Lavender care tips: Ensure vibrant blooms with proper techniques
Lavender is a plant that is gaining popularity in gardens due to its beautiful flowers, intense fragrance, and ease of care. To keep it healthy and vibrant, it's important to ensure proper placement, watering, fertilization, and pruning.
Lavender (Lavandula) is a plant with a subtle charm that originates from regions with a warm climate, such as the Mediterranean Basin. Valued for its decorative and health benefits, lavender is becoming a popular feature in many gardens.
To enjoy its beauty throughout the season, it requires proper maintenance—from choosing the right location to regular watering and fertilization, to precise pruning. It's worth learning the basic principles of caring for this plant to enjoy its beauty for a long time.
The ideal spot for lavender in the garden
Lavender grows best in sunny locations because full sun ensures abundant flowering. This plant prefers dry, well-drained, slightly alkaline soils. The soil should have a good structure, so it's worth enriching it with sand if it's heavy and moist. Remember not to plant lavender in shaded areas—the more sun, the better.
How to water lavender so it blooms continuously
Lavender doesn't like excess water, so water it sparingly and thoroughly, only when the soil is completely dry. Avoid wetting the leaves to prevent fungal diseases. It is best to water it early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
As for fertilization, lavender does not need large amounts of fertilizers. In spring, it's good to use a low-nitrogen fertilizer rich in phosphorus and potassium to support flowering. You can also use compost or manure to enrich the soil with natural nutrients.
Try a natural fertilizer made from yeast
To prepare a homemade fertilizer for lavender, you can use fresh yeast. Crumble 1.8 oz of yeast, put it into a container with 1.3 gallons of warm water and mix it thoroughly until the yeast is dissolved. After an hour, the conditioner will be ready for use.
Before using, the conditioner should be diluted with water at the ratio of 1 cup of fertilizer to 2.6 gallons of water. If less is needed, maintain the ratio: 0.4 oz of yeast to 1 quart of water. You can fertilize the plant with this solution once a week.
Pruning and caring for lavender
Lavender requires pruning to maintain a compact shape and health. Prune once a year—preferably after blooming, in early fall, or in the spring. Remove the dried flower heads and shorten the shoots, leaving about 2-4 inches above the base.
Too intensive pruning can weaken the plant, so it should be done carefully. It's also worth removing weeds around the lavender, which may weaken it, and protecting the plant for the winter, especially in cooler regions, using agricultural fabric, for example.
