Lavender is a resistant plant which does not require special care and which, in addition, It can be grown in pots throughout its life.. But for it to be really good, that is, to be healthy, you have to know how to transplant it and at what time of the year.
Being a Mediterranean plant, you should know that it needs temperatures above 15ºC to grow; therefore, if we take it out of the pot in the middle of winter, it could suffer a lot. So, Let’s see how to plant lavender in a pot.
How to plant lavender in a pot?
Image – Flickr/Allan Henderson
Before removing it from the pan, we need to see if the roots have started to come out through the drainage holes that the container has at its base. This is very important, because it is the best indication that the plant has taken root well and therefore can no longer grow in this pot. In case you definitely need a transplant, we will have to follow this step by step:
We will choose a pot slightly larger than the one you currently have
For this, you should know that lavender tends to grow more in width than in height, therefore, it is recommended that the pot be slightly wider than it is tall. But of course we have to take into account what the container you have at the moment looks like, because if it is higher than it is wide, the root ball or bread will be like that too.
Regarding the measures, the new pot should be about four inches (more or less) larger in diameter than the old pot. And of course, it must have holes in its base, otherwise it will not be suitable for lavender.
We will fill it with a little universal growing medium
Lavender is a plant that You need a soil with a pH of 7 or 7.5, and which is also light. For this reason, the universal substrate of certain brands, such as Fertiberia, Flower, etc., is one of the most recommended, since it has the pH and nutrients it needs to grow properly.
So once we have it, we will put some inside the new jarbut keeping in mind the height of the old pot so as not to add more than necessary.
We’ll take the lavender out of the old pot
This must be done carefully. In fact, in the event that the roots that come out of the pot have become intertwined, we will first have to untangle them. Then we will give firm but gentle blows to the pot so that the earth comes out of it and it comes out better, then we will remove the lavender from the container.
With one hand we will have to hold the pot by the base, and with the other the lavender by the base of the stem. And then we will only have to remove the pot.
We are going to introduce the lavender into the new pot
Once we have it outside, we will introduce it into the new pot. You will have to put it more or less in the center, and make sure it is at the right height. For the latter, keep in mind that the surface of your root loaf should be about half a centimeter below the rim of the pot.
In this way, all the roots will have the same space to grow and the plant will develop completely normally.
We finished filling the pot and watered
Now the last thing we need to do is add more substrate to get the pot full but being careful not to bury the plant. All leaves must be exposed to the weather or they will dry out.
And then we water until the water comes out of the drainage holes in the pot.
Where to place the newly transplanted lavender?
Once we have finished planting the lavender in its new pot, we will have to place it outside. It is important that it is exposed to direct sunlightso it is better to put it in a sunny place from the first day.
If placed in shade or low light places, first its stems would grow too large and weaken, and eventually they would die. For this reason, it should never be placed in places like this, as it might not fit.
When should you plant lavender in a new pot?
We said we’ll change the pot when the roots come out of the holes, but when is the best time to do it? Without a doubt, We will have to do it when the lowest temperature will be at least 15ºC. That is to say, it will be done in the spring, when there is no longer any risk of frost and the temperatures begin to rise.
This way we will ensure that he can recover from the transplant without any problems and that he will start growing again faster than we think.
Lavender transplant is not difficult if you follow our advice.