Hello from the pot! It's me, your mint plant. I know I've gotten a bit... expansive. My stems are tangled, my center is woody, and my roots are so tightly wound they can barely breathe or drink. This isn't my favorite way to live. I'm not trying to be difficult; this is just my natural, vigorous instinct to spread. To truly thrive again, I need your help to divide and repot me. It might seem drastic, but it will give me a new lease on life, and you'll get many more vigorous, aromatic plants in return. Let's do this together.
First, please prepare everything you'll need before you lift me from my home. You'll need a new, clean pot (or a few!) with excellent drainage holes, fresh potting mix, a gentle watering can, and perhaps a sharp, clean knife or trowel. The most important step is to hydrate me thoroughly a few hours before the operation. This reduces transplant shock and makes my entire root system more flexible and easier to work with, ensuring I stay strong and resilient throughout the process.
Now, carefully lift me out of my current pot. You'll likely see a dense, matted web of roots—this is my root ball. My survival strategy is to send out runners (stolons) that become new plantlets, each with its own potential for life. Your job is to gently tease these sections apart with your fingers. If I'm particularly stubborn, you might need to use the knife to slice through the thickest parts, but please be as gentle as possible. Aim to create divisions that each have several healthy stems and a good clump of their own roots. This way, each piece has everything it needs to become a strong, independent plant.
For each of my new divisions, please choose a pot that is just a little larger than the root clump. A pot that's too big will hold too much moisture and could cause my roots to rot. Place some fresh potting mix in the bottom of the new pot. Then, position one of my divisions in the center, making sure the top of my root ball sits just slightly below the rim of the pot. Fill in around the sides with more fresh soil, gently firming it to eliminate large air pockets but not so hard that you compact it. This new soil is full of fresh nutrients and offers a loose, breathable structure that my roots are desperate to explore.
The final, crucial step is to give each of my new selves a deep, thorough watering. This helps settle the new soil around my roots and ensures I have immediate access to the water I need to recover. Please place us in a spot with bright, indirect light for a few days as we adjust. We might look a little wilted at first—this is normal as we focus our energy on re-establishing our root systems in our new spacious homes. Soon, with your care, we will perk up and burst forth with fresh, fragrant growth, ready to provide for you once more.
