Why Lavender is turning Grey?

Why Is My Lavender Turning Grey?

Lavender, an attractive plant with purple flowers, can grab the attention of everyone. However, like other plants, it can lose its beauty due to various factors. Undoubtedly, no one likes to see their plants wilted after investing time, energy, and love.

Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned. If your Lavender has turned grey and you’re unsure why, you’re in luck because I recently experienced the same situation with my Lavender.

After conducting research, I discovered the reasons behind it. Stay with us to learn why your Lavender is turning grey.

Reasons that your Lavender turned to grey

• Here is the list of reasons that can affect your Lavender and change its color to grey:
• Fungal diseaseOne of the main reasons that lead to grey Lavender is a fungal disease. Among fungal diseases, botrytis fungus mostly affects the Lavender.
• Botrytis fungus is one species that primarily affects fresh new, growth lavender, old leaves, or even injured Lavender. It can also lead to root rot, and unlike traditional root rotting, the plant’s color turns grey instead of brown.
• If your plant turns grey in the mentioned areas, it should be considered a sign of a pathogen. But how Lavender is affected by a fungal disease?
• If you plant your Lavender close to the affected plant, it will likely go through the same issue.
• Planting plants close to each other prevents airflow circulation among the plants.
• If the use of poorly draining soil or the pot does not have any hole at the bottom to lose extra water, all of these can cause fungal disease.
• How to save your plant against fungal disease?
• When you detect signs of fungal disease on your Lavender, and only a single part of your plant is affected, you can remove this part to prevent its spreading.
• But if the entire plant is affected by fungal disease, you must look at the roots.

When dealing with fungal diseases, the initial treatment that often comes to mind is using fungicides. However, it is important to note that fungicides are not always the ultimate solution.

While they can effectively treat fungal infections in the soil, they may be less effective in combating fungal infections within the plant.

1. Frost damage

• Given that the Lavender plant is native to warm climate areas such as the Mediterranean region, they need a warm area with temperatures 68-86°F to thrive and cannot tolerate cold weather.
• It will turn grey if you keep it outdoors in the cold seasons or indoors, blooming the cold air from a window or air conditioner.
• So, please keep it in a place that does not encounter any cold weather to prevent its greyness.

1. Environmental stress

Environmental stress is not welcomed by any plant, particularly by Lavender. When a plant undergoes environmental stress, the plant cannot photosynthesize properly and produce chlorophyll to preserve pigments.

One of the common environmental stresses is long-lasting drought, nutrient deficiency, overwatering, or heavy winds, as well as temperature extremes. 

To protect your plant against the lavender plant, you should monitor your plant and ensure that you provide your lavender tree care and its requirements. 

You can head to Lavender Tree Care (All You Should Know)! Article to keep your plant safe and far from environmental stresses.

Let’s take a look at environmental stresses and their effect in more detail:

• Overwatering

1. You can see the effect of overwatering on the base of your plant and when its color changes to grey in this area.
2. Overwatering affects the plant by suppressing chlorophyll production and causing the greyness of Lavender.
3. When you pour extra water into your plant, it is more likely to be subjected to fungal infections, leading to root rot.
4. When the root starts rotting, you will see the sign of grey patches, and when the plants begin to drop flowers and leaves, they will die unless you treat them immediately.
5. In this situation, you can remove the plant from the soggy soil and transfer it to another pot with fresh soil. But before transferring, check the roots and remove bad roots with pruning shears.

• Poor watering

When your Lavender does not receive enough water, it will be unable to develop a deeper root system and drop leaves.

How to know your plant is underwatered?

To check your soil, you can dig a pencil or moisture meter and bring it out to see if it is dry.

• Using an unsuitable pot
• Choosing the correct pot size for planting is important, and you should notice it. If your pot is too small or large, it can cause issues with Lavender.
• The small one does not allow the Lavender to grow well, and the large one cause issue with providing enough nutrients and water to the plant.
• In addition to choosing a suitable pot size, choose a pot with a drainage hole to avoid collecting water in the basement of the pot.

1. Not pruning enough

If you don’t prune your plant properly, your plant color can be well because of overcrowded branches and lack of airflow.

If you prune your plant at least two times a year, it will be in good health and maintain its pigments by producing chlorophyll.

The final words

Lavenders, like other plants, can have some health issues, and one of the common signs of problems is the Lavender is turning grey.

When you detect grey colors on your plant, you may be disappointed and stop growing your plant. But this article provides information about why my Lavender turns grey. Hope you find reading your article useful and rescue your plant for the first time.

Could you detect why my Lavender is turning grey? What was the reason? Tell us in the comment section.