Hi Guys,
My lavender bush has been dying slowly and I do not know what I am doing wrong????
Is there any Lavender grower's out there that can help before I lose it completely. The plant that is! lol
Hoping,
Debi
Why is my Lavender dying????
Sorry Guys,
I posted the wrong picture, but this is a plant that is dying also and I am wondering if it is the heat????
Debi :-((((((
Lavender Picture here...........
When lavenders do poorly, my first suspect is always poor drainage or too much water, most lavenders are not at all tolerant of wet feet. Lavenders when they're planted in the ground love heat, in containers if you let the container itself heat up too much though it can cook the roots, so it's possible that it's the heat, but if you have other plants in containers in the same area in the same sort of containers and they're doing fine then that's probably not it. (The only time I've ever had problems with cooking the roots was with black containers that were in the sun from about 10 AM until the sun went down...your pot is a lighter color so that makes it harder to cook the roots)
Ah Debi - sorry to hear about the lavender...I have probably 6 varieties growing in my yard and honestly I let them do their thing. I don't mess with them much except when they're little and just starting out. Mine enjoy the full sun and a drink every now and then. I know they enjoy some lime mixed in with the soil but I don't even remember to do that consistently. What's your temps been over there?
I don't think it would be the heat because it gets hot in the summer even in temperate areas. I second that it is most likely an over watering issue, but there is also another possibility. Have you had it in that pot for a long time? Potted plants need a good flushing every now and then because accumulated soluble salts could also cause it to look that way.
Hi Everyone,
Thanks for the input, much appreciated.
fauna4flora,
So........ Are you saying it is not dying or just to repot and see what happens???
Chantell,
Our weather has been unstable. We had three weeks rain and straight into 36-40 degree's. Unbearable..............................!
I do think it could be overwatering because it got all that rain. If it is that, can I save it????
Thanks Guys,
Debi
From DownUnder
I think you should go with your instincts, which seem to be that this is a watering issue. Its hard to do the detective work on someone else's plant, so the salts issue is just another possibility that I proposed. Also, you don't always have to repot to manage salts. If there is no time- release fertilizer in the soil, then you can flush flush flush with lots of water and follow up the next couple of waterings with sugar in the water (it activates the microorganisms that use up the excess nutrients.)
Pop the plant out of the pot and look at the roots. Are there nice white healthy root tips, or do things look black and mushy? That's another tip you can try.
If it is a watering issue and the soil is still wet, repotting would be your best shot, you need to get it into drier soil ASAP. Unfortunately I've never been able to save a lavender once it had been overwatered and started to go downhill--they seem to be pretty temperamental that way. But maybe you'll have better luck than I did! Given what you said about the rain I'm feeling even more that it was probably a watering issue. Especially if you've had warm weather too as well as the rain, that encourages fungal growth. Lavender is from a climate like ours here in CA where there's rain in the winter but pretty much none in the summer--for plants like that, in the winter they can handle more moisture because the soil is cool and that's not conducive to fungal growth, but in the summer when the ground is warm if they get even a little too wet the fungus can grow like crazy and kill them pretty quickly. So if you get summer rain a lot, I'd make sure to pull the lavender container under an overhang or something to keep it from getting too wet. In the winter it won't matter, but in the summer you need to protect it if you're getting a lot of rain. Personally I've found things like lavender are more challenging to grow in containers than other sorts of plants. It's hard to get the right balance between not letting them completely dry up and not giving them too much water.
Hi Guys,
Ain't that the truth! Challanging!
ecrane3,
It really is a guessing game isn't it? But I am learning, sorry to be at the detrement to my poor plants.............!
It can be sad though. :-(((
fauna4flora,
Thanks for that tip, I will do the having a look at the roots thing.
I am guessing, If I find yukky one's, cut them off. If I find some healthy one's then there is always hope! :-))))
Thank You both so much, will keep you posted!
If you have any fungicide, once you have removed roots and repotted, that would be a very good idea to use. Good luck!
Little late to suggest but - any new ones you start or when repotting that one...make sure you have soil that will drain well for you i.e. add grit, very course sand, perlite...any of that type of stuff...just a thought.
Hey Guys,
Chantell,
The first thing is I check for those big fat white grubs. They are not a good sign are they??
Wash the root's to find rotten roots, assess what the problem they have.
Then I do trim of all the rotton or sad looking slimy feeling one's. Re-Pot it! my friends.
My first thing I use is a pot, about 1/4" of Yates Cacti or Succlents Mix.......maybe 1/4
Slight Water!
What I would use is a combination of Yates Proffession Potting Mix.....maybe 3/4.
Then I would add the potting mix (1/2) and throughly water.
Add the last of the soil a bit at a time making sure your plant is straight and then water them good and leave them alone for 10 days?????? No Water............?
Sound Right or Wrong, my Friends?????????????
Let's pray for a miricle that he/she might just come back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A good Friend,
Debi Sheila
P.S.
This was her in her glory Days. LoL
This message was edited Mar 3, 2008 4:02 PM
Ah Deb - grubs...ewwww!!! Did she still have some "decent" roots remaining? Make sure you keep her in partial sun after the repotting and clipping etc...let her rest a bit before being hit with full sun. Maybe use a mister bottle to start with so she doesn't get over watered again??? Know that wasn't your fault but the weather's...still you want to watch that to make sure.