How to Take Care of Lavatera Mallow

Select a planting location for your Lavatera mallow plant that meets its cultivation requirements. Choose a location that receives six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day. It should also provide your Lavatera mallow with nutrient-rich, well-draining soil.

Cover the surface of the soil at your planting location in a 2- to 3-inch layer of equal parts aged manure and peat moss. Top this with an equal part of coarse builder's sand if you have heavy clay or slow-draining soil. Till the amendments into the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.

Scatter your Lavatera mallow seeds on the surface of the soil at your prepared planting location. Cover the seeds with no more than a 1/4 inch of amended soil. Lightly water the freshly sown seeds to moisten the soil and encourage them to germinate.

Water Lavatera mallow a minimum of once a week in the absence of rain, soaking the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. Provide your Lavatera mallow with as much water as necessary to keep the soil evenly moist.

Fertilize your Lavatera mallow every two weeks during the summer, when the plant is actively growing. Feed Lavatera mallow with a half-strength solution of a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer that has been specially formulated for flowering plants. Follow the fertilizer's label directions to ensure that the proper amount of nutrients are provided.

Pluck faded blossoms from your Lavatera mallow plant as needed to help it maintain a fresh, attractive appearance. Deadheading allows your plant to focus its energy on producing additional healthy blossoms.