How to Grow Lavender from Seeds

Lavender is a beautiful and fragrant shrub, with flowers that range in color from purple to white and/or yellow, depending on the variety. While most gardeners propagate lavender through cuttings, it can also be grown from seeds. Growing lavender from seeds is a relatively slow process, and it doesn’t always succeed, but this method tends to be less expensive than purchasing cuttings or young plants, allowing you to eventually cultivate vibrant plants of your own.

Start sowing the seeds about 6 to 12 weeks before the weather warms up. Lavender seeds need time to germinate, and initially, they should be planted indoors to allow the plants ample time to mature into full-grown shrubs during the warm growing season.

Subject the seeds to a process known as "cold stratification." The seeds should be placed in a sealed plastic bag with damp soil throughout this period. It's important to use soil specifically designed for seed planting. Place the plastic bag containing the soil and seeds into the refrigerator and leave it there for three months.

Fill a pot with the seed planting mix. The seed soil should be a light, airy mixture with good drainage. You can use a plastic seed tray or a shallow, wide pot without compartments.

Sow the seeds. Scatter the seeds evenly across the soil surface.

• If you're using a plastic seed tray, place one seed in each compartment.
• If you're using an open pot, make sure to space the seeds about 1.3 to 2.5 cm apart.

Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil about 0.3 cm deep. A light covering of planting soil will protect the seeds, but they will also need sunlight to germinate.

Place the seed tray in a warm spot. Heat-retaining trays work best, but a suitable location will be effective as long as the temperature is maintained around 21°C.

Gently water the seeds. Keep the soil slightly damp but not overly wet, and make sure to water the seeds in the morning so that the soil can dry out before evening. Excess moisture and cooler temperatures create an ideal environment for fungi, which can destroy the seeds.

Wait for the seeds to sprout. Lavender seeds typically take anywhere from two weeks to a month to begin germinating.

Place the germinated seed tray in a bright location. Once the seeds have sprouted, move the tray to a spot that gets plenty of direct sunlight. If no such place is available, you can use fluorescent grow lights, positioning the germinated seeds under artificial light for 8 hours each day.

Transplant the seedlings when they have developed several sets of leaves. Wait until the plant has grown "true leaves" or mature leaves. At this stage, the root system has expanded too much to continue growing in the shallow seed tray.

Pour a well-draining soil mix into a larger pot. You won't need the specialized seed-starting mix anymore, but the lavender soil should remain light and airy. Look for a mix consisting of one part soil, one part peat moss, and one part perlite. Since peat moss needs to be protected, it's better to substitute with coconut coir if possible. Avoid vermiculite, as it may contain asbestos, even if not stated on the product label.

• The pot for each lavender plant should have a minimum diameter of 5 cm. You can also use a larger pot or an unpartitioned tray to grow multiple plants, spacing them about 5 cm apart.

Mix some fertilizer into the soil. Use a small amount of slow-release granular fertilizer with a balanced ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Plant the seedlings in the prepared pot. Dig a small hole in the soil, matching the size of the area the plant was previously growing in. Gently remove the plant from the tray and place it into the newly dug hole, packing soil around it to keep the plant stable.

Wait for the plant to continue growing. The lavender plant needs to grow to a height of about 7.5 cm with just one stem before it is ready for final transplanting. This process can take anywhere from one to three months.

Gradually expose the plant to outdoor conditions. Place the potted plant in a partially shaded or partially sunny spot for a few hours at a time. Do this for a week; this duration will allow the lavender plant to adapt to the outdoor environment.

Plant the lavender in a sunny spot. Lavender thrives best when grown in areas that receive partial to full sunlight. Shady spots are often more humid, and damp soil can promote fungal growth, which may damage the plant.

Prepare the garden soil. Use a hoe or garden fork to loosen the soil and mix in compost in the appropriate ratio. Compost consists of uneven particles that help create a loose, well-drained texture, which allows the plant's roots to grow more easily.

• Check the soil's pH level after adding the compost. The soil's pH should range from 6 to 8, ideally between 6.5 and 7.5. If the pH is too low, add agricultural lime. If the pH is too high, consider adding a small amount of pine wood mulch to the soil.

Space lavender plants 30 to 60 cm apart. Dig a hole with a depth equal to the depth of the plant's pot. Use a garden trowel to carefully lift the plant from the pot and place it into the new hole.

Water the plants only when the soil is dry. Mature lavender is fairly drought-tolerant, but during its first year of growth, it should be watered regularly. Typically, normal weather conditions provide enough water, but if you live in a particularly dry area or have not had much rain lately, you should ensure the soil stays moist. However, remember to allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings.

Avoid using chemicals. Herbicides, pesticides, and even fertilizers can harm beneficial organisms in the garden soil that help lavender grow healthily. Once the plants are in the ground, stop fertilizing entirely. If pest control is necessary, try using organic products without chemicals, as they have a lower environmental impact.

Prune the plants. Lavender grows slowly in its first year, and most of the plant's energy is directed toward developing roots and leaves. You can help this process by cutting off any flower stems when buds begin to appear in the plant's first growing season.

• After the first year, trim the flower stems once about one-third of the buds have bloomed to encourage the plant to produce new shoots. Leave at least one-third of the new shoots.

Mulch around the plants during cold weather. Protect the soil's warmth by spreading gravel or bark around the base of the plant, leaving a 15 cm space around the stem to allow for air circulation.