For Lavender Fans

UPDATE 2019 – GROW LAVENDERS IN LIQUID  WORKSHOP AVAILABLE! 

Our Unique curriculum includes how to acclimatize lavenders for our climate!

These plants are able to renew growth from dry wooden barks on their own.

Hardy acclimated lavenders are easier to maintain in our climate.

This is how the bark looks like after they have adapted to our natural environment.

Just like rosemary, the consensus is to “love it less”!

DO NOT OVER WATER! 

There were gardeners who grew Lavender very well in Singapore.

Thanks to these gardeners who shared tips on plant care since 2016, more people (including myself) enjoyed lavenders in our gardens today.

This sharing may not be in chronicle order as permission to use their stories (or pictures) came at a different times as I wrote this post.

Henry Lim’s lavender journey (2015) 

Began in September 2015 with a Paris Garden kit.

His lavender seeds did not germinate for a long time and Henry initially gave up on the project and re-purposed the soil for other plants.

Henry said germination can take up to 2 months and he was lucky to spot lavender shoots growing in the pots with the other plants and quickly transplant them.

Henry customized his own lavender soil  :

His formula consisted of 1:1 pebbles and compost, mixed in with crushed eggshells (boiled, dried, and egg membrane removed).

He did not use the medium that came with Paris Garden kit.

He said lavender soil needs to be well-drained, a customized mix of aqua-clay, compost, and crushed boil eggshells work for his plants.

HENRY’s TIP – thrives in well ventilated with free-flowing area

Erin Lee, July 2015  :

Germinating lavender seeds took patience.

Erin sowed her seeds in July 2015 and they took 2 months to see tiny sprouts.

These seedlings were frail and grew very slowly.

ERIN’s TIP – watered every 2 days and only when top soil felt dry. 

Shirley Ooi’s , 2015 : 

She started her lavender journey on August 11, 2015, from seeds.

In the daytime, while she worked, they were indoors and watered with ice cubes instead of water.

SHIRLEY’s TIP – Avoid rain, Watered with ice

Lee Michael, January 2017

He collected different varieties of lavender.

In the earlier days before 2018, not many nurseries stock lavenders.

It was considered a great find if we chanced upon different types of lavenders in our local (Singapore) nurseries (plant centers).

Michael had successfully rooted and grew various types of lavenders from cutting.

He used cactus soil mix and advised NOT to add fertilizers for these plants.

To encourage a bushier lavender plant, the topmost part of the lavender plant was trimmed off after the cutting had established itself.

MICHAEL’s TIP – Very well-draining soil suitable for cactus and NO Fertilizer

KELVIN HO, 2016

It was Kelvin Ho‘s dream to start a lavender garden along his corridor in 2015. He read all he could and visited actual lavender fields.

In 2016, he decided to put his learning into action.

His first attempt at germinating lavender seeds was a huge success. The first trial yield 75 seedlings total.

The first seed sprout was spotted in 2 weeks, on May 16, 2016, and subsequently more seeds also germinated.

A lavender fan, his hard work, and research paid off.

He continued to advise beginners and share his experiences today.

He experimented with various soil mixes to find the best one to germinate lavender seeds better.

These were some of his wild explorations!

Recipe 1 – Cactus potting soil, perlite, Florabella soil, seed compost (NOT suitable for germinating)

2016 May 22 – Perlite and Florabella soil was not suitable for lavenders.

Seeds did not germinate in them.

Soil with neutral PH works better for them.

Kelvin Ho is no longer a novice where lavender plants are concerned!

Slowly his lavender corridor garden dream is a reality in 2017. This was his update –

Lavenders grew better where there was a strong sun.

KELVIN’s TIP – DIY these blue cooling units for a hot environment work very well

In addition to seeds grown plants, he started rooting from nursery purchases as well.

The ultimate reward for lavender gardeners were their flowers.

CHER KENG HENG (2016)

Broad experimentation in controlled cool environment started for germination and growing lavenders.

At that time, his methods yield the fastest germination results of 2 weeks instead of 2 months.

We thought it was his laboratory’s environment which was cool and dry.

