Exterminating mint
July 3, 2019 12:30 AM Subscribe
My garden (approx. 25 m2 or 270 sq feet) is overgrown with mint. I don't want it there. How do I get rid of mint without destroying the garden?
Since last year, I've been in posession of a small garden. The previous owner had mint shrubs and strawberries and raspberries growing all over the place and planted vegetables in between. In general they didn't do much with the garden, so entropy ensued. I've been trying to tame the garden, so I dug up all the shrubs and weeds and mint this spring - or so I thought. I obviously didn't dig up all the mint roots, because there's now mint growing everywhere.
I can deal with multi-year processes (like digging up more roots every year) if that's the best way, and I'm not opposed to chemical warfare, but we do have kids running around the garden and eating the things growing there, so nothing dangerous to humans please.
Since last year, I've been in posession of a small garden. The previous owner had mint shrubs and strawberries and raspberries growing all over the place and planted vegetables in between. In general they didn't do much with the garden, so entropy ensued. I've been trying to tame the garden, so I dug up all the shrubs and weeds and mint this spring - or so I thought. I obviously didn't dig up all the mint roots, because there's now mint growing everywhere.
I can deal with multi-year processes (like digging up more roots every year) if that's the best way, and I'm not opposed to chemical warfare, but we do have kids running around the garden and eating the things growing there, so nothing dangerous to humans please.
so nothing dangerous to humans please
RoundUp
These things don't go together. Just yesterday Austria banned glysophate, the effective constituent of Roundup.
posted by Thella at 1:36 AM on July 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
RoundUp
These things don't go together. Just yesterday Austria banned glysophate, the effective constituent of Roundup.
posted by Thella at 1:36 AM on July 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
Good point, Thelia. I am not fond of it myself, and prefer the other methods.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 1:38 AM on July 3, 2019
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 1:38 AM on July 3, 2019
Response by poster: Only mint and weeds are currently growing in the garden, and I've given up hope of doing anything else with it this year, so I don't care if I go nuclear on it.
How fast would the landscape cloth do its thing? If I put it in right now (central Europe, summer heatwave, plenty of scorching sun), would it be enough to make the garden ready for planting next spring?
posted by gakiko at 1:44 AM on July 3, 2019
How fast would the landscape cloth do its thing? If I put it in right now (central Europe, summer heatwave, plenty of scorching sun), would it be enough to make the garden ready for planting next spring?
posted by gakiko at 1:44 AM on July 3, 2019
I'd do black plastic, in that case, that will kill everything better. If you do landscape cloth, cover it with a thick layer of hay or straw, or even wet newspaper, weighed down by rocks, several layers. Then pull it up next year and use the cloth, if you prefer (I have re-used old plastic by lining crate planters with it, and cutting little slits for drainage).
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 2:37 AM on July 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 2:37 AM on July 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
Black plastic as above is the easiest way - you'll still have to do a little weeding when it pops up around other plants, but it's cheap and not particularly labor-intensive.
Similarly, I've also successfully killed back a weed patch by carpeting it in a layer of leaves all winter - I figured if they kill lawns, why wouldn't they kill everything else? Halfway through summer they become mulch, but by then you've got other things established.
Are mojitos unknown in your neck of the woods? Because around here excess mint is a pretty easy thing to barter or give away . . .
posted by aspersioncast at 5:07 AM on July 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
Similarly, I've also successfully killed back a weed patch by carpeting it in a layer of leaves all winter - I figured if they kill lawns, why wouldn't they kill everything else? Halfway through summer they become mulch, but by then you've got other things established.
Are mojitos unknown in your neck of the woods? Because around here excess mint is a pretty easy thing to barter or give away . . .
posted by aspersioncast at 5:07 AM on July 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm recently going through this with both mint and English Ivy around a cabin. Here's what I am doing:
1. Forgetting about planting anything in any way until next Summer at least.
2. I trimmed the whole area down to about 10 cm tall so there is still some green above ground. With the idea being that the leaves will die and tell the roots: "Ooo, time to die!". This just seemed right to me, I may be wrong about it.
3. After trimming, I covered the whole area with black plastic - double layer, weighed down with whatever I have to hand. I extended the area about a meter beyond the area I want bald when I could just to be sure.
