I need some advice about lavendar. I've just planted a whole bunch of it around my yard, and I'm worried about watering it too much or too little. I planted 5" pots, with a good layer of bark mulch on top, but it's already getting up into the 90's around here and the sun beats down on the plants all day. I've been soaking them every other day, but they are looking a bit scraggly already. I think I have a tendency to overwater anyway, but I don't want them to burn up either! Help!!! (BTW, other plants like sage and rosemary are doing fine in the garden)
advice on watering lavendar
I'm certainly not the great expert, but I have some lavendar planted that is doing very well on little water. I think it likes it on the dryer side. I have mine in full sun on a slope behind my house that dries out quickly but they seem to love it where I've had some casualties in the same environment. We're not quite in the 90's yet, but getting close. I'll be curious to see what others say.
This message was edited Jul 5, 2005 12:03 PM
I'm worried because it's not established yet, and the little roots are very tender!
Here's what the plant files say, maybe it will help. I'm going to keep watching this one too so that I can care for mine in the same way. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2862/index.html
And all the plant files say "Water regularly; do not overwater".....but I can never figure out when I'm overwatering!!
I always take that to mean make sure your pots have good drainage so that the water won't pool at the roots, and then I'll let it get a little on the dry side before I rewater. I don't let them stay constantly wet, just slightly moist. It's work in progress for me though, especially with changing weather patterns. It would be nice to have a 'thinking' irrigation system that watered only when it sensed it needed it! =~D
hi cnswift; I went searching for more info (since no one else is responding! Where are you, oh lavender growers?)...anyway, there is a paragraph here that is helpful. It says keep the soil moist, not wet. Another site said that although lavender is very drought tolerant, the first year is crucial in watering. So I've discovered! I've killed enough of them!
http://thelavenderfields.com/farming.htm
Well that was the best artical I've seen. I think we both have our answers now. Thanks for sharing!
In my experience, the lavenders did well with watering twice a week in the first year. Right now, I give it a deep watering once a week. What I do notice is that the flowers tend to wilt in the heat but rejuvenate once the heat subsides in the evening so the look of the lavender varies throughout the day in the summertime.
I would think that watering every other day will be fine for the first year while they are trying to get established. Especially if they are in full sun. A lot of plants will look kind of sad at this time of the year anyway, so there may not be anything wrong with your plants at all. I would concentrate on keeping them alive for this year, then next spring they should really surprise you with a lot of new growth. But then, you are in CA....I know nothing about CA weather. Once they are established, a really nice watering once a week or so should be enough.
Since my original post, I've had to change my watering schedule. I had a bigger issue with a jacaranda tree that was starting to wither, and had to change the schedule to water every day now that it's so hot and dry. The jacaranda looks great now, and the lavendar still looks happy after about a month of doing so. I'm hoping that by next year they'll be more established as you've said and I can cut way back on the watering. I'm thinking that the lavendar is a pretty easy plant (and knocking on wood while I'm saying this). Margu, maybe they'd be happier in the ground?
What kind of lavenders do you have? This 5' monster was a 4" plant 15 months ago. It has been hacked and trimmed a couple of times too. Some of the smaller, less woody cultivars need more water than the bee magnet in the picture. I water every other day in summer and every 3 or 4 in the cooler months. Water them in the evening so you do not boil the roots. All of mine are in full blistering sun and doing fine. A few more varieties will go in as the lawn destruction project continues.
Do not over feed them. They do not appreciated it. I have killed a couple with kindness.
frogs, that looks like my spanish lavender, is that what it is? Mine isn't nearly that big. I was wondering when, or if, I should cut it back. I don't think now is the time to do it though as hot as it is right now.
What a beautiful lavendar! I can't wait for mine to get big like this. My slope is kind of sparce looking while the plants are small, but someday it will be really cool when they look like yours.
A couple of weeks ago, I finally installed a watering system and with an automatic timer. So now I'm watering every other day at 5am for an hour, as opposed to hand watering which never goes as deep. My little lavendar plants that survived the heat wave are looking much better. Some of them turned completely brown and seem dead, I'm wondering if they will come back to life next year, anybody have any experience with that?
cnswift: all my lavendars are now in the ground. I've never had any luck keeping them alive in pots.
And in case any of you are interested, this mail order company has a large selection of lavendar, I've got about 10 different varieties from them:http://www.highcountrygardens.com/
They sell a great variety of drought-tolerant plants.
Let me try that link again;
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/
Good luck to you! Hopefully they'll all recover and be beautiful!
Forgot to bookmark this. Yes, spanish lavender.
That lavender was in a quart pot less than 18 months ago. I cut it back when it threatens to take over the driveway or the walkway to the front door. Lol. I am already having to remove some of the lavender and definately one of the mexican sages come fall. (If I take out the mexican sage now, my hummers will faint.)
Nothing in this bed is over 18 months old and I have cut back plants twice this summer. I have some serious rearranging to do. The "dwarf" hibiscus and the potato vine are being trained to trees. See some of my lavenders are small. The little one in front is a white one from SoCal and its purple half brother.
From what I understand good drainage is absolutely critical for lavender. I've got a Provence Lavender in sandy, rocky soil and it seems to thrive. I seldom water it and it never looks wilted much at all.
I've found that there are three key things with Lavendar:
1. Don't water much if at all after its established.
2. Don't fertilize it, I've killed several plants by fertilizing them.
3. Lavendar does not hold up to dog urine.
Found out number 3 after my neighbor's dog started marking a couple plants I had planted in the parkway.
-Nate
Here's the update on mine, which I planted last July. I planted about ten lavenders from little 5" pots, and it is extremely hot here in the summers, so I mulched and watered them along with all the other plants: 1 hour 3 times a week at night. I lost a couple of them, but the rest seem to have taken hold, and this year they won't need so much water. A couple of them ended up in the shade of a tree that got much larger than expected, so I just moved them this week, and they seem to be taking the transplant okay so far. P.S. - no dogs fortunately! But something pee'd on a young camilla bush last year and almost did it in! ;-)
My advice is this: DON'T WATER IT. Watering kills lavender. It's tempting to water them because we all feel like they need water. But I've killed them doing so. Once you put them in the ground, water once or twice for the first week then leave them alone. Make sure that there is good drainage. THose things are like oleander and you'll kill them with kindness.