If the lavender dries up, some simple care measures can help! There are several reasons why the Mediterranean plant suddenly turns yellow and drops leaves and flowers - and here's what you can do about it.
When the lavender dries up: causes and solutions at a glance
It defies drought and forgives care mistakes: lavender is actually an undemanding plant. However, in order for the Mediterranean plant to feel comfortable, it needs:
- a sunny location
- nutrient-poor soil with good drainage
- Irregular watering (once every 10 to 14 days)
These are important requirements for lavender to feel comfortable and thrive. The perennial can even thrive in regions with a cold climate as long as it is sheltered from the wind and sunny in summer. However, if the lavender dries up, the first thing you should check is whether the location and soil conditions provide the best possible conditions for rapid growth. Sometimes dried leaves and flowers are due to care errors.
Water lavender too often: Adjust the watering
If the lavender receives water two to three times a week, waterlogging can form in the root area. It is particularly harmful for the perennial if the watering is not adjusted to the weather. That means – it rains and you still water. Then a heat wave comes – you water as usual. The constantly moist soil that cannot dry properly promotes root rot. The roots wilt and are no longer able to absorb the water in the soil. If a period of heat comes, the water in the soil evaporates quickly and the entire plant dries up.
If the lavender has yellow-brown leaves and its flowers fall off, then it is due to excessive soil moisture. Allow the soil to dry before watering the plant.
If the plant shoots turn brown, hang limp or look dried out, then you watered the plant too rarely during the heat period. Water them slowly and only from below every 4 days. After two weeks you can reduce the watering.
Bad weather in summer: improve drainage
Even if you water the lavender correctly, waterlogging can still occur. For example, when there is bad weather in summer. Heavy rain and heavy rainfall can also lead to waterlogging.
A possible solution for outdoor plants is to incorporate sand into the soil. Loamy soil in particular can absorb moisture and then release it very slowly. You can loosen it with sand and improve drainage.
It is best to place potted plants protected from the rain. You can place clay granules or pumice gravel on the bottom of the bucket, these natural materials will improve drainage.
Soil that is too nutrient-rich: stage as a soloist
For gardeners, this preference of lavender is actually counterintuitive, but the plant really does prefer poor soil. All too often it happens that lavender is planted as a companion plant in a pot or flower bed. If you then want to fertilize the other flowers, grasses and perennials, the lavender will also receive nutrients through the water. But it doesn’t need it and can “burn” quickly. Nitrogen fertilizers in particular can cause more harm than good.
The simplest solution is to stage the lavender as a soloist in the pot or transplant it somewhere else in the garden.
Soil pH value too low: lime
Sometimes it's not the nutrients but the pH of the soil. Acidic soil with low pH can stunt the plant's growth. The result is dried shoots and flowers. To prevent this, you should increase the pH to at least 7. The best way to do this is to lime the soil once in the summer and once at the start of the gardening season.
Pot too small: repot
A bucket that is too small can also make it difficult to absorb the nutrients. In the first few years, a 50 liter pot (40 cm high and 40 cm diameter) offers the best possible conditions for rapid growth. Place expanded clay on the floor and check whether the water can drain through the drainage holes. Then you take herb soil and repot the plant.
Lavender dries up: change location
If the lavender dries from the bottom up, this is a sign of various care problems. All too often, a change of location can work wonders. Place the plant in a sunny location in the garden (if it is not raining).
Potted plants that are overwintered after the end of the gardening season should also be illuminated with a special lamp during the winter months. This ensures that they get enough sunlight.
Save woody lavender by pruning it back
If the lavender is woody, it can only be saved with difficulty. The rejuvenation will take place over the next few yearsseveral nourishing cuts. You proceed as follows:
- Young shoots are not shortened in the first year.
- Annual shoots are shortened - but you must not cut into the old wood.
- Woody shoots are removed but not cut back.
Also interesting:Lavender woody: What to do to avoid baldness
Lavender can also dry out in winter
If the lavender does not sprout again after hibernation or sprouts very slowly, then it is due to a care error. The plant needs protection from frost - usually a thick blanket of snow keeps the ground warm. A layer of mulch can also help protect the lavender from frost in winter. However, if it has been overwintered incorrectly, it will look dried out next spring. Often it actually dies of thirst in winter because it cannot absorb enough water from the hard, frozen ground.
Lavender dries up: the most important things summarized
With good care, lavender can thrive for around 20 years. The important prerequisites for this are permeable soil, a sunny location and caring pruning in spring and mid-summer.
Unfavorable conditions can quickly lead to dried shoots, yellow leaves and fallen flower buds. Fortunately, this can be avoided with a few tricks. You simply have to:
- adjust the watering
- improve drainage
- regulate the pH value of the soil
- repot regularly
- Change location only when necessary
