Qing
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Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2019 12:13 pm
Location: Lahti, Finland zone 5a

Spanish lavender drooping after repotting, pictures

Hi everyone! Thanks a lot in advance for reading and answering!!

I live in southern Finland usda zone 5a. Last week I bought a pot of Spanish lavender from supermarket. The plant was not blooming when I bought it. I kept it for about a week in the original pot outdoor. The two layered pot has a automatic bottom watering system. But as I read that lavenders don´t need to be watered so often, and there´s a lot of water at the bottom of the pot, I took the inner pot out so for several days the plant has been just in the plastic pot with a drainage hole and it was thriving and blooming on the terrace. Then I decided to transplant it into a larger wooden container in the garden.

So yesterday I bought according to knowledge from the Internet: clay pebble, Mediterranean soil and normal garden soil. I put clay pebble on the bottom of the wood box and mixed the soils on top, ratio about 1:1:1. The I took out the plant, teased the root, and planted it in the new container. Though I remember reading that right after planting, lavenders should be watered but I decided not to because everything felt moist enough. Today after getting home from work I found the plant drooping in the garden and soil surface really dry.
DSC_0068[1].JPG

So I decided to water it. Two hours later it was drooping even more.
DSC_0070[1].JPG
I examine the plant and soil, everything was just too wet to my instinct, not the proper living environment for lavender according to what I read. And also I found the branch attachment cracking and almost falling apart!
DSC_0069[1].JPG
I have no clue what to try now, some friends suggest to water even more but I don´t really believe. Then I was really hasting and I removed the plant from the bed, the root-soil ball was really really moist inside out. I believe that it should just be drained so I put it back to the plastic pot and let everything dry for a while. I don´t know if I did right and what next. I really would like to plant it to the wooden box.

pepperhead212
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Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

Welcome to the forum!
I'm not sure what the Mediterranean soil is that you mixed with the garden soil, but you should have some perlite in there - a normal amount is 20% by volume, but for lavender you may want to increase that. I use 25% for my rosemary, which has similar needs as the lavender, and I found that it grew very well in a fabric pot; the wood would probably be good for the lavender, since it would breathe, and they like the dryer contents. You are probably correct not to keep watering - if it didn't perk up quickly, there is probably some other condition causing the problem. I would definitely look at the soil.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

What is the drainage situation like in the wooden planter? Holes in the bottom? Tightly fitted panels or loose enough for water to come out of sides-air to get in? If the holes are only on the bottom, are they blocked when sitting on the floor? — you may need pot-feet or bricks for the planter to sit up higher, or just drill some holes in the sides.

I agree the current mix DOES look a little bit too moisture holding — I agree additional perlite or sand would make it more suitable for lavender.


Also, it is very important not to put root-teased plants in the sun right after transplanting — they need to rest in dappled shade for a day or two to recover and resume/re-route root operations and moisture distribution.

Although the cracked stem joint is worrisome, I think it will be OK if you bury that part with sand — enough that you don’t see any split/damaged stem any more. The plant will heal or grow roots from the damaged bark.

Qing
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Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2019 12:13 pm
Location: Lahti, Finland zone 5a

Thank you both so much for the advises! The plant looks again healthier this morning in the old pot. I´m going to buy 6L perlite today and mix with the soil mixture 1:5, and leave some on the surface of the soil as I read that light coloured mulch reflects sunlight to the plant, becoz there isn't always that much sunlight here to ensure 6-8h/day. Hopefully that's a good idea.

pepperhead212 I guess the Mediterranean soil (välimerenmulta) is a product invented by this Scandinavian gardening product chain Plantagen, as I don't find any product by the English name.

applestar The wooden planter has two holes on the bottom and spaces between the panels at the sides. Pot-feet sounds good, I also felt a bit weird when putting the holes straight against the floor. Gonna look better as well I think.

I'll update with the plant condition in case you're interested. Thanks again!! :)

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

It sounds like transplant shock. Lavender has fine roots and usually I only score but do not tease roots apart anymore. I get less transplant shock. Lavender does like a slightly alkaline well drained soil. I find the holes in planter boxes are small and too few. I usually drill holes in the sides of planters that sit on the ground and I prefer pots with holes on the sides as well as the bottom. Bottom holes can be blocked by debris in the pot and water is impeded under the pot so holes in the sides drain better and I can easily see the water coming out. I usually plant lavender in terracotta pots since they breathe and I do not over pot. I use peat lite with a little bit of lime added to increase the alkalinity a bit.



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