Weed control is very important in a lavender plantation to achieve good growth rates and a clean crop. Overseas, lavender for essential oil production is harvested mechanically using specially designed machinery. However, for dried flower production the crop is often cut by hand. A crop for dried flowers should be harvested when the first few florets are open, whereas a crop for essential oil should be left until about half of the florets have withered to obtain good yields of high quality oil. Lavender suffers from few pests or diseases, although crop health problems such as root rots leading to plant death may arise in wetter environments.
Spittle bug can be a problem in crops grown for fresh or dried flowers.
Essential oil Essential oil of lavender and lavandin is obtained by steam distillation of fresh or wilted flower heads. It is important that quality standards defined by the market are met. The yield and quality of the oil are primarily determined by the cultivar chosen, but can also be affected by crop maturity at harvest, environmental conditions and distillation practice. It is important to carry out trials of selected cultivars in your region to determine likely yields and quality of oil before proceeding with large-scale plantings. Dried flowers Once harvested, flowers should be dried rapidly to minimise discolouration or other deterioration.