The Latest Lavender Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial

Lavender, also known as perfume plant, spirit fragrant herb, fragrant herb, yellow fragrant herb, etc., is a small shrub of the genus Lavandula in the family Lamiaceae. Its leaf shapes and flower colors are elegant and refined, and its blue-purple inflorescences are long and beautiful. It is a new perennial cold-hardy flower for the garden, suitable for mass planting or row planting along flower borders, and can also be grown in pots for ornamental purposes. It has high planting value. Let us take a look at lavender planting techniques together below!

Growth Habits of Lavender

1. Temperature: Lavender has strong adaptability. Adult plants tolerate both low and high temperatures, and during the harvest season can withstand high temperatures of around 40°C. In the Huanglong area of Shaanxi, lavender plants overwinter safely in the open field at -21°C. In the Xinjiang region, with soil mounding treatment and snow cover, they can withstand low temperatures of -37°C. Seedlings can tolerate low temperatures of -10°C. During the growth and development process of lavender in the following year, when the average temperature is around 8°C, it begins to sprout and requires 10-15 days; when the average temperature is 12-15°C, the plant branches begin to turn green and elongate, requiring 20 days; when the average temperature is 16-18°C, it begins to form buds, requiring 25-30 days; when the average temperature is 20-22°C, it begins to bloom; and when the average temperature is 26-32°C, it is the seed-setting stage.

2. Water: Lavender is a plant that prefers dry conditions and does not need much water. An annual rainfall of 600-800 mm is relatively suitable. During the green-up stage and bud formation stage, the plant grows relatively fast and needs more water; during the flowering stage it needs less water; during the seed-setting stage the water amount should be moderate; and during the winter dormancy period, winter irrigation or snow cover is needed. Therefore, the ideal rainfall distribution throughout the year is abundant in spring, moderate in summer, and sufficient snow in winter.

3. Sunlight: Lavender is a long-day plant and requires sufficient sunlight during its growth and development period. The annual sunshine duration required is more than 2000 hours. If the plant is in a shady and humid environment, it will develop poorly and age relatively quickly.

4. Soil: Lavender has a well-developed root system and prefers deep, loose, well-aerated fertile soil rich in silicon and calcium. Soil that is strongly acidic or alkaline, as well as plots with heavy clay, poor drainage, or a high groundwater table, are all unsuitable for planting.

Propagation Methods of Lavender

1. Seed sowing and seedling raising: Seed sowing and seedling raising has the characteristics of fast propagation, a well-developed root system, and strong seedlings, but it has great variability and is a good material for seed selection. Seeds should be selected for uniform size, plump grains, and a brown glossy appearance. Before sowing, the seeds should be sun-dried, soaked in 30°C warm water for 12-24 hours, soaked in concentrated sulfuric acid for 5 minutes, washed with water, and air-dried before sowing. In April, seeds can be used for sowing and propagation. The minimum temperature for seed germination is 8-12°C, and the optimum temperature is 20-25°C. Transplanting is carried out in May, but lavender seed propagation has relatively great variation and the seeds are relatively expensive.

2. Cutting propagation: In production, lavender is mainly propagated by cuttings, which can maintain the excellent quality of the mother plant and has relatively strong adaptability. It can be done in both spring and autumn. Generally, healthy plants free of pests and diseases are selected, and the terminal buds or relatively tender, non-lignified branches are used for cuttings. When taking cuttings, remove the leaves from the bottom 2 nodes, then soak briefly in a 100-fold dilution of “Root Sun” rooting agent. After treatment, insert into the soil, and roots will form in about 2-3 weeks. The cutting medium can be river sand and rice hull bran mixed evenly at a ratio of 2:1, placed into a 5×10 plug tray for cutting. After cutting, place the seedlings in a ventilated and cool environment. Keep the soil moist for the first 3 days, and afterward depending on the weather, ensure the branches do not wrinkle or dry out, so as to improve the survival rate. The management of cutting seedlings is relatively convenient, and no fertilization is needed throughout the entire seedling period, so it is used more in production.

