Mistakes To Avoid When Growing Lavender

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Lavender offers several benefits to home gardeners. In addition to its fragrant aroma and usefulness in a variety of DIY projects, lavender also repels bugs, is deer resistant, and is relatively easy to grow. If you're thinking about adding some lavender to your home garden, then you're probably excited to reap the benefits in the coming month and enjoy this colorful addition to your home.

However, while lavender is relatively easy to care for compared to houseplants that can be incredibly difficult to grow, it isn't foolproof. There are several common mistakes that gardeners make when growing this herb. And, unless you want your lavender plant to end up droopy, yellow, sad, or even dead, you'll want to learn how to avoid these mistakes in your home garden. Read on to learn how to grow beautiful, vibrant, and healthy lavender that will convince visitors that you have a truly green thumb.

Don't make the mistake of not fertilizing your lavender plant correctly. To start, you must choose the right type of fertilizer for this flower. Any fertilizers that have too much nitrogen or a higher acidity level will not work well. Compared to many other plants, lavender doesn't need a lot of nutrients. And, giving it a fertilizer that is too rich can cause it to grow too quickly. While this may seem like a good problem to have, there won't be as many flowers, so the plant will end up looking less attractive. Instead, opt for a slow-acting, alkaline fertilizer with a lower nitrogen count.

Now that you understand that lavender really doesn't require much fertilizer, this next mistake may make more sense to you. Many people end up adding new fertilizer to their plants too frequently, with some applying it every two weeks or so. This results in an oversupply of nutrients, and will still lead the plant to grow too quickly, but not flower as fully. Assuming the soil conditions are ideal, you should really only fertilize lavender plants about two times each year.

When it comes to growing herbs, many people are stumped by how to water them properly. In the case of lavender, less is definitely more. Lavender is a well-adapted and very resistant plant. As with excess amounts of fertilizer, too much water can also threaten its health. If overwatered, lavender may suffer from root rot, causing the plant to die. This is one of the reasons why well-drained soil is essential, but if you're dumping too much water on the plant, it will remain too wet to stay healthy.

The watering requirements will vary some based on where the lavender is planted and whether it is a new or established plant. For example, if you've just planted lavender outside, water it about once every 3 to 7 days. However, if the plant is well-established, cut back to watering it only during droughts when there hasn't been any rain for two weeks.

If you have lavender plants inside your house, they will need to be watered more often. Check moisture levels before watering, and only do so if the soil feels dry. Keep in mind that even if the top of the soil is dry, it might still be moist a few inches down. Dip your finger down into the soil a bit to see if it is wet or dry below the surface before grabbing the watering can.

There are several varieties of lavender. However, you can't simply look at a few pictures or read a couple of names to choose which one you want to grow. Instead, you'll need to consider a range of factors, including the climate where you live, when the plants will flower, and more. When it comes to climate, some varieties are better suited for cooler or drier weather, while others will need more warmth or rain. For example, while French lavender and Spanish lavender do best in Hardiness Zones 8 to 9 where the weather is warmer year-round, English lavender can survive in Hardiness Zones 5 to 9.

You should also consider when you'd prefer the lavender plants to bloom, as the timing will not be identical between the different varieties. English lavender is an early bloomer, typically producing flowers from the end of spring to the middle of summer. Other varieties, such as Lavandin, don't start blooming until the middle of summer, while others like French lavender may produce flowers all year long in the right weather conditions.

Some falsely assume that because lavender is relatively resistant to damage from pests, that disaster is never going to strike. However, lavender is resistant — not immune — to pest damage. So, failing to keep an eye out for unwelcome insects could stop you from spotting a small problem before it turns into something bigger.

Whiteflies and aphids are two common pests you'll want to monitor for. These tiny, flying insects suck the sap out from the underside of lavender leaves. During an infestation, they may cause the leaves to yellow or look otherwise unhealthy. Mold may also form on the leaves where the bugs' honeydew secretions are. Try putting some reflective mulch (like this one from MYXC) around your lavender plants to deter white flies, and consider attracting or releasing ladybugs to reduce the aphid population.

Four-lined plant bugs are another pest that doesn't seem to mind lavender's stronger aroma. They like to nibble on newly-grown stems or leaves, which reduces the number of flowers the plant produces. If you see evidence of four-lined plant bugs, consider planting some chamomile or purple prairie clover near your lavender. These plants will attract pirate bugs, damsel bugs, and other natural predators that will devour four-lined plant bugs.