Lavender is one of those shrubs that you can't have enough of. Lavender hedges in particular are a wonderful eye-catcher - whether for framing the house, as a path or border. However, lavender plants are not necessarily cheap in large quantities. That's why you can of course try to propagate the plant yourself - it's cheaper and even more fun.
How to propagate lavender?
Lavender can be grown by propagating seeds, cuttings or planters. Propagation via seeds is demanding, while cutting and planting methods are easier and more successful. Young plants should be transplanted early to minimize stress.
Propagation via seeds
Propagation via seeds is not that easy with lavender. On the one hand, this is because the lavender seeds available in stores are usually not of the same variety, but on the other hand, it is also due to the fact that the seeds need certain conditions to germinate and grow. Lavender is a light germinator, i.e. H. It must not be covered with soil when sowing, but needs a place that is as bright as possible. You should also plant the seeds on the windowsill in February / March so that the plants bloom in the same year. Otherwise, you can only plant the lavender directly in the bed after the Ice Saints, when there are guaranteed to be no more night frosts. For cultivation you can use special growing substrate or nutrient-poor herb soil.
Lavender sometimes self-seeds
Real lavender in particular produces a lot of seeds, which - provided they feel comfortable in their location - often appear in large numbers. You can either pluck these young plants, let them grow or transplant them to another location. To do this, you have to dig them up as early as possible, ideally when there are only a few tender leaves next to the two cotyledons. The younger a lavender is, the easier it is to transplant - and the more likely it is to survive this procedure.
Propagate lavender from cuttings
Lavender can be propagated using cuttings rather than seeds. This method is nowhere near as complicated as seed propagation and is also more promising. You can also be sure that you will actually get lavender of the desired variety - lavender propagated from seeds can look completely different than the mother plant. You can take the cuttings when cutting in spring and summer.
- Choose young shoots that are around 10 to 15 centimeters long.
- These should have at least two to three leaves.
- Cut the cuttings so that a slanted cutting surface is created.
- This ultimately makes it easier for the young plant to absorb water.
- Use a sharp and clean knife.
- Remove any leaves at the bottom.
- Dip the cut surface into a rooting powder (€8.00 on Amazon).
- This should contain a rooting hormone.
- Plant the cutting either straight into the bed or into a pot with nutrient-poor soil.
- Keep the young plant moist, but not wet.
- Do not fertilize! Because the roots are still missing, the plant cannot yet absorb fertilizer.
- The cutting will root within a few weeks.
- You can tell this because it is developing new shoots.
Growing young plants using sinkers
In addition to propagating cuttings, growing young plants using so-called sinkers also works very well with lavender. In contrast to cuttings, sinkers are only cut off from the mother plant once they have formed sufficient roots themselves. Until then, the mother plant continues to supply its offshoots with water and nutrients.
- Select one or more branches that grow as close to the ground as possible.
- Dig a small hole below this branch.
- Bend the branch down (careful: don't break it!) and place it in the middle of the planting hole.
- The upper, flowering part should look out on the other side.
- Cover the hole with soil and weigh down the area with a stone or similar.
- Otherwise it can happen that the lowering tool simply slips out.
Sinkers take significantly longer than cuttings to take root. You should leave the young plant attached to the mother plant for about three to four months until it has rooted reliably. You can then either leave them where they are, move them or plant them in a pot. Because the plant takes so long to root, planters should be planted as early as possible - ideally in May or June at the latest.
Tips & Tricks
Lavender can be propagated in a variety of ways, but dividing the bush is usually not possible. Lavender could only be divided if it had roots in several places in the ground. However, this is usually not the case. In addition, older lavender becomes woody, which makes it even more difficult to divide.
