Preparing lavender for winter consists of a haircut and dusting powder.
Fear deprives many gardeners of the opportunity to admire such colored grass (as the culture is called by the people). Therefore, preparing the lavender for winter will help keep the plant in good condition. The procedure should be carried out in October, although this time is individual for each region.
Adult specimens hibernate well without shelter. They can withstand temperatures as low as -25 ° C. But young people need reliable protection from frost.
Lavender's unusual preparation for winter
It all starts with trimming the peduncles. They are cut to the height of the bush itself. At the same time, still unblown specimens are left. The inhabitants of the northern regions, where the climate is more severe, have a unique opportunity to propagate their culture in a lazy way. If you leave a few ripe inflorescences on the bush, self-seeding will occur. But under the influence of frost, they themselves stratify. So, without making any effort, the grower will get new growth.
During pruning, it is also advised to collect seeds by rubbing flowers in your palms. Then the planting material is immediately sown on the same bed. For reliability, the site is sprinkled with coconut substrate, but not in a thick layer.
Further, the procedure for preparing lavender for winter is reduced to warming the root system. The circle near the root neck is thoroughly covered with compost (a bucket of 5-7 liters), which will serve fertilizer next year. At the same time, there are already dry branches under the bush, intended to feed the soil. Yet the danger to culture is:
- Excessive humidity. In the spring, when the snow melts, the flower may get wet. Therefore, they choose for it a dry place with well-drained soil.
- Very coldy. Young plants are especially afraid of them. In this case, up to 2 years they are covered with agrofibre, attached to the ground with plastic nails. Small bushes are hidden under spruce branches or non-woven material.
- Beetles as well as leafhoppers. Insects are periodically collected from the branches. If they reappear, then it is necessary to completely replace the mulch layer.
These recommendations are more specific to English lavender, called narrow-leaved. Unfortunately, the French variety does not hibernate. It is useless to plant it in a harsh climate.
No panic
It is worth taking into account that even after competent preparation of lavender for winter, in the spring the bushes will not look presentable. They will remind the hostess of unsightly thickets, consisting of dry branches. This phenomenon can last for a long time, but this is not a reason for panic. The culture will do just fine, so there is no need to cut it. If you look closely, young buds are tied on lifeless stems, which is a real reason for joy.