using lavender as mulch

Lavender requires well-drained soil and plenty of space to allow air circulation around plants. When it comes to lavender mulching, the goal is to keep the foliage and the crown as dry as possible. This means using about an inch (2.5 cm.) of mulch that won't trap moisture around the roots.

What can I do with my lavender clippings?

Use your lavender harvest:

Use lavender in soothing and calming bath salts to relieve tension, stress, and insomnia. ...
Make lavender antiseptic spritzer with 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons of lavender infused witch hazel, 5-10 drops of lavender essential oil – all placed in an 8 oz spray bottle.

Does lavender spread quickly?

How much is it likely to spread? Lavender is a small shrub that usually grows 20 to 24 inches tall and wide. The height includes the flower stalks, so when not in bloom, the foliage may be only a foot tall. The plant does not spread as thyme, oregano, and other herbs tend to.

Is lavender good for your garden?

Lavender provides good germ-fighting properties and also promotes healing. In the garden, take advantage of the benefits of lavender flowers in beckoning pollinators. Place lavender bushes strategically near a vegetable garden to lure bees and other pollinators.

How do you take cuttings from lavender?

Wait several days between tugs, as you can damage tender young roots by tugging on them too often. Remove the plastic bag when the cutting has roots. Set the new plant in a sunny location and water it when the soil is dry, an inch (3 cm.) or so below the surface.

Why do my lavender cuttings keep dying?

Causes. Watering too frequently, slow draining soil, high humidity, planted too close together or organic material around the plant (such as mulch or leaves).

Can you divide lavender?

A: It's fairly easy to transplant a lavender plant, but you can't divide them. Lavenders are woody shrubs and if you split one down the middle, it will die. The best time to move lavender is in late winter and early spring.

What animals hate lavender?

Your top enemies are, in order of tearing your hair out, deer, raccoons, and squirrels. Deer will not eat lavender, rosemary, scented geraniums, mint, oregano, onion-related plants, and most salvias. They also don't like furry leaves, so try phlomis, cistus, and echium.

How do I make my lavender bushy?

Spread an even layer of coarse sand or small gravel 2 inches thick under and around each lavender plant. This thick, heavy mulch promotes growth and therefore bloom production. It also protects the lavender plants throughout the winter. Locate your lavender plants in full sun.

Is Lavender poisonous to dogs?

Lavender, the plant, does contain a small amount of a compound called linalool, which is toxic to both dogs and cats. The linalool is found in such small concentrations, however, that this is rarely an issue. Problems arise only if a dog ingests a very large quantity of lavender.

What Bugs does Lavender attract?

Lavender. Repels moths, fleas, flies and mosquitoes. 1 Lavender has been used for centuries to add a pleasantly sweet fragrance to homes and clothes drawers. Although people love the smell of lavender, mosquitoes, flies and other unwanted insects hate it.

How do you maintain a lavender plant?

Water plants deeply but infrequently, when the soil is almost dry. Prune every year immediately after bloom. For low-growing lavenders, trim back foliage 1 to 2 inches. Starting in a plant's second year, all 2- to 4-foot lavenders should be cut back by about a third to keep the plant from getting overly woody.

Can you eat lavender?

Both the flowers and leaves can be eaten and have a pleasant yet slightly bitter flavor. Lavender grows throughout southern Europe, Australia and the United States. Dried lavender has only a few calories per tablespoon and is free of fat and cholesterol.

Can you root lavender cuttings in water?

Propagating lavender in water is even easier than using soil. BUT there is a downside! Cuttings rooted in water have a harder time being transplanted than those that are propagated in soil. So keep in mind that you may have a lower survival rate when you root them in water.

Do you deadhead lavender?

Deadheading. Cut off spent blooms to encourage more to form. However, you can leave them in place towards the end of the flowering season as food for seed-eating birds such as goldfinches.

Are you supposed to cut lavender back?

While pruning lavender, if you cut into woody stems, they won't grow again, but simply die. ... In general, you need to plan on pruning lavender at planting time and every year right after it flowers. When planting lavender, prune plants lightly, removing all growing tips.

Why is my lavender turning GREY?

Lavender can turn gray because of frost damage or as a result of a fungal disease, caused by over watering or slow draining soils. Usually the fungus botrytis spp is responsible for lavender leaves turning gray although there are a few pathogens that may cause lavenders to turn gray.

What does Overwatered lavender look like?

Look for the following signs you are overwatering your Lavender Plant; Generally yellowing leaves, often affecting lower leaves first. Drooping despite getting plenty of water. A rotting smell from the soil can indicate root rot.

How often should lavender be watered?

How to Care for Lavender. Water once or twice a week after planting until plants are established. Water mature plants every two to three weeks until buds form, then once or twice weekly until harvest. In colder growing areas, plants may need extra winter protection.

What is a good companion plant for lavender?

Herbs: Basil and oregano increase the vitality and growth of nearby lavender plants by repelling aphids and various species of flies. Brassicas: Edging cabbage and cauliflower patches with lavender is one way to repel harmful insects like moths, which like to lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves.

What looks good planted with lavender?

Lavender Plant Companions

Echinacea.
Aster.
Sedum.
Wild indigo.
Baby's breath.
Drought tolerant roses.

When should lavender be pruned?

Pruning: Prune right after the first flowering and again in late August after the last flush has faded. Cut off about 2/3 of the plant's height or to just above the bottom two sets of leaves on each stem. Take care not to cut into the woody part of the plant which can cause damage.