Hello all,

I'm new here! And a pretty inexperienced gardener, although I'm trying to learn....

Here's my problem; I have a flowerbed running along one side of my garden, in which I'm trying to grow roses and some other shrubs. However, someone who lived here previously has planted MINT at one end of this flowerbed, and its gets completely out of control and threatens to take over the whole bed!

I try to pull it up in the winter when it's died down a bit, but the extensive network of tough roots underground means it springs back rampant as ever in the summer, and is impossible to pull up. It grows to about 3 feet high, too, and is really unsightly.

How do I get rid of it for good, without poisoning the soil and affecting my existing shrubs or future plants?

Thanks....

"hkw" wrote in message
s.com...
Hello all,

I'm new here! And a pretty inexperienced gardener, although I'm
trying
to learn....

Here's my problem; I have a flowerbed running along one side of my
garden, in which I'm trying to grow roses and some other shrubs.
However, someone who lived here previously has planted MINT at one
end
of this flowerbed, and its gets completely out of control and
threatens
to take over the whole bed!

I try to pull it up in the winter when it's died down a bit, but the
extensive network of tough roots underground means it springs back
rampant as ever in the summer, and is impossible to pull up. It
grows
to about 3 feet high, too, and is really unsightly.

How do I get rid of it for good, without poisoning the soil and
affecting my existing shrubs or future plants?

Your best hope is to use glyphosate (Roundup) on it when it is growing
actively.. But make sure the chemical does not get to the leaves of
the desirable plants. The glyphosate effectively becomes neutralised
as soon as it enters the soil

Franz

On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 11:17:19 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:

~
~"hkw" wrote in message
ws.com...
~ Hello all,
~
~ I'm new here! And a pretty inexperienced gardener, although I'm
~trying
~ to learn....
~
~ Here's my problem; I have a flowerbed running along one side of my
~ garden, in which I'm trying to grow roses and some other shrubs.
~ However, someone who lived here previously has planted MINT at one
~end
~ of this flowerbed, and its gets completely out of control and
~threatens
~ to take over the whole bed!
~
~ I try to pull it up in the winter when it's died down a bit, but the
~ extensive network of tough roots underground means it springs back
~ rampant as ever in the summer, and is impossible to pull up. It
~grows
~ to about 3 feet high, too, and is really unsightly.
~
~ How do I get rid of it for good, without poisoning the soil and
~ affecting my existing shrubs or future plants?
~
~Your best hope is to use glyphosate (Roundup) on it when it is growing
~actively.. But make sure the chemical does not get to the leaves of
~the desirable plants. The glyphosate effectively becomes neutralised
~as soon as it enters the soil
~
~Franz
~
~
Where are you? I lost my mint over the winter and I could do with a
nice rampant variety... ;-)
(I do keep it in pots, so it's more vulnerable to frost)

If you dig up some roots, and pot them up, I'm sure your local
school/church/scouts etc. fayre would love to sell it for their
funds!

But apart from that :-) I second the suggestion of glyphosate: choose
a still day with no rain forecast (this weekend is probably ideal) and
spray very carefully onto exposed leaves. I have eliminated bindweed
from a large part of my otherwise organic allotment by using a cut-off
2litre drinks bottle to prevent drift of the spray: I place the
cut-off base over the victim down onto the soil, and spray in the top,
wait a few seconds for it to settle and gently pull the bottle off. No
spray goes near anything else, then. You have to watch out for drips
from the bottle.


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

I think that the only real answer to your problem is to dig the area
concerned and remove every morsel of mint
root. That is easier said than done, but you need to adopt a systematic
and determined approach to overcome this once only problem.

Best to place a large piece of substantial plastic on your patio, lawn
or suitable spot, remove any shrubs from the affected area to the
plastic and thoroughly tease out every morsel of the mint roots from
amongst their roots.

Then place all of the soil containing mint roots onto the plastic and
again rid it of every morsel of mint roots. When done replace cleansed
soil and shrubs.

Hard work but well worth the effort.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.



"hkw" wrote in message
s.com...
Hello all,

I'm new here! And a pretty inexperienced gardener, although I'm trying
to learn....

Here's my problem; I have a flowerbed running along one side of my
garden, in which I'm trying to grow roses and some other shrubs.
However, someone who lived here previously has planted MINT at one end
of this flowerbed, and its gets completely out of control and
threatens
to take over the whole bed!

I try to pull it up in the winter when it's died down a bit, but the
extensive network of tough roots underground means it springs back
rampant as ever in the summer, and is impossible to pull up. It grows
to about 3 feet high, too, and is really unsightly.

How do I get rid of it for good, without poisoning the soil and
affecting my existing shrubs or future plants?

Thanks....
--
hkw
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--
posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk

"hkw" wrote in message
s.com...
Hello all,

I'm new here! And a pretty inexperienced gardener, although I'm trying
to learn....

