What Is the Price of Lavender Seeds? A Detailed Guide to Planting Methods
Lavender is also known as lingxiangcao, xiangcao, huangxiangcao, and other names. It is a semi-shrub or dwarf shrub of the genus Lavandula in the Lamiaceae family, native to the Mediterranean coast, various parts of Europe and the islands of Oceania, and was later widely cultivated in the United Kingdom and Yugoslavia. Its leaf shapes and flower colors are elegant and graceful, and its blue-purple inflorescences are long and beautiful. It is suitable for group planting or row planting along flower borders, and can also be grown in pots for ornamental viewing. Let us take a look at lavender seed prices and planting methods below!
How much does a jin of lavender seeds cost?
The price of lavender seeds is about 500 to 800 yuan per jin, but the price varies depending on seed quality, variety, place of origin and market conditions. Lavender can be propagated by seed or by cuttings. Sowing and raising seedlings reproduces quickly, develops a strong root system and produces robust seedlings, but it shows considerable variation and the seeds are relatively expensive. Cutting propagation can preserve the excellent qualities of the mother plant, has strong adaptability, can be carried out in both spring and autumn, and is relatively easy to manage, with no need to fertilize throughout the seedling stage, so it is used more often in production.
Lavender sowing methods
1. Time: Lavender should not be sown out of season as far as possible, because lavender is not heat-tolerant. The best sowing season is mainly spring, though autumn sowing is also possible. The optimal germination temperature for the seeds is 15 to 20°C.
2. Container: For sowing lavender seeds at home, you can use relatively short small flower pots, or substitute other containers, such as yogurt cups or disposable plastic cups.
3. Soil: The soil used for sowing lavender needs to be loose, airy, highly water-retentive and thoroughly sterilized. A mixed soil of vermiculite, peat, sphagnum moss, perlite, osmund fiber and the like can be used.
4. Seed soaking: Before sowing, lavender seeds should be sun-dried, soaked in 30°C warm water for 12 to 24 hours, soaked in concentrated sulfuric acid for 5 minutes, and finally rinsed with water and dried before sowing.
5. Sowing: When sowing lavender in April, you can sow 2 to 3 seeds per container in individual spots. After germination, keep one stronger seedling depending on how the young seedlings are growing. The minimum germination temperature for the seeds is 8 to 12°C, and the optimum temperature is 20 to 25°C.
6. Watering: After sowing the lavender seeds, soak the flower pot in water (the water level only needs to reach the middle of the pot) so that the pot absorbs water from the bottom. After a few minutes of soaking, take it out.
7. Management: Before the lavender seeds germinate, it is best to keep them in a cool place. They generally germinate in about 5 to 10 days. After germination, move the lavender to a bright place for care.
Lavender planting methods
1. Soil: Lavender is suited to slightly alkaline or neutral sandy soil. You can use a mix of 1/3 perlite, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 peat moss. If cultivating in open ground, pay attention to soil drainage; you can pile the soil up into raised beds before planting.
2. Watering: Lavender does not like water to remain around its roots for long. After one thorough watering, wait until the soil is dry before watering again. Water in the morning, avoiding sunlight, and do not splash water on the leaves and flowers, otherwise they easily rot and pests and diseases breed.
3. Light: Lavender needs ample sunlight and a moderately humid environment. In summer, at least 50% of the sunlight should be blocked, and ventilation should be increased to lower the ambient temperature. In winter, lavender grows well on flat ground and should be cultivated in full sun.
4. Temperature: Lavender is semi-heat-tolerant, prefers coolness, and likes warm winters and cool summers. The suitable growing temperature is 15 to 25°C, and it can grow at 5 to 30°C. If it is above 38 to 40°C for a long time, the top stems and leaves turn yellow and wither. In northern winters, it begins to go dormant when the temperature stays below 0°C for a long time.
5. Fertilizing: For fertilizing lavender, bone meal can be placed in the potting soil as a base fertilizer (used once every three months). Young seedlings can be given Hyponex No. 2, and after the plants mature, apply a fertilizer higher in phosphorus such as Hyponex No. 3.
6. Pests and diseases: Lavender rarely suffers from insect pests. The main disease is root rot, with the highest incidence under high temperature and waterlogged conditions. A 800-fold solution of carbendazim or chlorothalonil can be used to drench the roots, once a month. Especially from June to October, take care to prevent waterlogging and keep the air dry.
7. Shaping: After lavender blooms, cut it back at the first node below the flower, and at the same time prune the plant into a hemispherical shape. At ordinary times, cut off dead and withered branches at any time. To control plant height or obtain a better plant shape, prune back moderately in late summer and early autumn to encourage new branches.