Re: Spider Mites on Mints ?

Mentha x piperita citrata, Eau de Cologne mint, grows well here on the Isle of Wight in Britain in full sun and in hot dry soil. Don't know if it'd do so well in a Californian's idea of hot, though!
Rowan, Ventnor, isle of Wight.


On Saturday, Jul 9, 2005, at 01:59 Europe/London, maria guzman wrote:

Dear Richard, I am in Zone 9 California - southern Sierra Nevada
foothills at 1000 foot elevation - hot, dry and windy too. Earlier in
the year the mints were in part shade and we had an unusually wet spring,
but the sun rose in the sky and put the mints in full sun. The mites are
so bad I may scrap all four pots and get new potting soil and plants and
then watch them more closely this time. I have had so many projects
going this year and with harvesting my lavender, I haven't had time to
keep an eye on my plants as much as I usually do. Linda Starr
Springville Lavender Gardens Zone 9 California

I don't know of any mints that grow in full sun - especially in California!
(There is a field mint: Mentha arvensis (?) which grows in dry, mixed grass
pasture, but IIRC it hasn't much odor.) I've lived in the foothills (Yuba
Co.) at a higher elevation than yours, and summer sun and temp's are often
extreme.
Mint may be easy for Richard in N. Carolina with its high humidity, and
coastal California may favor mints in sun, but your particular efforts
speak for themselves. Mints, at least those I'm familiar with, develop a
very large root system as well and would do better in a wooden half-barrel
I should think. Keep them constantly moist with only filtered or early
morning sun. If you have any compost or rotted wood duff add that.
Sterilized potting soil or special pampering is not necessary.

Maria


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