The Best Time to Take Lavender Cuttings

Taking Cuttings

• Select healthy, disease-free side shoots from the lavender plant's new growth. Pull shoots 4 to 6 inches long away from the plant stem, making sure a thin bark strip--known as the cutting heel--is still attached at the base of each cutting, because roots of the new plant will develop at the heel. Trim away excess bark with a sharp garden knife. Using your fingers, strip or pluck the stem leaves from the lower half of the long stem--the part that will be wet during rooting--to prevent decomposition and disease.

Rooting Cuttings

• Contra Costa County master gardener Debbie Notaro recommends a lavender-rooting process with a good--60 percent--success rate. Roll or sprinkle the bottom half of each cutting in powdered rooting hormone. Stick cuttings into shallow pots of "slushy" perlite--not saturated but damp. Place cuttings in a warm location (75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit) in filtered sunlight. When they root, in 3 to 4 weeks, pot up each cutting in a 2-inch pot filled a 50-50 blend of perlite and potting soil. When rooted cuttings reach 3 to 6 inches tall, place them into 4-inch pots.

Growing Lavender

• Two key ingredients are required for successfully growing lavender: well-drained soil and full sun. Calcium-rich soils with somewhat-alkaline pH are ideal for lavender, but any fairly light well-drained soil will do. Lavender transplants well in spring and fall; water plants well before and after. The space between plants grown as a border or hedge should be about the same as the cultivar's estimated mature width. Leave more space when plants are grown as specimens or in groups. Lavender will grow without any soil additives, but if you do add anything, make it compost and limestone. Avoid excessive fertilizer, especially high-nitrogen types or manures.

Lavender in Pots

• You can successfully grow lavender in containers, keeping in mind that the need for full sun and well-drained soil is constant. Potted lavender plants need extra room for their bloom spikes and spreading tendencies. Because plants are limited to the moisture available within a much-more-limited space, you'll need to be consistent and conscientious about watering during the growing season. Fertilize with slow-release or organic fertilizers so nutrients are available as needed. Cut back on moisture and fertilizer in winter. Repot plants every year. Smaller English and hybrid types do best in containers; this includes Fred Boutin, Irene Doyle, Jean Davis, Munstead, Silver Edge and Twickel Purple.