Reason for Lavender dying?

[Janel]

Hi everyone this may be a stupid question but I recently planted a Margaret Roberts Lavender bush in a flower bed where a dormant bush stood for 2 years. This past spring we removed the bush but not all of the roots were removed. That lavender bush died and I want to know if it is possible that it died because of the old roots still in the ground (nothing grows out of the roots) or was it some other factor?

EDIT

I live in South Africa. I tested the soil and it drained pretty quickly so no water pooled up at the roots. The plant got afternoon sun from 1pm until 6pm. The soil is a mix of potting soil and loam. I don't know what type of bush was previously planted there because the bush never got leaves or anything so we assumed it was dead. The roots were spongy.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

I just dropped by to say a warm welcome to the forum janel.

I'm pretty new to gardening and have recently planted French lavender so my fingers are crossed they will be OK. Sorry I'm unable to offer a positive solution to your problem but here's some information which might help if you care to browse the site?

https://www.suffolklavenderfarm.co.uk/about-lavender/pests-and-diseases/

Good luck with future planting.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Verdun]

Lavendar needs as much sun as possible, as sharp drainage as possible and little to no feeding.
Your soil, potting soil and loam, janel, seems a tad rich........grit or gravel would help.
Possibly the dead roots prevented the lavendar from growing. I would try and clear the soil of those roots before planting anything else.

 

[Chuck]

I would say that the previous dead roots had nothing to do with your Lavendar plant dying. I also think you have enough light to keep the plant alive but not vigorous. Lavendar cannot live in soil that is too moist nor can it grow in acidic soils very long. To sum things up I think your plant didn't get enough light combined with too much water and possibly too acidic a soil as well. Potting soil has a Ph of 5.8-6.5 which is acidic and loam has a Ph of 6.7-7.3 just barely alkaline. Also loamy soil has a lot or organic matter in it and organic matter retains moisture. So that's why I think as I do.

 

[Janel]

I took your advice and am in the process of removing the roots. I will add a layer of gravel before planting it over and this weekend I did trim some branches to let in more light.

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

I will try to grow some this year. They say cutting better than seeds with this one. Please correct me!
I hope someone could share some more tips on how to grow them. Thank!