It’s no secret that lavender is one of the most popular herbs to grow. It’s calming, smells amazing, and is easy to maintain—perfect for someone who doesn’t have a green thumb. The only downside? Keeping up with how often you should be watering your lavender plant.
Most people think they need to water their lavender plants after two or three days (and in some cases you may), but in actuality it can take as long as two or three weeks for lavender to need watering again.
Here are a few tips on how to figure out what how often you should be watering your lavender!
How often should you water your lavender?
How often lavender needs to be watered depends entirely on what stage of its growing cycle it’s in.
For example, when you first plant lavender and it hasn’t yet established, you should water it once or twice per week as it appears to need water.
Lavender plants can be watered every two or three weeks during their growing season. If you water them more often, root rot may set in and kill your lavender plant.
During the blooming season – when flower buds start forming and when the plant starts flowering – you should go back to watering your plant once or twice per week as the soil dries out.
During the flowering season, lavender plants can actually use the extra water. Giving your lavender plant regular watering during this time of year can increase the number of flowers it produces.
Signs of a Lavender Plant That Needs Watering
So how do you know when your lavender plant needs water? You’ll want to look for a few key signs.
- The leaves will start to dry out or turn yellow. This is a sign that the plant isn’t getting enough water.
- The soil will feel dry and hard if you push your fingers in it. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean your plant needs watering—it may be time to give it some compost instead!
- The lavender will start to wilt.
Another tip for figuring out how often to water your lavender plant is to pinch a little of the soil in your fingers. If it feels dry and crumbly, it’s time for a watering. If the soil feels moist and clumps together when you pinch it, then there is no need to water it just yet.
It’s important to give your plant some time after when the soil dries out before you water again, as lavender is used to dry, arid soil and doesn’t like to be watered too often.
Keep in mind that some of these symptoms may be signs of overwatering that are being misinterpreted as underwatering.
Browning at the base of stems is an indication that your lavender is getting too much water. This is a sign that root rot may be starting to set in. You’ll want to keep an eye out for this when you’re checking on other signs like wilting or dryness on leaves. If you’re seeing these issues, you may need to cut back on your watering and take some steps to bring your lavender plant back to being healthy.
The Best Time of Day to Water Your Lavender Plant
This one is really up to you! Some people like to water their plants in the morning when they wake up, others like to do it in the evening when they get home from work. Either way is fine, as long as you are consistent.
Personally, though, I think watering in the morning may be best, as it gives the plant enough time to absorb water before it gets hot and the sun starts causing the water in the soil to evaporate.
It also gives the soil a chance to dry out before nightfall, so the lavender isn’t sitting in soil that’s quite as wet overnight. Less time spend with wet feet is always better for lavender plants.
On the other hand, I end up watering my plants most often in the evening, after it’s cooled down for the day and after I get home from working.
The best way to water your lavender
When watering lavender that’s grown outside in the garden, the best strategy is to get a gardening hose (or micro-sprinkler system, especially if you’re growing a lavender hedge) and give your lavender plants a thorough watering. After that, wait until the soil dries out completely before watering again on the schedule I listed above.
If you’re growing plants indoors or outdoors in containers, the best way to water your lavender is to use a watering can. Fill the container with water, and then gently water the plant until you see water coming out the bottom.
As mentioned above, try to water only once every two or three weeks during the non-flowering season and once per week during the flowering season – up to twice per week if the soil dries out that often.
If you’re in indoors, try to water no more than once a week. If you have a lot of lavender plants, make sure they are spread out so that they’re each getting enough light and air circulation.
Conclusion
Lavender plants are one of the most popular flowering herbs for home gardens. They are very fragrant and make a wonderful addition to any flower garden. However, lavender plants are difficult to keep alive if you don’t know how to care for them. People tend to overestimate how much water they need.
Unless the plant is flowering, you only need to water it once every two weeks. During the flowering season or if you’ve just planted it and it hasn’t had a chance to establish yet you can water it as often as twice per week.
There are a few signs a lavender plant needs watering. You should look for drooping leaves, yellowing, or and soil that has completely dried out. If you see any of these signs, it is time to water your lavender plant.
The best time to water your lavender plant is morning or evening. If you water your lavender plant in the morning, it will have time to dry before nightfall. If you water at night, the water will be able to evaporate throughout the day.
The best way to water your lavender plant is by spraying the soil with a garden hose, or filling up a bucket with water and pouring it over the plant’s roots. Avoid spraying the plant’s leaves if possible. Be sure to saturate all the soil until it is wet and then give it time to dry out before watering again.
I also recommend you read my guide on how to grow lavender, which has more information in it on proper watering and making sure your soil doesn’t retain water.
