First Things First – Starting Lavender the Right Way
Most lavender bushes start from a cutting taken from a mother plant. This often works fine. Growing lavender from seed may seem like a good idea, but it can be difficult. The seeds are hard to find and have a short shelf life (even if you do find them, they may not grow). And it can take a long time to grow the seeds into sizable bushes. The most difficult situation is that the most popular lavender varieties do not produce seeds!
pruning lavender
It is important to prune lavender to maintain a young and healthy bush. When pruning lavender, the key is to start when the plants are young and still in pots. Pinch back new growth to support lateral branching. Cut the flower buds in the first year for a larger bush and more spikes in the second year.
Cut back the plant annually. If you prune the plant in the fall, do it well before a hard frost. You can easily use a weed killer or hedge trimmer to prune lavender. You can also prune the plant after it blooms in the spring or early summer. When you prune lavender, make sure the leaves are still green.
Cut off about 1/3 of the plant and shape it into a mound. This encourages new growth. Doing this every year will ensure your plants don’t get too woody and knobby. You can start this pruning in the second year.
If you didn’t prune the plant when it was young, it may not survive significant pruning. If the bush is 3 years old or older and you’ve never pruned it, you’re better off replacing it. If there is still young growth above the woody part of the plan, you can start with a light pruning to encourage lower growth. Then, continue each year by pruning a little more aggressively. But as close as possible to the woody part, but do not cut the wood. If you cut too far into the wood, the plant will die.
Cut the flowers used to create healthy plants. Cut dead branches in the spring, after your plant shows growth.
Lavender types of lavender plants, such as dentate, do not require much pruning unless you want to grow them as a hedge. In these cases, the best time to prune lavender is summer.
Harvesting Lavender
Cut off lavender stalks that have flowers and cut them early in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun dries out the plant’s essential oils too much. Essential oils create the scent and you want to preserve them as much as possible.
You can dry lavender in bunches or on screens and store it in a cool, dark place.
After pruning the lavender, you can use the pruning clippings as your crop. Lavender is wonderful for crafts and decoration.
interesting notes
Plant lavender bushes in full sun and only in soil that drains well. Water the bushes liberally for the first year after planting, but don’t water lavender from above, this can cause fatal fungus!
Don’t prune into old wood (where there are no leaves) or your lavender won’t grow back there.