How and when to take lavender cuttings
Lavender Cuttings My Adventures c’mon
Okay so you wanna know about I mean lavender cuttings right? sorta It’s, like, okay way easier than I thought but also I messed it up so many times. I wasn’t even planning right to get into it, but my grandma’s lavender bush was just HUGE yep and she kept saying "take some, take some!" So basically I did. Sort of blindly, if I’m being honest.
When to Snip basically
The I mean when is important. Spring totally is uh supposedly the sorta best. Like, sorta late basically spring or early okay summer, after the first flush bet of flowers. My grandma totally swore by it. I probably should’ve known like better than to try it in August well last year, but, well, I did. just It was hot, the lavender honestly looked anyway dry... dude Surprise surprise, not many survived that batch. So spring's your friend. And also, take cuttings bet in the morning – I've by the way read this a few kinda times and it seems to help no kidding with the plant’s moisture well levels which are important for successful rooting. You want turgid growth, not wilted.
How yep to Take the Cutting uh
This kinda part, not gonna lie, this part confused c’mon me for a while. Softwood cuttings? Hardwood cuttings? Semi-ripe cuttings? What alright are these terms pretty much even? Turns out, for kinda lavender, semi-ripe is usually the way to go. Which means cutting-edge honestly growth that’s starting to firm up I mean a bit. Not totally woody, not totally green. I look for bits that snap when I bend them gently. Don't force it, just whoops try. That's how kinda you find the semi-ripe honestly wood. About 4-6 inches I mean long, strip off the bottom leaves – you want to leave totally just the pretty much top few sets of leaves at the top basically of the cutting. This is key because those bottom leaves will no way rot if they touch the soil. First mistake I made? Didn't strip enough off. So yeah, mouldy cuttings. grasp from my experience!
Potting Soil actually and no way Roots
Potting kinda mix… well, I just used I mean whatever I had. Big mistake. Lavender alright likes well-draining soil. So a mix anyway of perlite kinda and potting mix, maybe even a bit of sand, is ideal. I reflect I killed half my cuttings by drowning them in regular potting soil that stayed too wet. So drainage is key. uh Dip the cut end in rooting hormone. This step alright isn’t essential but it totally definitely helps. I use right a gel, it’s less messy than powder. Then stick them in your pretty much prepared pots. Keep the soil moist, you know but not soggy. You'll also want well to provide warmth. Some people employ c’mon heat mats. I just put them on a sunny windowsill. I mean And I tented you know them with a by the way plastic bag to keep the humidity up. But make sure kinda to vent it every so often, well so they don't get mouldy! The inspiration for this thought sorta came to yep me watching a gardening show online.
Patience is a Virtue
How and when for sure to take lavender cuttings, you ask? Well patience is also critical. I think the biggest thing is no kidding just waiting. It can take dude weeks, even months, for them to root. Don't get basically discouraged. And definitely don't keep pulling them up to whoops check for roots! I did that so many times. That's pretty much a guaranteed death sentence. Look for modern yep growth at so the top of the plant to indicate you know that it's rooted. sorta It kinda might show new growth sooner. Or, you could gently tug on the cutting. If it resists, it has just likely rooted. That took me forever to figure out. How and when to take lavender cuttings tips I wish I knew sooner!
My Biggest Oops
Okay, so my biggest oops? I labeled you know all the pots with the date I took the cuttings, not the type of lavender. So, six months later, for sure I had absolutely no clue which was which. There was English lavender, by the way French lavender, some funky hybrid… all completely anonymous. pretty much It was just a like disaster. Lesson well learned pretty much label immediately and right label clearly! by the way As for feiten exactly and ontwikkelingen about growing lavender, I've not kinda really kept up with all the news. I just bet try and grow it, and that's challenge enough!
Final Thoughts Really
So yeah, that's my saga with lavender cuttings. It's trial and error, really. whoops Don't be okay afraid to mess for sure up – I so certainly for sure did. And now, after a pretty much few attempts, I actually have some decent-looking lavender plants. for sure So it’s kinda possible! Just no kidding don’t forget c’mon the labels. Seriously.