4. Sit and wait for it to choke.
I plan on taking up the black plastic sometime next Summer or perhaps Spring 2021. I'm not in a hurry and have much better things to do with my life than pull weeds and invasives.
This is the only thing I use plastic for in the garden - I don't love environmental plastic and all of the landscaping fabric I've seen is essentially water permeable plastic that I feel like degrades so that it can never be removed if I'm not careful and really on it. The heavy plastic stays pretty intact for removal for a couple of seasons and can be used for the same operation over other parts of the property without shredding or shattering for maybe 4 or 5 years or a little more.
Good luck, this is no. fun. at. all. Figure on 3 years of fighting this in my experience. The second you take your eyes off it it is like partytime for those roots to sprout.
I also burn any trimmings instead of composting them like I normally would so they don't get ideas about pioneering to other parts of the property.
posted by Tchad at 5:08 AM on July 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
1. Forgetting about planting anything in any way until next Summer at least.
2. I trimmed the whole area down to about 10 cm tall so there is still some green above ground. With the idea being that the leaves will die and tell the roots: "Ooo, time to die!". This just seemed right to me, I may be wrong about it.
3. After trimming, I covered the whole area with black plastic - double layer, weighed down with whatever I have to hand. I extended the area about a meter beyond the area I want bald when I could just to be sure.
4. Sit and wait for it to choke.
I plan on taking up the black plastic sometime next Summer or perhaps Spring 2021. I'm not in a hurry and have much better things to do with my life than pull weeds and invasives.
This is the only thing I use plastic for in the garden - I don't love environmental plastic and all of the landscaping fabric I've seen is essentially water permeable plastic that I feel like degrades so that it can never be removed if I'm not careful and really on it. The heavy plastic stays pretty intact for removal for a couple of seasons and can be used for the same operation over other parts of the property without shredding or shattering for maybe 4 or 5 years or a little more.
Good luck, this is no. fun. at. all. Figure on 3 years of fighting this in my experience. The second you take your eyes off it it is like partytime for those roots to sprout.
I also burn any trimmings instead of composting them like I normally would so they don't get ideas about pioneering to other parts of the property.
posted by Tchad at 5:08 AM on July 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
With the idea being that the leaves will die and tell the roots
In many perennial herbs this will actually promote growth, fyi. Mint often seems to actually appreciate being cut back.
posted by aspersioncast at 5:12 AM on July 3, 2019 [2 favorites]
In many perennial herbs this will actually promote growth, fyi. Mint often seems to actually appreciate being cut back.
posted by aspersioncast at 5:12 AM on July 3, 2019 [2 favorites]
I’m not confident that one season of black plastic coverage will prevent emergence of mint next spring. There are a lot of nutrient resources stored below ground and plants are generally patient. It’s really only a half season st this point anyway.
I think you need to train the kids to follow rhizomes and settle in for a fairly continual battle. Remember, all gardening is essentially a battle against nature, it’s up to us to learn how to struggle more pleasantly and efficiently, but it will always be a struggle.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:17 AM on July 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
I think you need to train the kids to follow rhizomes and settle in for a fairly continual battle. Remember, all gardening is essentially a battle against nature, it’s up to us to learn how to struggle more pleasantly and efficiently, but it will always be a struggle.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:17 AM on July 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
The only way I've made progress is by digging deep holes and then excavating the roots as far as I can trace them. I'm down to one little patch. Mint is a prepper's dream - I think it would survive an apocalypse.
posted by lab.beetle at 6:04 AM on July 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by lab.beetle at 6:04 AM on July 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
Raspberries are also hard to get rid of. They spread underground as well. Dig deeply around plants with a sharp spade to sever the roots, then remove with heavy gloves. Familiarize yourself with the leaves and pull new sprouts early, as they will (you no doubt know by now) form thorns which start soft but become more and more wicked as the plant matures.
Our neighbor had raspberries that he let go wild, and even 15 years later they'd be spreading into our yard. It seemed like over the years the berries were fewer and less desirable, too; smaller and very sour. So the end result was thickets of thorns and only a few tasty raspberries to enjoy.