GERMINATION TIP – Maximum Humidity for seeds

Seeds sprouted first seed leaves 2 weeks later.

It was astonishing to see this result in 2016 as most other experiences were 2 months.

Cher Keng Heng’s TIP  – Shorten distance of distance between plants to growlights 

NURSERY PLANTS, May 10, 2016 – Bad experience even in a very cool laboratory environment. 

Plants suffered roots rot. 

Transportation stress, humidity, excessive watering, or unsuitable medium (coco peat) maybe the reasons why these plants failed.

Once this occurred, the damage was more often than not, irreversible.

Better chance with rooting a new cutting than tried to revive it.

The browning stems would spread upwards and plants usually die.

Regarding roots rot, more than a few gardeners had shared the same tale since 2016.

Lavender plants would wane and started dying one week after purchase.

The main reason found was roots rot causing plants to fail.

This plant was green-housed in a plastic covering in an attempt to stabilize it. Flies emerged from the soil and it was suspected that rot had already set in.

OBSERVATION – Changing to suitable soil did not recover this plant

2019 NURSERY LAVENDER IMPULSE BUY (PESTS CHECK)

The lavender scent of sweetness which reminded one of light French perfume attracted me to this pot.

It’s a rare impulse as I normally do not buy plants.

I checked for soft brown stems at the base of the plant, as this may be indicative of rot. Plants with roots rot ailment do not recover.

Another visual check is for web with tiny red moving dots, this would be spider mites, an unpleasant persistent pests which spread easily in any garden.

TIP – PESTS Check on nurseries purchase before adding to main garden

I observed that lavenders with no flower buds had a stronger scent.

Thus after careful checks, I chose this plant for their strong scent.

On hindsight, I should pay more attention to the blue tint on leaves.

The color likely comes from Neem spray, a natural pesticide, indicating the presence of pests already.

TIP – ROOT STEMS FOR INSURANCE

TIP – Check Leaves Fold for Pests

In the folds, underneath and top of leaves, if white, green, black, or lightly colored moving dots such as these are found, they are pests.

In my case, there was an infestation of well-fed aphids in only the middle section of the plant.

Left alone, they would have spread to my other plants indoor.

TIP – Look For Pests under bright light and isolate any new buys until all is clear

Ants protect and tend to aphids for their honeydew secretions.

When one part of the plant became weak due to these sap-sucking pests, guess who ferried them to other parts of the plant?

Reducing ants presence will greatly reduced aphids and other pests’ presence.

TIP, Indoor Gardens – Use Diatomaceous Earth (DE), kills ants by suffocation.

Just add to soil and water down.

It is effective against spider mites.

A word of caution – Avoid breathing this in, please google for more information.

Please Note – DE kills bees, thus not suitable in outdoor gardens

Both parent and cutting plants must be checked.

Affected leaves removed, bagged, and discard immediately.

They cannot be used for culinary because of pesticide or dried for potpourri (in case the eggs hatched).

Aphids and their eggs are extremely hardy, they would not die easily.

To treat this plant, sulfur soap solution was used.

However please note that sulfur reacts with light (sun or growlight) and would cause leaf burn.

TIP – Use sulfur soap solution at night or in the shade

COCO-PEAT MEDIUM – NOT Suitable for dry loving plants (water retaining)

When the plant was removed from its pot, its roots were tightly coiled in a very moist coco peat medium.

This can lead to roots rot because this medium retains water well and kept roots constantly moist.

Roots rot is apparent when lower stems become brown and soft. Leaves will brown next until the whole plant weakened.

TIP – Cuttings in this condition will not root.

As much as possible this medium should be removed to avoid the future decline of the plant.

Soaked to soften the tight coil and gently remove the peat.

The last rinse in Epsom Salt solution to reduce transplant shock before planting in the right medium.

Tips on customized soil mix below or consider cactus mix for well-draining soil.

For tailor soil mixes from seasoned gardeners, please click here.

