Lavender Problems
Amanda Frye
2 years ago
My French lavender was planted in the fall. There was lavender there before when we moved in a year and a half ago and it turned as well. It suddenly start d turning yellow with brown crispy leaves at the bottom of the plant. It doesn’t seem to read as have excess moisture on my mete but could be wrong. Could someone please help me save my lavender that was gorgeous a few weeks ago?
Los Angeles, California
Featured Answer
Comments (11)
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
2 years agoAmanda Frye
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Lavender Problem
Comments (16)If all you have is balcony space, you can put it in a dark box that won't deteriorate with the weather. A Styrofoam cooler with an open top would be ideal. Put the plant in the cooler, and position it so the open top is against a heated wall. Shim it so the opening is fairly snug to the wall, but not air tight. It does no good to try to keep plants warm by building any sort of shelter unless you have designed it to utilize/trap heat from an extraneous source. For example, if a freezer was 0* f, and you put a cup of water in a cooler and placed the cooler in the freezer, the water in the cup would soon reach 0* ..... not as quickly as it would if it wasn't in the cooler, but the end result would be the same. You're not particularly concerned with keeping the soil from freezing, that's ok; but you ARE concerned with keeping the soil temperature from dropping to a 'killing low'. If you had a garage, you could use a cardboard box in zone 4 or 5 to keep most zone 8 plants alive all winter, simply by overturning the box and covering the plant so the box traps geo-heat coming through the floor. In your case, with the foam cooler or similar, you would be trapping extraneous heat coming through the outside wall. At this point, I don't think it makes a lot of sense to go to any heroic effort to salvage the plant, but you might wish to consider the box thing I mentioned - which doesn't take a lot of effort. Best luck, and Merry Christmas! Al...See MoreFrench Lavender problem.
Comments (1)Lavender is a real bug-a-boo. My French one looks worse than that. The Spanish one is looking good but it probably won't make it through winter. The English ones croaked. I decided to try them all to see if any would make it. They went downhill when we got humid in June (except the Spanish). Have you been humid there? That was my best guess here because they were planted in the ground in gritty soil, perfect drainage, full sun and I didn't water them since I read not to do that. I keep saying I will not try them again, then I do....See MoreLavender.... grrrrrr!
Comments (6)You've partly answered your question yourself! Neglect, and plenty of it, is the answer. And room to spread for the plants - even if it's only a couple of small holes in the bottom of a pot. Take a look at where those older plants are. Sunlight, soil, protection from wind, good drainage - I bet it's all there. So that's what your new plants need, too. Now, since we know that lavender LIKES it where you are, what could be the problem? Several suspects: When you buy your plants, do you take the whole thing out of the pot to inspect the root system? Are the plants potbound, are the roots growing round and round the pot instead of straight downwards? This is the death knell for any plant, and nothing you can do will make those roots straighten out so they can feed and drink. So the plants look good above the soil. So what? Unscrupulous nurseries and plant suppliers know exactly how to achieve that - for a quick sale. It's a deceptive little ploy. Another one is to suppress the growth of certain plants over periods when sales aren't so good - which means you're getting a much older plant than the size might indicate. It doesn't do the plants a heap of good, but it can boost sales when better weather arrives. I suggest buying plants well into spring, or even summer. By then, hopefully, any tampered-with plants will have gone to other unsuspecting customers. When keeping plants in pots, take a look at a fully mature plant that isn't in a pot (or is in a huge pot). Visualise trying to squeeze the above-ground bits into the pot you've chosen. As a rough rule of thumb, the bits below-ground will need as much space as the bits above. A potted plant will always be stunted to some degree, but this is a fairly good guide to the size of pot needed. Lavender roots don't grow deep - they like to spread themselves out fairly close to the soil surface - and if they have to squeeze out through small holes to get at what they want, they'll do it, as you've discovered. Keep the pH of the potting mix at 6.5-7.5. Let this measure guide you as to the addition or not of lime. Lavender prefers a poor soil, so keep the fertilisers away from them. Just use fresh potting mix each time you repot to a larger size pot (or if in the ground, a handful of compost every blue moon or so won't hurt, and will help improve the soil condition - friability and drainage). In winter, keep protected from extreme cold and wind, and allow the soil to dry out almost completely. Just a little misting now and then to keep it alive....See Moreindoor lavender, problem
Comments (6)Hi & welcome to Gardenweb! The answer is in the title of your post, if one changes the punctuation. "Indoor lavender: problem." Unless you have HUGE windows or skylights, a plant that needs as much sun as lavender is not worth bothering inside. However, I see that you're in Turkey, so it may be necessary to bring most plants inside so they don't burn up. Even so, I think lavender is one that would still be better outside, likes brutal sun and doesn't mind dry air. Not having enough sunlight probably contributed to it becoming unhealthy enough to be so overwhelmed by pests. Also, there are no predators inside to keep a pest issue under natural control. I wouldn't keep it inside with these spider mites on it either, but would give it a chance to try to recover outside, although I understand not everyone has a place for plants outside....See Morefloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
2 years ago
JoJo (Nevada 9A)
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
2 years agoJoJo (Nevada 9A)
2 years agoYes, the American West is perfect for lavender, and not just the coastal areas.
I have to water my lavenders at least once a week in the Mohave desert, but even I have to reduce the amount of water in the summer. They don't like to sit in warm, wet soil or the yellowing and droopiness start to set in immediately and the roots get mushy.
Amanda Frye
2 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
2 years agoAmanda Frye
2 years ago
Related Stories
GARDENING GUIDESSolve 3 Common Landscape Problems — With More Plants
Sometimes the best defense is a good offense
Full Story
LANDSCAPE DESIGNProblem Solving With the Pros: Sustainable Landscape Captures Runoff
An underground cistern, permeable paving and a rain garden are part of this Washington, D.C. yard's thoughtful design
Full Story
FLOWERSHerb Garden Essentials: Grow Your Own Fragrant Lavender
This do-it-all plant is ideal for almost any garden, and its uses are abundant around the home
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESRegal Lavender Rules Gardens Coast to Coast
Learn how to grow this fragrant, beautiful herb and show off its full beauty in the landscape
Full Story
PRODUCT PICKSGuest Picks: What’s Purple All Over?
With kitchen appliances, pillows, chairs and more in shades of lavender to plum, your home can be as purple as you please
Full Story
COLORFront and Center Color: When to Paint Your Door Purple
From grapelicious to lavender, a front door cloaked in the color of royalty might just reign supreme in the neighborhood
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESGreat Garden Combo: 3 Wonderful Plants for a Deer-Resistant Screen
Protect your privacy and keep deer at bay with a planting trio that turns a problem garden area into a highlight
Full Story
DECORATING GUIDESFrom Queasy Colors to Killer Tables: Your Worst Decorating Mistakes
Houzzers spill the beans about buying blunders, painting problems and DIY disasters
Full Story
PETSRoom of the Day: Laundry Room Goes to the Dogs
Muddy paws are no problem in this new multipurpose room
Full Story
INSIDE HOUZZThere’s a Party in the Backyard, Says a Houzz Landscaping Survey
Entertaining, growing edibles and solving problems are goals for homeowners planning to revamp their yards
Full Story
JoJo (Nevada 9A)