Lavender is a beautiful fragrant bush that will produce purple, white or yellow flowers depending on the variety you choose. Many gardeners prefer cutting (i.e. planting the cut off branch of a pre-existing plant), but lavender can also be grown from seeds. Growing lavender from seeds will not always return the desired results, plus it is a rather slow process, but it is still a cheaper way than buying lavender branches to plant or plants that have already grown.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Germinate the Seeds
Step 1. Germinate the seeds for 6-12 weeks before planting them by moistening them with a little warm water
Lavender seeds can take a while to germinate, and you should plant them indoors, or indoors when the weather is still harsh outside, so that they have plenty of time to grow outside during warm weather.
Step 2. Submit the seeds to a process called "cold stratification."
In this process, the seeds must be placed in a resealable plastic bag filled with moist soil. Use a commercial soil specific to the early stages of seed life. Place the bag with the seeds and soil in the refrigerator for three weeks.
If you purchased the seeds, they have already gone through this process. Stratify the seeds only if you collected them from another plant
Step 3. Fill a container with suitable soil
Suitable soil should be light and well permeable. You can use either a seedbed or a simple wide container with no divisions.
Step 4. Plant the seeds
Sprinkle the seeds on top of the soil.
- If you are using a seedbed, plant one seed for each compartment.
- If you are planting in an undivided container, space the seeds 1.5-2.5cm apart.
Step 5. Cover the seeds with about 3mm of potting soil
A light layer of potting soil will protect the seeds, but don't overdo it, as the seeds will also need sunlight to germinate.
Step 6. Keep the seeds in a warm place
A heated mini-ground would be the best solution, but any other place will do as well, as long as the temperature is always around 21 ° C.
Step 7. Lightly water the seeds
Keep in moist soil, but do not soak it, and water the seeds during the morning so that the soil can dry out before the evening arrives. Too cold and wet soil could cause fungi to grow, which destroys your seeds.
Step 8. Wait
Lavender seeds can take anywhere from two weeks to a month to germinate.
Step 9. Make the sprouted seeds get plenty of light
After the seeds have germinated, you should move the container or seedbed to a location where it will receive plenty of direct sunlight. If you really can't, use a special fluorescent lamp, and expose them to artificial light for eight hours a day.
Method 2 of 3: Transplant
Step 1. Do the first transplant only when the lavender already has several leaves
Wait until the leaves are "true leaves", or until they have fully matured. At this point, the roots will have overgrown to continue to fit in such a low container.
Step 2. Fill large containers with soil
You no longer have to use a special soil for germination, but you will still need to use a light soil. Look for mixes consisting of soil and peat, perlite or vermiculite.
The pot for each plant must have a diameter of at least 5cm. Alternatively, you can use a single large pot or a container without bulkheads, and then space each plant about 5cm apart
Step 3. Add some fertilizer to the soil
Use some slow-release granular fertilizer that contains a balanced amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Step 4. Put the lavender in the vase you made
Dig a small hole in the ground about the size of the compartment the lavender is currently in. Gently extract the lavender from the current container and transplant it by inserting it into the hole just made in the new pot, then press the surrounding soil to make sure it is firm.
Step 5. Give the lavender time to grow further
Plants must reach a height of 7-8cm before they can be transplanted further, but they must still have only one stem. It may take 1 to 3 months.
Step 6. Gradually expose the lavender to the conditions it will find outdoors
Place the pots outside without exposing them to direct sunlight while not completely depriving them of light for a few hours at a time. Keep doing this for about a week, so that the lavender has time to adjust to the conditions it will find outdoors.
This process is called "strengthening"
Step 7. Choose a sunny spot
Lavender plants grow best when fully or partially exposed to sunlight. Shady areas tend to have more humid soil, and too moist soil could attract fungi, which would destroy your precious seedlings.
Step 8. Prepare the garden soil
Loosen the earth a little with a shovel or rake to unpack it, and add a good dose of compost. The compost is made up of grains of different sizes, and will therefore create a looser soil, facilitating root penetration.
- Check the pH of the soil after adding compost. The pH must be between 6 and 8 or, preferably, between 6.5 and 7.5 to obtain a better result. If the soil pH is too low, add agricultural lime. If it's too tall, add some pine sawdust plant litter.
- If your area is damp in winter or spring, you need to plant lavender on a rise. When digging the hole, mix some gravel into the soil below, under the sod. If the roots of your lavender remain wet during the winter, the plant will die.
Step 9. Transplant lavender plants so they are 30-60cm apart
Dig holes as deep as the containers the plants are now in. Remove them from their pot using a garden scoop, then gently slide them into the new hole.
Method 3 of 3: Daily Care
Step 1. Water the lavender only when it is dry
Ripe lavender is quite drought tolerant, but during the first year of life it will need to be watered regularly. Normal weather conditions may be enough, but if you live in a particularly dry area, or if it hasn't rained for long, you should moisten the soil regularly. Let the soil dry between waterings, though.
Step 2. Avoid chemicals
Herbicides, pesticides and even fertilizers can kill the beneficial organisms that live in the soil and help your lavender grow healthy and strong. Also avoid fertilizers after transferring the lavender to the soil. If you ever need a pesticide, look for an organic solution that does not contain chemicals, as it will be less likely to have adverse effects.
Step 3. Prune the lavender
Lavender grows slowly during the first year, most of the plant's energy focuses on root growth and development. You should encourage this process by cutting off the flowering stems once the first buds begin to open during the first growing season.
After the first year, trim the flowering stems after 1/3 of the buds have opened to encourage further growth. Leave at least 1/3 of the stems that will grow back intact
Step 4. Use mulch for the winter
Do not expose the soil to frost by covering it with gravel or bark mulch. Leave about 15cm of free soil around the plant bases to allow for better air circulation.
Advice
- You can also grow lavender from cuttings. Using cuttings will allow you to harvest usable lavender in less time, and many gardeners agree that it's a much easier method than starting with seeds.
- Lavender can be harvested after the first year for decorative, culinary, aromatherapy purposes or to produce homeopathic medicines.
