Trying to maintain and control plants that grow quickly through yard edging is not inherently bad, as it maintains a neat appearance, enhances curb appeal, and helps prevent issues such as grass growing into cracks in the pavement.
Trying to do it with plastic edging, however, will only make it more complicated than necessary.
That is what one user on the r/gardening Reddit forum learned when they posted a video about how to control a rapidly growing mint plant, which is typically meant for a pot, not the ground.
The video showcases the plant in a small plot of soil and mulch separated from the rest of the plants by a plastic edge in the ground surrounding it. They wanted to prevent it from growing too rapidly and felt this was a good way to do so, but then they seemed to realize it may have been too early to call.
“A lot of people out there might think this is a bad idea. They may be correct,” the post reads.
Although this method appears helpful, it is detrimental to your lawn, as the plastics are made from the dirty fuel crude oil, and they can leach harmful chemicals into the soil as they break down over time. They also leave fragments of microplastics.
That’s leaving aside the incredibly invasive tendencies of mint, which spreads out of control if given even an inch of breathing room.
Almost everyone in the comments warned the original poster about the dangers of using this method and provided recommendations for alternatives.
“Then…bring it indoors? Buy another one for $3 next spring? Anything is better than the inevitable amount of time it’ll take to prevent the one in the ground from overtaking your garden,” one user suggested.
“Put it down on freshly poured and dried concrete. Build a concrete perimeter surrounding said pot. Don’t seal in the pot,” another said.
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Another Reddit user had a similar experience when trying to get advice on edging their front lawn and received similar advice: don’t — just don’t.
It is much easier and cheaper to simply invest in native plant lawn, as not only do they require minimal irrigation and mowing (saving you hundreds per year on expensive maintenance while saving water), the right plants also attract helpful pollinators such as bees and butterflies. These pollinators help the environment and contribute to growing our food supply.
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