The Fertilizing Mistake That's Preventing Your Lavender Plant From Flowering
Lavender is a beautiful plant that will leave your garden smelling delicious. However, they only release a sweet yet woody fragrance if you can get them to bloom. You want to give your plants the perfect environment and care for them to gift you with flowers. Many plants need fertilizer, water, and sunlight to have the energy to grow bulbs, but this isn't the case for lavender. They are actually the opposite. Lavender thrives on neglect and sandy soil, so the fertilizer will only burn its foliage.
Leaving your lavender plants alone will give them room to thrive. Then you'll notice buds blooming into flowers once summer begins. They'll keep growing more flowers until the weather gets too cold in the fall. While you have the chance, take advantage of the lavender blooms by harvesting them. All you have to do is use a pair of pruners to cut in the space where the leaves stop and the flowers start. Then you use your clippings to bring the wonderful scent inside your house. However, this is only possible if you pay attention to how much fertilizer you give your lavender plants.
Lavender doesn't need fertilizer
It may seem crazy, but lavender doesn't need fertilizer. It's well known that to give your plants the energy they need to grow and produce flowers, they need the nutrients that fertilizers provide. However, lavender would rather feed off the trace minerals left in the soil instead of chemical fertilizers filled with nitrogen. In fact, giving your plant too much will not only burn it but kill it.
With lavender, it can actually create more problems if you give them commercial fertilizers. This is because all the nitrogen will encourage the foliage to keep growing until it's unmanageable. Since all the energy is going to new growth, little to no flowers will bloom, and the ones that do won't have the signature scent of the plant. Soon your lavender will be so densely packed with stems and leaves that the airflow is cut off. This allows it to become more susceptible to pests and diseases. Over time, it'll end up killing your lavender.
Lavender thrives on neglect
You should neglect your lavender if you want them to thrive. It may sound crazy, but it works. Your plant needs to be healthy and happy if you want them to produce flowers. For lavender, this means giving them a warm, dry environment. Planting them in sandy soil is perfect because excess water and nutrients can quickly drain away. Otherwise, your lavender will suffer from living in loamy, nutrient-rich soil.
You can give your plant fertilizer if absolutely necessary; just make sure to choose the right one. Don't use any commercial products with synthetic nitrogen. Instead, add only a minimal amount of compost. This is a safer option because it'll slowly release nutrients for your lavender. You should test the soil for its pH as well. Lavender doesn't like acidity, so make sure it's above 6.5. If you're adding fertilizer, pay attention to how much your plant is growing. It may be necessary to prune some stems so the airflow isn't blocked. Lastly, make sure you place your lavender in an area that gets full sun for six or more hours. Once your lavender has the right environment, don't forget to water it every other week.