Can i grow lavender from seed

Fill a larger container with well-drained potting mix. You no longer have to seed starting mix, but the potting mix you do use should be light. Look for mixes that are made of part soil and part peat, part perlite. Peat moss is a non-renewable resource, so it's best to use coir dust instead, if possible. Do not use vermiculite, which may contain asbestos, even when the label doesn't say so. The pot for each plant should be at least 2 inches 5 cm in diameter. Alternatively, you can also use a larger pot or division-free tray and space multiple lavender plants in the tray 2 inches 5 cm apart from one another.

Mix a little fertilizer into the soil. Use a small amount of granular slow-release fertilizer that contains balanced proportions of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Place the lavender into the prepared pot. Dig a small hole in the fresh growing media that is about as big as the compartment the lavender presently sits in. Gently pry the lavender out of its original container and transplant it into the new hole, packing the soil around it to keep it firmly fixed in place.

Allow the lavender to continue growing. The plants must reach a height of 3 inches 7. This could take anywhere from one to three months. Expose the lavender to outdoor conditions slowly. Place your pots outdoors in partial shade or partial sun for a few hours at a time, increasing the time outdoors a little each day. Do this for about one week, just long enough for the lavender to have time to adapt to outdoor conditions. This is a process called "hardening off.

Choose a sunny location. Lavender plants do best when grown in full sun. Shaded areas tend to be soggier, and soggy soil can invite fungi that will destroy the plant. Prepare the garden soil. Chop the soil up with a trowel or digging fork to loosen it and mix in a healthy dose of compost. Compost has uneven particles, creating looser soil and making it easier for roots to stretch out. Additionally, the loose soil allows the water to flow freely. Check the soil of the pH after adding compost.

The soil pH should rest between 6 and 8, and preferably between 6. If soil pH is too low, mix in agricultural lime. If it is too high, add a small amount of plant litter pine sawdust. When you dig out your hole, mix gravel into the soil at the bottom, beneath the root ball. If your lavender's roots stay wet during the winter, it'll die. Dig a hole that is as deep as the container the plant currently grows in. Remove the plant from its pot, using a garden trowel to carefully slide it out, and plant the lavender into the new hole.

Method 3. Water the lavender only when dry. Mature lavender is fairly drought-resistant, but while lavender is within its first year of growth, it needs regular watering. Normal weather conditions often suffice, but if you live in an area that is particularly dry or if you have not received much rain, you should regularly soak the soil. Allow the soil to dry out in between watering, though. Avoid chemicals. Herbicides, pesticides, and even fertilizers can kill the beneficial organisms that live in the garden soil and help your lavender to thrive.

Skip the fertilizer altogether once planted in the ground. If a pesticide is needed, try an organic pesticide solution that contains no chemicals, since this is less likely to have a negative effect. Prune the lavender. Lavender grows slowly during the first year, and most of the plant's energy goes toward root development and vegetative growth. You should encourage this process by cutting off any flowering stems once the first buds begin to open during the first growing season.

Mulch during cold weather. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow. Lauren Kurtz Professional Gardener. Lauren Kurtz. Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. Not Helpful 0 Helpful Not Helpful 1 Helpful Most species of lavender seedlings will have one 1 stem and two 2 small leaves at the top. Not Helpful 6 Helpful You can harvest seeds from your flowers and started new seedlings from those.

Not Helpful 2 Helpful When the flowers fall off, that usually means it's fulfilled its purpose in reproducing. I put the seeds in a Styrofoam tray with peat land and bio humus. I did not water them but sprinkled them with a sprinkler. After six to eight weeks of growth, transplant the seedlings into indoor pots and let them continue growing until they are ready to move out to the greenhouse or garden. To reduce shock and acclimate them to a sunny, outdoor environment, bring the lavender plants outside in their pots for a few hours a day, starting with one hour and increasing to a full day over the course of a week.

Choose an area that gets full sun and has porous, well-drained soil. Lavender can grow in poorer soils but appreciate organic matter. Plant lavender when the starts are well-developed. Then let the harvest begin! Once your plants have established themselves in the garden and start blooming, you will probably want to harvest some lavender to use in crafts, natural beauty recipes, and more.

I personally like to harvest some lavender for myself and leave some for the bees to enjoy. The best time to harvest your lavender is when the buds have formed but have not yet opened. Buds harvested at this stage will retain their color and fragrance much better than open flowers, and once you have dried the lavender, buds will fall off the stem easily so that you can collect and store them.

Using sharp bypass pruners, cut your lavender stems leaving at least two sets of leaves on the green stem of the plant. If you cut past the green growth into the woody stem, it will not regrow. Collect your lavender stems into a bundle and tie it together with twine. Hang the bundles in a warm spot away from direct sunlight and let them dry out completely.

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Most people prefer to buy pre-grown lavender plants, but if you're on a budget or enjoy a challenge, you can grow your own lavender plants from seed. Sow lavender seeds from February to July on the surface of moist seed compost. Cover the seeds with a sprinkling of vermiculite or finely sieved compost. Keep the compost damp but not wet and do not exclude light as this helps germination.

When the seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant them into 7. When all risk of frost has passed, gradually acclimatise young lavender plants to outdoor conditions over 7 - 10 days before planting outdoors.

This showy French lavender has particularly long bracts that flutter in the breeze Featured product: Lavender ' Flaming Purple ' from Thompson and Morgan. Given its Mediterranean origins it should come as no surprise that Lavender enjoys a free draining soil in full sun. Lavenders tolerate chalky soils well, and cope reasonably well with dry conditions once established. They make useful shrubs for coastal positions and hot, dry gravel gardens. You can even plant lavender as a low hedge for a lovely informal edging that will attract plenty of pollinating insects to the garden.

Avoid planting lavender in wet ground as this will cause the plants to rot. Heavy soil conditions can be improved with the addition of coarse grit or sharp sand prior to planting.

Alternatively, grow lavender in containers, using a well drained soil-based compost such as John Innes No. Mix in some slow release fertiliser prior to planting to get your plants off to the best start. Each lavender plant will need a container measuring at least 30cm 12" diameter. After planting lavender it's important to water regularly during the first growing season until your plants are fully established.

This is especially important during periods of hot, dry weather. Once established, lavender is reasonably drought tolerant.