If you don't prune mint, the plant becomes leggy and woody with few usable leaves for cooking. Tall stems shoot upward and focus energy on flowering rather than leaf production. The fresh taste you want fades as the plant ages without cutting.
I neglected a potted spearmint for one summer while traveling across the country. The plant grew two feet tall with thick stems and tiny flowers everywhere. Meanwhile my pruned mint stayed low and bushy with plump tender leaves.
My neighbor asked why her mint looked so different from mine last summer season. She had stopped picking leaves and let it grow wild for months on end. I showed her the difference between her woody mess and my bushy productive plant.
Unpruned mint problems start with a shift in plant priorities that you cannot see. Mint wants to flower and make seeds once it reaches a certain size and age. This drive to reproduce takes over when you stop harvesting the tender growing tips.
The mint flowering effects go beyond just looking different in the pot. Leaves on flowering stems turn bitter and tough to chew. Essential oils that give mint its flavor stay in young leaves instead. Old flowering growth tastes nothing like fresh tender shoots.
UI Extension says new growth has the best flavor for cooking and drying. They suggest harvesting just as flowers begin to appear for dried mint. Waiting longer means weaker flavor and tougher texture in your leaves.
Woody mint stems develop at the base of neglected plants over many months. The lower parts of each stem harden and stop making new growth at all. You end up with bare woody sticks topped by a few scraggly leaves at the tips.
The plant also spreads in weird patterns without pruning to guide it along. Some stems grow tall while others stay short and scraggly looking. The pot looks messy and uneven rather than forming a nice rounded mound of leaves.
You can rescue neglected mint with a hard cutback if you act in time. Grab your scissors and cut all stems down to 2-3 inches above the soil line. This seems harsh but mint recovers fast from even severe pruning.
Fresh shoots will appear within one to two weeks after a hard prune in warm weather. These new stems grow tender and flavorful from day one of growth. Water well after cutting and watch your sad leggy plant transform.
Regular harvesting prevents all these problems before they start to cause trouble. Cut your mint often and it stays bushy with tender tasty leaves all season. Skip the pruning and you end up with a woody mess that barely works for cooking.
Read the full article: Growing Mint in Pots: The Complete Guide
