Want Your Lavender to Bloom 100 Times More? Fix These 5 Common Mistakes!, by GrowSecret on YouTube. 13 min 33 s.
- Video length
- 13 min 33 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Check how much direct sun the plant gets. A bright-looking spot can still be shaded for much of the day. Lavender needs at least 6 hours of direct sun to flower well.
Move potted lavender to the sunniest spot you have, or clear nearby plants and structures that cast shade. In hot climates, a little afternoon shade is fine.
Look at drainage. Tip out any water sitting in a saucer and make sure the pot has open drainage holes. In the ground, check that water does not pool around the roots.
Repot into gritty, free-draining soil if the mix stays wet. Add grit or coarse sand to heavy garden soil, or plant on a slight mound so water runs off.
Water deeply but let the top few centimetres of soil dry out before watering again. Newly planted lavender needs more regular water until it settles in.
Stop feeding. Too much fertilizer, especially high nitrogen, pushes leafy growth at the expense of flowers. Skip the bloom booster until the basics are right.
Prune after flowering. Cut the spent flower stems back to just above a pair of green leaves, keeping some foliage on the stem.
Never cut back into bare, old woody stems with no green growth. Lavender rarely regrows from old wood, so stay in the leafy part of the plant.
Give the plant time. Variety, climate, age and season all affect flowering, so judge results over a full growing season rather than a few weeks.
Tips and common mistakes
Water at the base of the plant, not over the leaves, to reduce rot and fungal problems.
Prune lightly every year after flowering rather than giving one hard cut, which keeps the plant bushy and green.
Terracotta pots and raised beds dry out faster than plastic pots, which suits lavender well.
If your lavender is in rich compost, mix in grit before planting so roots never sit in wet soil.
Questions
Why is my lavender all leaves and no flowers?
Usually too little direct sun, too much water or too much fertilizer. Fix those three first before trying any bloom booster.
Can I cut lavender back hard into old wood?
No. Lavender rarely regrows from bare old wood, so cut only into stems that still have green leaves.
When should I prune lavender?
Prune right after the flowers fade, trimming the spent stems back to just above a leafy pair of leaves.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
