My Lavender bush looks half dead, will it come back to life if I cut the dead bits off?

Question

or should I just leave it alone?

Answer 1

why does it look half dead? does it have good drainage? too much water? root rot a killer of lavender. doesn't like being fed. got good air circulation? mulched? use only non organic mulch... pea gravel or decomposed granite.

okay, if it's getting woody open up the center, remove a few older branches... take out more when new growth comes. if that doesn't work, dig and replace.

can shear back 1/3 to 1/2 without problem to keep neat after a bloom. do not feed ever.

no, don't leave alone. go for cutting off the dead bits.

Answer 2

What sort of soil is it in?
Lavender needs to be in VERY WELL DRAINED soil - at least 40% grit or gravel. If not, the roots get TOO WET and it dies. Plus a VERY SUNNY position. Shade no good.

If you cut it right back - it takes a LONG TIME to come back (even if its alive). Proper way is to trim off the dead flower stalks down to the new foliage.

BEST THING TO DO -
if the soil is wet - don't give it any more water for a day or three;
if the soil is powder dry - water it - but don't over water it;
trim off all bits that look dead - as clearly they are no good to the plant;
B4 you do any of this - just gently scratch the very base of the stem, near the ground, with your thumb nail - if it shows green under the bark - there is STILL HOPE, but if it's brown - it's dddddead!

Answer 3

My adise to growing lavender is the less you do to it the better! Lavender is not fuzzy, it likes to stay on the dry side. Yes, it will die back a little after it blooms, just cut off the broken branches, but don't cut it back too much or you'll loose next years blooms. I wouldn't recommend any fertilizer.

Answer 4

I would trim off the dead bits, give it a good water, and importantly, a good FEED. Miracle Gro is great, and easy to use. I would feed it with miracle gro weekly (instead of fortnightly as suggested) for a few weeks to give it a boost.

Answer 5

With any kind of plants,dead/brown bits need to be excluded from the rest of the plants.If this is done then its more likely that the rest of the plant will survive.Hope this is useful for you,Good luck.

Answer 6

possibly take off the dead leaves anyway says Frank

Answer 7

all depends on age of plants more than four years old they tend to get very woody if this is the case bin it they are cheap enough.bit of useless info they used to grow it where heathrow is now for cutting

Answer 8

Yes you should regularly trim your bush keep it looking tidy and healthy and make sure you water it lots .

Answer 9

You should trim it. Every year you should always trim lavendar down else it gets old and leggy. Good luck.

Answer 10

I've tended to leave mine and it's come back on its own