How do I kill off my spearmint plants?

I moved in to a house recently, the backyard had spearmints, weeds and other plants. Just recently I noticed the spearmint plants are taking over my garden quickly. Those things grow like crazy! My question is...How do I kill them off or control them so they do not grow over my grass and under my mulch?

How do I kill off my spearmint plants?
I feel your pain! I planted several kinds of mints in my giant herb garden last year. Only the peppermint has proven to be managable, because the rhizomes (underground shoots) grow so close to the ground. Spearmint rhizomes go as deep as a foot in my garden.



What I did (and it wasn't easy) was to dig it all up and carefully remove any bits of the roots. Round-up wasn't an option for me, because I have too many other plants around it. However, if you leave just a piece of one of the many rhizomes, you'll be seeing the mint again. I've pulled many new "mintlings" out, and most were connected to just the tiniest piece of leftover rhizome. I'm hoping that a season or two of pulling up the "mintlings", I'll eventually be free of the pest. After a month or so, they're probably second or third on my list of most annoying weeds in the garden, so it's definitely not something to stress over too much.



I've never had the problem in the lawn, but any broadleaf spray will knock it out within a week or so. Look for herbicide sprays that kill dandelions in the yard. The same stuff will kill the mint. Obviously, you shouldn't use Round-Up in the lawn.



Good luck!
Reply:Spray them with roundup. It is not toxic to animals but will kill the plant. Mints tend to grow like weeds.
Reply:You will have a hard job to get rid of them. but I would try some weed killer, Round-up, or something like that. Good luck with that.
Reply:Spearmint, catmint, and pretty much any other mint are going to grow like crazy and try to take over your yard, no matter what you do. The only way I've heard of to control them is to put them in a pot. But be careful, if the runners make it over the side of the pot and onto the ground, they can root, and then they'll be off and running again.



So, the best way out of this? Poison. First, dig up anything you want to save. Carefully (and I mean really carefully), remove all of the dirt and stray mint roots from whichever other plants you're saving and either pot them up, or move them to other garden beds for the time being. Then, spray roundup on everything in the bed. You may need to repeat the Roundup a couple of times. Careful, it will kill any plant it touches, even trees! Then, keep an eye out for seedlings popping up for the next 3 or 4 years. Those can be hand pulled. If you don't watch for them, the mint will be re-established before you know it.



The lawn should be easier. Weed spray for lawns. Find one that's compatible with your type of lawn (most will be), and spray heavily. It may also take several applications, but seedlings are unlikely to sprout, so once it's out of the lawn, it'll be gone.



Finally, don't accept any of the plants people offer you before you ask. Snow on the mountain, phlox, lily of the valley. Those are the ones that grow like crazy, and you'll end up in the same situation you just got out of!



Good luck!



PS: Alternate approach. Buy a bottle of bourbon, a bag of ice, and find a nice recipe for mint juleps. Once you _want_ the mint to grow, it should die off on its own! (perverse plant).