Planting Techniques for Lavender

1. Pruning and training: Newly planted lavender grows relatively slowly in the early stage. As spring temperatures rise, lavender enters the green-up stage in mid-April. In order to promote increased branching and root development of lavender, manual pruning should be carried out from late April to early May, that is, pruning and cutting back the top branches more than 15 cm above the ground, heavily pruning the middle of the plant and lightly pruning the surrounding parts.

2. Flowering period management: Lavender usually enters the bud formation stage of the first flush of flowers in late May, and enters full bloom in late June. In the first year of planting, in order to promote the branch growth of lavender seedlings and reduce nutrient consumption, the first flush of flower buds can be removed in early June. The second flush of flowers enters the bud formation stage in mid-August, and full bloom is in mid-September. Under relatively good climatic conditions in autumn, the third flush of flowers reaches full bloom in mid-October.

3. Irrigation and intertillage: For newly planted lavender, sufficient irrigation must be ensured in the first 3 years to promote plant growth. In mid-to-late April each year, during the green-up stage of lavender, timely green-up water should be applied. According to weather conditions and soil moisture, water 6-8 times throughout the year. Pay attention to watering the bud formation water and flowering water as key points, and water evenly and thoroughly to ensure watering quality. Combine each irrigation with timely intertillage to achieve the purposes of preserving soil moisture, increasing temperature, and weed control. Generally, intertillage and weeding are carried out 5-7 times throughout the year, and winter irrigation water is applied in early-to-mid November.

4. Timely topdressing: Although lavender has relatively strong tolerance to barren soil and drought, after planting, in order to promote rapid plant growth and increase yield, relatively more water and fertilizer need to be supplied. For newly planted lavender, within 3 years after planting, fertilizer should be applied early and frequently. Combine the first fertilization with irrigation at the bud formation stage of the first flush of flowers, and apply 15 kg of urea and 10 kg of diammonium phosphate per mu along with watering. For the second topdressing, apply 10 kg of urea per mu, applied manually in holes beside the plants.

5. Wintering management: Winters are long and temperatures are relatively low. Field experiments have shown that to ensure lavender overwinters safely in this region, manual soil mounding must be carried out before wintering. That is, after applying winter irrigation water in early November, first cut back the branches more than 15-20 cm above the ground, then surround with soil, with a soil mound thickness of about 15 cm, to ensure that the basal growth parts are not damaged by freezing. Note that the soil mound should be neither too thick nor too thin. In the following spring, before watering for green-up, promptly remove the soil and release the seedlings, that is, remove the soil covering the plants to prevent the branches and leaves from rotting in the soil.

6. Timely harvesting: The suitable harvest period for lavender is the full bloom stage, that is, when 70% of the florets in the flower spikes are open. Harvesting too early or too late will affect yield. The first flush of flowers is generally from late June to mid-July, and the second flush is from late September to early October. Yield should be predicted before harvest. During harvesting, weeds and excessive stems and leaves must not be included, so as not to affect oil quality. After harvesting, choose a sunny day after 10:00. If the morning dew is heavy or it is cloudy, harvesting is not suitable. The stronger the light and the hotter the day, the higher the oil yield. During transportation and drying of flowers, they should not be piled too thickly, to prevent heating and self-steaming, and they must be harvested and processed on the same day.

7. Pest and disease control

① Leaf spot disease: Spray Bordeaux mixture at 1:200 for prevention 2-3 times, or zineb at 500-800 times dilution.

② Root rot and Fusarium wilt: Use 50% carbendazim at 500 times dilution, or 50% thiophanate-methyl at 400 times dilution for root irrigation or foliar spraying.

③ Red spider mite: Use 1.8% abamectin diluted 600-1000 times, or dicofol, etc., for foliar spraying.

④ Leafhoppers and flea beetles: Use 50% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate, 50% fenitrothion emulsifiable concentrate, 12% miechongguan emulsifiable concentrate, and other pyrethroid pesticides for control.