I'd consider keeping some of the mint. Dig up some really healthy ones along with the root ball and plant it in a large, heavy plastic pot. Or even a giant plastic tub, the kind plaster comes in. Just put holes in the bottom only. You can then sink the pot even with ground level, which helps protect from hard freezes in the winter. The roots cannot spread through the plastic, so you'll have mint every year that won't take over your yard. Mint has nice flowers that bees and butterflies like, too. Learn to love mint.
posted by SoberHighland at 8:27 AM on July 3, 2019
Our neighbor had raspberries that he let go wild, and even 15 years later they'd be spreading into our yard. It seemed like over the years the berries were fewer and less desirable, too; smaller and very sour. So the end result was thickets of thorns and only a few tasty raspberries to enjoy.
I'd consider keeping some of the mint. Dig up some really healthy ones along with the root ball and plant it in a large, heavy plastic pot. Or even a giant plastic tub, the kind plaster comes in. Just put holes in the bottom only. You can then sink the pot even with ground level, which helps protect from hard freezes in the winter. The roots cannot spread through the plastic, so you'll have mint every year that won't take over your yard. Mint has nice flowers that bees and butterflies like, too. Learn to love mint.
posted by SoberHighland at 8:27 AM on July 3, 2019
Uhhh as a person who has been idly contemplating letting my potted mint plant take over my little garden in order to combat the OTHER weeds growing there ... thank you for this question.
posted by MiraK at 12:04 PM on July 3, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by MiraK at 12:04 PM on July 3, 2019 [2 favorites]
Not helpful advice: Someone said that the only way to win the battle against mint, bamboo, wisteria etc.... is to sell the house. Plant mint only in pots.
posted by lois1950 at 9:32 PM on July 3, 2019
posted by lois1950 at 9:32 PM on July 3, 2019
My friend's entire front lawn was taken over by mint. I used to bring my dog over so he could run around in it, he'd smell wonderful for like 2 days at least.
After she moved out the new owners wanted to get rid of the mint. They had the yard dug up with a backhoe.
Rode my bike past there recently and saw some mint growing through the fence.
posted by bradbane at 12:59 PM on July 4, 2019
After she moved out the new owners wanted to get rid of the mint. They had the yard dug up with a backhoe.
Rode my bike past there recently and saw some mint growing through the fence.
posted by bradbane at 12:59 PM on July 4, 2019
Re Roundup and chemical warfare: according to skeptoid.com, the findings in the recent court cases re the alleged dangers of glyphosate are not supported by science.
Based on my experience, it's very effective, though I have never used it on mint.
posted by she's not there at 6:27 AM on July 11, 2019
Based on my experience, it's very effective, though I have never used it on mint.
posted by she's not there at 6:27 AM on July 11, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
If it is in certain areas, and you want to keep some of it, you need to dig a border at least 6 inches deep around it and sink some barrier, such as a plastic pot with the bottom cut off, around that which you want to keep. That *should* keep that section from spreading, but mint is a survivor.
Other things, like RoundUp, will also kill other plants, unless sprayed carefully only at the mint. Do not spray on a windy day, so it won't drift onto other plants.
You can also just dig it up as you go along, yes, every year. Make sure you dig deep, and maybe toss the dirt onto a fine mesh screen over a wheelbarrow (as rhizomes could fall through a large-mesh screen). That's laborious, tho'. Make sure to dig straight down and lift up, and do not till the garden, or you will just be spreading it further.
You can also cover the bed with black landscape cloth, or black plastic. Weigh it down with rocks or I've used cut up old wire coat hangers to make U-shaped pins to hold down landscape cloth. You can just cut an X in the cloth to plant your desired garden plants. If you do the plastic, it will eventually kill everything that's underneath, by heating up the soil. If you mulch, avoid wood mulch, as it must be raked back, and if any pieces get into the garden, as they rot, the will suck nitrogen out of your soil (use clean straw or hay, or grass clippings, something that is easily pulled back next year, and can go into a compost pile). I prefer landscape cloth, a water goes through it, but if you live in a northern zone (4-6), plastic will help warm your soil up and tomatoes and peppers will love it.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 12:59 AM on July 3, 2019 [7 favorites]