STEPS FOR NURSERY BUYS

Prepare green stem cutting – remove lower based leaves

Check cuttings’ leaves for pests

Root cutting in netcup or other means for new roots

Isolate until all is clear before adding new rooted plants in the garden

OH! SEE HOW THEY DIE IN VARIOUS WAYS! 🙂

Main Plant’s Observation – 90 % died in varied ways

Remain in original soil without making cutting – die

Remain in original soil after cutting – die

Re-pot in dry medium – die

Re-pot in liquid medium – die

Tried to re-generate new roots by trimming off original roots – die

Within a week, it died.

Suspected that roots rot had already set in. This damage is hard to reverse.

Plain Water Base to re-generate roots – Original roots or  trimmed off root tip stems

Cuttings, on the other hand, rooted well and continue to thrive.

Behind the scene on “Go, Go, Grow” documentary (in Mandarin) about how to do lavenders’ propagation by cutting –

Zoom in a close-up shot of the cutting by filming crew on December 9 2019 –

Our lavenders are not grown in a “protected” environment (no aircon) to make them more adaptable to the natural environment.

AVAILABLE FOR SALE, HYDRO LAVENDER Starter Plant in netcup + sponge (Grown in the natural environment, used to heat), and growlight panel.

Please contact via SHOP’s contact form.

No more worries when the sun shifts direction, with growlight supplementing our natural sun.

This lavender garden was featured for the first time in a documentary, “Go, Go, Grow” on December 9, 2019.

It was a pleasure to share our plants and how we used lavenders as DIY gifts to a broader audience.

LAVENDER FLOWERS OBSERVATION

Cuttings with flowering buds bloom after they were rooted.

FLOWERS’ STEMS CAN ROOT!

It was observed that green healthy flowers’ stem can also root.

Flowers’ stems which rooted grew flowers first instead of leaves!

New leaves showed!

One flower’s stem had branched out to become bushier.

After flower pods dried out, the stem grew taller.

SEEDS Hunting !

Hopeful for viable seeds in these dried flower pods on October 25, 2019.

The opportunity to study these flowers’ stems came about when some of them snapped by accident.

Above flowering stem was separated above the snap point to root and it took about 1 month before roots were spotted.

Under high intensity lights or strong sun, mature plants will show blooms.

EMERGENCY BRIDGING

Discovered by accident, a broken flowering stem can be mended with scotch tape and continue to bloom.

HOW TO ROOT LAVENDER CUTTING

The easiest method to grow lavenders was from a cutting of mature plants than germinating from seeds.

However, only from seeds, we could enjoy a broader range of varieties than what was available locally.

Propagating from cutting was relatively easy by selecting clean (not brown or black part) stems for rooting.

This had become the standard “insurance” after killing lavenders from nurseries after a week.

By rooting green cutting ahead of time instead of waiting till browning appeared allowed gardeners to enjoy their purchased plants longer.

For some seasoned gardeners, they also re-potted in well-draining cactus-like soil instead of keeping them in nursery’s soil.

ROOT IN WATER METHOD

STEP 1 – CHOSE HEALTHY GREEN STEMS, REMOVE LOWER LEAVES

STEP 2 – GREENHOUSE For HUMIDITY

TIP – Let roots’ end sit in water, mist the leaves, and cover to prevent water loss and mosquitoes breeding.

STEP 3 – OBSERVE FOR BROWNING STEMS

STEP 4 – CHANGE WATER IF MURKY

Helen Tan advised to change water every 3 days or when water is murky to prevent root rot during propagation.

TIP – Best individually rooted in its own reservoir

OBSERVATION – Brown Stems Will NOT Root

TIP – Choose longer stems for rooting

TIPS – If rooting hormone is used, applied it on cutting’s end

Rooting hormone cutting was also green-housed to prevent evaporation.

Upright firm stem and non-droopy leaves were good signs.

Sthh (TREVOR)  Sthh’s  (2016)

I chanced on his lavender cutting success on May 17 2016 from Urban Farmers (Singapore) group and this was his experience.

Trevor Sthh Sthh’s method –

Cut 3 to 4 inches of green soft stems, just below leaf nodes

Remove lower 1 inch of leaves

Plant in well-drained sterile soil (no compost or organic stuff)

Water deeply once, check how he does it in the rosemary post!

