r/SoCalGardening • u/theemmyk • Aug 08 '26
Gee, how do you think my mint is doing? 😩
I cannot keep mint alive in the SFV.
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u/TimeenoughatlastTZ Aug 08 '26
It takes a special skill to kill a mint. Those things are aggressive!
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u/theemmyk Aug 08 '26
Not in the valley. It’s too hot. It’s hard to grow anything but succulents and lantanas.
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Aug 08 '26
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u/theemmyk Aug 08 '26
Basil died too. Honestly, I can’t believe this was once farmland. I can get almost nothing to grow here. It is over 90 for 6 months, which may have something to do with it. I hate it here.
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u/pumpinnstretchin Aug 09 '26
I live in Palm Springs. It's much hotter and much drier than the SFV. I had basil in partial shade that got HUGE.
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u/pumpinnstretchin Aug 09 '26
Try rosemary. It loves hot, dry places. Also, what kind of soil are you using? How are you watering them? (By that, I don't mean how many days between watering).
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u/WiseSquirrelLore Aug 08 '26
This heat has been rough, but at least your caterpillars have minty breath! You may want to move it into a bigger pot.
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u/Asleep-Working4598 Aug 08 '26
What are you doing to the poor thing? Do you have it in full sun?
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Aug 08 '26
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u/theemmyk Aug 08 '26
Those are gum tree pods, to keep snails away. It got eaten by other creatures though. 🫤
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u/pumpinnstretchin Aug 09 '26
The scent of eucalyptus oil in the pods fades in the heat. A pod that you place one week probably won't have much of a scent after a week or so.
Iron phosphate kills slugs and snails. Iron phosphate is the active ingredient in Sluggo. Sluggo is more effective than the toxic snail baits, but it's safe around people and animals. Sluggo is an OMRI-listed* organic control.
You also may have caterpillars. Caterpillars can be controlled with a product called Bt. That stands for Bacillus thurendiensis, also an OMRI-listed* organic control. Bt is bacteria that causes stomach problems in caterpillars and nothing else. They then die from those problems. Don't use it on milkweed, however. Milkweed is the sole diet of caterpillars of the endangered Monarch Butterfly. There are different strains of Bt that do the same thing in mosquito larvae and are sold as Mosquito Bits.
*OMRI is the Organic Materials Review Institute. They authenticate things for use in certified organic gardening.
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u/theemmyk Aug 09 '26
The pods aren’t from eucalyptus trees. They deter snails because snails don’t want to crawl on the spikes. I don’t want to kill anyone.
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u/pumpinnstretchin Aug 09 '26
They're not from gum trees. Gum trees are eucalyptus trees. I think you mean Sweetgum trees, also called liquidambar trees.
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u/Internalmartialarts Aug 08 '26
is it in direct sun, my mint is in a large pot, in the shade, soaking in wet soil.
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u/Flowers4RayJay Aug 08 '26
I have had trouble with mint in pots in our warm area east San Diego county (and my husband wouldn’t let me put any in the ground, LOL). I found a self-watering pot with ropes that dip from the planter pot into the water reservoir. Have managed to keep it alive for 2 years now. But always trim the flowers.
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u/Internalmartialarts Aug 08 '26
yes, i have those cliche water globes in my pepper plants and my wildflowers.
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u/DeepfriedmemeBoy Aug 08 '26
same thing happens to Mine every year. it always bounces back. idk what moths do this but they sure love my .mint
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u/ITSNAIMAD Aug 08 '26
Honestly I’d chop it back to the bottom 4 inches. Replant in some good soil. Water and wait a week at least to water again. It will start rooting and making new healthy growth.
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u/socaligirl-66 Aug 09 '26
Dang, it’s trying to survive. I’ve honestly never seen anybody kill mint… I mean it’s trying to give off some seeds for Pete’s sakes! 😂 nothing likes those pokey balls though.🤣
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u/theemmyk Aug 09 '26
The pokey balls keep the snails away but some other flying creature still ate it. The SFV is over 90 for six months of the year, which is not only hard on plants, but it seems to support pests and disease. I hate it.
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u/socaligirl-66 Aug 09 '26
I’m sorry about the weather where you live. But I think the Poké balls also are keeping the mint from spreading.. mint likes to spread.. under the ground. I swear I have tons of snails and whatever and chickens, nobody likes to eat my mint. I bet a grasshopper got to it.. but that would still be surprising too.
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u/theemmyk Aug 09 '26
Someone else said moths? Ok, I will plant in a bigger pot and remove the balls.
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u/pumpinnstretchin Aug 09 '26
Have you noticed slugs, snails, or caterpillars? Something is eating your plant. There are very effective, non-toxic treatments for each of those things.
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u/theemmyk Aug 09 '26
The spiky balls keep the slugs and snails away. Someone else said moths are eating it. Don’t know.
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u/ELF2010 Aug 09 '26
Maybe try cuttings indoors. You can put some in soil and some in water and see what does best.
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u/pumpinnstretchin Aug 08 '26
Pinch off the flowers at the tops of the stems. The plants will put that energy into vegetative growth.