Lobelia: planting and care
Graceful lobelia holds a special place among summer flowers. It is beautiful in a flowerbed, in a flowerpot, in a box on the balcony, and in a flowerpot on the terrace. This flower can be used in any type of site decor. Outwardly, it resembles a geranium, but is smaller.
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Planting lobelia
This plant must first be sown for seedlings. This should be done in March, then by the beginning of summer you can already admire the delicate lobelia flowers. For sowing flower seeds for seedlings, ordinary boxes are not suitable. Plastic containers with lids are required, in which drainage holes are made in both the bottom and side walls. You can adapt exotic fruit containers for this purpose or make holes in a regular plastic container.
For growing seedlings, take a light soil with the addition of calcined sand. Better buy soil in the store and mix in equal parts with sand. Be sure to decontaminate the soil before planting seeds. This can be done with a solution of potassium permanganate or heating.
Light is very important for the germination of lobelia. Seed containers must always be exposed to light. As the seedlings grow, it must be illuminated with lamps. The seeds of this flower are extremely small, so they can be mixed with calcined sand for convenience. Pour the soil in the container with hot water and loosen. Then sow the seeds without watering or covering the top layer. Just close the container with a lid and place it in a warm place under the light. Ventilate the container periodically to keep mold from forming. As the soil dries up, spray the crops with warm water and a low concentration potassium permanganate solution from a spray bottle. When all shoots appear, remove the cover.
Water seedlings only in a tray. Be sure to highlight the seedlings before planting in open ground. Keep the lobelia at a constant temperature and free of drafts. This will help you grow your seedlings successfully. A month after emergence, dive the seedlings into smaller containers.
Lobelia varieties
In our country, only one-year-old lobelia is most often grown, which is called lobelia erinus. Moreover, there are 5 different varieties of this type of lobelia:
- The compact lobelia erinus grows as a dense bush with straight shoots up to 15 cm high.
- The spreading form of this variety of lobelia is a bush with long stems, but the height of the bush itself rarely exceeds 15 cm.
- The dwarf form of this lobelia grows only 12 cm in height.
- Lobelia erect outwardly resembles a small column up to 25 cm high in the form of a straight bush.
- Lobelia ampelous looks especially impressive. It forms a magnificent cascade of long lashes hanging down.
Lobelia transplant
Procedure transplants Lobelia seedlings from a common container in separate cassettes should be carried out one month after the emergence of sprouts. Fill the cassettes with soil and make a hole in each for the seedlings. Now, with a teaspoon handle, scoop out some seedlings and move them to the cassette. Lightly tamp the soil into the cassette and moisten slightly. Leave the rest of the plants in a common container and plant in open ground after the ground warms up well.
Home lobelia
This plant can be successfully bred and how homemade... In this case, the stage of picking or transplanting a plant into cassettes should be skipped. Seedlings should be immediately transplanted into a flower pot or flowerpot.
When warm weather is already established and frosts cannot destroy the delicate plant, the lobelia pots can be taken out to the balcony or outside. The plant will thrive at daytime temperatures above 15 degrees during the day and above 10 degrees at night. Otherwise, caring for home lobelia is no different from growing this plant outdoors.
Lobelia in the open field
By the end of May, lobelia seedlings can already be planted in open ground. Choose an area for the flower that is well lit by the sun. But you can plant lobelia in a place that is illuminated by a bright sun for at least 2 hours a day.
Lobelia soil is suitable for sandy loam or loamy. The soil should be such that water does not stagnate in it. Before planting, the seedlings are hardened by taking them outside for a few days for a short time. First, the seedlings are placed in the shade, the next day they are placed in a semi-shaded place, and the next day - on a sunlit area.
If you want a solid lobelia carpet, make holes at a distance of 15 cm. To form individual lobelia bushes, make holes at a distance of 25 cm. Move the seedlings into the holes by transferring them.
Lobelia care
Watering for lobelia requires regular watering. In natural nature, this plant grows in tropical forests, so it loves high humidity. Enough water the plant daily in moderation, but do not flood. If it's hot outside, water the flowers twice a day.
For lobelia, diffused light is preferable. Therefore, protect the plant from direct rays at noon. During the period of active growth feed lobelia. The first top dressing in the form of liquid compensatory fertilizers must be applied a week after transplanting to a permanent place. At the time of bud formation, feed the lobelia with complex fertilizers with a low amount of nitrogen so that the plant does not grow green mass instead of flowers. The last time feeding is done with the same fertilizers during flowering.
Lobelia: photo
