Dos anyone know anything about lavender?
- Thread starter Jarrod
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???? You don't harvest and entire herb plant. You harvest a few twigs or leaves at a time. I think the only time you harvest everything is when you are harvesting seeds and even then only the seeds. By taking a majority of the leaves you are essentially stopping photosynthesis and doing this is not a good thing.
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My neighbor across the street has a lavender farm. we are in zone 5 and 6 she sells it and makes stuff from it. big hill side of it.
Greetings, welcome to the Forums.
The finer grades of any Lavender (Lavandula) Oil will only use oil obtained from the flower heads, either by stem distillation, or less often, cold pressing. Oils from Lavender leaves are very bitter and pungent. These would rarely be used, and then only for very coarse or industrial purposes.
However, much depends on the species, hybrid, and/or cultivar of Lavender being grown. Many ornamental garden lavenders are rarely or never used for oil production.
The sweetest oil comes from some cultivars of English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), but a larger amount of commercial oil is obtained from the hybrid, Lavendin (L. x intermedia). Lavendin is now the scent most people associate with lavender, as it is widely used to sent candles, incense, cleaning products, etc. Finer perfumes and culinary uses, should still favor the use of English Lavender, though this is not always true anymore.
The oils of other lavenders, such as Spanish Lavender (L. stoechas), are more bitter and pungent. These oils are gathered and used less often. Though there is some use, either for insect repellent, or aromatherapy.
Please note, in all cases, there are particular cultivars of each species or hybrid that are preferred for oil production over most others.
The finer grades of any Lavender (Lavandula) Oil will only use oil obtained from the flower heads, either by stem distillation, or less often, cold pressing. Oils from Lavender leaves are very bitter and pungent. These would rarely be used, and then only for very coarse or industrial purposes.
However, much depends on the species, hybrid, and/or cultivar of Lavender being grown. Many ornamental garden lavenders are rarely or never used for oil production.
The sweetest oil comes from some cultivars of English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), but a larger amount of commercial oil is obtained from the hybrid, Lavendin (L. x intermedia). Lavendin is now the scent most people associate with lavender, as it is widely used to sent candles, incense, cleaning products, etc. Finer perfumes and culinary uses, should still favor the use of English Lavender, though this is not always true anymore.
The oils of other lavenders, such as Spanish Lavender (L. stoechas), are more bitter and pungent. These oils are gathered and used less often. Though there is some use, either for insect repellent, or aromatherapy.
Please note, in all cases, there are particular cultivars of each species or hybrid that are preferred for oil production over most others.