diff --git a/packages/textarea/src/LionTextarea.js b/packages/textarea/src/LionTextarea.js
index 9692dcc77..9a05e5c1c 100644
--- a/packages/textarea/src/LionTextarea.js
+++ b/packages/textarea/src/LionTextarea.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import autosize from 'autosize/src/autosize.js';
 import { LionInput } from '@lion/input';
 import { css } from '@lion/core';
-import { ObserverMixin } from '@lion/core/src/ObserverMixin.js';
 
 /**
  * LionTextarea: extension of lion-field with native input element in place and user friendly API
@@ -9,30 +8,17 @@ import { ObserverMixin } from '@lion/core/src/ObserverMixin.js';
  * @customElement
  * @extends LionInput
  */
-export class LionTextarea extends ObserverMixin(LionInput) {
+export class LionTextarea extends LionInput {
   static get properties() {
     return {
       maxRows: {
         type: Number,
         attribute: 'max-rows',
       },
-    };
-  }
-
-  get delegations() {
-    return {
-      ...super.delegations,
-      target: () => this.inputElement,
-      properties: [...super.delegations.properties, 'rows'],
-      attributes: [...super.delegations.attributes, 'rows'],
-    };
-  }
-
-  static get asyncObservers() {
-    return {
-      ...super.asyncObservers,
-      resizeTextarea: ['maxRows', 'modelValue'],
-      setTextareaMaxHeight: ['maxRows', 'rows'],
+      rows: {
+        type: Number,
+        reflect: true,
+      },
     };
   }
 
@@ -68,6 +54,24 @@ export class LionTextarea extends ObserverMixin(LionInput) {
     autosize.destroy(this.inputElement);
   }
 
+  updated(changedProperties) {
+    super.updated(changedProperties);
+    if (changedProperties.has('rows')) {
+      const native = this.inputElement;
+      if (native) {
+        native.rows = this.rows;
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (changedProperties.has('modelValue')) {
+      this.resizeTextarea();
+    }
+
+    if (changedProperties.has('maxRows') || changedProperties.has('rows')) {
+      this.setTextareaMaxHeight();
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
    * To support maxRows we need to set max-height of the textarea
    */
diff --git a/packages/textarea/test/lion-textarea.test.js b/packages/textarea/test/lion-textarea.test.js
index 457e5afca..76582ed85 100644
--- a/packages/textarea/test/lion-textarea.test.js
+++ b/packages/textarea/test/lion-textarea.test.js
@@ -16,12 +16,28 @@ describe('<lion-textarea>', () => {
     expect(el.querySelector('textarea').nodeName).to.equal('TEXTAREA');
   });
 
-  it('has default minRows and maxRows', async () => {
+  it('has .rows=2 and .maxRows=6', async () => {
     const el = await fixture(`<lion-textarea></lion-textarea>`);
     expect(el.rows).to.equal(2);
     expect(el.maxRows).to.equal(6);
   });
 
+  it('has .rows=2 and rows="2" by default', async () => {
+    const el = await fixture(`<lion-textarea>foo</lion-textarea>`);
+    expect(el.rows).to.equal(2);
+    expect(el.getAttribute('rows')).to.be.equal('2');
+    expect(el.inputElement.rows).to.equal(2);
+    expect(el.inputElement.getAttribute('rows')).to.be.equal('2');
+  });
+
+  it('sync rows down to the native textarea', async () => {
+    const el = await fixture(`<lion-textarea rows="8">foo</lion-textarea>`);
+    expect(el.rows).to.equal(8);
+    expect(el.getAttribute('rows')).to.be.equal('8');
+    expect(el.inputElement.rows).to.equal(8);
+    expect(el.inputElement.getAttribute('rows')).to.be.equal('8');
+  });
+
   it('disables user resize behavior', async () => {
     if (!hasBrowserResizeSupport()) {
       return;
@@ -102,12 +118,9 @@ describe('<lion-textarea>', () => {
   });
 
   it('stops shrinking after property "rows" is reached', async () => {
-    const el = await fixture(
-      html`
-        <lion-textarea rows="1" max-rows="3"></lion-textarea>
-      `,
-    );
-
+    const el = await fixture(html`
+      <lion-textarea rows="1" max-rows="3"></lion-textarea>
+    `);
     expect(el.scrollHeight).to.be.equal(el.clientHeight);
     const oneRowHeight = el.clientHeight;