The wonderfully fragrant lavender can become a bit dull after a while. Then you can take cuttings to have fresh, new plants the following year. But, of course, you can also propagate the plant to expand your lavender collection. We tell you the best time to take cuttings and how to proceed.
When can lavender be pricked?
The best time to take lavender cuttings is from June through September. For example, when you remove the spent flowers, you can take cuttings right away. The cuttings will then have enough light and time to root well before winter.
How should lavender be propagated?
Choose young twigs (this year’s growth) without flowers and, using sharp and clean pruning shears, cut off a stem about 8 inches long just below a leaf. Or make a so-called heel cutting. For this, choose a side branch that is lightly wooded and carefully pull it off the main stem with a small piece of bark (the heel).
In either case, remove the lower leaves and then dip the cutting in cutting powder if necessary. This is not necessary, but makes the cuttings root better.
Place the cuttings several at a time along the edges in propagation pots with cutting soil. Putting them against the edge will give them more grip. Insert the cuttings into the cutting soil up to the first leaves. Water sufficiently, without drenching the soil. To keep the humidity high and keep the soil from drying out too quickly, you can place plastic bags over the nursery pots. Or put them in a greenhouse if you have one. Keep an eye that the soil remains slightly moist at all times. The cuttings should not dry out, but certainly not stand in too wet soil either, or they will rot.
Taking care of lavender cuttings
Put the cuttings in a warm, bright place, but not in the sun. When the first roots grow on the plantlets (after 4 to 6 weeks), the cuttings need ventilation. To do this, cut a hole in the plastic or open the propagation greenhouse a crack. After another 2 weeks, they may continue to grow without protection. They then need a little less water than before.
After a few months, if the cuttings are well rooted, you can put each one in its own pot. Do this in soil for lavender, Mediterranean potting soil or in regular potting soil mixed with some sand and grit. The soil should not be too nutritious, as they do not need that. Preferably put them through the winter in a cold container outside or in a light, cool place in the house.
When can the lavender cuttings go outside?
The new lavender plants can go outside in spring when it is no longer freezing. Then also cut out the tops of the plants so that they branch out and become nicely bushy. You can put them in pots or plant them out in the garden. Pick a nice sunny spot, since full-grown lavenders are real sun lovers. In a previous article, we tell you how much water they need, how to prune them and how to care for them further.
