Growing Lavender? Here's The Surefire Way To Tell If It's Ready To Harvest

With its nostalgic aroma and rich purple hues, lavender (Lavandula) is a wonderful addition to any garden. But these perennial shrubs aren't just for your yard. Lavender can be harvested and used around the home when the flowers are ready for picking. From DIY lavender decorations to lavender essential oils, this versatile plant has a lot to give! 

To tell if your lavender is ready to harvest, you need to take a look at the flowers. Lavender should be harvested for drying when the first few florets begin to open or when about 25% to 50% of the blooms are open. As lavender blooms during the summertime, keep an eye on the shrub. When you see flowers spring from the purple buds, it is time to get your shears out and harvest your crop. However, if you're planning to make essential oil out of your lavender, you may wish to wait until at least half the flowers have opened, as it is primarily the flowers that are used in this process. 

When your lavender is ready to be harvested, do so in the early morning. The oil in the plant can evaporate in the heat of the midday sun, so an early harvest allows you to get a better crop. Take a pair of shears or scissors, and cut off about two-thirds of the lavender spike. Taking off too much can cause damage, so avoid cutting into the woody stems. As you gather your lavender, bundle it up to keep it safe and protected. Once it is all collected, dry it out by hanging it up in a dark, dust-free location, such as the attic. It will take one to two weeks to dry, and once it is ready, you can use it for fragrance, potpourri, and decoration. 

Have you waited all summer for your lavender to bloom, only to be disappointed when no flowers turn up? A year without your lavender shrub flowering can be really annoying, especially if you were looking forward to using the harvest. To determine why your lavender is not blooming, you need to look at the conditions in which it is growing. This shrub needs full sun and well-drained soil to thrive and can suffer from root rot if the soil is too wet. Root rot will cause the plant to be stunted and wilted without full blooms. Is your lavender getting enough sun? Could a drainage issue be causing the lack of flowers? 

If your lavender bush looks healthy but still isn't producing a great deal of flowers, you may be overfeeding it. Adding fertilizer to a lavender plant can cause it to produce more leaves and will potentially affect the number of flowers it has. Another issue to consider regards pruning. It is advisable to prune your lavender shrub once a year after blooming, as this stimulates new growth and productivity. If you haven't pruned your lavender for a few years, you may wish to do so to help it produce a good crop next season. Thankfully, there are loads of great ways to encourage more blooms on your lavender plant, so don't panic! Your lavender will give you flowers — you just need to give it some TLC.