How to Grow Lavender? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Methods
Lavender, also known as spirit herb and herb, is a small shrub in the Lamiaceae family, Lavandula genus. Its appearance is elegant and graceful, making it suitable for planting in gardens or growing in pots for ornamental viewing. In addition, lavender also has medicinal value, can be used to make spices and extract essential oils, and is widely used in various industries. Every year, the global demand for it is extremely huge, with remarkable economic benefits, and many people want to grow it, but do not know how to grow it? Let us take a look at its planting methods below.
1. Seed Preparation
Lavender has a variety of propagation methods, but if it is to be planted on a large scale, seed propagation is generally used, and the sowing time is from March to June. Before sowing, the seeds must first undergo germination treatment. First, select seeds that are uniform in size, plump, and glossy on the surface, put them in warm water at about 40 degrees and soak them for 5-10 minutes. After the water cools, continue soaking for 24 hours. After soaking, remove them and let them dry before sowing. When sowing, a seedbed must be prepared and a seedling substrate must be mixed. The size of the seedbed depends on the scale of planting. The soil must be soft, because lavender seeds are relatively small and have weak ability to push through the soil. Too-hard soil will cause seedling emergence to fail.
2. Sowing and Raising Seedlings
Evenly scatter the seeds on the seedbed, paying attention to controlling the number of seeds. After sowing, scatter a layer of 3-5 mm of fine soil and water lightly so that the soil has a certain humidity. Do not water too much, so as to avoid the soil being too moist, which can breed bacteria and damage the seeds. Under normal light conditions and with the temperature controlled at about 22 degrees, they will germinate in about 2-4 weeks. After germination, the seeds need sufficient light duration, generally maintaining more than 8 hours of scattered light exposure per day. Seedlings are relatively fragile and susceptible to pests and diseases, so a very low concentration of carbendazim solution should be sprayed once 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, and then deep-plow the soil. When plowing, some fertilizer can be applied. Lavender has little demand for fertility, so the application amount should be noted when fertilizing, so as to avoid excessive fertility causing leggy growth. The fertilizer is mainly nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer. Mix the fertilizer and soil evenly, then harrow finely and level, and then make 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 that it can adapt to the outdoor environment. When transplanting, use a tool to move the seedlings out with soil. Then dig holes on the ridge surface for transplanting. When digging the 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 the seedlings were lifted. 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 it is best to manage fertilizer and water well so that it grows vigorously.
The above is an introduction to how to grow lavender. I hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.