Lavender Planting Methods: How to Grow the King of Spices Well

Lavender is also called lingxiangcao and huangxiangcao, and is praised as the “king of spices” in the natural world. It has high medicinal value, and its flowers are graceful and elegant, giving it high ornamental value. Today, the editor will introduce lavender planting methods to everyone.

1. Sowing preparation

Lavender has many propagation methods. For large-scale planting, sowing propagation is generally used. The sowing time is from March to June. Before sowing, the seeds must first be treated for germination. Select seeds that are uniform in size, plump, and glossy on the surface, put them in warm water at about 40 degrees and soak for 5-10 minutes, then continue soaking for 24 hours after the water cools. After soaking, remove them, let them dry, and they can be sown. When sowing, prepare a seedbed and mix a seedling-raising substrate. The size of the seedbed depends on the planting scale. The soil must be loose, because lavender seeds are relatively small and have weak ability to push through the soil. Soil that is too hard will cause seedling emergence to fail.

2. Sowing and seedling raising

Spread the seeds evenly on the seedbed, and be careful to control the number of seeds. After sowing, scatter a layer of fine soil 3-5 mm thick and water lightly so that the soil has a certain humidity, but do not water too much, so as to avoid the soil becoming too moist and breeding bacteria that damage the seeds. Under normal light conditions and with the temperature controlled at about 22 degrees, they will sprout after about 2-4 weeks. After sprouting, the seeds need sufficient light duration; generally, more than 8 hours of scattered light exposure should be maintained every day. Seedlings are relatively fragile and susceptible to pests and diseases, so spray a very low concentration of carbendazim solution at intervals for prevention and control. When the seedlings grow to have 4-6 leaves, they can be transplanted.

3. Land preparation and fertilization

Before transplanting, choose a plot of land that is flat, has sufficient light, and has good drainage. Clean the field thoroughly, remove weeds and leftover plant residues, then deeply plow the soil. During plowing, some fertilizer can be applied. Lavender has little demand for fertility, so pay attention to the application amount when fertilizing, so as to avoid excessive fertility causing excessive vegetative growth. Fertilizer should mainly be nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer. Mix the fertilizer and soil evenly, then harrow finely and level, and then form ridges. Drainage ditches should be made between ridges to facilitate irrigation and drainage.

4. Transplanting

Before transplanting, first place the lavender in a semi-shaded, semi-sunny outdoor environment so it can adapt to the outdoor conditions. When transplanting, use tools to remove the seedlings with soil, then dig holes on the ridge surface for transplanting. This can improve the survival rate. When digging holes, loosen the soil in the holes, spread the root system out, and then cover with soil. The transplanting depth should be consistent with the depth when lifting the seedlings. When transplanting, plant at a reasonable density and control the plant and row spacing at 20×30cm. After transplanting, water once to settle the roots, and manage fertilizer and water well after transplanting so they grow vigorously.

The above are the lavender planting methods summarized for you by the editor. I hope they can help you!