A Simple Guide to Troubleshooting Your Drooping Lavender

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Many, many people enjoy caring for plants and flowers, such as lavender. However, there might come a time when your lavender begins to wilt or droop and you might not know why.

One of the hardest parts of caring for plants is figuring out why a plant is responding badly to the care that it is getting. With that being said, there’s a good chance that you will be able to figure out why your lavender is wilting when you consider all the potential problems.

The most common cause of lavender not doing as well as it should is because of the soil conditions. As with many plants, lavenders are picky about their soil. Too much moisture in the soil can cause a lot of problems for a lavender plant.

The first thing that you can do to try and fix your lavender is to ensure that the soil conditions are exactly as the plant likes them.

Working with the Soil of the Plant

Simply put, lavender prefers to have loose, almost sandy, gritty alkaline soil. Additionally, this soil needs to be fast-draining so that the roots are not absorbing more moisture than the plant can handle.

Too much moisture in the soil is a major cause of wilting plants and lavender is no exception to this rule. Too much moisture can also introduce fungus that will cause your plant to rot, which is something that nobody wants to have happen.

If you believe that your lavender’s soil is too wet, there are a few things that you can do to try and save it. First things first; you are going to want to do what you can to clear out debris from the pot or ground around the roots.

This includes removing any dead leaves, stems, and so on. Once this is done, you will want to find some heat-reflecting mulch (such as builder’s sand, pea gravel, or washed shells) to try and bring some life back into the plant and to dry it out.

Keep in mind that it is incredibly difficult to fully bring back a plant that has been overwatered. While you can do your best to try and reverse the damage done, there may not be too much that you can do if your plant has begun to wilt.

If you want to try and salvage what is left, you can consider taking cuttings from the healthy sections of the root and transfer them to a new pot of soil.

What Can You Do If the Leaves Are Yellowing?

Another very common problem that lavender can encounter is yellowing leaves.

Depending on the conditions of the plant, this can indicate one of many different problems. Because of this, it is important to have a good idea of how much you have been watering the plant, the chemistry of the soil, and so on.

For example, if you are working with potted (or container-grown) lavender and the leaves are beginning to turn yellow, then it could mean that there is either too much or too little nitrogen.

This can be fixed by transporting the plant to a different container with soil with the correct amount of nitrogen. If you know for a fact that there is either too much or too little nitrogen, you can also fix it yourself.

If you are working with lavender that is grown in the ground, then yellowing leaves often means an issue with the amount of moisture that the plant is receiving. You will want to think about how much humidity is in the air surrounding the plant and just how well the plant can drain its water.

However, keep in mind that if the leaves are yellowing with a gray or sooty-black tinge, then the issue is fungal and you need to take appropriate measures to fix it.

What About the Location of the Plant?

Because many plants, lavender included, are rather finicky with their surroundings, it is important to make sure that you have planted your lavender in the right place. If the plant doesn’t like its location, then there’s a good chance that it will begin to wilt. Nobody wants this to happen.

There are two main things to pay attention to when it comes to the location of lavender: the amount of sunlight that it’s getting and the overall location.

Lavender will want to be in a location that is overall sunny, airy, and warm. You will also need to make sure that you have invested in the right lavender variety for the location you are in.

Some variations of lavender prefer certain conditions than you might expect, making it important for you to read up on this.

One thing that you will want to do for your lavender is loosen up the soil a bit as it prefers very loose soil. You can loosen soil by adding sand to the soil to promote the sheer amount of drainage that the lavender needs.

Because the lavender thrives in hot and airy locations, having even just a little bit extra moisture can pose a big problem to the health of the plant. In many ways, the drainage of the soil is going to be one of the most important aspects that you will need to pay attention to.

And finally, the last thing you will want to think about will be the amount of sunlight your lavender plant is getting. Remember that lavender plants thrive the most in areas that get as much sun as possible.

If you have placed your lavender plant in an area that gets a considerable amount of shade, then there’s a good chance that your lavender plant is going to end up wilting. Instead, you should try to find the sunniest part of your property to plant your lavender.

Before you know it, you will quickly be able to find out exactly what the problem with your lavender is.

While there are some situations where it might be too late to save the plant itself, it’s a good idea to learn what to look for, what the plant needs, and what you can do about the situation for the next time you decide to grow some lavender.

By paying attention to your plant, you can rest assured knowing that you will soon have the thriving lavender plants that you have always wanted.

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