Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I've heard that mint in an AP system is a big no-no since its roots are crazy and will clog bell siphons.

What are my options? What about a separate small grow bed that feeds into my main tank, but is not attached to the primary grow bed? At that point I'd probably just do constant flood in the mint grow bed so the roots wouldn't clog the siphon (because there would be no siphon, just a stand pipe). That way, even if the roots do go crazy, it wouldn't murder my primary grow bed and would be easier to clean and maintain?

My goal here is to alleviate some of the "Why do you spend so much time downstairs with your fish instead of me?" conversations with a "Babe, I'm just trying to grow your mint" defense.

Put it in a grow pouch so the roots cants spread.

That... that sounds much better than my solution

Is there any chance it can still spread (like... i don't know, somehow it grows new plants outside the bag without me knowing?)?

Is there any particular grow bag that is recommended for AP?

Many thanks for this super simple solution.

Im pretty sure mint spreads via the roots so it would be your safest bet. Just keep an eye on it and you can pull the bag from the media without disturbing the plant to check for signs of spreading.

Theres many options of root pouches, Im not sure whats best for use in AP though sorry. Robob uses them so maybe check on his youtube channel bits out the back'

Heres a quick amazon search.. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss ... grow+pouch

I gots this one!




In a DWC it's quite manageable if you keep on top of it (roots and suckers get thick). I wouldn't try it in a media bed though, would be a nightmare.

I've always wanted to do mint in a Dutch bucket alongside the regular grow bed. I've not tried it tho.

Wow, I heard that you shouldn't run bell syphons, because they don't work half the time! See all the 'my syphon doesn't work' threads on here

I have a GB almost full of mint, sure it spreads fast to fill the GB if you ignore it, but it only takes a couple of minutes per week to control the spread, and if you can't spend that much time on your AP, you are probably neglecting it!

+1 that is a sensible way to do mint.

Dutch bucket or even a 150L tub will work fine. Just run it as constant flood and be prepared to pull it apart every now and again to free up the media. Pretty simple to plumb in and can even feed back to the main grow bed if its easier.

very easy to move away or disconnect from system and wont disturb the main grow bed.

the other option would be 25L (5-6 Gal) wall planters or something like that.
But they will get clogged up pretty quickly.

I got a hanging basket, filled it with gravel, and hung it over the fish tank. I don't have a sump so my tank level goes up and down, flooding and draining the mint

I remember the lady in my local AP store said she loves growing mint in floating mini ring things, them small floating baskets.

Thanks for all the tips everyone. I will try at least one, if not all of these methods.

Mint has spread through all our outdoor beds to varying degrees over the past 20 years. I'm referring to soil beds. While they spread primarily through the root runner, a stalk laying down can sprout roots mid-stalk and take root. A little mint goes such a long way that it might be a good idea to keep it extremely contained. Just enough for mint julep!:)

You have already answered your own question,it's own separate simple growbed is the way to go,you still need to keep an eye on it,but its contained,I gave mine it's own mini system of a NFT tube, water bled from the filter and returning to the sump,just lifting the pots I could trim the roots to keep the water flowing and harvest the mint as required. I just ending up letting it do its own thing and acting when the flow dropped of or the like.

I've grown mint in my clay filled growbeds for a year or so.

Of course it has a strong tendency to spread everywhere, but it's not so hard to control, especially if you put it in a corner of the grow bed. Every month or so, just dig a trench around the plant and remove the spreading roots. It takes maybe 5 minutes every month.

six month ago i've moved my mint plants to root pouches burried in the growbeds. Very small roots go thru but major spreading roots are contained. And the mint looks great as before.

hope that helps...

+1 to everything said above. Two years ago my dad took a mint cutting from his mint patch, and stuck it in my system two months before winter. I didn't expect it to survive, but it did. Last year it choked out my strawberries, and took over my grow bed. This year I'm cleaning it out as best I can to prevent that weed from growing further.


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