Mint from Seed
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Kristine Patterson
Posted on: March 3, 1999

Is it possible to grow Pineapple Mint or Apple Mint from seed? If not, why is this so?

Most varieties of mint are hybrids and therefore are either sterile or when they produce seed, the seedlings will be no more like their parent(s) than human children resemble their parents. Just as Einstein did not father any little Einsteins, pineapple mint will not very likely have any pineapple mints among its progeny. The desirable trait was a result of a lucky combination of several characters (genes) and that precise combination will probably not be repeated in the seedlings.

Some apple mints are straight species and can be grown from seed. Some of the seedlings will be somewhat rank smelling, but a good percentage will have a quite acceptable flavour. Some seedlings might turn out to be wonderful! The problem is that our source of apple mint seed is no longer producing the seed and we have not been able to find another source.

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