From our perspective as lavender plants, we are not like other, thirstier plants in your garden. We hail from the dry, rocky hills of the Mediterranean, and our very essence is built for sun-baked, well-drained conditions. When you love us a little too much with the watering can, you disrupt our entire world. Here is what that feels like for us and how you can help us recover.
Our roots are our lifeline, and they need to breathe. When you overwater us, you are essentially filling the air pockets in the soil with water, drowning our root system. The first and most critical sign of distress begins underground. Our delicate, fibrous roots, which are designed to seek out scarce moisture, become waterlogged, soft, and begin to rot. This root rot is a fungal disease that starts to destroy our ability to absorb water and nutrients at all. You might not see this directly, but its effects travel upwards through our entire being.
As our roots fail, they send signals of distress to our above-ground parts. The first thing you might notice is a change in our leaves. Instead of being firm, silvery-green, and aromatic, they become soft, limp, and may turn yellow. This yellowing is not a sign of health; it is a cry for help, indicating that the roots can no longer function. In severe cases, the leaves will turn brown, particularly starting from the lower parts of the stems. Our stems, which should be woody and sturdy, may also become soft and mushy at the base. You might even notice a foul, musty odor emanating from the soil—this is the smell of our roots decaying.
Beyond the specific symptoms on leaves and stems, our entire plant will show a general lack of vigor. You will notice that we stop growing. New shoots will be reluctant to emerge, and our characteristic fragrance will become weak. We may appear wilted, which is confusing because it looks like we need water, but the wilt is from root rot, not drought. A drought-stricken lavender has dry, crispy leaves; an overwatered one has soft, drooping, and discolored leaves. We may also become more susceptible to pests like spittlebugs, as our weakened state makes us an easy target.
If you see these signs, you must act quickly. First, please stop watering us immediately. Gently remove us from the soil and carefully inspect our root ball. Healthy roots are white and firm. Use sterile, sharp scissors to trim away any roots that are black, brown, mushy, or smell bad. Then, replant us in a new location or pot with exceptionally sharp drainage. Our ideal home is a mix of potting soil with a generous amount of gravel, sand, or perlite to ensure water flows through instantly. If you must reuse the old pot, clean it thoroughly. After repotting, water us lightly just to settle the new soil around our remaining roots, and then place us in a spot with full sun and excellent air circulation. Do not water us again until the soil is completely dry several inches down. Be patient; it will take time for us to regrow a healthy root system and show new growth above the soil.
