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Potting up Lavender?

16 years ago

In the fall of '06 I puchased 2 Hidcotes and a Provence and potted them up on my balcony. They were quiet all winter, and took off beautifully in the spring. But around August, they were looking weedy and peaked, so I (stupidly) gave them a good drink and fertilizing, and lost them. (Well, of course they were looking weedy-it was 114. And when you have them in peaty potting soil, they just stew. Ouch)

I have since learned to treat them like my potted rosemary (with which I have no problem) gravelly soil, water 'em only if they are dry, and a tiny bit of slow release fertilizer. And summer here is a dormant time, other than a shot of water, just let them all be. The balcony is south facing, so sun is great.

BUT! Since last Sept I have purchased, and repotted (in coarse pumice amended mix and not to large pots) a half-dozen assorted lavenders. With the exception of 2, they have all croaked within a month. A couple turned mushy, others had a dry rot look. The only survivors are a sad and bilious looking Goodwin Creek and an indeterninate Hidcote type thats sort of alive.

What am I doing wrong? I gather from reading posts that I may have had some type of fungus on them? If so, is it in the soil, or on the plant? They're in the same mix and watering regimen as my happy rosemary. Nothing else seems affected.

I just found some Provence (my favorite) lavender in a store. (I was about to order from High Country) They are from Bonnie Plants, which have always done well for me, as well as a geat looking little Spanish Purple from whomever.

I'm ready to pot up. Have pots just a little bigger, pumice, gravel, perlite and a great coarse mix (Kelloggs Patio Plus), Osmocote, Dr Qs repotting tonic, etc, etc lol

Help! Is there anything I'm missing? When you pot lavender up, does it like root ball undisturbed, or loosen? Water in, or just moisten mix ahead of time? Or as a friend says, "get a pot of gravel, put a tablespoon of dirt and a cup of water in in , plop the plant in and walk away, lol"

All help appreciated, thanks!

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Comments (5)

calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
16 years ago
I think your problem is your planting mix. Post this on the container growing forum and you should get lots of help. Al
katefisher
16 years ago
Ecosse:

We have several lavendar plants in our yard. A couple years ago I decided to move them to a sunnier location. The general consensus at that time was that they don't take too well to transplanting. I had four then, two succesfully made the transplant and one died for reasons yet to be determined. The one I have left I aim to move into a raised bed in the hottest, sunniest part of the yard in good potting soil. I'm hoping the respectable potting soil will offset its hot location and the fact that watering will likely be intermittent.

Hope this helps.

Kate
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One more thing that most lavenders would be best watered early in the day and try to keep from wetting the foliage much as they can be prone to leaf fungal diseases. They thrive naturally in quite poor and dry soils but containers are at least to a fair degree a different animal and you will want to feed and water more than if they were in the ground. I second the fast drainage by whatever media you choose. Just some more food for thought, Good Luck and Happy Growing David
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I don't know where you live, but lavender needs a very well drained soil. You might want to try planting them in a raised bed and see what happens. Here is some more information on lavender: French Lavender Lavandula dentata Tender perennial. Overwinters in Zones 8-10; should be potted and brought indoors in colder climates. An herb garden standard, French lavender produces wave after wave of lavender-purple flowers in midsummer. The foliage is gray green with a serrated edge. Its perennial in zones 8 through 10. Northern gardeners should grow it in pots and move indoors during the winter. Or, take cuttings from garden plants in the fall. Planting & Care. Plant from containers in well-drained soil in a sunny, sheltered location. Expect only a few blossoms to appear on one-year-old plants; maximum flower production typically develops by the third year. Cut back flower stems after bloom period has passed. Rejuvenate old plants that have become ragged or woody by cutting back branches. Don't shear but prune branches selectively to retain the natural form.
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It looks like a young, healthy plant. It doesn't need bottom heat and would do best outside in a well-drained spot in the ground in full sun, although I'd introduce it to full sun gradually, since it's been indoors for a while. The fact that the foliage is green eliminates the lavenders with silver foliage, and I'd say it's almost certainly L. angustifolia or L. x intermedia -- an "English" lavender or a lavandin -- from the leaf shape, but that leaves hundreds of varieties as possibilities. Post back when it grows larger and blooms. The color of the bloom, length of stem and how the flowers are arranged can all give clues as to the likeliest variety.
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diggingthedirt
16 years ago
I think they take a richer soil than many herbs, and I don't think they really like to be horribly dry, although they do require *impeccable* drainage.

I'd suggest you try a plain, well-draining mix, without the additional tonics, pumice, or osmocote. The word "plus" in the name of the mix you're using suggests that it includes fertilizer, and you may be over-doing it by adding tonic and osmocote. Once the plants are established, you can add some osmocote to the soil surface if you really think they need it - it might not be until next year, though.

Most of my (30 or more?) lavender plants are in the ground, in lightly ammended soil, but I've had decent results growing spanish-french types in large clay pots, without saucers, and with shards in the bottom. I use plain old potting soil.
ecosse
Original Author
16 years ago
Hello All!

Thanks for the great suggestions! Had to go ahead with it. I've added a lot of extra drainage holes to the pots with a drill, no fertilizer, and no tonics. Screen at the bottom, and the pots sit on gravel filled saucers.

I was very gentle loosening the root ball to minimize transplant shock, and mixed some of the original soil with the new.

I did use the Kelloggs mix, but with no pumice amendments. Not meaning to sound like an advert, lol, but it seemed a better choice than the other "big 3" of commercial mixes-and I have no room to make my own. It is an "all natural outdoor potting mix", "combining good drainage with moisture retention". It seems to be fine bark /rice hull based. It's very coarse, and drains more quickly than any other potting mix I've ever used. Hopefully they will like it.

Treating them like a rosemary may have been too harsh, so hopefully respectable soil, good drainage, and just a bit more watering will do it! I imagine tho they may be evergreen here, they will probably go dormant during the winter and the hottest part of summer. I chose Provence (fabulous aromatic foliage) and Madrid Purple for more heat tolerance than the English types.

Al, Kate, Digging-Thanks again!
ecosse
Original Author
16 years ago
Just wanted to say "thanks" again for the advice! My 2 new Provences and Madrid Purple are thriving. The "bilous" looking Goodwin Creek is now its proper silvery green, and has grown to almost half again its size. The indeterminate "Hidcote" type didn't make it, but I needed to cull a bit anyway, so its all good!

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