Place under the morning sun

Observe for one week

Soil base is the same for rosemary and thyme ( or use Cactus soil)

Trevor’s TIP – Soil needs to be very dry before deep watering

Sthh Sthh thinks that his variety is Goodwin Creek Grey, (Lavandula dentata x L. lanata).

This variety is hardier as they are able to withstand a bit more humidity and heat.

The characteristics of this variety are silvery-grey, toothed-edged leaves, and long flowering stalks.

REGINA FOK, passionate lavenders collector/grower based in the USA

Once the stems have roots and for future lavender plant care, Regina Fok suggested the following guidelines for lavender plants in the tropics.

Tips on Lavender Plants Care in the Tropics – ( advice from REGINA FOK, USA)

Water once every 3 to 4 days, only when top soil felt really dry or when the whole pot felt really light weight.

This is how to tell when its time to water lavender plant.

Use a syringe, filled with maximum 30 ml of water for lavender plant.

Water around the sides of the pot, dispense 5ml dose in 6 parts.

Exposed to morning sun only (Update 2018 – FULL SUN is okay).

DO not use ice.

Do not let lavender pot sit near where it can be rained on

Cactus soil mixed with perlite and some compost can be considered as an ideal medium

Base of plant should not be wet.

At night, the temperature will be slipped to 25-degree celsius (our normal air- conditioning environment).

Disclaimer – While the solutions above suggested by Regina Fok, work for most lavenders suffering from heat shock or transplant, it may not be a solution that cured all ills for lavenders in Singapore.

After all, there are many reasons why lavenders failed in Singapore.

An example is fungus from our high humidity which also adversely affects its well being. 

There is no cure for this, gardeners can only try to prevent this from occurring.

For a comparative study of how lavender seeds germinated in a cooler climate versus Singapore based data, Regina Fok has once again volunteered her time and data with us.

USA Germination Notes – 2 weeks for seeds to germinate. The indoor environment was 23-degree celsius.

OUTDOOR (USA) – She decided to test how young lavender seedlings fared in the natural outdoor environment.

One young seedling pot was tested outdoors and another indoors.

Her temperature outdoor ranged from 29 degrees Celsius daytime and 15C at night.

From the observation here, it seems lavender grows better outdoors than protected from all elements indoors.

OBSERVATION – Lavenders Grew Better Outdoor in Cooler Climate

Based in USA, she shared how lavender thrived in their natural environment.

Hopefully, this knowledge from a hands-on gardener will help us adapt our environment for them.

Lavender leaves were more silver-colored than green in her outdoor gardens.

4 Tips to grow lavender well from Regina Fok  –

1. Lavender hates high humidity but loves the sun and heat.

2. Soil should be sandy, loamy, and well-drained.  PH level needs to be neutral to alkaline.

3. If possible keep the plant within 20C to grow well. With a lower temperature, the plant can tolerate drought and the chill keeps the humidity out.

4. It’s very important to keep the topsoil dry to prevent root rot.

TIP – Water only when top soil feel dry to touch 

OVER WINTERING Lavenders has light scent even covered by ice and snow. Stronger scent when it’s hot

My 2 cents worth of advice, do consider rosemary soil and care for lavender as well.

In addition, to line the pots’ base with rocks or pebbles to drain water out quickly.

Terence Low from Naked Greens and Sharon Eng advised adding more sand to soil. This aid drainage.

Guanster Guan‘s tip on how to choose healthy lavender from nursery and customize ideal soil mixes.

As lavender germination and growth are very slow in our weather, many gardeners do give up after a few months. For lavender fans, its never a question if they are willing to wait and try numerous times until they learned how to grow lavender in Singapore.

Its a quest worth seeking, as lavender smells wonderful, and if we get to harvest fresh ones at doorstep, in spite of the many challenges, why not? 🙂

HYDROPONIC LAVENDERS  (FROM 2018, SG STRAWBERRIES)

We sowed our seeds on December 30, 2017, using strawberries’ germination method, and most of the seeds sprouted in 7 days.

