If you are a mint gardener and wonder how to pick mint leaves without killing plant, you are on the right page. So, once the mint garden passes its growing season, you need to get ready to harvest them. One might think that harvesting the mint leaves is a very easy task and that you can do it without any hassle. However, there are certain ways you need to practice when harvesting them.
That way, you can ensure that you are not exposing your beloved mint plants to any danger that would ultimately kill them. If you have all the required instruments and all the professional techniques to conduct this and end up harvesting them in advance, then all your efforts will go in vain. In fact, if you harvest them prematurely, it will only result in the failure of your attempts.
So, if you want to know how to harvest mint without killing the plants, this article will come in handy. We will be covering when exactly you need to do harvesting and how you should do it, etc. So buckle up and get ready to learn these.
What is a mint plant?
Mint plants are versatile and easy to grow. In fact, even beginners in gardening can start growing these plants as starter crops. If you a fresher in gardening and grow lettuce and radishes, consider adding mint plants also to
your collection. However, it would be truly fulfilling to see them flourish even with the minor care you provide for them. Throughout the year, they would reward you with flavorful leaves. When it comes to harvesting the mint plants, you need to ensure that you practice the right tactics so that you will not end up killing the plants.
For example, the first thing to remember is to wait until the appropriate time to harvest arrives. Besides, you should use the right tools as well. Needless to say, you must harvest them in the appropriate quantities. Furthermore, you need to cut the stems without pulling the leaves from the plants as well. Finally, I recommend harvesting early in the morning to get the best results.
Mint plants are hardy plants that you could grow in any garden, be it an herb garden or a vegetable garden. Ensure that you don’t do any damage to the plants while you harvest them. If you happen to harvest them incorrectly, chances are that it could damage the plants and end up killing them as well. Besides, it could even make your plants more susceptible to diseases.
How to Pick Mint Leaves Without killing Plant
Mint plants are forgiving plants. Therefore, even novice gardeners can practice their cultivating methods with these plants. Having said that, you should still harvest the plants with caution. That way, you could avoid any potential trauma that could take place.
It is important that you harvest properly, as if not, it could even turn out to be fatal for the plants. So, here are some useful guidelines that you have to keep in mind when harvesting the mint. They would be quite handy to practice and would help you to enjoy an uninterrupted supply of mint as well.
Harvest at Mint the Right Time
When it comes to harvesting the mint, it is important that you do it at the right time. In fact, it would help you maintain them as healthy plants after you harvest them. On the other hand, if you had freshly brought the mint plants home, make sure that you gave them at least 10 days to 2 weeks so that you could give them some time to settle in the new growing conditions and then harvest.
Once you transplant the organs, it is natural that they will go through transplant shock. For example, they may tend to wilt as a repercussion of transplant shock. As a result, if you just transplanted them, you should give them some time to adjust to their new surroundings.
If you happen to harvest from the recently transplanted mint plants, it will add more shock to the already traumatized plants. Eventually, it would weaken the plants and make them more vulnerable to other diseases and pest attacks as well.
Furthermore, the morning hours are the best time to reap the harvest. I suggest harvesting during the morning hours so that their leaves will be fresh and fully favorable. Moreover, if you happen to reap the harvest during midday, chances are that the leaves will lose moisture and become dry. Furthermore the oil would become less intense when they expose to intense sunlight
Never Pull Your Mint Leaves to Harvest
It would be so tempting for you to harvest the mint leaves when you see them in their best growth. You might feel like harvesting mint if you are a beginner gardener and go for a walk there. However, it is noteworthy that you should refrain from grabbing a bunch of mint shoots or leaves. further, don’t rip them off from the plants as well. In fact, it could damage the plant’s stems.
Furthermore, if you rip the roots off too hard, it may be harmful to the plant’s roots. Additionally, if you grab a bunch of leaves, they may even crush in your hands and cause the flavor to seep out as well. This would affect the root system of the plants, as mentioned above, and ultimately, it could even make your plants vulnerable to pest attacks and disease as well. Furthermore, it would impact the plant’s ability to absorb the nutrients as well. At the end, you will be left with a weak, less efficient plant, which would take some time to revive.
Use the Right Tools to Harvest Your Mint
When it comes to harvesting mint, using the right tools is also very important. That way, you can preserve the original flavor of the mint leaves that you harvested. It would not only help to avoid any unnecessary damage that could occur to the other plants, but it would also help to avoid any unnecessary damage that could occur to the other plants. I encourage you to proceed with a pair of sharp garden scissors or even a small pair of sharp shears to harvest the mint leaves.
Those are the best tools you could use to harvest your mint. If you end up using dull cutting tools, chances are that it may result in bruising of the cut stem part as well as the remaining stem part. I don’t recommend using a knife to harvest the mint leaves, as you may have to bend the stems to harvest if you use the knife. There are some people who try the pinch method to harvest, especially if they have soft young mint stems on the mint plants.
If you want to try this method, all you have to do is simply pinch the soft stem while using your thumb and forefinger. Next, you may use your thumbnail and forefinger to cut off the stem. This is a relatively fast method of harvesting the mint. However, if you practice this method, chances are that you may end up bruising the stem, which would turn out to be unhealthy for the plants.
Harvest the Right Amount of Mint
Because mint plants are tough plants, you can harvest them aggressively and it is highly unlikely that it will have any negative effects. Further when you harvest frequently and aggressively it would boost a denser and luscious growth in the plants.
Despite the fact that frequent harvesting would be beneficial on the plants if you happen to reap harvest from the mint plants excessively, it would turn out to be unhealthy on the plants. So, if you have mature plants, you can harvest about two thirds of the leaves on them. On the other hand, if you have a new mint plant, best is to avoid harvesting that much from those plants as it would be too much for them.
So, if you are going to harvest from a new plant, best is to not to take down more than one third of the leaves as unless it would make the plants stressed. Having said that, if you had cultivated them in pots or in the ground for about one month’s time, then you can get a little bit more aggressive in harvesting. To be more precise you can even harvest half of the new growth in the plants.
If you end up harvesting too much in a short period of time, it can make the plants deprived of the main necessities which would help them to thrive. Consequently it would come up with a substandard crop which would not be healthy and strong as the ordinary plants.
How to Cut the Leaves to Harvest Mint?
Mint plants are hardy and versatile, and they can withstand the mistakes you may accidently make during the harvesting also. However, it is always best to practice the right techniques when harvesting so that it would stimulate further growth on the plants. In a few words, it would stop the plants experiencing stunt growth. Ideally what you can do here is harvest the new growths of the mint plants when their stems are soft.
If the plant’s stems are brown it would be somewhat difficult to reap the harvest from them. Additionally they will have a less flavor compared to the fresh harvest too. further when you make the cutting, make sure that you make the cutting slightly above their leaf node on the stem. That way it would help the plants to develop new leaf growths. Additionally it would make the plants grow bushy.
Ensure that you don’t harvest the upper part of the plants as it would impact the flowering of the plants badly. Further keep in mind that once mint plants produce flowers and seeds , they would tend to die back as a preparation method for the dormancy season.
Conclusion.
Mint plants are easy to care for, and anybody can cultivate them, irrespective of how experienced or inexperienced they are. Above all, mint plants contain so many benefits as well. For example, you could use them for your cuisine as well as for repelling purposes.
So, if you practice the proper harvesting techniques, you will be able to reap a plentiful harvest all year. To wind up, I hope this article educated you on how to harvest them accurately without killing the plants. If you adhere to these guidelines, it would allow you to keep enjoying their mint flavor throughout the season.
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