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REQUIREMENTS:
day-long sun, sandy soil, pH7, roomy air circulation, good drainage,
slightly alkaline soil, mild winters or constant snow cover, periodic
watering.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND:
Lavender is rich in history and lore and is one of the most beloved
herbs in the garden. It has the power to soothe and delight all the
senses.
Lavender essential oil has long been used in soaps, perfumes, antiseptic
and bath salts. Early Egyptians wrapped their dead in lavender-dipped
shrouds; ancient Greeks used the plant to fight insomnia, insanity,
and aching backs; and ancient Romans tossed it into their public
baths. Medieval and Renaissance Europe women were known as 'lavenders'
from the Latin word lavare, meaning "to wash". They washed
in lavender infused waters and laid cloths on lavender bushes to
dry. Besides the rose, lavender is the only common flower that retains
its fragrance when dried.
SELECTION:
Pilot Testing : Bottom Line - if you are planting in the
ground, vs. a container, in a northern Midwest or eastern state,
stick with English varieties. The French and the Spanish do not
do well in the snow and cold.
Select a variety suitable to your area. Unsure of whether certain
varieties of lavender will love living at your home or on your farm?
A relatively low risk method to find out is to conduct a Pilot Test.
Do you want something tall and full or short and full? Are you looking
for a specific color? Make your selection and then purchase two of
each variety you are considering. If you are looking for splashes
of color and fragrance you can plant in a pot and then move the pot
in during the winter. However, the Pilot Testing is really more about
determining a larger quantity of the plant.
Select an area on your land that meets the earthly requirements,
put it in the ground and hope for the best. Doing so in early spring
or later fall will increase your chances for success. Let your plant
live there for at least two full winter cycles. If the plant is alive
and thriving after two winters, there is a good chance it will like
its new home for the long term.
LAND and SOIL PREPARATION
Whether you use horse and plow or modern tractor your planting area
needs to be cleaned, turned and perhaps "green" prepped. You will
want to select the sunniest area (the longer the sun the better);
a slight slope is very good with sandy soil.
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Prepare the soil well in the spring. Clear out scrub
trees, brambles, branches, weeds, and rocks and loosen soil well.
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Green manure - seaweed or soil-building seed
mix, 5lbs./1000 sq. ft.. Mix into a wheel barrow and moisten
with plain water. Leave room to stir! Stir in Field Pea and Vetch
Inoculants into seeds (cover face). spread by hand or with spreader.
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After seed is down, can use disc set on shallow to
lightly cover the seeds OR rake by hand to lightly cover
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Water unless it rains
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Should see signs of germination in about 2 weeks
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If possible, try to moisten while germinating
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4" mat of vegetation can be mowed or disked in the
fall
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This would be a good time to add dried manure if you
choose to do so.
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Let this field now sit over one winter.
PLANTING
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Turn up the soil in the spring. If planting Grosso, wait and
put new plants in the ground in the early fall.
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Measure your field for planting 3' x 6' rows. This spacing will
be excellent for the large Grosso lavender. Other types such as
Provence may require 3' x 5' rows. The measurements will tell you
how much to purchase of the following:
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After laying irrigation
system and staking weed matting, make holes 3' apart and either
5 or 6' apart by row that are about the size of a large coffee
can. Can use a weed burner for this.
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Weed matting is not a requirement.
It can be very useful in mid-west and east locations because
it reflects warmth back up to the plants and lessens the massive
amount of time spent weeding. More heat creates more fragrant blooms.
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Mix
a large bucketful of 80% bonemeal and 20%chicken fertilizer.
Mix well and place a gloved handful of the mix into each planting
hole
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Stir this in a little to mix with the dirt and plant. Do not
put roots directly onto the meal.
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Mound up the dirt/sand a bit
around the plant. Water well.
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After first watering, wait a couple
days and then water for 2 hrs. @ rate of 2 gallons/hr. twice
a week. Do not water after the first frost.
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It is better not to
mulch in Midwest areas that have higher humidity. It could encourage
rot and mildew in the plants.
