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Growing lavender from seeds at home is the most affordable way to get this herbaceous perennial. It grows well in flowerpots and boxes, on loggias and window sills. In the garden, fluffy bushes with bright inflorescences look original in rockeries and as a border. Lavender gained popularity among flower growers several decades ago and is considered one of the most beautiful flowers.
Lavender is the oldest plant on the planet, growing in the south
Features of growing lavender from seeds
Lavender is a versatile plant with a delicate scent. It came to us from the Mediterranean, but, despite this, it takes root well in the cities of Russia. It can be grown in several ways, but recently the seed option has gained wide popularity. Many consider this procedure to be very laborious, but as practice shows, this is not entirely true. The only difficult point is stratification. Otherwise, this option has some advantages:
- obtaining a large number of seedlings;
- saving time;
- acceptable cost.
But despite this, in order to become the owner of a lush flower garden, you will have to try. Lavender requires regular maintenance: loosening, watering, weeding, pruning and feeding. It does not grow outdoors in all climatic zones.
Lavender is great for balconies, pots and planters
What lavender seeds look like
Lavender seeds are very small, brown or black in color, and have a pleasant scent. You can get them in two ways: buy in a specialized store or collect them yourself. When buying material for planting, you should contact only trusted firms, focus on prices. Cheap lavender seeds are unlikely to be of high quality. It is also required to study the packaging in detail, it must contain recommendations for care, inform about the manufacturer and the name of the variety.
How to collect lavender seeds
The grassy bush seeds are easy to pick on your own. Can be used not only fresh. Adhering to the recommendations and planting rules, they will sprout well 3-5 years after collection.
To collect seeds, you need mature blossoming inflorescences, for which bouquets bought in a flower salon or grown on your site are perfect. Before harvesting, they are well dried, after which all the scattered seedlings are placed in containers and hermetically closed.
Plant seeds must be collected from dry bouquets.
How to plant lavender seeds at home
To grow a fragrant shrub at home, on the windowsill, you will need to carry out a number of procedures: collect seeds, prepare containers, suitable soil, process planting material. The final result directly depends on the correctness of these actions.
When to plant lavender seeds for seedlings
Seeds are sown for seedlings in late winter. The most favorable time for the procedure is considered to be the period from February 20 to March 15. You should not wait for the rapid emergence of seedlings, since lavender germinates for a very long time. The first shoots begin to hatch 15-17 days after planting, and their amicable appearance from the ground will occur in about a month.
Preparation of containers
When choosing a container for sowing, it is better to give preference to containers that are not too deep (maximum 7 cm), but wide. It is allowed to use a box with a pallet, but subject to the prerequisite - it must be spacious.
Seedlings grow well in spacious boxes
Soil preparation
A loose nutritious substrate recommended for growing indoor plants is considered ideal for planting shrubs. It is advisable to use a universal light soil with an admixture of sand and peat or perlite. A long-lasting supplement added to it will have a positive effect.
Preparing lavender seeds for sowing
Before planting seeds in the ground, they must be properly prepared. It is imperative to carry out a long stratification, without performing this procedure, they will not germinate. Cold treatment can be carried out in the refrigerator: mix the seeds with sand, put in a container, keep in the chamber for two months. Or in their natural environment: sow in the soil before winter.
Some gardeners are experimenting with processing methods:
- scalding the sown seeds;
- are treated with growth stimulants or phytohormonal preparations.
But such methods do not even guarantee 50% of the result.
Lavender seeds can be planted outdoors in October
How to sow lavender seeds for seedlings
Sowing of lavender seedlings is carried out in a clear sequence:
- Put the calcined substrate into the prepared container, without crushing it.
- Spray the surface of the earth with water using a spray bottle.
- Spread the seeds two centimeters apart.
- Sprinkle with a small layer of earth.
- Cover the container with foil or put under glass.
- Transfer the container to a room with conditions suitable for germinating lavender.
When most of the seeds are germinating, the cover should be removed. Put young sprouts on the windowsill to the window with bright lighting. With a lack of sunlight, they will have to be highlighted. Daylight hours should last about ten hours.
How to grow lavender seedlings from seeds
In order for lavender seeds to sprout well, in the room where the containers with flowers are located, it is necessary to maintain the correct microclimate. And for the subsequent growth and development of seedlings, it is important to dive it in time and be sure to temper it.
What does lavender seedlings look like?
A couple of weeks after planting, the first green sprouts should appear from the ground. After that, in order to avoid pulling them out, it is necessary to provide the seedlings with additional highlighting. When the lavender leaves turn a grayish-green color, and their shape begins to become more oblong, you can start picking.
Disposable cups are great for lavender seedlings
Microclimate
In order for lavender bushes to grow strong, you must adhere to two basic rules:
- maintain the temperature in the room where the containers with seeds are located within +15 +21 °FROM;
- provide the future plant with bright lighting.
It is advisable to create light, but regular moisture in the soil during the period before the emergence of sprouts. Do not forget to spray the ground every day and ventilate the containers.
Picking
A pick is carried out when one pair of true leaves is formed in lavender, during the development of the third.It is worth noting that even young seedlings grow very powerful roots, which will not have enough space in a small container.
It is necessary to transplant sprouts very carefully, preferably in individual pots or plastic cups, but large boxes are also allowed. If the picking takes place in one container, then the distance between the seedlings should be at least 6 cm. Warning! It is necessary to transfer the lavender sprout to another place without destroying the clod of earth and well crumbling the soil around it.
Hardening
For seedlings to successfully adapt to new conditions, they need hardening. To do this, lavender is taken outside, starting at one hour a day and gradually increasing the period of stay. Quenching must be carried out for at least a week.
At home, lavender can bloom even in winter.
Transfer to the ground
When transplanting lavender into a street flower bed, it is necessary to choose flower beds well-lit by the sun, with light sandy-clay or stony soil. The best option would be a pre-prepared mixture consisting of humus, sand, mineral fertilizers and earth from the planting pit. When planting, it is necessary to take into account the step between the shoots, it must be at least 30 cm, as well as the diameter and depth of the fossa - from 25 cm.
When lavender grown from seeds blooms
Bushes grown from lavender seeds delight flower growers with inflorescences only 13-14 months after germination. At first, the plant develops slowly, growing root system and shoots. And the next year it takes root well, begins to develop rapidly, bloom luxuriantly and exude a wonderful aroma.
Lavender can be brought into the garden at the end of May, when the threat of frost has passed.
Professional advice
Experienced gardeners who are closely involved in growing lavender from seeds believe that any person can grow it at home. To achieve a positive result, you just need to follow a few simple rules:
- Select only warm and sunny areas as a permanent place.
- Use a pot with good drainage and drainage.
- Stratify lavender seeds for at least 40 days.
- Cut or pinch the top of the bush when six pairs of leaves appear on it.
- Water the plant regularly with settled water and irrigate its green mass.
- Fertilize the soil with mineral fertilizing.
- Provide 10-hour daylight hours to the bushes.
- Additionally moisten lavender if it grows near heating appliances.
- Prune the plant at the end of flowering.
- Transplant young lavender growing in pots annually on a loggia.
Conclusion
Growing lavender from seeds at home is time consuming but not too difficult. If you strictly follow all the recommendations, you can make a small lavender flower garden even in your apartment and enjoy its beauty and fragrance not only in summer, but also in winter.
