Growing mint
Mentha spp. · also called pudinaA spreading perennial herb grown from runners and rooted cuttings for its fresh leaves. It does well in pots and beds; menthol mint is also a large field crop for oil.
South interior: Bengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil Nadu
At a glance
Mint in the South interior
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
Wait until June
The next sowing here is June to July.
- Sow
- Transplant
- Harvest
- Today
Compare all 12 regionsShow fewer regions
See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South interior | June to July | |||
| Temperate Himalaya | March to April | Late May to early October | ||
| Cold desert | May to early June | July to September | ||
| Sub-tropical foothills | Late January to early March | Late April to October | ||
| North-west plains | Mid-January to mid-February | April, for a transplanted crop | June, first cutSeptember, second cut | |
| Gangetic plains | Mid-January to mid-February | April, for a transplanted crop | June, first cutSeptember, second cut | |
| North-east hills and valleys | Late February to early April | May to early November | ||
| Arid west | October to NovemberLate January to February | December to early May | ||
| Central plateau | January to FebruaryOctober to early November | Late March to September | ||
| Deccan plateau | June to JulyOctober to November | September to early May | ||
| West coast | Late September to early November | Late November to May | ||
| East coast | June to July |
From seed to harvest
One season, day by day
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH1,2
6.5 to 7
Well-drained loam or sandy loam with plenty of organic matter; free from acidity, salinity, alkalinity and waterlogging.
Sunlight2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
At least 4 hours a day
Full sun and bright weather for strong growth. Culinary mint also grows in light shade, which helps in hot summers.
TemperatureNo published guide covers this for the South interior, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Grows best at 18 to 30 °C
Takes hard frost.
Monthly temperatures for the South interior aren't in the library yet.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last ploughing, 2 to 3 weeks before planting | Farmyard manure | 4 to 5 t per acre | Work it into the soil at the last ploughing. |
Varieties and yield
24 to 30 tonnes a hectare
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
MSS-1
Spearmint.
MSS-5
Spearmint.
Punjab Spearmint-1
Spearmint.
MAS-1
Japanese (menthol) mint.
Hybrid-77
Japanese (menthol) mint.
Kiran
Bergamot mint.
Kukrail
Peppermint.
Good neighbours2
Grows well with
Pests and diseases4
Organic and cultural controls only.
Cutworms (Agrotis spp. and others)
Signs
Larvae feed on every part of the plant, mostly under the canopy, sometimes on the growing tips.
What to do
- Set up a light trap.
- Collect and destroy egg masses and larvae.
Prevention
- Deep summer ploughing exposes the resting stages.
- Encourage natural enemies such as spiders, ladybirds and lacewings.
Aphids (Myzus persicae)
Signs
Pale green insects suck sap from leaves and tender shoots.
What to do
- Hang yellow sticky traps.
- Remove and destroy badly infested shoots.
Prevention
- Protect predators such as ladybirds, lacewings and syrphid flies.
- Remove weeds and wild hosts.
Hairy caterpillar (Spilosoma obliqua)
Signs
Young larvae feed in groups under the leaves; older ones strip the leaves.
What to do
- Collect and destroy egg clusters and skeletonised leaves carrying young larvae.
Prevention
- Conserve the natural parasitoids and predators of the caterpillar.
Two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae)
Signs
Fine pale specks on the leaves, then webbing and leaf fall.
What to do
- Check the undersides of leaves every week and act early.
Prevention
- Conserve predatory mites, minute pirate bugs and ladybirds.
Mint rust (Puccinia menthae)
Signs
Pale, twisted shoots in spring, then dusty orange pustules on stems and leaves that later turn yellow or black; leaves die and drop.
What to do
- Remove and destroy the affected plant parts.
Prevention
- Plant only healthy stolons; rust carries over on mint stubble and wild mint.
- Keep the field clean and rotate crops.
Powdery mildew
Signs
White powdery patches on both sides of the leaves and on stems; worst in dry weather with poor air flow.
What to do
- Remove weeds and infected young leaves.
Prevention
- Keep proper row spacing and thin crowded plants for air flow.
Stem and stolon canker (Rhizoctonia solani)
Signs
Roots and runners rot in brown or black patches; the stand thins out.
What to do
- Use the bioagent Trichoderma as officially recommended.
Prevention
- Use clean planting material.
- Avoid waterlogging.
- Rotate with other crops.
Verticillium wilt
Signs
Top leaves turn sickle-shaped, yellow or red, then die; plants are stunted and drop leaves.
What to do
- Dig out stems from a healthy part of an infected bed and start a new bed elsewhere.
Prevention
- Do not overwater.
- Rotate crops; do not move soil or plants from an infected bed.
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Mint is grown from suckers, not seed. Dig fresh suckers from a healthy bed; do not take them from a field with root or stem rot.
When the seed is ready
Use firm, white or pale runners that have not yet sprouted; sprouted suckers mostly die.
Plant them soon after digging. Keep them cool, shaded and moist for a day or two if needed.
After the last picking4Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Rotate mint with other crops, such as rice, potato or peas, as the local cropping system allows. A home bed is perennial: lift and replant it every three or four years when the clump gets crowded, and compost the old stems.
Compost the old stems after the last cut, or after lifting an old bed.
Rotation
Do not grow mint in the same field year after year. Field rotations include mentha with potato, toria, fodder oats or basmati rice.
Sources
Where this comes from
Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.
These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.
- Mint (Horticulture: aromatic crops)TNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, CoimbatoreRead the source
- AESA based IPM package: MintNational Institute of Plant Health Management, Hyderabad, and Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Faridabad (Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Government of India)Read the source
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