Monday, May 11, 2009

How do I propagate lavender?

I have a green house, not heated though, and I am eager to learn how to propagate my lavender, I have about 4 different types in my garden, so far I have had no success.


I think that gardening is the new rock and roll !

How do I propagate lavender?
Very easily. Best way. Take cuttings of about five inches off. Not old but new wood. Cut bottom of stem at an angle(like a spear). Get some rooting compound from garden centre.This is usually white or purple powder. Stick cuttings into a plant pot. Either a small pot,or several in a bigger pot. Make sure you fill pot with potting mix first.Place a clear plastic bag over plant,and either tie to sides of pot. Or use a big elastic band and secure bag to pot. Place in warm spot in your green house,or house. Water only occasionally. Lavenders like it dry.Should get heaps. You can use this method with most softwood cuttings. Good Luck!
Reply:These are all great answers.





An idea I came up with out of desperation - had a lavender that was 4' tall and it started dying. I bent over some of the more pliable stems %26amp; put a mixture of coffee grounds %26amp; egg shells over the stems. All the stems took root.
Reply:I just pull off fresh green (new growth) side shoots with the bitty of stem that comes off with it, and stick them in the ground and keep moist. They survive through the winter and then can be planted out in the early summer.
Reply:Could be your compost is too wet - it needs to be only slightly moist, otherwise the cuttings will rot away.





Take cuttings from new growth at the end of the summer, before the weather turns chilly. They can be kept outdoors until it turns cold, then put them in your greenhouse and keep the compost only just moist, almost dry, over winter. When the weather starts warming up again, you can water them slightly more, but, still not enough to make the compost wet.





This way , you should have success with at least half of your cuttings. Good luck!
Reply:Take cuttings in summer and plant out in a cold frame or outdoors in autumn - if they seed themselves you'll find lots of small black seeds - just plant them in a seed tray in a lime based soil which is well drained - they are not easy to propogate from cuttings and you may lose more than survive. Cut off 2 to 4 inch stems at the point where leaves grow and plant them - if you take 20 cuttings - expect only 3 to survive unless you are very lucky
Reply:My method of propagating Lavender is to take nodal or heeled cuttings


in August and root in sand/peat 2-1 mix in a low and shaded frame. Any


lightly shaded cold frame will do but at one time it was common to see


very low frames called 'sun frames' used for the rooting of ripe and


semi-ripe shrub cuttings including conifers, during summer.


Keep as close an atmosphere as you can by having the frame closed and


syringing its contents frequently


OR


pulling off a small side shoot (2"-3") with a


stem which is slightly woody.


Strip off the larger leaves just leaving a little tuft of small leaves at the top.


I dip the end in rooting compound and then put a number of cuttings in normal potting compost around


the edges of a medium sized pot.


You can cover the pot with a clear plastic sandwich bag held on with a rubber band to keep the cuttings humid for the first few days.


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