TL;DR – Growing Mint
- Mint is extremely easy to grow and bounces back fast – I cut an old plant to the ground and filmed it regrow.
- It spreads via underground runners, so grow it in a pot unless you want it taking over the garden.
- Give it moist but well-draining soil, mild temperatures and bright light; harvest the young tips often.
- Propagation is trivial: a cutting in a glass of water roots within a couple of weeks.
- The regrowth is a 23-day 4K timelapse (11,400 photos); video is embedded below.
How to Grow Mint – Cut It Back and Watch It Regrow (4K Timelapse)
This was one of my first ever timelapses, and it’s a good demonstration of just how tough mint is. I took an old, leggy mint plant, cut all of its branches off right above the soil, topped up the soil and gave it some fertilizer – then filmed it clawing its way back to a full, bushy plant. The result is a satisfying mint timelapse that shows off the plant’s almost stubborn resilience.
Here’s the full regrowth, condensed into a couple of minutes:
How I Filmed the Mint Timelapse
Over 23 days I captured the regrowth in 4K. The camera took a photo every 3 minutes, which adds up to roughly 11,400 individual images. For the timelapse I ran the plant under a grow lamp on 24 hours of light a day (great for a fast, dramatic timelapse – more on normal light needs below), then edited and compiled everything in DaVinci Resolve.
If you want to film your own grow, everything I use is in my Plant Time-Lapse Equipment Guide – camera, interval settings and lighting.
Why Mint Bounces Back So Fast
Mint (Mentha) is a herbaceous perennial that spreads through underground runners (rhizomes and stolons), which root and send up new shoots at the nodes. That’s the secret behind the timelapse: when you cut the visible plant down, all that energy and root structure is still there, so it simply pushes out fresh growth – fast.
The same trait that makes mint so forgiving also makes it a bit of a bully. Left in open ground, those runners will happily colonise a whole bed. Which leads to the single most important mint tip…
How to Grow Mint: Care Guide
Keep it in a pot (seriously)
Because mint spreads so aggressively, it’s best grown in a container rather than free in a garden bed. A pot keeps the runners contained while still giving you all the leaves you can use. If you do plant it in the ground, sink a deep pot into the soil to restrict the roots.
Substrate
Mint likes a moist but well-draining soil. A mix of potting soil with some perlite keeps the roots damp without staying waterlogged.
Temperature
Mint grows best between about 55–70°F (13–21°C). It’s fairly hardy and tolerates some fluctuation, but avoid extreme heat and hard frost.
Watering
Keep the soil consistently moist but never waterlogged. Water when the top inch feels dry. Mint likes more water than many herbs, but poor drainage still leads to root rot.
Light
Mint thrives in full to partial sun. Outdoors, aim for about 6 hours of sunlight a day. Indoors, a south-facing window or a grow light running 12–14 hours daily keeps growth healthy. (The 24-hour lighting I used was purely to speed up the timelapse, not something mint needs day to day.)
Harvesting & propagating
Harvest the young shoot tips regularly – it encourages bushier growth and gives you the best flavour. To make more plants, snip a healthy sprig and stand it in a glass of water; it’ll root within a couple of weeks, ready to pot up. Mint is one of the easiest plants to propagate, which is why a single supermarket pot can turn into an endless supply.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, vigorously. Mint regrows from its roots and underground runners, so cutting the plant back to the soil just triggers fresh, bushy new growth – exactly what the timelapse shows.
A pot. Mint spreads aggressively through underground runners and will take over a garden bed if planted freely. A container keeps it contained while still giving you plenty of leaves.
About 6 hours of sunlight a day outdoors, or 12 to 14 hours under a grow light indoors. It handles full to partial sun well.
Yes, very easily. Put a healthy cut sprig in a glass of water and it will usually root within a couple of weeks, then you can pot it up.
Further Reading on Growing Mint
More Plant Projects You Might Like
- How to Regrow Vegetables from Scraps – same trash-to-treasure idea, with celery, lettuce and scallions.
- How to Grow Lettuce from Seed – another easy, fast leafy green for beginners.
