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Lavender
CHRISTINE531
Posts: 2
in Plants
We have recently moved into a house with a very over grown garden. A lavender plant hasn't been cut back for years and it has a very big fat section of dried woody stem which is lying along the soil. Could we bury this section with soil, as the top is magnificent with new shoots and flowers, or would the woody bit rot off?
Thank you
Christine Hancock
0
Posts
Sounds like you're trying to layer your lavender. If it's old rough wood, then it's unlikely to produce roots, especially if there a lot of upper growth to support.
I have found some of my small lavenders self-layering now and then where a shoot has touched the soil.
There's nowt to loose by trying
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
What's the rest of the plant like - is it covered in folage and buds? Is the thick stem the main one?
Burying the stem will most like cause fungal issues which could affect the whole plant.
Maybe it would be a good idea to take cuttings from it first, then if it doesn't survive the woody section being covered you will have new plants.
I'd agree with Dave. If there's a big woody chunk, it would be better to remove it completely.
A lavender that hasn't been pruned correctly for a long time is never pretty, and they don't recover too well if you go in at them hard. If you're desperate to keep it, try both things (cuttings and layering it) but be prepared for it not working. If it was me, I'd take it out and replace it after taking cuttings.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you for all your suggestions, I will take cuttings and then if the layering didn't work I 'd still have lavender.