lavender taking FOREVER to grow

[merrymary]

hello,

I planted from seed, lavender in a container almost 4 weeks ago, and it's just now starting , tiny , seedlings.. is this just a very slow growing herb or is there something I can do to assist it? I used just every day potting soil and water it frequently..

[Kisal]

I start my lavender from seed. It has been quite a few years, but as I recall, the first time I did it, it took so long that I despaired of the seed ever sprouting.

I consider lavender to be slow growing. Mine is about 15 years old now, and it's looking pretty ratty, so I'll be starting new seed this summer.

[roraima10]

I planted mine in a pot in April and it grew to be about 1/2 an inch tall in a month and a half and most of its growing happened early in that time period. That's pretty slow. It was recommended that I add some water soluble fertilizer because I might have drained all the nutrients from frequent watering. It seems to have helped. It's grown about 5-7% taller in a week which is more than it did in a month. I have a feeling that might not help in your case if your potting mix already has the fertilizer but yes, lavender appears to be very slow growing regardless

[NRB]

I started 6 types of herb from seed 3 or 4 weeks ago. Of the first 5, 95% are up, but only 20% of the lavender.

[a0c8c]

I planted around 12 lavender seesd, and got none. They seem a little harder than other herbs to grow from seeds, and are definately slow growers

[GardenLisa]

Once you have a plant, it's easier to split the plant for more. Not a lot of people have the patience to grow lavender from seed, including me.

[rainbowgardener]

I have started lavender from seed, but I have a seed starting operation with perfect conditions, bottom heat, etc. Even so, they have a lower germination rate, and are very slow growing and won't bloom until the second year. Once established they are great!

[Susan W]

I will admit I like instant gratification, and go for buying plant starts! Working part-time in a garden center feeds this habit also.
I do have one lavender in the bed that is about over. Just waiting for it to finish blooming to take it away. I picked up a nice big healthy start a couple of weeks ago at a farmers market. Put it in a pot, and it started showing color within a week or so. This week got another start from the same lady and will put it in the ground. Something about walking by it and brushing the leaves even in winter told me I needed it!

[rainbowgardener]

Not sure what "almost over" and "taking it away" mean. Lavender is perennial, hardy down to zone 5; if you leave it alone next year it will be twice as big and bushy and floriferous. I was recently out in California. Since they don't have frost to cause it to die back, they have lavender plants that are 4-5 high and huge! Here in Ohio they never get that big, because they kind of have to start over every year, nonetheless, they do keep getting bigger and bushier and more thriving by the year. I'd never get rid of mine!

[Susan W]

Lavender is a bit iffy here. It isn't the cold, but the warm muggy nights. Also it may get too much water (wet feet), especially if a garden with other things that need some water. Sometimes I just treat it as a short lived perennial, much as I do regular sage.
This plant in question had some problems, and I cut a bunch of it out, and it came back prettier. This last bout of going south is branches going grey -brown-dead. Or splitting at the main stem. I try to cut out the bad branches. To complicate matters the healthier part is growing into another plant I am encouraging to spread. And it is not pretty in its current state; just waiting for the blooms to finish!

OK, I know, I need another raised bed just for the dry feet plants. This will be raised, have sandier soil, in the sun. I can put lavender, sage artemesia (wormwood, southern wood) and a few other lovelies in it. I can't keep up with what I have. What was I thinking?!