Dried up sections of potted Spanish lavender

Question

My potted lavender topiary was doing well outside. I made sure soil was alkaline and I did not water frequently. Blooms died off in fall, so I used your website instructions and gave her a reshaping down to just above 2 inches from woody area. I brought her inside when winter came. She was in a sunny window area with minimal watering. I sprayed for spider mites. She did well for s month or two, then the leaves shriveled in areas. Now she is mostly like this grayish wilted leaf look. I moved her to southern sun exposure and later off the watering. I cannot stop the progression of dying leaves. I don’t want to loose her, she is my favorite plant. Any suggestions for last minute salvage would help. Thank you.

Answer 1

Did you spray because you suspected spider mites, or that the plant already had them? If there were already spider mites, then this could be a problem. As they suck sap, they also introduce their own poison, which if left treated for too long will destroy a plant beyond repair. If you water with a few drops of rosemary oil in the water, then this will deter spidermites. You should only have to do this once a month or less. I would say just keep the soil slightly moist with a short dry period in between. This might keep it alive until you can put it back outside.