Lavender has a long germination process, and one of the best ways to get a jump start is to pre-sprout your lavender seeds indoors!
Harvesting Lavender Seeds
This past summer I went to a lavender farm and ended up drying all of the free bundles of lavender I came home with. From these dried lavender bundles I harvested the seed in hopes I could keep the cycle growing!
Lavender can be quite expensive and if you’ve dreamed of growing a lavender hedge like myself, then starting lavender from seed is a sustainable and budget friendly option!
The process of harvesting lavender seeds is really quite simple.
- Ensure your lavender is throughly dry to the touch. It can take several weeks depending upon the humidity where it is drying.
- Gently crush the lavender seed pods between your fingers in a back and fourth motion.
- If there are any seeds in these pods they will pop out. They are fairly small black seeds, so ensure you are doing this process over a plate.
- Set these little black seeds aside to try growing your very own lavender!
Cold Stratification and Pre-Sprouting
I decided to pre-sprout any lavender seeds I harvested, as I had heard lavender can be a little difficult to germinate and pre-sprouting can help this process.
Additionally, when you pre-sprout lavender seeds they have a higher germination rate when they are exposed to cold stratification! This means by following a simple process, you pop the seeds into your refrigerator for at least 30-40 days prior to placing under grow lights.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Take your seeds (harvested or purchased) and place onto a damp paper towel.
- Place the damp paper towel on top of a small plate.
- Cover the small plate with a ziplock plastic bag.
- Place the plate into the fridge for 30-40 days to begin the cold stratification process.
- After 30-40 days take your plate out of the fridge, while keeping the plastic bag on, and place under grow lights or near a window that receives full direct sun.
- After a week or more you should see seed germination!
- Take a small pencil tip and gently move the germinated seeds into moistened seed starting soil.
- Place under grow lights (or window with full direct sun), and keep moistened for roughly an additional 8-12 weeks.
- After your seedlings are several inches tall they will need to go through a “hardening off” period prior to transplanting out into the ground.
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