Mints tend to flourish in AeroGardens, but there are occasions where they might not germinate or grow at all.
Therefore, before you start mints in AeroGardens, you must have an understanding of various growth factors that affect mint growth.
Growing mints correctly will give you the best output with quality products.
If your mints haven’t grown properly after you germinated them or you find them unhealthy after you germinate them, then one of these factors is probably in play.
But that does not mean the plants are failing. Instead, the lack of nutrients or ample food sources are often the issue.
Fresh mints grow very well in an Aero Garden for up to a year.
It is one of the most popular herbs to grow inside your AeroGarden. Mints belong to the peppermint and spearmint family of herbs and is very nutritious.
How to Cultivate Mints in an AeroGarden?
If you have an electrical, indoor garden, you can grow mint easily.
All you need to do is:
- You can buy mint seeds or you can create your own seed pods using seed pod kits.
- You can also find some used seed pods and find new growing sponges and nutrients.
- Next, after you have your seed pods ready, you will place them in your AeroGarden and fill the ball with water for that AeroGarden system to notify you when those pods run out of nutrients and/or water.
- As they grow, make sure to learn how to properly prune, trim and harvest the mints.
Growth Factors That Affect Mint Growth in Aerogardens
Some of the most essential factors that you should always check include
- water level
- lighting
- aeration
- nutrients
- compact fluorescents
Fortunately, plants usually do not simply die when something goes wrong, they can give you enough warning to act accordingly and reverse the condition.
For example, if you are monitoring the aerator consistently you can detect a problem before it causes serious damage.
From Experience: Intervening in a timely manner can reverse a potential adverse condition along with limiting potential damages.
The Water Used
The majority of problems come from using hard water or water with a high mineral content.
Do not use hard, soft, well, or spring water when using an Aerogarden, use distilled water.
The reason is, distilled water does not have minerals that can negatively affect nutrient capacity of the plants.
Water problems can usually be identified by either having the leaves turn yellow or brown or having stunted growth.
In some cases, especially with seed germination, it would completely prevent seed germination.
Lighting
When discussing lighting, it is best to position the grow light element at the lowest height when starting a new seed pod kit.
Many seed pod kits consist of several seed types with different germination rates, and that can grow to different heights.
As the slow-growing mints begin to grow, you will want to prune back the plants that are growing the fastest and tallest to keep the Light Hood at the lowest post for the slow-growing mints.
This will ensure each of the mints will receive the light they need to grow to their maximum potential.
However, be careful not to prune more than a third of any mint at one time to prevent interrupting their growth cycle.
Instead, feel free to trim off the tops of the mints and keep all plants a few inches below the light.
You should replace your compact fluorescent lights twice a year after it is used up.
Even though these lights may appear bright after much time, their full-spectrum light diminishes with time.
Did You Know? Energy levels drive the maturity rates of a plant primarily in the blue and red light spectrum, which is not broadcasted to the human eye.
Oxygen Level
Mints grown in AeroGardens receive oxygen through their roots provided by the bubbler in the system.
If the mints are not aerated, then they do not receive oxygen to grow, and they will suffocate and fall apart.
So, always check to see if the aerator is functioning correctly for your mints to grow.
Nutrient Levels
To always be on top of your nutrients, be sure to ensure nutrients are completely suspended in the water before you place your mints and again every two weeks after that.
You can use the nutrient input chart from your nutrient directions to decide how much to add into the AeroGarden system.
Too little nutrients, or even too much nutrients will adversely affect the growth and maturation of your mints.
Always use a liquid nutrient because it dissolves more rapidly in the water than tablets and leaves, and is more readily absorbed by the plants.
Just one hint: Tablets often contain the active elements that expired, which means your mints don’t have adequate nutrients to provide food for germination and sustain growth.
Other Causes of Retarded Mint Growth
If you have provided your mint plants with adequate nutrients, proper lighting, aeration, and water types/levels and you still do not see growth, then there are other considerations to be made.
You can start looking at issues in resources that may inhibit plant growth or create brown leaf spots.
Be sure to identify either excess or strong nutrients, insect invasions, plant disease, or water temperatures.
Overly Strong Nutrients
You might have used an overly strong nutrient solution.
While this can happen if the source water has a number of dissolved minerals in it, you might also have caused this to occur if you were slow to clean out or refill your seed pot kit.
When the leaves turn brown on your produce, or turn yellow, this could be a sign of nutrient imbalance, and a simple way to improve that is to regularly rinse and refill the seed kit.
Insect Infestation
Pest problems are frequent for houseplants which is a significant reason why their growth pattern is interrupted.
Indoor plants are pretty susceptible to a variety of pests that might affect mints growing inside AeroGardens.
Make sure to keep your home windows shut, check your clothes for any insects or use from other garden plants, and keep the other indoor plants free from pests.
Finally, make sure you frequently assess your mint for hitchhikers.
The Signs Your Mint Is Pests Infested: If you see some white features on the leaves, some spots ranging from green to black on leaves or stems, or even sticky features on the stem or leaves, your mint has pest issues.
Works Best: In case you think it is what you see, grab a magnifying galass and carefully look at the mint closer.
Water Temperatures
Always keep water temperatures below 80.00C at all times.
If you have placed your AeroGarden next to a window, sunlight can heat water and will reduce the oxygen in the pot.
So the best idea is to move it to a cool shady place.
Diseases
Root and plant diseases could be affecting your mints, manifested in stunted growth or brown and yellow leaves.
Plants inside an AeroGarden are also susceptible to soil- and air-borne diseases that can affect outdoor garden plants.
However, while they may ‘infect’ plant tissue, and even when alone, indoor plant diseases don’t pose serious threats to mints growing in an AeroGarden due to constant protection.
You won’t want to take the leap yourself without skills in plant pathology, e.g. among microscopic plant tissue studies.
You just won’t get a correct diagnosis most likely on your indoor mints, so be sure to do your heavy research about mints when you will add them in your AeroGarden.
This will help you anticipate possible plants impacting mints, and then you’re helping much-needed growth from growing under an AeroGarden.
Final Thoughts
Fresh mint is beneficial for several reasons.
First, mint can improve digestion and relieve upset stomach, thereby avoiding cholesterol related ailments. You should also consider adding mint to your cocktails.
Mint is easy to grow, especially in an Aerogarden, although there may be some growing considerations like, nutrient content, light, aeration, and temperature and quality of water.
In addition, there could be outside factors, like insect and disease, that may also hinder the growth of your mint allowing for the potential of early intervention.