Can I save my lavender?

Question

Hoping to save the two lavender plants I have left. Any tips?

They were planted from seed last year in the fall. I actually thought they weren’t going to come in because I didn’t see anything for quite some time.

But they did sprout! and I had maybe five plants up until recently. I went on vacation two separate times, when heat waves came through, and my plant-sitter didn’t give them enough water. Three plants were small so they dried out and died; these two were significantly bigger and made it through, and hanging on.

I’m home all the time now so I’ve tried to stay on top of watering regularly and giving them a little extra (I water deeply when the top 1/2” of soil is dry; they get direct SoCal sun all day except for a couple later morning hours). However, it seems like they’re still drying out slowly. I’d really like to save these last two plants. Am I watering too much? Too little? Should I fertilize?

Answer 1

The depth of the container is likely causing a problem - the roots have to spread out and probably require water twice a day at least because the soil they spread into is shallow and fully exposed to the sun, so it dries out quite quickly. Whilst Lavender copes well in poor soil and tolerates drought, there is a limit, especially when the plant is under 18 months old. I'd recommend you find a deeper container with drainage holes and move it into that, using fresh potting soil. If you want to plant it in the ground, wait till the weather's cooler, in Fall, but be sure to water in well and keep it well watered during dry, very warm weather till its settled in by next year.