Marianne's Response

How to grow lavender from seed

I start a lot of my plants by seed. I grow my plants in my basement under artificial lights and use a potting mix that is mainly peat, with some calcined clay mixed in for drainage. I have been very successful and have not had many problems with fungal diseases. For the life of me though, I haven’t had much luck in growing lavender from seed. My seedlings start off strong and then seem to suffer from root rot. I’ve cut back on watering and increased the air circulation to lower the humidity, but I am still losing the battle. Anything else that you would suggest?

Posted by justinedial on February 2, 2016

Marianne's Response

Lavender is tough to grow from seed as they love heat - try bottom heat via a heating cable. Another idea is to grow lavender the easy way by taking cuttings from plants in May or June. Just remove the lowest leaves from a six inch cutting of lavender and poke into sandy soil. Most plants with gray leaves will rot in soil that is damp from poor drainage. Add more sand to your potting soil when sprouting seeds. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti

    Search the Ask the Gardening Expert library

    Looking for a quick resolution to your problem? Marianne has answered thousands of gardening questions. One may be similar to yours. Try searching our library to get the answer you need — fast!

    My Topics

    View questions you submitted to Marianne in the past

    VIEW MY QUESTIONS