my understanding is that these young shrubs need to be irrigated infrequently but deeply.

==>>> they technically arent shrubs ... words mean things .... doesnt matter much here ... so dont worry about it ....

water for an hour.. go dig a hole 2 or 3 inches deep ... AND FIND OUT HOW WATER MOVES IN YOUR SOIL ... if its not down that far.. water another hour.. go dig another hole on a different emitter.. etc ....

there is no other way to find out .... in your soil.. in your yard.. in your microclimate ...

after you get it deep enough .... then every 3rd or 4th day.. go dig more holes.. and find out how it dries ... water when its dry 2 inches down ....

think about where the root mass is... and then get water down there ... and then let it get dryish ...

i dug a lot of holes ... when i put my system in.. took almost all of the first season to figure it all out ...

a small hand trowel... or tablespoon.. sharpened.. will dig nice small holes ... do not go all full size spade holes ...

in a hurry.. i dont know if you mentioned mulch ...

also ... maintaining moisture in clay.. is easier than trying to rewet it .. but that does not mean it has to be sodden all the time ...

maybe in the future you will have good soil .. then the advice would be.. insert finger .. and find out ...

ken

Over watering lavender is a far greater concern than under watering it :-) Even newly planted lavenders do not require a great deal. They also require a very freely draining soil........one where moisture is not retained for more than a few hours. Clay soils may be a challenge for lavenders although planting on a slope may be of help in that regard. It is really impossible to say how much or how long you should be watering without testing the water penetration into the soil profile and how long it is retained. Ken's suggestion for testing is valid but let the soil dry thoroughly before watering again. This is really not at all something that should be addressed on any sort of schedule :-)

btw, lavenders are considered subshrubs, which have a rather specific botanical definition.

First Time Gardener, I was recently surprised to learn that my own state has a thriving lavender-growing business, albeit on Door County's Washington Island-two geographical locations that likely mean nothing to you. So here's the deal; Washington County-like all of Door County-sits primarily on karst formations. These porous limestone rock types drain very freely, and the soils themselves are mostly of a fast-draining type. I'm sure however that Washington Island-a solid zone 5B-is much colder in the winter than just about any place in Cali. And these growers do-BTW-use drip irrigation. Of course, while I studied their operations closely, I really have no idea as to the "how much", "how often" etc. of running the drip. So not much help there.

Incidentally, while I've spent most of my life in and amongst flowers, trees and shrubs, I have never seen the density of honey bees as was apparent in those full-flowering fields of lavender. I would quickly estimate that each single plant must have had-at a minimum-50 honeybees working it over, not to mention still more bumble bees, etc. amazing, and amazingly beautiful!