Lavender drying tips. For time of day, it is recommended to take cuttings in the morning when plants reach their peak hydration levels for the day. Plant cuttings are grouped into four basic categories: softwood, greenwood, semi … Top 10 plants to take from cuttings: Hydrangeas; Buxus – box hedging; Fuchsias; Escalonia; Succulents; Miniature Roses; Lavender; Rosemary; Lonicera; Hebes; Numerous shrubs and climbers can be grown from cuttings. Lavender tends to get leggy and untidy if you don’t look after it and encourage new growth in the spring by pruning it hard in late September. Check to see if the stems have roots by giving them a gentle tug. Lavender can be started from seed, but it does take some patience as germination can take many months. Choose stems with good color and no buds. Can I Transplant Garden Lavender to a Pot? #2 Trim The Leaves. It may snap if you force it to bend. Can Lavender Grow Without Rooting Hormones? If you’re new to plant propagation, taking lavender cuttings in summer is a good way to start as they root easily and will provide you with lots of new plants for free. Create a hedge of this sweet smelling, pollinator loved plant on a budget. Push the stems into the pot next to the edge, equally spaced and almost to the depth of the lowest remaining leaves. The plastic bag creates a warm, humid environment that encourages rooting, and the stakes prevent the bag from touching the leaves and triggering decay. Regardless of the type of cutting, you should always cut healthy, straight, vigorous stems for rooting. Set the new plant in a sunny location and water it when the soil is dry, an inch (3 cm.) Wait several days between tugs, as you can damage tender young roots by tugging on them too often. Commercial potting soils have plenty of nutrients to maintain the plants without supplemental feedings. Lavender is very easy to propagate from cuttings. When taking a cutting, choose a strong side shoot with no flowers, and cut a piece between 5-10cm (2-4in) long, cutting just below a leaf joint. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. Some types of lavender bloom freely, making it hard to get a … Starting from the top, use a very sharp knife cut 4-6″ long sections just below a leaf node. The best time to take lavender cuttings is in the fall, and they must be taken from new growth. In Part 1 of our propagation blog series we looked at what propagation is, and why you may want to propagate your lavender. It can take anywhere from 2 to 12 months, but eventually you'll see … Before the leaves start to go into their autumn colours. Read and follow the instructions on the package to apply the fungicide product. Plant Propagation Calendar. Propagating lavender from cuttings is an easy and fun way to get more. Green's work appears in SFGate, Mom.me, The Pink Plumber and many home services blogs . Remove all of the leaves from the lower 2 inches of the stem and then gently scrape the skin off the bottom portion of the stem on one side with a knife. Home Forums > General Gardening Discussions > Gardening Discussions > Propagation This Month > Taking Lavender Cuttings. After having cuttings, you need to trim all but the top bunch of leaves from the stem. This article explains how to propagate lavender from cuttings. Your project starts with cutting a stem from your plant. March - July: Early spring to early summer is the key time for taking soft herb plant cuttings such as Lavender, Mint, Rosemary, Basil, and Lemon Balm. After they were potted up, I started a fresh batch of cuttings of Lavandula angustifolia which took much longer, closer to a month, to root. Strip the leaves from the bottom third of the stems. These free-blooming plants are best rooted from hardwood cuttings. Propagating lavender will save you money and help you build fantastic swathes and hedges of this gorgeous and fragrant plant. Lavender can be successfully propagated in various ways depending on the time of year. For flowering shoots (probably all of them for Lavender!) For time of year, you can take cuttings any time the plant is actively growing from spring to fall. Not only do you get more plants but it is just plain fun to grow more for free. One of the best ways for spring right through summer is to take cuttings. In fall, prepare a 4-inch pot for lavender cuttings by filling it with sandy soil. Take your lavender cotton cuttings in warmer months. How to grow lavender. Plant the new lavender plants in your garden in spring after the threat of frost has passed. This particular lavender seen here was started in July, and took about 2 weeks to root. Early morning is the best time to take cuttings, because the plant is fully turgid. Cut through the leaf as close to the bottom as you can get it, and strip away any little leaflets that may be growing there (those can be propagated separately in soil, but tend to rot in water). How to Care for Lavender in the Summer Time, Sunset: Your Guide to Planting, Care, and Harvesting Lavender, Missouri Botanical Garden: Lavandula Angustifolia, Penn State Extension: Propagating by Cutting or Layering, Lavender Association of Colorado: Propagation. This type of cutting is normally taken from outdoor plants after a couple months or so of growth has taken place. This is also a great time for taking hardwood cuttings of berry plants such as gooseberries and blackberries. Read on to learn more. Select three or four non-flowering stems of lavender that have fresh, green leaves. It is important to keep the cuttings cool and moist until they are stuck. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. While softwood cuttings are only available in spring, you can take hardwood cuttings in spring or fall. They have all grown on quite nicely and should make good garden plants this year. Lavender loves full sun, and lots of it – at least six hours a day for optimal flowering. Blossoms drain the plant of energy, and it’s unlikely that a stem will have the resources to form good roots if it is trying to bloom. Using a sharp knife, not scissors, cut 4-6″ long sections just below a leaf node from the top. Fill cell trays or 3in (9cm) pots with seed and cutting compost mixed with a handful of grit. When the cuttings develop roots, in roughly three weeks, transplant each of them into its own 4-inch pot filled with sandy soil. A plant propagation calendar itemizes what plants can be propagated each month. To take cuttings simply remove the short 3 - 4 inch side shoots by pulling downwards sharply to produce a "heel" or a piece that has a small strip of woody skin attached. Sign up for our newsletter. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. Can you ever have too many lavender plants? Choose non-flowered shoots of this year’s growth and ensure that they’re free from pests and disease. Place the pots in a sunny, frost-free spot over winter and water them sufficiently to prevent the soil from drying out. You can take cuttings at any time of year in a variety of ways, but the easiest (and most successful) method is by taking cuttings of plants’ stems in summer. Ripe Cuttings – Ripe cuttings, or ripe wood cuttings, are simply those taken either in late summer, or early autumn – fall. Set the cutting aside while you prepare the container. All you need is a healthy plant and some gritty compost. Start with cuttings from your plants, or ask friends for their cuttings. Use a sharp knife to take a hardwood or softwood cutting measuring 3 to 4 inches long. Some types of lavender bloom freely, making it hard to get a blossom-free stem when the wood is soft. Just use non-flowered shoots from this year’s growth and follow these three easy steps. Rooting will take place within the next month to eight weeks. An ice chest or dark plastic bag with wet paper towels may be used to store cuttings. The project doesn’t require any special equipment, and it’s easy enough for a beginner. Prepare your pot by filling with potting mix then moisten the soil. Growing Medium. Forum; On the Plot; The Herb Bed; If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. Water the soil until water drips from the drainage holes of the pot. To avoid this problem, make sure the potting mix for cuttings is free draining to prevent water from surrounding the stems for long periods. Take cuttings early in the day when the plants’ stems are full of water. 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