Lavender in a pot: cultivation, care and advice on what to do when it withers

Romantic lavender is an ornamental plant, but also a medicinal plant. Its extraordinary value was already appreciated by the ancient Romans, and the first written mention of lavender can be found in the 1st century AD. the five-volume work "De Materia Medica" by the Greek military physician Dioscorides.

Lavender in a pot: how to grow and care?

Many years of experience of gardeners have resulted in breeding species resistant to frost, drought and winds.We are constantly trying to adapt this beautiful, fragrant plant to a temperate or even cold climate in order to increase its area of ​​occurrence. Thanks to these treatments, we can now grow lavender in our gardens and enjoy it during the summer. And even if we don't have our own plot of land, we can always plant lavender at home.

Narrow-leaved or French lavender - which species should you choose?

Although many types of lavender are suitable for potting, the most popular variety of choice for both ground planting and potting is narrow-leaved lavender, also known as medical lavender. It is a hardy and less capricious plant than its French cousin with extremely original and unusual inflorescences.

How to care for lavender - position

Native to the warm and sunny regions of the Mediterranean, this plant loves the sun. Therefore, let's look for it in our apartment for a well-lit position.In the spring and summer months, it doesn't really matter if we place the lavender in the window facing east, west or south. Only the northern exhibition will certainly not serve it - shoots will start to stretch out, flower buds will turn yellow and fall off, and the leaves will turn pale. It will behave similarly during the winter due to the lack of light. During this period, the south window sill will be perfect for lavender.

How to water a lavender in a pot?

A plant grown in pots should not be watered too often, especially in winter, when vegetation noticeably slows down. However, even in summer, despite high temperatures, lavender should be watered sparingly as it is a moisture-sensitive plant. Although lavender in an apartment requires slightly more water than a garden lavender, too moist soil damages it, quite quickly causing root rot or gray mold. Therefore, let's make sure that the soil in the pot is never wet except for a short period of time just after watering. It will be easier for a novice grower to grow lavender in a pot if he chooses a large container with drainage to drain excess water.

Lavender in a pot: what kind of soil?

The choice of lavender species to grow in our apartment, a properly warm and lighted position and not too abundant watering are important, but it is equally important to provide the plant with the right substrate.

Lavender in a pot - planting.Before planting lavender in the form of a seedling, we should prepare a pot. Since lavender has an extensive and long root system, the pot should be sufficiently wide and deep. At its bottom, we always place a drainage layer to facilitate the drainage of excess water. Expanded clay or coarse gravel will work here. It is worth making sure that the pot has the right number and size of holes in the bottom - they will be used to drain excess water.

The drainage layer should be covered with soil suitable for lavender - fertile, light and permeable, with a natural or slightly alkaline reaction, rich in calcium. Place the seedling in the substrate, cover the roots with a layer of soil, and then carefully compact the soil.At the end we water it - carefully, little abundantly, so that after watering the soil is moist, but not wet or saturated with water.

Lavender is transplanted into a new, larger container every 2-3 years.

How to care for lavender - seedling or sowing?

It is much easier and faster to plant a seedling, which allows you to admire the beauty of lavender immediately afterwards. However, if we have a horticultural line and a bit of patience, we can try to sow lavender. However, we must take into account that we will not see fragrant flowers until the next year.

Sowing is best planned for March or April, after cooling the seeds. For this purpose, we put them for 2 months in a refrigerator, where the temperature is quite low, maximum 3 degrees Celsius. Grains cannot be frozen, the lowest storage temperature is 0 degrees.

Lavender can be sown in two ways: either sow one seed in each small pot, or several seeds in a large pot. After the seedlings mature, separate them into different containers.

Lavender in a pot: how to prune?

Lavender is one of the plants that needs to be pruned. If we neglect this activity, the lavender may not bloom, depriving us of its aromatic smell and the charming view of its flowers.

Lavender is pruned twice a year. The first treatment should be performed at the end of summer, right after the plant has flowered. A cut should be made below the faded inflorescences. The second cut is made in spring - then the shoots are shortened by 1/3 or even by a half.

The plant should not be pruned in late fall, because then lavender may sprout new shoots in winter, which will weaken it greatly. Of course, the effects of such a procedure in the case of a houseplant are much less severe than it would be in a garden where lavender may freeze, but also in an apartment it is worth refraining from cutting in October or November.

Growing lavender, we notice that even a well-kept and regularly pruned plant loses its attractive appearance after a few years of cultivation.You can then rejuvenate it by cutting it strongly in the early spring. However, if it does not bring the expected results, it will be replaced with a young seedling.

How to deal with gray mold on lavender?

Gray mold is one of the three most common diseases in lavender plants. Very ungrateful, because it is caused by the common fungus Botrytis cinerea, the development of which takes place in a wide temperature range (0-30 degrees C). The determinant factor is high air humidity (above 92-96%). If this condition is met, the disease may be present on plants throughout the growing season. Scientists from the Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice recommend that, when symptoms of gray mold are found, spraying twice with an interval of 7 days, alternating fungicides from individual groups: strobilurins + anilides, dithiocarbamates, phthalimides, anilinopyrimidines + phenylpyrroles. Please forgive me, but I am deliberately not providing the trade names of specific preparations.I would advise less experienced gardeners to get help from an expert in their local gardening store when selecting plant protection products. How to prevent and protect? First of all, avoid excessive plant density and ensure the best possible ventilation, avoid wetting the leaves during watering, and cut and burn diseased plant fragments.

- says Dr. Eng. Tomasz Mróz

What to do when the lavender in the pot does not bloom or withers?

Although lavender is not a particularly demanding and difficult plant to grow, sometimes it becomes sick. The most common problems are: plant wilting, withering and lack of flowering.

Why does lavender wilt?Gray mold is by far the most common cause of this. The leaves gradually turn brown, as do the shoots, which soon begin to bend downwards to finally become covered with a grayish coating.Most often, the disease occurs when the roots are soaked or when the air humidity is too high. In this case, it is worth drying the plant a little, not watering it for some time and moving it to a well-ventilated and dry room. Cut brown and bent shoots and sprinkle the whole lavender with fungicide several times.

Why does lavender dry up?Another, also relatively common, ailment is the so-called physiological drought. The plant dries up, even though it is regularly and sufficiently watered, because it cannot draw water from the substrate. In plants grown in gardens, this may be caused by water that freezes in the soil during prolonged frosts combined with windy and sunny weather. In the case of potted plants, the cause may be improper fertilization, i.e. supplying the plant with too much or too little potassium, or allowing the soil to become saline. To save the plant, we should replace the substrate as soon as possible.

Why doesn't lavender bloom?In order for the plant to bloom, it must be pruned seasonally, if we neglect this activity, lavender may not repay us for looking after beautiful flowers. If we prune the plant as planned, it may be that the lack of flowering is due to nitrogen fertilization, which causes green plant parts to grow, or a place that is too shady for the plant to grow.