These seedlings looked very small and growth was slow, but to my surprise, roots were quite long.

One week old lavender seedlings roots were 4 inches long.

We grew in dry and wet mediums to compare how these seedlings grew.

It was observed that hydro seedlings grew faster than soil-based plants.

More leaves showed on hydro plants than soil-based within the same period.

They were from the same pack of seeds and germinated at the same time.

2 weeks later – hydro seedlings began to grow taller while soil-based seedlings dragged their feet.

Rice husk was mixed in soil medium for aeration. They were all grown in the same area by the window.

Hydro was taller than soil-based plants.

At this time, we also learned how to grow strawberries in SG natural environment, and thus lavenders were grown the same way, with zero carbon footprint method.

Lavenders are sun-loving and grew even better in liquid-based medium.

Seeds grown plants started with one main stem and would grow side shoots within one month.

The leaves were thick and when rubbed, the lavender scent was already evident.

Our pleasure with these plants begins.

Although lavenders can be easily grown from cuttings, the varieties available in our local garden nurseries were not broad.

To enjoy the exotic and wider range, like white lavenders, it is only possible from seeds if cutting from a live plant proved difficult.

In the right technique, lavenders thrive in liquid-based without much fuss.

Cautionary Notes about Lavenders in liquid-based 

1. If nutrients or strength are not right, this is what stressed lavender seedling looked like, with cupped leaves.
2. The stress is immediate
3. Healthy lavender leaves are open-faced.

Once they recovered, the leaves unfolded and open.

Do not expect a quick instant recovery, they may take longer than a month to stabilize.

Slight browning at the leaf tip was still present.

Sign of fully recovered plant showed only when new leaves grow from the topmost mid tip.

The bottom leaves growth followed after.

Rain – Not all lavender varieties and young seedlings tolerate rain.

Browning of leaves starts at the base of the plant when it was rained on.

It was an amazing discovery that lavenders are nor only easier in a liquid base, but they do recover from browning stems and leaves to grow again.

In soil, brown leaves or stems are often indicative of roots rot leading to a full decline of the plant in Singapore.

Updates on hydro lavenders – As they matured, their stems thickened and these plants now look like miniature scented trees!

Netcups support these plants well, allowing the stems to mature and sealing access to stagnant water in the reservoir below.

HOW TO USE LAVENDERS AT HOME

Lavenders are mostly grown indoors for their scent but the leaves and flowers are really useful as well.

Here are the ways we use them at home.

Lavenders Scented Sugar to Flavour Tea

Just add lavender leaves to sugar and used this infused sugar for desserts and tea.

It should be noted that we don’t use pesticides on our plants because every part of our plants is used for culinary and personal care purposes.

LAVENDERS AND CITRUS POTPOURRI

For potpourri, dry baked at 150 – 170 C with any citrus peels.

The dried leaves are packed into spice bags for our cupboards.

In this state, the leaves will not rot and turned moldy.

DIY Potpourri bottles that we hang on windows to release lavender scent when the wind blows.

LAVENDERS BATH SALTS (For Soaking/Scrubbing)

Bath Salts – Fresh leaves are added to EPSOM Salts to scent heated soak.

LAVENDERS EXTRACT in VODKA

HOME DECOR

Scented arrangement to grace our living spaces when we have guests.

Lavender varieties can last a long time once they adapted to our climate.

Lavender seeds, starter plants for hydroponic plugs-in, net cups available in SHOP !

Netcups turned almost every spare bottle or jars into instant (mosquitoes safe) self-watering pots.

Rest easier during time away from our gardens.

Glass Tinted bottles were great for lavenders’ long roots.

In my environment, they need not climb windows like strawberries to harness the sun in these wine bottles.

Access to stagnant water is sealed. Thus there is zero risk of mosquitoes breeding with this method.

Our lavenders plants are grown in recycled jars and plastic bottles, alongside with strawberries.

Although these plants are frost tolerant, they love the sun too.

Our cool seasoned plants, proudly grown in Singapore.

We love all our lavenders and can’t wait to start more unusual varieties from seeds!

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