Give the poor thing a drink! A really thorough drink. Fill a large container (such as a laundry tub) with water, and immerse the entire pot in it, leave until no air bubbles can be seen rising from the pot - perhaps several minutes. Remove the pot and allow to drain. This is an emergency treatment to get some much-needed water to a severely deydrated plant.

Never allow potting mix to dry out completely. If it does dry out, it becomes water-repellent, so when you water it as you normally would, the water just runs straight through it and out the bottom of the pot, giving the plant very little benefit at all. Keep the soil in any pot just barely moist - so that when you insert a finger into the soil as far down as you can, the tip of your finger will feel cool and moist. It's no good just looking at the top layer - it'll be bone dry.

Lavender can take quite a lot of water (as long as it can drain away quickly), especially when it's very young and immature. A potted lavender will need much more water than one planted in the garden - pots are high maintenance.

Also a young plant needs to be protected more from the harsh sun - gradually introduced to it. As with human babies, baby plants need that little bit more TLC. Only with maturity can a plant behave like an adult and tolerate harsher conditions. In nurseries, the process of 'training' a baby plant to tolerate full sun etc is called 'hardening off', in an area protected from the harshest conditions.

I've always found that a good quality all-round potting mix is the best. Cactus mix is for cactus, and lavender isn't a cactus.

I was told by several people even people who consider themselves lavender experts that the cactus mix would be fine. Other wise I would have to add several different materials and make my own mix. Cactus mix being close to what I want. I was told and also under the impression that Lavender was just like sage and rosemary, which don't like wet feet and could die. I think that is why my other plants died. I also did not have them in the right soil.

My rosemary and sage I barely water, they get a light watering like once every 1-2 weeks. They were small plants too and I just planted them directly into a full sun area. It is possible this lavender needs a hardening off period because where I bought it from it was only getting indirect sun. The plant is also not really a baby, I'd say it might be around 2 years old already cause of the size. I am just so worried about overwatering so I usually barely water because I worry more about the plant dying from over water than under watering.

You should NEVER 'water just a little bit'. For those plants that do best in drier soils, you simply water LESS OFTEN. But, when watering day comes around, the plant should be completely saturated. If not, a portion of the root/soil mass could dry out permanently. Then, guess what happens?

There are few things more beneficial to a plant than a thorough drenching, as long as the potting mix drains very well.

You will have plants that, for a variety of reasons, you will need to drench fairly often. Others will need to be watered infrequently. But it's important that all plants receive a big, drenching shower on their watering day.

Ok thanks, tomorrow I will give it a big watering. Some other people confirmed with me that when young/newly transplanted etc they should be watered more often until established. I also will find it a spot with some shade during the day.

Does it have spider mites?

No don't think so. BTW I watered it again today. The plant has a lot of sun damage. I'd say atleast 75% of the plant is dry/crispy. At this point would it be wise to prune it to within a few inches tall? Because of my ignorance I might lose yet another lavender plant. I do believe the roots are still healthy. COuld this plant bounce back after a pruning?

I seem to have the same problem--a sick goodwin creek lavender plant--and I want to save it. For starters, I live in a condo in zone 7 (Northern VA). I've only had this plant since Thanksgiving and I haven't a choice but to keep plants indoors. *sigh

Anyway, on Saturday (1/7/12), I noticed my plant was droopy, so I "soaked" it since it seemed to need water (I don't normally wait 'til this point). When doing so, I saw little bugs in the soil (original soil & pot from the nursery), so I repotted it in a clean 4" round pot.

After removing it from its pot (4" square pot), I soaked the root ball in a container of warm (semi-luke warm) water (about 10-15 min) to get rid of the original soil & any lingering bugs.

The new soil was a mixture of crushed egg shells (about 1 Tbsp), cactus soil mix and African violet mix with a 1/4 inch of gravel in the bottom of the pot for drainage. As I was potting, I misted the soil because I didn't want the roots to be too wet. I just wanted it to perk up and then wait to water again in a few days.

It was droopy all day on Sunday. This morning (Monday), it was still droopy. I checked the soil with a moisture meter and it was slightly dry, so I dunked it. I routinely bottom-water my plants and leave them to soak for 10-30 min and then set them aside to drain. This evening, my poor lavender is droopier than earlier. HELP!!!!! What else can I do?

I've been battling aphids on other plants, but not this one. This one has been blooming and growing until now. *sniff, sniff

Oh, I have 2 fluorescent lights (near the plant tops) shining on my indoor garden (herbs, fern & lavender plants) for 15-17 hrs/day (timer). I have 2 other lavenders (grosso & buchii) that are doing well and one (provence) that I think has died. =0( I repotted it, just like above, but to no avail.

The temp is around 65-70 degrees, and my garden is in front of my sliding glass door, which just has sheer curtains hanging, so lots of light still shines. My windows/balcony door are in the west/south-west direction.

Ideally, I'd like to put it an hydro/aeroponics system, but now knowing lavender plants like the dry side, that's not a real option.

I don't want this to be a 3rd casualty. The first was a munstead because I tried hydroponics with it. The provence was in its original pot and even the nursery employees/horticulturalist from which I purchased it don't know why it wilted. =0(

One more thing--I bathed, pruned (when needed), fertilized/watered, checked for pests/aphids on ALL of my plants on Saturday. I use organic/botanical insecticidal soap when necessary. Otherwise, everything is done by hand when possible.

Any and all help/advice is welcome. Thank you!!