Is it possible to grow lavender at home, and how to do it

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 live at home, or rather, 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 easierIf you are a happy owner of a summer cottage where lavender can be grown 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 its windowsill: 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 subtleties and secrets of lavender, about the rules of planting and care in this article.

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 choose 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 germs, loves large pots and containers.

In order for lavender to get the right care and landing, 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 openings for draining water, but gravel or drainage should not close these openings during planting.

How to choose a place for lavender

Many believe that lavender is not meant for living indoors, 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 nerds diverge: some believe that lavender feels best in the open field, while others - in residential 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.

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 the sun 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 "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 an excess of oxygen.

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 necessary to regularly feed the plant, trim the cuttings, from time to time replant the flower and loosen the ground. It is also 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.

Top dressing

The main thing you need to remember about lavender -The plant does not tolerate organic and nitrogen fertilizers. Necessary preparations for the growth and development of a plant are those that contain potassium as their main component. The first time (8-10 weeks) after sowing the seeds / planting the seedling, the plant should be fertilized once a week with liquid fertilizers, based on the calculation of 2 g (1 plug) of fertilizers per liter of water. Effective fertilizer will be crushed eggshell, which will maintain the balance of alkali in the soil. If your lavender grows in the open field, 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 you should not think that you need to water 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.

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.Lavender pruning is best done 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 you need to 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 must also be cut. Usually such branches appear due to weather conditions or the age of the plant.

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 as simple as that! All you need is: a sapling, a cutting, seeds, lavender slips, soil (container), fertilizer, a shovel, baking powder for the earth, and some basic knowledge and skills.

Using air layering

The method of reproduction of lavender air layings 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 select 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 the shoots that have not yet bloomed) and clean the lower leaves 3-4 cm.

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 out 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, 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 that, 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 process of stratification.

The first and easiest method of stratification is the use of sand. Pour the seeds on wet sand and sprinkle with dry sand on top, moisten it a little. Capacity with lavender wrapped in a bag and put in the refrigerator (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 pad on the bottom, wet it, pour seeds on top, put 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 moistened soil, sprinkle sand on top and just moisten it from above, wrap it in a plastic bag and put it in a refrigerator for 30-60 days.

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, moisturize. Cover the pot with plastic wrap, put in a sunny place. We air and spray once a week.

If you follow all the recommendations, then your plant will delight you with a pleasant, charming aroma and wonderful color for many years.