Q.Growing and Care for Lavender Plants
hi, I bought 2 pots of lavender from a nursery. One of the pot has 3 plants and the other just one plant.
My questions are:
1. Can I prune these plants?
2. How to prune them?
3. As you can see in the attached pictures the plants already grown woody at the bottom, What will happen to the woody plants after pruning, will they die and just throw them away?
4. I took cuttings and propagate them in pots/soil and I did as shown on youtube on how to take cuttings and propagate them. But the next day I noticed that some of the cuttings, the leaves turns brown as in the picture I attached. Are they dying? (Note: I have used growth hormone)
thank you
umi
Umi, there are some basics to lavender care that I want to review. First they need fast-draining soil as the roots easily suffer from rot. Lavender is native to the Mediterranean and likes lots of direct sunlight, sandy soil and only modest amounts of water. It isn't a desert plant like cactus but needs semi-desert conditions. When grown in containers, either add 1/2 C of coarse sand or perlite to potting mix or use cactus mix. It is difficult to replicate the intensity of full sun indoors. It requires supplemental lighting. Lavender will not do well without it even in a south or west window. Lavender is classified as a sub-shrub. When pruning, always leaves several sets of leaves intact. Leaves will not break from old, bare wood. A hard pruning is done after it flowers in early summer. Remove flower stems and reduce the size by about half. I usually remove to the base of the plant one or two old stems near the center. New growth will come from the base and from the pruning cuts. If you are in the northern hemisphere, this isn't the best time to take cuttings. The plant is preparing for winter, not sending out new growth. But, it is always worth a try. Most lavender species grow too large to share a container. You'll do much less damage to roots if you separate them now and relocate one to the center of the container with 3 plants. Let us know if you have further questions. More info is attached.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/.../lavender/growing-lavender-in-pots. htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/.../lavender/woody-lavender-plants.htm
