Yellow leaves on lavender - Ask Extension
My lavender plants have leaves that are yellowing and have some spots. I have planted new (1 year old) plants and this yellowing doesn't seem to affe...
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Yellow leaves on lavender #874785
Asked June 26, 2024, 11:51 AM EDT
My lavender plants have leaves that are yellowing and have some spots. I have planted new (1 year old) plants and this yellowing doesn't seem to affect them. It seems to be affecting my 2 and 3 year plants. I have helichrysum plants in one row between the lavender plants. (Not sure if there is a problem with this or not.) Helichrysum plants are considered companion plants for lavender. I have checked the ph level where the lavender plot is and it is fine-about 6.5 or 7. I know it has been humid and the ground is very packed b/c of no rain. I hope the pictures will help. The second picture has the spots on the leaves-on the bottom of the picture. Thank you in advance for your help.
Jan
Queen Anne's County Maryland
Expert Response
Hello Jan,
It's hard to tell what is causing the yellowing, but environmental stressors are likely the cause. This could include drought or under-watering, over-watering, a minor deficiency in nitrogen, heat stress (if the plants are near pavement, a wall, a solid fence, or black landscape fabric-covered areas). A minor leaf spot infection may also be present, but it should not require treatment.
If you haven't yet been monitoring the plants for watering needs, feel the soil about four inches deep next to the root zone and water well if it has become fairly dry to the touch. It sounds like the soil there is compacted and might not be watered regularly during drought conditions, which most of Maryland is currently experiencing.
Although lavender doesn't usually require routine fertilizer, if you think the site has poor soil and not a lot of organic matter (like from years of mulching), you could give the plants a mild dose of nitrogen-focused fertilizer, at the dosage recommended on the product label. Normally stressed plants should not be fertilized, but yellowing of older, lower leaves does sometimes indicate a nitrogen deficiency, assuming the roots are healthy.
Miri
It's hard to tell what is causing the yellowing, but environmental stressors are likely the cause. This could include drought or under-watering, over-watering, a minor deficiency in nitrogen, heat stress (if the plants are near pavement, a wall, a solid fence, or black landscape fabric-covered areas). A minor leaf spot infection may also be present, but it should not require treatment.
If you haven't yet been monitoring the plants for watering needs, feel the soil about four inches deep next to the root zone and water well if it has become fairly dry to the touch. It sounds like the soil there is compacted and might not be watered regularly during drought conditions, which most of Maryland is currently experiencing.
Although lavender doesn't usually require routine fertilizer, if you think the site has poor soil and not a lot of organic matter (like from years of mulching), you could give the plants a mild dose of nitrogen-focused fertilizer, at the dosage recommended on the product label. Normally stressed plants should not be fertilized, but yellowing of older, lower leaves does sometimes indicate a nitrogen deficiency, assuming the roots are healthy.
Miri
