
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2
The flue liner planter must be placed in the garden before planting. Place one of the 6-inch pieces of flue liner in the garden where mint is desired. Fill it with all-purpose potting soil to within one inch of the top.
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Mint is easier to transplant in the spring while the plant is small. Survey the patch of mint that needs to be divided in the spring. Make a line with powdered milk around the mint where you plan to dig the mint up. Place a garden spade on the line and push down through the soil about three inches. Mint is a shallow rooted plant, so the hole should not be very deep. Continue this process until the whole outline has been dug. Begin to gently push down on the handle of the garden spade and lift up the root mass of the mint. Continue this process until the whole plant is lifted from the ground.
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4
A sharp knife is all that is needed to cut through the roots of the mint plant. Take the root ball and begin to divide the plant. This can be done by tearing sections of the mint apart or cutting the root ball into sections using a sharp knife. A good size for the flue liner planter is about a 4-inch section. Continue this process until all the mint is divided. Do not fear cutting or tearing the plant apart. Mint is durable and survives this process well.
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Make sure air pockets do not form in the soil. To plant mint, create a well in the center of the flue liner planter filled with soil. Place the root ball of the mint in this well and cover up the roots with the soil in the planter. Gently push down on the soil to remove air pockets. Add more soil if needed. Continue this until all the mint is planted.
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Watering the soil and not the foliage will keep mint rust and other plant diseases at bay. Sprinkle the top of the soil with 1 tablespoon of slow-release fertilizer. Water the soil until moisture is seen coming out the bottom of the planter.
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Pinching is all that's needed to keep mint growing full and bushy. Take your thumb and index finger and pinch off the top two leaves on each stem of the mint. Dispose of the leaves in the compost bin.
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When replacing the soil where the mint was located, tap down the soil surface with the shovel. Mix garden soil and compost in a wheelbarrow. Fill in the area where the mint was located. There is no reason to replant mint in the area due to its invasive nature. If any roots were left in the soil, mint will reappear.
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