I'm a beginner gardener, and I'm in a panic! My son brought home some marigold sprouts from nursery, and I've actually managed to keep them alive for a bit—three blooms so far! However, after repotting them, I noticed some small flies (not sure what they are yet) around the plant. I went to the kitchen and was overwhelmed by the smell of lavender; my husband confessed he put pure lavender oil around the plants to deter these flies. Now, I'm feeling devastated because I don't have a clue what to do. I'm rinsing the soil gently and planning to add some nutrients afterwards, but I'm worried. How can I help my plants?
2 Answers
If your plants are sturdy enough, you might want to try taking them out of the pots and gently removing the soil from around their roots. Then, you can repot them in fresh compost to give them a fresh start!
A perimeter of lavender oil might not be the end of the world. Since oil isn't water-soluble, it won’t wash away easily. Just keep your fingers crossed that the plants will be okay! You could try showering them with water to flush out the oil a bit, and they might recover just fine.
Yikes, he used half a bottle?! That's a lot! I'm hoping all your rinsing helps clear the oil out. Just keep an eye on the plants!
Here's a little picture of my tiny plants when I had a similar issue—just a few leaves but they survived! ?