Growing Lavender for Profit

Lavender is an ancient herb that symbolizes love, devotion and affirmation. It is a flowering plant that typically belongs to the mint family. Native to Mediterranean region and several regions of India and Africa, lavender is very useful and popular on the commercial grounds as well. Lavender and its eccentrics are used in many products for its herbal medicinal properties. Lavender is preferred for the preparation of products like perfumes and soaps. Lavender essential oil is the greatest contributing factor in the healing procedures of aromatherapy. Lavender is also used for culinary purposes since ancient Greek era.

Yes I know, I am not here to tell you all the uses of lavender oil. Rather, I am here to let you know what are the considerations when growing lavender for profit. Lavenders, along with roses, are cultivated in backyards of many people as they have great ornamental value and for their timeless beauty. Not all people think about lavender as a medium of profit-making. It is true that growing lavender to make a profit is always possible, if you do your homework right about the details of the lavender plant.

How to Grow Lavender Commercially

Growing lavender plants for profit making needs perfect planning about various angles that are necessary for the lavender crop. First thing to notice is, lavender is not fully hardy so it needs proper mulching during winter when they are planted in the northern regions. Here are some tips on lavender plant care.

Location
Growing lavender from seeds is not so popular as compared to growing lavender from cuttings. The seeds take minimum of 10 to 28 days to germinate. When growing lavender for profit, it is best to use the later process, that is growing lavenders from cuttings. One year old plant cuttings are taken in spring season and they are propagated and cultivated in shady areas for a year. Growing lavender in containers in shades is the best way of cultivating them, in the first phase of their growth.

Afterward, lavender plants are transferred to areas that have bright sunlight and light and lime type of soil, with excellent drainage. Water irrigation is also one factor that matters a lot in growing lavender. These are the greatest environmental conditions that one can offer when growing lavenders for profit. Good ameliorants, fertilizers and organic matter like manure must be provided to the lavender plants. Make sure you plant the lavender in an elevated area with minimum of 8 hours sunlight. Valley and other such 'deep' areas are not suited for a healthy growth of lavender.

Cultivation and Production
Typically productive lavenders are likely to have life span of about ten years. When growing lavender, make sure you grow the best fragrant species of the plant. English lavender is the most fragrant but its oil production is pretty low, as compared to the other species. Lavandin oil, which is hybrid of the lavender, is mostly mixed with the essential lavender oils that are available for sale in the market. The whole plant can be used for oil production. But the buds, flowering tips and flower spikes, both in dried as well as fresh form are very useful for culinary and decorative purposes.

An acre of L. angustifolia (true lavender) field produces from 300 to 1,800 lbs of dried flowers, that makes 12 to 15 lbs of essential oil, which means about 2 gallons of lavender oil. While one acre of lavender cultivars produce, approximately 3500 to 4500 lbs of dried flowers, that makes 53 to 67 lbs of essential lavender oil. Make sure you choose the best species to get the maximum profit. There are more than 30 species of lavender are available that can be used for making lavender oil on commercial grounds.

Industrial Statistics
Growing the plants is not the only thing that must be in mind. Several other things like capital investment, availability and cost of the labor and transportation of the field production to the desired market are also a few things that one must seriously consider. The US mint industry is set in the Pacific Northwest region, where lavender oil is not so mush in demand for it largely depends upon the production of orange oil, cedar oil and the other essential oils that are not grown in the US.

While Australia and New Zealand are the greatest markets of lavender oil industry, where people also get some governmental funds in the initial levels. There are various ways of oil extraction that can also decide the benefits when it comes to growing lavender. These processes are hydro distillation, steam distillation, supercritical extraction and solvent extraction. Lavender oil gained from steam distillation gets highly ranked. As a matter of fact, buying a medium steam distillation unit is always handy (cost can be $8000 to $1000).

Direct Marketing and Agro-tourism
Lavender products are also sold in the farmer's market. Things like lavender wands, sachets of dried lavender flowers that are used for their fragrance are on high demand in the farmer's markets. That way it is more convenient for the producers who are growing lavender. Remember, cottage fragrance industry always works best on a small batch production, which is also called enfleurage. The products that are made using fats, alcohol and oils must be utilized as soon as they are made. So, one can think about and work out a direct marketing strategy to find a nearest market and face to face marketing of the products that one is aiming to sell.

There are several schemes and events that are organized by the regional governments, to stimulate or initiate the regional agricultural tourism. Where lavender tours and lavender luncheons are organized in the lavender fields. This can be a great opportunity for the producers to provide services and market their goods. There are more than 60 lavender farms that are present in the California region that have created a network to grow individually with the help of each other and a distillery of their own as well.

Give yourself enough time to do the correct market study, research, talk with the lavender farmers on personal grounds, check various books and websites that are there about growing lavender and attend conferences. These are a few things that must be on your list before growing lavender for profit. A detailed consideration about the above mentioned points will surely make your business of growing lavenders, a big hit. All the best!