Gardeners need to follow the 888 rule when cutting lavender this weekend & it will rejuvenate the entire plant

TODAY marks the perfect time of year to cut your lavender as per the 8-8-8 rule that gardeners should follow to rejuvenate their plant.

This rule signifies the best day in the gardening calendar to dust off your pruners and attend to your lavender plant, to help prepare it for the slower months ahead.

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The hack that will keep your lavender in the best condition through winterCredit: Getty

The 8-8-8 rule

Gardening experts have declared the eighth day of the eighth month as the best day of the year cut down your plants.

Once more, it is recommended that you chop at least eight inches, hence the apt name of the 8-8-8 rule.

Gardening Know How explains: “This involves creating a more rounded, compact shape and removing tatty, leggy stems, dead branches and remaining flower stalks.

“The intention is to give lavender, whether potted or in garden beds or borders, the very best chance to slow down healthily on the approach to dormancy.”

August 8th marks a great day to prune your plant as it pinpoints a window where its finished flowering but also not yet Autumn.

Gardening Know How added: “Ideally, it’s a good idea to give lavender plants at least a month to recover from that ‘end of season’ pruning before the colder months kick in.”

Making these important cuts now also gives establishes a burst of new green growth.

Use rule as a guideline

Experts advise that this rule is used as a guideline and doesn’t have to be followed too rigidly.

One Facebook user drew attention to this, explaining that while she is aware of the rule, she cut hers back last week and had no problems.

Another added: “Watch the plant not the calendar.”

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Gardening Know How seconded this, advising: “I would take some cues from the plant in question – such as, is it still flowering, or has it stopped?

“This can all help make a decision about how to apply the 8-8-8 rule on a case-by-case basis.”

Pruning with the 8-8-8 rule

Experts advise that you use measuring tape to assess the height and width of your plant and to ensure you are cutting off the right amount.

With a sharp pair of pruners make your cuts.

Make sure you avoid cutting into any woody parts of the lavender and focus on chopping the area where the foliage begins.

Gardening Know How also suggests the use of shears for bulk cuts, and pruners for more targeted, precise, cuts.

Cut just above the node (where the foliage meets the stem) to give the best chance of a health regeneration.

Take your time, and see this as an opportunity for the plant to have a summer reset.

Once done, you don’t need to worry about feeding your lavender, simply carry on watering as usual.

If you are not able to get this rule done in time, before the colder months set it, it is recommended that you wait until Spring.

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