How to grow mint in a glass of water | 6 Steps to FREE mint

Growing mint in a glass of water to give you free plants and is easy to do at home. Simply cut a 5 inch piece of mint, place it in a glass with around 2 inches of water and wait 2-3 weeks. Replace the water every 3 days to keep it fresh and you will have mint stems with healthy roots ready to plant out in a pot, garden or raised bed.

Growing new mint plants from mint bought from a supermarket, from a friends mint plant or from your own is very easy and can be started in a glass of water near your kitchen window.

This works best in spring when the mint is in its growth phase. It will be ready to grow new stems and reproduce quickly. You can however do this at any time of year but the process will just be slower.

How to grow mint in a glass of water –  6 Steps

Here are my top tips to successfully grow mint in a glass of water in 6 easy steps.

1. Choose a piece of mint stem

Choose a piece of mint stem and trim below the leaves (this could be a plant you are growing or from a bunch you bought from the supermarket. Cut a 5 inch stem piece to place in the glass.

2. Remove the lower leaves on the stem

Removing the lower leaves that are placed in the water will give lots of room for the roots to grow. You don’t have to remove the leaves as the roots will still grow. You can remove the bottom 4 leaves or those that will be submerged under the water.

3. Place the stem in a glass with 2 inches of water

Once you have removed the lower leaves (or not) place them in a clean glass with around 2 inches of water in the bottom. Make sure the bottom of the stem is in the water as this is where the roots will start to grow.

The roots will start to appear from the bottom and second node. These will grow longer as time goes on and multiple root will come from the same node.

4. Place the glass near your kitchen window

The next step you need to take is to place the glass in a bright area in your kitchen. This will help to stimulate the plant to grow roots. The stem itself will actually grow longer and grow taller in the glass.

5. Replace the water every 3 days

The next step is to replace the water in the glass every 3 days. This will keep the water fresh, avoid the bottom of the stem rotting and avoid any algal growth in the glass as the roots are forming.

6. Wait 2-3 weeks

The next step is to patiently wait for 2-3 weeks for the roots to start to form on the bottom of the stem. Allow the roots to grow to half an inch at least before you plant the mint out into soil so that it will be ready to absorb water and nutrients.

Planting out your mint grown in a glass of water

After the mint plant has grown small roots on the bottom nodes of stem it will be ready to plant out. This will usually take at least 2 weeks to grow multiple roots that are half an inch long.

The mint plant can then be taken and will grow on its own in soil. You can choose to plant your mint into a garden bed, pot, hanging basket or raised bed.

Plant mint stems into a raised bed or pot

Planting your new mint plant into a raised bed, container or pot is a great place for a new plant. Make sure you use good quality potting soil or improve the soil in your raised beds first with aged cow manure or compost.

The stem can then be planted in the soil 2-3 inches below the soil level. Dig a small hole with a trowel or stick and place the new stem into the hole. I like to remove the bottom leaves before planting so they don’t rot underground.

Plant mint stems in the ground

Once the mint plant has sprouted in the water and has grown plenty of roots it can be planted in the ground. Mint itself will grow and spread rapidly so keep this in mind when you are choosing a place to plant your mint.

It is generally only a good idea to plant them into garden beds that you plan on being completely full of mint as over the season it can take over. Mint will spread by their root systems underground so choose an enclosed area.

Simply move the mulch back from the surface of the soil, dig a small hole and backfill the mint stems. Bury the stems around 2-3 inches in the ground to keep them upright and stable.

Over the next few weeks if the weather is warm in spring they will continue to grow

Water regularly in the first week to ensure that the roots stay moist. You can gradually decrease the water as time goes on. I like to water a small amount each day to transition the mint from the environment of growing in a glass of water to the soil.

After the first week you can decrease watering to twice per week in the spring.

How to grow mint in a glass of water | Summary

Growing mint in a glass of water is a fantastic way to make your own mint plants for free. You can use this method with supermarket mint or ask your neighbor for a piece of their mint plant. Placing the bottom 2 inches of the stem in a glass of water will give you a new plant in 2-3 weeks.

This is a great activity for kids as there is a high success rate when you are propagating mint. This works best in spring as the mint will be in ‘growth mode’ and will sprout new leaves and roots quickly.

Happy growing.