Lavender (lat. Lavandula) - a representative of the genus of plants of the family Yasnotkovyh (Lamiaceae or Labiatae). The name comes from the Greek. "Lava", which means "wash", is due to the fact that in ancient Greece, lavender was added to the baths. Botanists secrete about 47 species of this plant. Lavender is from the Mediterranean. Since lavender has not only a pleasant smell, but also certain medicinal properties, people loved the plant and adapted lavender to life at home, or rather, they started growing lavender flowers in pots and flower beds.
Growing lavender at home involves choosing the appropriate place, preparing the seeds, and stratifying them. An important feature of growing lavender at home is the ability to apply organic fertilizers.
Growing lavender at home is much easier if you are a happy owner of a summer cottage where you can grow lavender on an industrial scale, experiment with varieties. At home, everything seems easier, since you can pick up a special container, experiment with the use of drainage. And most importantly: at home you have the opportunity to plant lavender in a sunny place where it will not need additional growth enhancers.
Many people think that lavender in a pot is a very fastidious plant and causes a lot of trouble, but this is a myth. It is quite possible to grow lavender from seeds in a pot on your window sill: the plant itself is unpretentious. On average windowsills and flower beds, we can often find 2 types of lavender: broadleaf and narrow-leaved. Both of these species sprout beautifully and bloom. We will talk more about the main intricacies and secrets of lavender, about the rules of planting and care in this article.
Did you know? If you live in the North or closer to the North, then you should choose a narrow-leaved lavender, as it is more winter-resistant.
In which pot to grow lavender, select the size
The roots of adult plants need a lot of space in order to be able to nourish the flowers and leaves. In order to properly care for and planting lavender, you should first pick the pot or container correctly, because even if spring, summer and early autumn your flower spends in the open field, you still want to remove it for the winter (which is not necessary, You can simply hide the lavender from the wind) in the correct and comfortable "shelter". This plant, starting with the germ, loves large pots and containers.
Important! Even if you are just going to plant a lavender, choose a medium-sized form for this.
In order for lavender to get the right care and fit, you should remember one pattern - the smaller the pot, the less space for nutrition and growth, the smaller the flowers. The container (pot) should be at least 2 liters in volume and about 30 cm in diameter. The pot should have enough holes to drain water, but gravel or drainage should not “close” these holes during planting.
How to choose a place for lavender
Many people believe that lavender is not meant for indoor living, but this is a myth. Yes, lavender requires some special care, but all plants require care! So, the main factor in the quality of your flower will be the place for his "life". Here, the opinions of botanists differ: some believe that lavender feels best in the open field, others - in apartment conditions.
In any case, the best shelter for lavender will be a sunny, sheltered place. If you leave the flower for the winter outside, you can cover it. The soil into which the lavender is planted requires special attention: it is best to use a mixture of peat and sand and remember that the soil must be alkaline.
Did you know? Lavender is better not to plant on the windowsill, where there is a battery, as it will dry it.
Lavender care
Lavender requires proper care and planting, which is carried out comprehensively throughout the growth and development of the plant. We have already mentioned the need for constant access of sunlight to the leaves and flowers of the plant, so it is best to place a pot of lavender on the south side. In summer, the lavender is carried out to "walk" on the balcony. But walks should begin with an hour, because if you leave the plant outdoors for a long time, it can fade from oxygen overload.
Lavender is very thermophilic, but does not like dryness. In winter, it is better to put lavender on the window sill on the south side (if possible), but the temperature of 10-15 degrees will be optimal. But the temperature, lighting and place of growth - not all. In order for lavender to receive proper care and planting, it is also necessary to regularly feed the plant, trim the cuttings, from time to time replant the flower and loosen the ground. It is important to keep in mind the humidification of the air; if you do not have a humidifier, you can use a conventional spray gun and spray the plant with clean water.
Important! If your flower does not have enough light, then for the winter period you can provide it with additional lighting, including a fluorescent lamp next to it.
Top dressing
The main thing you need to remember about lavender -The plant does not tolerate organic and nitrogen fertilizers. The necessary preparations for the growth and development of the plant are those that contain potassium as the main component. The first time (8-10 weeks) after sowing the seeds / planting the seedling, the plant must be fertilized once a week with liquid fertilizers, based on the calculation of 2 g (1 plug) of fertilizers per liter of water. An effective fertilizer will be crushed eggshell, which will maintain the balance of alkali in the soil. If your lavender grows in open ground, then it should be fertilized at the beginning of flowering with the same fertilizers (for example, Agricola) and after flowering (any mineral fertilizer) with the calculation of 3 liters per bush.
Features of watering in winter and summer
Lavender needs watering only during the drought period, but do not think that you need to water the lavender once a week. Of course, from too abundant watering the flower will rot, but the soil for room lavender should always be wet. Water for irrigation must be filtered or separated. If your plant is still young, then you need to water it twice a day: in the morning and in the evening.