Here's my problem; I have a flowerbed running along one side of my
garden, in which I'm trying to grow roses and some other shrubs.
However, someone who lived here previously has planted MINT at one end
of this flowerbed, and its gets completely out of control and threatens
to take over the whole bed!

I try to pull it up in the winter when it's died down a bit, but the
extensive network of tough roots underground means it springs back
rampant as ever in the summer, and is impossible to pull up. It grows
to about 3 feet high, too, and is really unsightly.

How do I get rid of it for good, without poisoning the soil and
affecting my existing shrubs or future plants?

Thanks....
--
hkw
------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk


Well I would love a clump

but best to grow it in a container of some sort ........very large plant pot
/bucket/washing up bowl with drainage holes drilled in bottom

In message ,
redclay writes

hkw wrote in message
ws.com...
Hello all,
I'm new here! And a pretty inexperienced gardener, although I'm trying
to learn....
Here's my problem; I have a flowerbed running along one side of my
garden, in which I'm trying to grow roses and some other shrubs.
However, someone who lived here previously has planted MINT at one end
of this flowerbed, and its gets completely out of control and threatens
to take over the whole bed!
The only sure way is to dig it out root by root. Dig whenever you see a new
sprig poking out. If that is not acceptable and Roundup is too expensive
for you; go to your local hardware and get a bottle of industrial strength
ammonia (10% NH4OH). Pour some of it into a dropper bottle with a couple
drops of dish detergent and sprinkle the mint sprigs as they come up.

That is a crazy way to see off any weed. Almost as bad as piling up
table salt on them. You would have to use huge amounts of industrial
strength ammonia to have the same effect and risk caustic burns and
potentially serious eye damage if you make a mistake and get splashed by
it.

Glyphosate is unbelievably effective against green plants. And
considering how toxic it is to plants is relatively benign in the
environment to mammals and birds. The wetting agents used in the
commercial herbicide formulations are much more dangerous than the
active ingredient.

Mint will probably fold pretty easily under repeated application of
glyphosate. The roots store enough energy that it will come back two or
three times. Weedkiller followed by physically digging out is probably
the faster method. That way the bits you miss are seriously weakened and
less likely to grow back.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

"nambucca" wrote in message
...

but best to grow it in a container of some sort ........very large plant
pot
/bucket/washing up bowl with drainage holes drilled in bottom



A bucket would probably be OK but a washing up bowl is probably too shallow.
I had some in a terracota pot abot 6" deep and it escaped through the
drainage holes. I've moved it to a 12" deep plastic pot now.

--
Martin & Anna Sykes
( Remove x's when replying )
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~sykesm

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 19:05:35 +0100, "Martin Sykes"
wrote:

A bucket would probably be OK but a washing up bowl is probably too shallow.
I had some in a terracota pot abot 6" deep and it escaped through the
drainage holes. I've moved it to a 12" deep plastic pot now.

My mum grows it in an old butler sink.

Glenys
--
"A Newsweek poll said if the election were held today, John Kerry
would beat Bush 49 percent to 46 percent. And today, President Bush
called Newsweek magazine a threat to world peace." Jay Leno

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 19:15:50 +0100, MissJuggs
wrote:

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 19:05:35 +0100, "Martin Sykes"
wrote:

A bucket would probably be OK but a washing up bowl is probably too shallow.
I had some in a terracota pot abot 6" deep and it escaped through the
drainage holes. I've moved it to a 12" deep plastic pot now.

My mum grows it in an old butler sink.

Your mum would be amazed at what the old butler does in the sink :-)

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 21:38:00 +0200, martin wrote:

A bucket would probably be OK but a washing up bowl is probably too shallow.
I had some in a terracota pot abot 6" deep and it escaped through the
drainage holes. I've moved it to a 12" deep plastic pot now.

My mum grows it in an old butler sink.

Your mum would be amazed at what the old butler does in the sink :-)

Not my mother

Glenys

--
"A Newsweek poll said if the election were held today, John Kerry
would beat Bush 49 percent to 46 percent. And today, President Bush
called Newsweek magazine a threat to world peace." Jay Leno

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 20:45:01 +0100, MissJuggs
wrote:

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 21:38:00 +0200, martin wrote:

A bucket would probably be OK but a washing up bowl is probably too shallow.
I had some in a terracota pot abot 6" deep and it escaped through the
drainage holes. I've moved it to a 12" deep plastic pot now.

My mum grows it in an old butler sink.

Your mum would be amazed at what the old butler does in the sink :-)

Not my mother

LOL

OK, I think we're straying a little bit off the point here!! LOL! Keep your mothers out of my mint, please!!

Thanks for the advice, though. I will do my best with Glyphosate and digging. An additional pain, though, is that the bed (and therefore mint) is against our neighbours fence, and I suspect the roots are reaching through to/from THEIR bed on the other side as well. So I may never be able to get rid of it completely...but I'll give it a go!!

Thanks!