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Cat Mint dying off 2 years in a row #877139

Asked July 14, 2024, 9:45 AM EDT

Hello,

I have a cat mint shrub that is slowing dying off. It starts to dye off on one side and slowly creeps across the entire plant. The affected portion becomes brown, crispy and then dies off. I tried removing the dead portion, but the disease keeps spreading and I now have about 1/4 of the plant left that is not dead but looking unhealthy. I had a cat mint plant 2 years ago in this same location that died so I planted a new cat mint there last year. I have another cat min plant in the front yard close by that is doing great as well as 2 in the back yard also thriving. Can you help me figure out what is going on and how I can get the plant/area healthy again? 

Thank you,

Jacquie Adams

Larimer County Colorado

Expert Response

Hi Jacquie,

Catmint is an extremely drought tolerant plant - can you tell me how you're irrigating? After establishment, it would need very infrequent water - this plant may gradually die out if overwatered.

What type of mulch (if any) do you have around the plant? When you pulled out the first plant, did you notice anything about the moisture around the plant?
Alison O'Connor, PhD Replied July 15, 2024, 6:32 PM EDT
Hello,
The catmint is watered on a drip system and we use wood chip mulch. I have 2 cat mint plants in the front bed and the other one is doing great. I didn't notice anything in particular about moisture level when I dug out the dead plant the other year, but I wasn't really paying attention to that either. I am sending some pics as well. One of the sick plant and the other where you can see both the healthy and unhealthy plant (to the left of the stairs is the dying plant and to the right of the stairs is the healthy one). Any chance this is some type of disease or fungus. If that is possible, what can I do to make sure the soil is healthy for the next plant as I am assuming I should remove this one as well.

Thanks,
Jacquie Adams

On Mon, Jul 15, 2024 at 4:32 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied July 19, 2024, 9:59 AM EDT
Hi Jacquie,

How often are you running the drip system? What the GPH of the emitters (how much water is being applied)?

It just might be too much irrigation - again, this is a drought tolerant plant that prefers dry soils. It could be a disease, but it's likely linked to cultural conditions. If you're able to reduce the drip, that would be best. All the plants in this area look established - watering once a week might even be too much.

You can cut back all the dead/diseased tissues and encourage new growth, but definitely adjust the irrigation accordingly. The lamb's ear can also take very dry conditions.
Alison O'Connor, PhD Replied July 19, 2024, 4:23 PM EDT

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