Lavender Dying - Ask Extension
Can you tell me why some of my Lavender stems are dying? The plant itself looks healthy close to the ground but a few inches below the buds on severa...
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Lavender Dying #835295
Asked June 12, 2023, 6:20 PM EDT
Can you tell me why some of my Lavender stems are dying? The plant itself looks healthy close to the ground but a few inches below the buds on several stems there is a dead area and the stems are bent down. See pic. I have several Lavender plants in the same bed and they all seem to have a random stem doing the same thing.
Thanks for your help.
Deb
Washington County Oregon
Expert Response
Thank you for your question, Deb. Lavender are native to the dry, hot Mediterranean region, and can develop root rot in the wet, cooler Pacific Northwest. https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease/lavender-root-rot
A symptom of root problems is drooping stems. I suspect that the plastic cloth over the beds is trapping water and/or preventing air from getting into the soil. Landscape fabric has more detriments than advantages. I suggest that you remove it and replace it with large bark chips. And you need not water more than once a week--if even that. You might appreciate this article: https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/landscape-fabric.pdf
Good luck!
A symptom of root problems is drooping stems. I suspect that the plastic cloth over the beds is trapping water and/or preventing air from getting into the soil. Landscape fabric has more detriments than advantages. I suggest that you remove it and replace it with large bark chips. And you need not water more than once a week--if even that. You might appreciate this article: https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/landscape-fabric.pdf
Good luck!
what type of bark chips do you recommend. I've heard that some are to acidic?
Thanks
Deb
On 06/12/2023 3:32 PM PDT Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The type of chip material is less important than size, since you don't want chips to stick together (hydrology) and prevent water and air from penetrating. And you don't want to place it too close to woody plant material. This article has good information: https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec1629/html
