Lavender Cuttings

I've decided I'd better try to start some lavender from cuttings, in case dividing the big plan doesn't work out well.  I have three going - we'll see what happens.  They've been in pots two or three days.  I'll check for roots in a couple of weeks.

Here are some good instructions from Gardening Know How:
Taking Cuttings from Lavender Regardless of the type of cutting, you should always cut healthy, straight, vigorous stems for rooting. Choose stems with good color and no buds. Use a sharp knife to take a hardwood or softwood cutting measuring 3 to 4 inches long. Cut hardwood stems just below a bump that indicates a leaf node. Remove all of the leaves from the lower 2 inches of the stem and then gently scrape the skin off the bottom portion of the stem on one side with a knife. Set the cutting aside while you prepare the container. Fill a small pot with commercial starting medium or a homemade mix of half vermiculite or perlite and half peat moss, with a little bark added to facilitate drainage. Dip the stripped tip of the cutting in rooting hormone, if desired. Rooting hormone helps prevent the tip from rotting and encourages quick, strong root development, but lavender roots well without it. Stick the lower end of the cutting about 2 inches into the soil and firm the soil so that the cutting stands up straight. Cover with plastic to form a greenhouse-like environment for the cuttings. Lavender Cuttings Care Softwood cuttings from lavender root in two to four weeks, and hardwood cuttings take a little longer. Check to see if the stems have roots by giving them a gentle tug. If you feel resistance, the stem has roots holding it in place. Wait several days between tugs as you can damage tender, young roots by tugging on them too often. Remove the plastic bag when the cutting has roots. Set the new plant in a sunny location and water it when the soil is dry an inch or so below the surface. Feed the plant with one-quarter strength liquid plant fertilizer once a week. If you plan to keep the plant in a pot for more than two or three weeks, transplant it into a larger pot with regular potting soil that drains freely. Commercial potting soils have plenty of nutrients to maintain the plants without supplemental feedings. Propagation of lavender from cuttings is easy and more likely to be successful than growing the plants from seeds. With cuttings, you can rest assured that your new plants will be exactly like the parent plants.

Gardening Know How: Propagation Of Lavender: Tips For Rooting Cuttings From Lavender http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/lavender/rooting-lavender-cuttings.htm

Tomatoes - August 16th

I'm noticing a difference in the way the tomato plants look in different parts of the garden:

vs.

These are all from the same 6-packs (don't know what type they were - can't find the tags), but the ones on the right side as we come in the door are much more lush with larger leaves than the ones in the bed at the end of the U.  Perhaps the big ones are getting more sun, as the end of the U is often in the shade of the tree at the corner of the shed.  Something to think about next year.


These are the ones on the far side of the shed (Champion II).  They appear to be doing well, but not much fruit showing yet.  The leaves are always curled up, even when they're not dry.  I guess it's just the type of plant!  They're supposed to be more disease-resistant than other tomatoes, so maybe that's why.

Here are some of the varieties we put in the buckets.  We definitely need to use different soil in the buckets next year.
 These (Heat Wave) are quite tall, and have fruit on them already, where the others don't.

 This one (Celebrity) isn't really doing much yet.

 It doesn't seem like Early Girl is doing much, either.

 This is Super Sweet 100 - cherry tomatoes.  Some fruit, seems to be doing OK.  But the plants in the buckets aren't as full and dark green as the ones in the beds.  Probably the dirt.

Dividing Lavender

Well, I may have really goofed!  Yesterday I decided to divide my oldest lavender plant.  It was planted near the yucca, and didn't have much room.  It was getting pretty big and woody, and didn't produce many flowers, so it seemed sensible to just move it.

I did.  I dug into it, removed a couple pieces, and put them into the southern front flower bed.  Then I took the rest, broke it into two big chunks, and put those in the new bed by the pampas grass.

Today I read an article that said only divide your lavender plant as a LAST RESORT!  Apparently there is a high probability of death after division.  Rats....  I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.  I still have the one next to the front steps, so if the older one kicks the bucket maybe I can propagate more plants from cuttings.

I wonder if I'll ever think to look things up BEFORE I do them.