How to Propagate Lavender
Step-by-step instructions for how to propagate lavender from cuttings. Use this technique to increase your plants or to propagate cuttings from friends' plants. Lavender stems root easily and each cutting you plant can form its own roots in four to six weeks.
Servings 4 plants
Cost $0
Equipment
- plastic or terracotta pots 4" /10 cm
- gritty potting mix
- plastic bag
Ingredients
- 4 lavender cuttings
- rooting hormone optional
Instructions
Prepare Your Materials
- If you're using terracotta pots, soak them in water for half an hour before beginning. This hydrates the material and stops it from pulling moisture away from the potting mix later.
- Fill the pot(s) you're using with free-draining potting mix. A 1:1 ratio of drainage material (perlite, grit, sand, or vermiculite) to multipurpose potting mix is ideal.
Harvest Lavender Cuttings
- Take four or more lavender cuttings the day you plan to root them. If you can't pot them up immediately, put them in a sealed plastic bag to prevent them from drying out. Choose straight stems of softwood that are at least four to six inches long and without flower buds.
Prepare the Cuttings
- Using a sharp knife, cut the bottom of the cutting just below a leaf node. This is a place on the stem where leaves are growing. At this point, you can also trim the top growth if it's soft and bendy. Aim for cuttings that are 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) long.
- Using your fingers, gently remove at least half of the lower leaves on the cutting. Slide your fingers along the length, pulling all the leaves off as you go. Lavender cuttings only need about an inch of growth at the top to grow.
Plant the Lavender Cuttings
- Use a small dibber or pencil to poke holes where you want to place the cuttings in the potting mix. Make them along the outer rim of the pot and about two inches apart.
- Gently slide each cutting into a hole up to the green leaves. Firm the potting mix around it and when all the cuttings are in, water it in.
- Label the pot and put a clear plastic bag over it. The bag will keep the humidity inside high and help prevent the tender growth inside from wilting. It's best to secure the bag to the pot with a rubber band or string.
Grow the Cuttings
- Place the pot of lavender cuttings in a warm place with indirect light. Direct sunlight can cause the cuttings to wilt and die.
- Bottom water it every three days by setting the pot in a tray filled with water for about fifteen minutes. The potting mix inside will wick the moisture up through the pot's drainage holes. Allow the pot to drain, then put it back where you are growing it.
- Keep an eye on the cuttings, removing any that look dead or decaying. After about four to six weeks, you'll begin seeing tiny white roots come out of the drainage holes. This is a sign that your patience has paid off and the cuttings have taken.
- Take the young plants out of the pot and plant them in individual pots. Use free-draining potting mix, but it can have less drainage material than before. 1:3 drainage material to potting mix is great.
- Grow the young plants in these pots until the next spring, keeping them protected over winter inside a greenhouse or outside against the wall of your home. At that point, you can either transplant them into larger pots or plant them outside.
