There is no doubt that lavender is one of the most beautiful plants mainly due to its colorful lilac flowers. However, although many associate it with the smell of clean clothes (because they use lavender-scented fabric softeners); or the gel that is used for the shower, actually as a plant it is also widely used. The problem is that you can find yourself with a wilted lavender.
What happens in that situation? Can the plant be saved? What is the origin that has caused it to get like this? If you have lavender and you have seen it this way more than once, or it has died, in the end you will understand the reason why it happens.
how is lavender
First of all, you should know some facts about lavender. It is a plant native to the Mediterranean, which grows both wild and cultivated. Another of the names it receives is lavender.
There are up to 60 species of lavender, but normally the one known as such is «Lavandula angustifolia«.
The most characteristic of this plant are its violet flowers and the aroma it gives off, which is unmistakable.
What does lavender need to be happy?
No one wants to wake up or go to bed and discover wilted lavender. But it can happen, it is not as difficult as you may think at first. And it is that many are wrong when it comes to providing the care you need.
For this reason, as a summary, and before getting fully into the subject at hand, you should know what care lavender needs.
- Location and temperature: It must be in direct sunlight for at least 6 hours. In terms of temperature, it tolerates both heat and cold.
- Earth: it needs an alkaline substrate and not an acid one, which is the normal thing you can find.
- Irrigation: It is not demanding in terms of water, so you can water once a week in spring and summer (more if temperatures are high) and every 15-30 days in winter.
- Subscriber: he does not need it.
- Pruning: It should be done in autumn-winter, cutting half the length of the plant so that it sprouts again in spring.
Withered lavender, what's wrong?
Imagine you have a plant lavender essence . Suddenly, one fine day you see that it is wilted, with the leaves down, black in places, and a feeling that it is downcast. In short, musty.
What happened? Usually it's because has suffered a situation that has stressed, that is, some care has been ignored or has been provided in a bad way. It almost always has a solution, but there will be situations in which you will not be able to save it.
Even so, the main reasons why lavender wilts are:
Excess irrigation
Although the lavender It requires regular watering, you should not go overboard either. In these cases, you have to consider the irrigation in a way that less is more. Or put another way, water but not too much each time.
Es preferable to have to water more often and add a small amount than soak it too much and leave it until you remember it.
When there is an excess of watering, the plant "comes down". It is because it is flooded and that seriously damages the roots of the plant, to the point that it can rot.
How to recover it? Touch the ground and if you see that it is very wet, the best thing you can do is take it out of the pot urgently, remove as much soil as you can and plant it in another pot with new, dry soil. It's going to put stress on the plant, and you may not see it recover at first, but it will have a better chance of doing so this way.
lack of sun
One of the biggest mistakes made is thinking that lavender can be inside the house. It is a plant that needs a lot of sun because it loves it and it helps it to develop properly.
So, when it lacks, lavender looks withered.
The solution can be in two ways: Either you take it to a room as bright as possible and where it has direct sunlight; or you take her out of the house.
Yes, a recommendation. If your plant has been inside the house and, overnight, you put it in direct sunlight, you will see how it is black at the end of the day. Why? Because you need to adapt it, especially if they are young lavenders. To do this, you have to take at least three steps: one, take it outside to a bright area but without direct sun. There you keep it one day; two, you take it to a semi-shaded area, and leave it for 2-3 days. And three, you put it in full sun.
In this way, you will have more possibilities, especially if the lavender withered you catch it in time.
And, another important point is do not think that direct sun means high temperatures. Place it in an area where the sun but, due to its pot, does not "cook" it because then you would be in more trouble (for starters, you would have to water it more often).
Wind
Here we must make a point and it is that, although the wind in the already adapted or older specimens does not affect them and nothing happens, the same does not happen if they are young plants.
To give you an idea, nothing will happen if your lavender is big and it is adapted to your climate (because you have had it for several years). But if you just bought it or you haven't been with it for two years, it may affect it.
Wind will dry out the plant's soil and can cause it to suffer from water stress. How do you externalize it? Getting musty
The solution in this case will require a little time. the first thing will be check if the plant really has dry land. If so, water but not too much. Sometimes it's a good idea to spray a little on the flowers and stems because it helps them hydrate.
Obviously, you have to remove it from that location because the wind does not favor it. Put it in a sunny place but where there are no drafts. And wait. Usually, in a matter of 8-10-24 hours you will be fine again. But if it has happened more often, it may take longer or not recover at all.
If you ever come across withered lavender, you already know the main reasons why it happens, although do not rule out pests and/or diseases that could affect it. Do you have doubts about your lavender? Tell us and we will try to help you.