Why Is My Mint Plant Turning Purple

Welcome to this post about why a mint plant might start to turn purple. The most common reason for this happening is that the mint is not getting sufficient phosphorus. This is what makes the plant able to produce energy and certain acids too.

So simply put, without enough phosphorus the mint plant will start to turn purple. Luckily we have put together this article that will help save your mint plant and hopefully restore it.

Mint plant is usually a very hardy plant that can manage a lot of different environments and climates. But it can be susceptible to certain things and not getting enough nutrition is one of them, luckily it’s very visible that something is wrong when this happens.

Why Is My Mint Plant Turning Purple

Like we said in the beginning of the article, the most common reason and probably the only reason for a mint plant turning purple. The lack of phosphorus is the problem here.

But there are a few things that you can do to fix this issue. It’s actually a pretty easy thing to fix for the most part. Since it lacks nutrients, the reason for that is the conditions of the soil.

So what we have found to be the best thing to do is make the soil healthy again. We need to fertilize it. We recommend using either a organic fertilizer that you can get from the shop. But if you have the option for it then you should definitely try to use some manure.

Using manure for the soil is probably the most beneficial thing you can add for the soil. It will kickstart and bring back the health to the soil in no time. So if you can use that and get your hands on it then go for it. Note that it does smell quite a bit though, but if you have your mint growing outdoors then it might not be a problem.

Some people just really can’t get around liking mint and that’s okay. In this article we discuss what might be some of the reasons for not liking mint, Why Do I Hate Mint.

Are Purple Mint Leaves Safe To Eat

Purple mint leaves are generally speaking not a good idea to eat. These are not toxic but they won’t taste a lot. The plant is lacking in certain nutrients and is causing this color on the leaves to start appearing.

We don’t really see a point in eating them if they don’t taste anything. The nice green and thriving leaves are what we are after.

The best way of getting back to that is making sure the soil is thriving and healthy again. Using some fertilizers a couple times during the year would probably do the trick. This will slowly start making the leaves and the plant good again.

Ever wondered what a sprig of mint is? Something that is very common when making drinks and cocktails. Here we shed some more light on this, What Is A Sprig Of Mint.

Can You Use Purple Mint Leaves

Using purple mint leaves is not a very good idea. Note that they will most likely do no harm at all to you but they will however not taste a lot. Since the plant is lacking nutrients which makes it able to generate energy and eventually develop the flavor.

We recommend you instead pick the leaves that are purple and throw them in a compost if you have one. Not that if you have a green mint plant and the leaves turn purple this applies, there are some mint plants that naturally are purple.

Like we said, there is usually a use somewhere for everything in the garden. If the leaves don’t taste like anything and offer nothing to the plant, then picking them and composting will make them beneficial to the whole garden instead. Even if it’s just a small amount.