Important! It is necessary to water not only the roots, but also the upper part of the plant, therefore many gardeners recommend arranging a “rain” for the flower: once a week, take the plant outside (put pots in the bath) and a watering can, water the whole plant with a thin stream. But in this case, you need to be extremely careful not to damage the leaves or color.
Pruning plants
In the suburban areas care for lavender also depends on the correct pruning of the plant, because if you cut the plant wrong, then there will be nothing to care for. The lavender pruning procedure is best carried out in 3 stages: summer (the most important), autumn and spring pruning.
Let's start with the summer trim. In order to trim the lavender, we need gloves and ordinary clippers. First of all, we cut those branches that have small sprouts on the sides. Cut to these sprouts, then they will grow into a flower. If the branches of your plant have a tendency to bend, then cut such a branch to the very bottom of the germ. We also carefully check the plant for the presence of completely dry branches, which also need to be cut. Usually such branches appear due to weather conditions or the age of the plant.
Did you know?Summer pruning allows you to collect the product, namely flowers and leaves, which during this period are most useful.
During the autumn pruning of lavender, the main task is to cut all the flowers from the "falling" branches - cut to the point of bending. Cut lavender can be very short, not very much, it depends on the time of "lifting" the kidneys in the spring.
Spring pruning of lavender is best done at the end of March (if weather conditions allow). Spring pruning is more like cleaning, as it aims to remove dry branches, broken, rotted. Spring pruning is also carried out in order to "model" the shape of the plant.
How to plant a house lavender, plant reproduction
Frequently asked question: how to plant a lavender at home is easy! All you need is a sapling, a cutting, seeds, lavender slides, soil (container), fertilizer, a shovel, baking powder for the soil and a bit of basic knowledge and skills.
Using air layering
The method of reproduction of lavender air layering is best used in a cool time when the soil moisture is highest. When using this method, you do not need to prepare cuttings or buy seeds, it is enough to pick the oldest branch (but live) on an adult plant, cut a flower from it, dig a small hole and bend this branch there, sprinkle it on top of it, water it every two days and slightly fertilize 5-7 days after planting. This method sometimes works without your help: if you look under a bush of a mature flower, you will find several sprouts there, as a result of self-sowing of lavender.
Lavender cuttings
Many inexperienced growers immediately take to plant lavender flowers with seedlings. Most make mistakes, because you need to know not only how to plant a lavender sapling, but also how to get it. For cuttings, you need to take only young, but already lignified annual shoots from a healthy bush. From the cutting, it is necessary to cut off the color (although it is advisable to choose shoots that have not yet bloomed) and clean the lower leaves by 3-4 centimeters.
For grafting we need a pot of medium size, clay shards, soil (a mixture of sod, sheet and sand in equal quantities) and dry sand. Lay the shards on the bottom of the pot, then lay out the moistened sand (for better drainage), then lay the ground, tamping it down. At 1.5 cm lay another layer of wet sand on top of the ground. Next, we take the finished cutting, process with growth stimulants and insert the cleaned side into the ground.
For better rooting, "squeeze" the plant from the bottom with two fingers. After this, the seedling needs to be watered. We also create a “tropic effect” for the cutting: at home we cover it with polyethylene so as not to damage the plant, in industrial conditions there are special greenhouses and “hubcaps” for this. Leave the stalk for a week in such conditions. If you did everything right, your cutting will easily take root and grow to a height of 15 cm.
Growing lavender seed
Let's talk now about how to grow lavender from seed. So, first all the seeds must undergo a stratification process.
Did you know?Stratification - keeping seeds at low temperatures.
The first and easiest way to stratify is to use sand. Pour the seeds on wet sand and sprinkle dry sand on top, moisten it a little. Capacity with lavender wrapped in a bag and put in the fridge (temperature 3-5 ° C). The stratification process lasts 30-60 days.
The second way is to take a flat dish or any flat container, lay a cotton disc on the bottom, wet it, pour seeds on top, lay another moistened cotton pad on the seeds. Next, we wrap the container package and put in the fridge.
The third method is almost the same, but instead of disks we use wet wipes.
The fourth way is to use a pot with soil and sand (1: 1 ratio), pour seeds into a moist soil, sprinkle sand on top and just wet it on top, wrap in a plastic bag and put it in a refrigerator for 30-60 days.
Important!During stratification, you need to air containers with seeds!
Within a week and a half before the end of the stratification period, we begin to get our seeds for 1 hour from the cold and “train” them to room temperature. When you have already decided to plant lavender, plant seeds in a pot with earth and sand (1: 1), not digging them deep into the ground, sprinkle sand on top, moisten. Cover the pot with plastic wrap, put in a sunny place. We air and spray once a week.
If you follow all the recommendations, your plant will delight you with a pleasant, enchanting aroma and wonderful color for many years.
