Need help with my lavender

[mirvjen27]

Hello everyone,

It's been a while that my lavender is getting worse.
I wait until the soil is dry before watering and also gave it a good spot with plenty of light (not direct sunlight). But its leaves keep getting yellowish and the plant can't even stand on its own (pictures attached).

Any help please ? Thank you...

[rainbowgardener]

It always helps to tell us where you are located. There are hardly any garden questions that can be discussed without regard to location/ climate.

[imafan26]

Its an older lavender and lavenders in the ground gett really big, I would start with repotting. I think it has been there awile and the leaves are getting smaller, also a sign that something is missing. Lavender likes a well drained soil that is slightly akaline. Try cactus mix with a handful or two of compost to hold moisture a little better in a bigger pot. I only use nutracote or osmocote on lavender, it does not like a lot of fertilizer.

It is actually putting out new growth so I think it needs more space and fresh soil the most.
In the ground lavender becomes a large mound. Mine flops in the pots too.

[mirvjen27]

Sorry, I live in Tirana - Albania, cold winter and high humidity (although this year wasn't that cold) and very hot summer.

[Philip1969]

I've planted 30 lavender plants mid Feb 15 inches apart and all are approx 3-4 inches high from the ground. 2 months later I see no signs of anything happening.

Is this normal? Or how long does it take to see noticeable results?

[rainbowgardener]

It always helps to tell us where you are located. There are hardly any garden questions that can be discussed without regard to location/ climate. What conditions has your lavender been through while it was sitting there? What is your soil like?

Lavender is very slow getting started from seed. In my experience growing it in a cold climate, started from seed in late January, by the end of the season when cold shuts it down again, it might be only six inches tall. The next year it does a lot better. But I would think in two months you would see some noticeable change unless conditions haven't been right for it (e.g. too cold, too shady, too wet). Put a stick next to it and mark the height. It might be that it has actually grown some, but growing slowly it is hard to notice.

[imafan26]

Phillip did you plant lavender in the ground or in pots. Lavender is drought tolerant in the ground so it has a fine but extensive root system. It does likes a slightly alkaline soil and it needs to be well drained. L. augustifolia does best in zones 5-8. In zone 10 and above it grows best in the higher elevations. I live in zone 12a so they do not do well for me unless I provide afternoon shade in summer. I have most of mine in pots but I have had lavender multifida in the ground with afternoon shade. Instead I grow lavindins (crosses between l. augustifolia and l. intermedia ) that can handle heat better. Lavender multifida is an ornamental lavender that will bloom nearly nonstop for me and it is the only lavender for zone 10. In pots they do not get very big, but in the ground they become a very big mounding plant at least 3 ft in diameter and over 3 ft tall. It hates being rained on and the leaves will turn black and rot, and it does not need or like a lot of fertilizer. I only use slow release once a year. Lavender should be cut back once a year, but only cut soft wood. Cutting into old wood can kill the plant or make it take a very long time to come back. I usually cut it back around January when my rainy season starts. I try to wait until I see new shoots coming from the old wood and I prefer to cut back half the plant only. If it is going to rain for a week, I have not choice but to cut all of it off and hope for the best. Lavender should be cut back to make it look nicer otherwise over time the woody stems will take over and the top will look smaller. You would then have no choice but to cut it back harshly and it will take a long time to come back.