Lavender cuttings : How to Propagate Lavender, Step-by-Step Guide
Wondering how to propagate your lavender successfully?
This brief guide will teach you the woody cutting technique, a practical method to multiply lavender plants in your garden.
What is Lavender Propagation?
Propagation is a method of reproducing lavender or lavandin plants where you intervene to create new plants from a mother plant. Essentially, it’s a cloning technique! This method is crucial for lavandin, an infertile hybrid that cannot reproduce through seeds. Lavender clones, such as “maillette” or “materone,” are also propagated in this way to grow in areas outside Provence's arid mountains, the native habitat where true lavender reproduces naturally by seed.
Good news: all lavender varieties can be propagated using this method!
How to Propagate Lavender: Step-by-Step Guide
Wondering how to propagate your lavender successfully? This brief guide will teach you the woody cutting technique, a practical method to multiply lavender plants in your garden.
What is Lavender Propagation?
Propagation is a method of reproducing lavender or lavandin plants where you intervene to create new plants from a mother plant. Essentially, it’s a cloning technique!
This method is crucial for lavandin, an infertile hybrid that cannot reproduce through seeds. Lavender clones, such as “maillette” or “materone,” are also propagated in this way to grow in areas outside Provence's arid mountains, the native habitat where true lavender reproduces naturally by seed.
Good news: all lavender varieties can be propagated using this method!
Traditional Lavender Propagation: “Woody Cutting”
Woody cutting involves taking cuttings from a mature plant in the fall. You’ll need to trim branches with two or three shoots, known as cuttings, which can be directly planted or stored for later planting in late winter.
Step-by-Step Guide to woody lavender cuttings:
Step 1: Harvest Lavender Cuttings
Select a mother plant aged 3 to 6 years, ideally pruned during summer before flowers turn gray, to maintain vigor. Cut branches from the base, trimming into 10-15 cm pieces with two to three green branches.
For large-scale propagation, lavender farms may harvest the entire plant to yield many cuttings, though this sacrifices the mother plant.
Step 2: Storing Cuttings Before Planting
To help cuttings develop roots, avoid planting them outdoors before winter frost. Instead, choose indoor planting or store cuttings in a way that protects them from drying, freezing, or excess moisture.
How to store lavender cuttings:
In a Cellar: Stack cuttings in a wooden crate covered with a tarp. Mist with water every two weeks.
In Sand (Jauging): Bury cuttings in sand in a shaded location to keep them moist and cool.
Step 3: Planting the Lavender Cuttings
Wait until the cold season ends before planting lavender cuttings. In warmer areas, lavandin cuttings are often planted in March, while in mountainous regions, some wait until May. Clear the soil of rocks and weeds, as a rich, sunny spot is essential for root growth. Dig a furrow and plant each cutting upright, leaving just 3-4 cm exposed above the soil. Gently pack the soil around the cutting and water it.
With a success rate of 60-80%, you’ll soon enjoy healthy lavender plants with proper care.
Step 4: Maintaining Lavender Cuttings
Lavender cuttings need regular watering in dry weather. During the first summer, trim flowers to boost growth. Keep the area weed-free by hand-pulling, which helps lavender cuttings absorb essential nutrients without disturbing shallow roots.
Herbaceous Cutting Method
For herbaceous propagation, remove only the tender tips of young lavender shoots. Strip the leaves and dip the cuttings briefly in plant hormones (auxins and cytokinins) to stimulate root growth. Place the cuttings in moist cups of substrate (sand and perlite) and water daily. Once rooted, transfer to well-prepared soil.
This method requires indoor conditions (a greenhouse) with precise temperature, humidity, and the use of plant hormones. For most home gardeners, woody cutting remains the easiest approach to propagate lavender.
Conclusion
Propagating lavender is an accessible, natural technique that anyone can master. By following these essential steps, whether using woody or herbaceous cuttings, you can enrich your outdoor space with the unique charm and captivating scent of Provence’s iconic lavender. Happy propagating!