How to kill mint plants?

Question

in my backyard we have mint plants growing we have tried weed killers and three years in a row we have ripped them out with roots and all, but the following year they return, i would love to have grass but these plants are multiplying like rabbits. please tell me there's a way??

Answer 1

The first answer that comes to my mind is "With dynamite(!)

There are two weeds around here that I really dislike.  Both thistles and burdock have deep taproots.  If part of the root is left in the soil, a number of plants grow from it. Similarly, if you leave behind even a bit of mint root, you get new plants.

If your mint plants are growing through lawn, you would want to use a herbicide that affects broadleaved plants (the mint) and leaves grasses alone.  "Weed and Feed" is one brand which does this, and adds some high-nitrogen fertilizer as well.

If you don't have to worry about the grass, then I'd use "Round-Up", or a similar compound. (Plant nurseries and hardware stores carry these things.) Round-Up kills all plants. The significant thing about it is that when it's applied to the plants' leaves, the plant carries it down to the root.  Unlike other treatments (boiling water, vinegar, etc.), It affects the WHOLE plant, right down to the roots, where most of the the spreading and multiplication take place.  It'll take about two weeks to see it work, but it works!

Be careful not to get the herbicides on plants you want to keep.  The herbicides are made to work on plants, not animals, so you don't need extreme precautions. But you don't want people or animals to be eating it, either.  Read and follow the instructions.

This is pretty strong medicine, and must be used carefully.  But it works!

Answer 2

The only way to kill mint is by spraying Roundup.. well actually its the glysophate in the roundup that kills it.  If you get the undiluted glysophate you can mix it a bit stronger... but still follow instructions. Glysophate should be available in the same stores where u buy roundup also. I would do it every two weeks so as the mint doesn't have a chance to come back.  Little by little you will kill it!!!

Good luck

Answer 3

Pull up what you can. Plant other plants that are aggressive over it and sometimes it will smother it out. I also lay newspaper ( 3 sheets), wet it and then put mulch over it to kill out unwanted plants. If it can't get sun, it won't live.  

Answer 4

They are hard to get rid of - you could try:

Pour BOILING WATER into the ground/onto the plants for 4 or 5 days in a row - I've done this to get rid of weeds around my driveway and it seemed to work

Pour Vinegar (straight out of the bottle) onto them - drench the ground.  It's better than putting salt in the area - grass will come back after you use vinegar, but salt tends to kill everything - so if you want to plant something there - salt would be my last resort.

If you're very patient, you could lay out some black plastic landscaping "cloth" over the area and weigh it down with bricks for a year or so - that's how my neighbors got rid of some ferns that had taken over their side yard.  It wasn't pretty but it wasn't a problem for me (although you might want to speak with your neighbors before trying this - in some neighborhoods it can ruffle feathers).

I haven't had great luck with stuff like Round-Up although my friends seem to think it's great stuff.

Good Luck!