WATERING
Though lavender is drought tolerant, during the first two years
of the young plants life, it should receive plenty of water to help
it become well established. Watering new plants during their first
season will encourage stem length, spike number and fragrance. A
rate of two gallons/hr. twice a week is recommended. Lavender is
drought resistant, so can go for long periods without water, but
during these dry periods, the plant does not grow well. If you live
in a windy area, it is more important to be able to water the plants.
Once established, the more mature plant should be able to survive
with local rainfall.
The watering method of overhead sprinklers can be used when plants
are first put into the ground and are starting growth for the season.
Beyond that initial phase any overhead watering should be avoided.
Ground level trickle watering is optimum. This method allows the
rate of water to be controlled and minimizes the risk of bacterial
and fungal issues associated with overhead watering.
PRUNING
Do you want a hardy, healthy, well shaped and vigorous plant? If
yes, pruning is the key. Pruning really begins as early as when the
little plant is still in the pot and is then continuous, at least
once a year, for the entire life of the plant.
Trimming the plant in early spring will prevent a spring flowering
but will promote a healthy late spring/early summer flowering instead.
If you prune in the spring, those same plants will need to be pruned
again in the fall and well before the risk of a frost. A heavier
pruning of the plants into smaller mounds will keep the plants compact
for a cold winter and more able to be fully covered with snow. If
you are in a warmer area without severe winters, pruning may be done
when it fits your schedule or when the flowering is complete.
Lavenders that are not kept well pruned will become very woody and
spread over time. They will fall open and show a wide-open space
in the middle with long woody stems. Not very visually pleasing.
Sometimes you can severely trim back these plants so that new growth
is forced from the bottom. Depending on how old the plant is, it
may or may not work.
The key to pruning is to start when the plant is young and still
in the pot. Pinch the new growth in order to encourage lateral branch
formation and even cut off the flower buds in the first year to ensure
a larger plant and abundant spikes for the following season (this
is a primary consideration if you are a commercial grower). Always leave
at least three green leaves at the base of the plant!! Any more severe
than this will be high risk for the plant.
HARVESTING
Wear light leather gloves and use the small lavender sickle with
inner serrated edge, prune plants in the early spring to about 2/3rds
their size. Leave a good couple of inches of green above the woody
stems. This stimulates new growth. They really like this trimming.
If you don't give them a trim/shaping as they mature they will likely
fall open in the middle into a sprawl.
When ready to harvest, determine what you want to do with the results.
Will you distill for essential oil or hydrosol? Are you planning
to dry for bouquets and crafts? A general rule of thumb is to harvest
the plants in the morning down to the third leaf, just after the
dew has lifted. Harvest when half the blossoms are flowering for
fresh bouquets and essential oil. Harvest when about ¾ of
the flowers have opened for dry bundles, crafting, sachets. If cut
too short can kill plant.
DRYING
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Excellent air circulation, low light or darkness, in
a clean environment is critical.
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If creating bouquets, sort into like length stems.
Bundle about one fist full and then wrap with a rubber band.
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With a sharp tool, cut the very base of the bundle
so that it is even and looks very neat.
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Can use paper clips to thread into rubber band and
then turn plant upside down to hang from pegs or chains. Hanging
upside down will keep stems straight.
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Must hang in dry environment with good air circulation
out of the sunlight.
PROPAGATING
Lavender must always be propagated from soft or semi-hardwood cuttings
in order to maintain the pure characteristics of a particular cultivar.
It is not generally recommended that you grow lavender from seed
due to its having significant variability. Most seedlings get cross-pollinated
by bees, which results in a hybridized seed and therefore not recognizable
cultivar. Softwood cutting can be done in the spring and softwood
and semi-hardwood cuttings 5 - 10 cm long in the fall.
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Remove all the flowering material.
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Cut green healthy 2" cutting from top of plant to woody
part.
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Clean off the bottom leaves
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Snip off the top
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Scrape w/sharp knife, one side of woody base.
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Stick the woody base into the rooting hormone (Hormodin
2) and then place into the gritty, well draining potting soil
2" in
tray.
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Place the potted tray onto a warm surface.
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Water - critical that it not be overdone (can mist
lightly too)
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Especially effective if you have a 70 degree greenhouse.
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In 10 to 12 weeks will be ready to transplant into
2" pots. |
