My seeds I started almost one year ago are now growing into some pretty large bushes. Though due to the winter, they have gone dormant. They got snowed on a week or so ago but seems it does not bother them while they are in a low energy state. Around the time when the weather turned freezing they lost some of their blueish green luster to their leaves. And I saw some turn brown, not too many but enough to show a change in the plants growth.
Now they will wait out the winter and I will let them keep growing in their pots until they are ready to plant in the ground.
Using seven gallon pots they have a lot of room to form big roots. Hard to say how fast that will happen. I will keep an eye on the pots and when I see signs of roots coming out I know its time.
But that has not happened yet, being their first year. Maybe next year they will go in the ground, or maybe wait one more year in pots and then go in the ground the following year.
I really love how lavender smells, when the sun hits it. Or when its freshly cut the smell is amazing.
Glad I am growing them in pots this year, last time I tried growing lavender I put them in the ground too soon. And did not have wood chips on hand at the time, so the weeds quickly overgrew them.
But I think if I can get these much bigger they will stand a change and become established in the ground along with the grass near by.
With a little less than half a dozen of these bushes they should make for some nice scenery. Looking forward to smelling them every time I walk by.
Right now you have to touch the leaves to smell them, but eventually they should be quite strong smelling. Hopefully they do not mind the snow, they get completely covered when it does.
Lavender cuttings
Early autumn, before the plants went dormant. I cut off a couple branches that were growing out longer than the rest on the lavender plants. I took these branches and cut them into little pieces, and have now rooted them.
They are growing under LED lights right now, the color is pink so it makes everything have a red color to it.
Hopefully they will grow into good starter plants to put in the seven gallon pots. And then a year or two from there they can be planted a swell in the ground.
In those plastic pots were the bigger cuttings. In these cell containers are the smaller ones. Mostly pieces that fell off during cutting the bigger pieces. We can see they have not all taken, the less stick the more of a chance they will not start growing.
So if these all take I should have another seven or so plants.
I can repeat this process until I have enough lavender plants.
Next autumn there may be more branches to cut off the biggest of the bushes. And I can use those for starters.
Growing these is known as cloning, its the best way to get more plants. As they will grow faster than seeds will.
So they will stay in their grow room until spring time. And then I will put these in pots outside. And hopefully in a year or two I should have some good bushes to put in the ground.
Starting off with seed packs, its great to now be able to take cuttings. Should speed the process up quite a bit growing many of them for the great smell they produce.
