How to Root Lavender

Sunshine, rain, wind, and sunshine once again it must be Spring. After battling the typical wind gusts of Spring that sweep through the mountains I've finally began the process of propitiating lavender. According to Webster propagate means 'to produce' and that is what most gardeners do each Spring to produce more plants either through seed, grafting, rooting, air layering, and many other forms with the goal to replicate the perfect plant for that little empty nook in your garden. When I was younger I equated lavender to old the scent of an elderly lady's perfume; but, now I adore the plant for its medicinal and fragrant qualities. Below is a pictorial tutorial about how to propagate Provence Lavender 'Lavandula X intermedia Provence' through cuttings.

Healthy parent plant, Provence Lavender

1) Cut 3 to 5 inch stems of lavender from various parts of a health parent plant, cuttings taken from the center or middle of plant will allow for extra air flow within the parent plant.
2) Gently strip the bottom half of leaves from the stem using a top to bottom pulling motion.

3) Dip striped stem into a rooting hormone to better ensure that the cutting will produce strong roots. Shake off excess powder.

4) Use a dried stem or skewer that has a slightly larger diameter to poke holes into dampened potting soil. Preparing holes before placing hormone dipped stems prevents delicate stems from breaking and loss of hormone powder.

5) Place prepared stems into prepared soil gently.

6) Optional: Placing a baggie over cutting can create a humid greenhouse effect that will give the cuttings a more suitable and consistent environment. If not using a covering over cuttings simply keep soil damp; try to keep lavender leaves dry to inhibit mold growth.