Lavender is also known as perfume plant, spiritual herb, vanilla, yellow vanilla, etc. It is a small shrub of the genus Lavandula of the Lamiaceae family. It has beautiful and elegant leaf-shaped flowers and long and beautiful blue-purple inflorescences. It is a new plant in the courtyard. Perennial cold-resistant flowers are suitable for planting in clusters or strips along flower paths, and can also be used for ornamental viewing in pots. They have high planting value. Let’s take a look at the planting techniques of lavender!

Growth habits of lavender

1. Temperature: Lavender has strong adaptability. Adult plants are resistant to both low and high temperatures. During the harvest season, they can withstand high temperatures of about 40°C. Shaanxi In the Huanglong area, lavender plants can safely survive the winter in the open at -21°C. In the Xinjiang area, they can withstand low temperatures of -37°C after being buried in soil and covered with snow. Seedlings can tolerate low temperatures of -10°C. During the growth and development of lavender in the next year, the average temperature is around 8°C. It takes 10-15 days to start sprouting. The average temperature is 12-15°C. It takes 20 days for the plant branches to start to turn green and elongate. The average temperature is 16-18°C. It takes 25-30 days to bud. The average temperature is 20-22℃, and flowering begins. The average temperature is 26-32℃, which is the fruiting period.

2. Moisture: Lavender is a plant that likes dryness and requires little water. The annual rainfall is 600-800 mm. During the regreening and budding stages, the plants grow faster and require more water. During the flowering stage, they require less water. During the fruiting stage, the amount of water should be appropriate. During the winter dormancy period, winter irrigation or snow cover is required. Therefore, the ideal rainfall distribution throughout the year is abundant in spring, moderate in summer, and sufficient snow in winter.

3. Sunshine: Lavender is a long-day plant. It requires sufficient sunshine during the growth and development period. It requires more than 2,000 hours of sunshine throughout the year. If the plant is in a humid environment, it will suffer from stunted growth and aging. quick.

4. Soil: Lavender has a well-developed root system and prefers fertile soil with deep, loose, well-ventilated soil and rich in silica and calcium. It also prefers soil with strong acidity or alkalinity and soil with heavy clay, poor drainage or Plots with high groundwater levels are not suitable for planting.

Lavender propagation method

1. Sowing and seedling raising: Sowing and seedling raising has the characteristics of fast reproduction, developed root system, and strong seedlings. However, it has large variability and is a good material for seed selection. The seeds should be selected with uniform size, full kernels and brown luster. Before sowing, the seeds should be sun-dried, soaked in warm water at 30℃ for 12-24 hours, soaked in concentrated sulfuric acid for 5 minutes, washed with water and dried before sowing. The seeds can be sown in April. For propagation, the minimum temperature for seed germination is 8-12°C, and the optimum temperature is 20-25°C. Planting is carried out in May, but lavender seed reproduction has greater variation and the seed price is higher.

2. Cutting propagation: Lavender production is mainly based on cutting propagation, which can maintain the excellent quality of the female parent and has strong adaptability. It can be carried out in spring and autumn. Generally, healthy plant tops free of diseases and insect pests are selected. Take cuttings from buds or tender, non-lignified branches. When cutting, remove the leaves at the bottom 2 nodes, and then soak them with 100 times the "Root Sun" rooting agent. After treatment, the cuttings will take root in the soil in about 2-3 weeks. . The cutting medium can be mixed evenly with river sand and oval bran in a ratio of 2:1, and put into a 510 hole tray for cutting. After cutting, place the seedlings in a ventilated and cool environment. Keep the soil moist for the first 3 days, and then depend on the weather to ensure that the branches do not wrinkle or dry out, thereby improving the survival rate. The management of cutting seedlings is more convenient. There is no need to fertilize during the entire seedling period, and it is often used in production.

Lavender planting techniques

1. Pruning: Newly planted lavender grows slowly in the early stage. As the temperature rises in spring, lavender enters the greening period in mid-April. In order to promote the growth of lavender branches and root systems, manual pruning is required from the end of April to early May, that is, the top branches above 15 cm from the ground are pruned flat. For stubble, cut heavily in the middle of the plant and lightly around the edges.

2. Flowering period management: Lavender usually enters the budding stage of the first crop of lavender flowers in late May and enters the full flowering stage in late June. In the first year of planting, in order to promote the growth of lavender seedlings and reduce nutrient consumption, the first flower buds can be removed in early June. The second crop of flowers enters the budding stage in mid-August, and the full flowering stage is in mid-September.

In the case of good weather conditions in autumn, the third crop will bloom in mid-October.

3. Irrigation and water cultivation: For newly planted lavender, sufficient irrigation should be ensured in the first three years to promote plant growth. In mid-to-late April every year, the greening water should be poured in time during the lavender rejuvenation period. According to weather conditions Depending on the soil moisture, water 6-8 times throughout the year. Pay attention to watering budding water and water during flowering. Water evenly and thoroughly to ensure watering quality. Combined with each irrigation and timely cultivating, the purpose of moisture conservation, warming and weeding can be achieved. Generally, cultivating and weeding are performed 5-7 times throughout the year, and overwintering water is irrigated in early and mid-November.

4. Timely top dressing: Although lavender has strong resistance to barrenness and drought, in order to promote the rapid growth of lavender and increase yields after planting, a relatively large amount of water and fertilizer needs to be supplied. For newly planted lavender, fertilize early and frequently within 3 years after planting. Combined with irrigation, the first fertilization was applied to the first flower budding stage. Combined with watering, apply 15 kg of urea and 10 kg of diammonium phosphate per mu. The second top-dressing fertilizer was applied with 10 kg of urea per mu and applied in artificial holes next to the plants.

5. Overwintering management: Winter is long and the temperature is low. Field experiments have proven that to ensure that lavender can survive the winter safely in this area, artificial burial must be carried out before overwintering. That is, after filling with overwintering water in early November, prune the lavender branches 15-20 cm above the ground and then surround them with soil. The soil should be buried about 15 cm thick to ensure that the base of the tree will not suffer frost damage. Note that the buried soil should be neither too thick nor too thin. In the following spring, before pouring back the green water, remove the soil in time to release the seedlings, that is, remove the covering soil covering the plants to prevent the branches and leaves from rotting in the soil.

6. Harvest at the right time: The suitable harvesting period for lavender is the full flowering period, that is, when the florets of the spike bloom at 70%, harvesting too early or too late will affect the yield. The first crop of flowers usually blooms from late June to mid-July, and the second crop of flowers blooms from late September to early October. Yields need to be predicted before harvesting. Weeds and excessive stems and leaves should not be included during harvesting to avoid affecting the quality of the oil. After harvesting, you should choose a sunny day after 10:00. If there is heavy dew in the morning or it is cloudy, it is not suitable to harvest. The stronger the light, the hotter the day, and the higher the oil yield. When transporting and drying flowers, they should not be piled too thickly to prevent overheating and self-steaming. They must be harvested and processed on the same day.

7. Prevention and control of diseases and insect pests

① Leaf spot: Spray Bordeaux mixture 1:200 for 2-3 times, or 500-800 times of Zinc.

② Root rot and Fusarium wilt: Use 50 times of carbendazim 50 or 400 times of thiophanate methyl 50 for root irrigation or foliar spraying.

③Red spider mites: Use 1.8 avermectin diluted 600-1000 times, or foliar spray such as dicofol.

④ Leafhoppers and flea beetles: Use 50% phoxim EC, 50% fenitrothion EC, 12% pyrethrum EC and other pyrethroid pesticides for control.