Lavender is a legendary plant, since the fields of southern France are covered by this plant, which is used for the perfume industry. It is a plant that It should be planted at the right time of the year. In addition, it needs weekly care, so that it can grow continuously and thus offer all its components in addition to its intense smell.
What is lavender?
Lavender it is a perennial shrub cultivated and is known for its flowers and fragrance. However, it also gives the landscape a characteristic beauty due to its purple color. It is a plant that is capable of withstanding the hottest months of summer and extreme drought.
It is a plant that you can grow in any garden, It can be trimmed back to form a hedge, and can also be placed on rocks or with other plants for a great visual effect in your yard. Did you know?
Reasons to cultivate the band
All the main reasons why people choose to grow lavender
- It's a natural choice and can be used for any garden. It has its own flowers and its characteristic dark green grasses, they can complement the visual landscape with other plants. Also, requires little maintenance and it is very tolerant of almost all plant species.
- Lavender attracts bees and butterflies since they provide them with endless benefits. In turn, it is a plant perfect for deterring ants that can cause damage to other plants or your yard.
- This plant It can be used in medicine, cosmetics and cooking.
How to plant lavender?
The best time to plant lavender is during the fall months. That is, from September to November you can plant lavender, since they are the coldest months where the plant will take advantage of the rain and less intense sun to start growing. Usually, in southern European countries such as Spain it is usually planted during the autumn and throughout the winter, so that it can bloom in spring.
You must take into account that To grow lavender, the soil must be fertile and easy to drain. The ideal would be use peat moss to help drain the plant and that it can retain moisture throughout the winter.
Lavender needs sunlight and a similar watering routine every week.
Next, we indicate the steps of how you should grow lavender or perform a transplant of this plant In a simple way:
- First, you want to lower a XNUMX-inch layer of moss over the area where you are going to plant the lavender. Then, you must work the soil a bit so that all the elements are well mixed.
- Second, break the ground and remove any rocks you find.
- Next, you must finish a hole deep enough so that the lavender root can grow without any problem. Once you have placed the plant or seed in the hole, all you have to do is fill in the modified soil space with the moss mixture you created before.
- Lastly, you can water it deeply after planting it the first time and then use a liquid fertilizer so it can benefit from different minerals.
Lavender care in general
take care of lavender too easy, if you only have a few plants in a patio or garden. Although, for many people this sounds confusing, Lavender should not be attended to daily, since with simple weekly care this plant can grow.
The general care that you should offer your plant are the following:
- Water your plant infrequently. Twice a week would be perfect.
- During the summer, it is normal for the plant to need frequent watering if you live in extreme temperatures. You should not allow the soil to dry out.
- You should prune the flowers at the end of June or early July at the latest, so that the plant can grow and flower again in October.
- Use pruning shears that are disinfected, to be able to cut the flower stems below the crown of the leaves.
- You must leave the lavender for at least eight hours in the sun.
- Increase the spaces between one and other plants so that they can circulate air easily around it, since it attracts small insects such as butterflies or bees.
What pests or diseases can lavender have?
If the lavender has good drainage and good air circulation, it should not suffer from any type of pest or disease. Nevertheless, You should not water the plant continuously and you should allow the soil to dry out before watering the lavender again. When there is a lot of heat and humidity in the environment, there is a particular fungus that usually attacks lavender. This fungus turns the leaves brown.
All the enfermedades that can affect the plant are the following:
- black mold
- Root rot.
Black mold is caused by not getting enough sun on a daily basis and poor water drainage. Also, there may be circumstances that the plants that surround the lavender are too close and it must be transplanted immediately.
The plant may have rotten roots, if you see that its leaves are withered and yellow. This is due to overwatering.
Tips and recommendations for planting lavender successfully
You do not have to be a great expert to be able to plant lavender, but if You must bear in mind that this plant needs a weekly care routine, so that it is always in optimal conditions. If you want to enjoy lavender at its best in the future, we recommend that you put the tips that we have shared in this article to the test.
Would you dare to grow lavender?