This English lavender looked very healthy when I brought it home just 5 days ago. It’s been too cold to plant outside so I gave it a little water and I’ve had it under direct light in my house since. The soil was already a little moist when I gave it a little more water so I’m thinking it was too wet for too long but looking for opinions. Is it salvageable?
by matchthesun
2 Comments
If your hunch is right & it got root rot, probably no saving it. You can try popping it out of the pot & examining the roots. If you’ve still got any white, alive looking roots, repot it in well draining soil & hope for the best. Maybe water next time it’s about dry with a splash of hydrogen peroxide in the water. If rot hasn’t moved into the main roots or stems, sometimes a little peroxide can halt root rot.
I would let the soil dry out and see if it perks up – where there’s green there’s hope, and it doesn’t sound like its been too wet for long enough for the roots to rot away.
Lavender is a drought-tolerant plant, its roots need a lot of air as well as moisture. When things are too wet, they can’t get water or nutrients to the foliage or flowers, so the whole thing looks dry even though the soil is wet.
If it perks up, or if you decide to try again, aim for damp soil around the roots – like a well squeezed sponge. Don’t be afraid to let the top few inches of soil dry out between waterings. Thats what I would do now.