What varieties of lobelia are suitable for planting in the open ground? Photos and rules for plant care

Small flowers of lobelia of blue, blue, purple, lilac or white color form a continuous carpet or cascade, pleasing to the eye most of the summer. This plant from the bell family can be annual and perennial.

There are quite a few different varieties of this plant. Each gardener will find for himself the kind of lobelia that he likes.

In the article, we will not only tell all about the planting of lobelia in the open ground, but also show photos of various varieties, discuss the problems of grafting and transplantation.

What varieties are suitable for outdoor cultivation?

Planted in open ground and perennial and annual species. For planting, the lobelia erinus species is suitable as an annual. She may be:

• bush (erect and spreading) - curtains forming a dense carpet of flowers with a height of 8-25 cm;
• ampelous - abundantly flowering cascade of lashes 30-35 cm long.

Perennial types of lobelia - tall and erectcan also be grown as summers.

All about varieties of lobelia for open ground can be found in the table below:

Photo

Further on the photo you can see several varieties of lobelia suitable for planting in the open ground:

Is the plant resistant to frost?

This fragile flower resists frosts down to -23 ° C, and without shelter, and more severe colds - with shelter. Not all types of lobelia are suitable for wintering. More decorative varieties that have become widespread among gardeners are annuals or grown as annuals (lobelia erinus). More modest in appearance, but steadily tolerating winter, the lobelia is beautiful. These are erect bushes with strong stems up to 90 cm high. Flowers of unusual shape, pink, purple and red tones, up to 3 cm in diameter.

How to plant?

Lobelia sprouts are very small, fragile and brittle, so it is propagated by seedlings or cuttings. From the table you can find out the advantages and disadvantages of different methods of reproduction (about growing lobelia, planting methods and features of plant care, read here).

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Seeds

Sow seeds in March - April (bush forms) or at the end of February (ampelous varieties). You can plant them at home in containers or in a greenhouse in seedlings.

Place for sowing

Lobelia is a photophilous plant, so seedlings must be grown with good lighting and mandatory illumination. Seeds are sown superficially (germinate only in the light).

Soil and tanks

For seedlings, water-permeable soil is needed - holes must be made in containers not only from below, but also from the sides. Soil is suitable only light, water- and breathable and crumbly.

In the soil mixture you need to add disinfected sand in a ratio of 1: 1 and a little ash. Lobelia will feel great in such soil.

Be sure to treat the containers and the ground for seedlings with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate or Fitosporin-M. The best temperature for seedlings is 20-22 ° C.

Sowing

There are 2 ways to plant lobelia seeds, depending on the form in which they are released:

1. unprocessed;
2. Dragee.

Untreated seeds are very small, like dust, you need to be careful when sowing:

1. Pour prepared soil into the container, pour boiling water.
2. Loosen the soil mixture, remove all lumps.
3. Sprinkle seeds in a saucer. Hooking each seed with a toothpick dipped in water, place them on the soil surface in a few pieces.
4. Do not water or fall asleep.
5. Cover the container with a plastic lid and place in a warm, bright place.

Peeled seeds can be sown in peat tablets (in each dragee - several seeds):

1. Place the tablets in a container and pour hot water (50 ° C).
2. After swelling the dragee, put the tablets in the center (in the recess).
3. Cover the container with a transparent lid and place in the light.

Seeds of perennial lobelia are sown in the greenhouse in February (air temperature in it is not lower than 20 ° C). The sowing procedure is the same, only the seeds are not covered with a film. Shoots appear after 2-3 weeks, the grown bushes are planted in the ground.

After seed germination, care consists of:

1. airing (it is necessary to start before the emergence of shoots);
2. removal of condensate from the film;
3. re-exposure (4-5 hours in March and 2-3 hours in April);
4. watering by spraying from a very small spray bottle or into a tray (when grown in tablets);
5. maintaining a temperature of 15-18 ° C without drafts.

Seedling picking and pinching

4 weeks after the appearance of the sprouts, the lobelia is dived. It is almost impossible to separate plants one by one - the roots are very small and delicate, so a piece of soil, together with seedlings, is taken out with a spoon and the resulting curtains are planted. Seedlings grown in tablets are not dived. Nailing is carried out after reaching seedlings of 3-4 cm. Cut off with scissors or pinch off the upper leaves - this will help the bushes grow more compact and lay more flowers.

Learn more about the sowing of lobelia seeds for seedlings and the rules for sprout care in this material.

Cuttings

For the preparation of cuttings, an adult lobelia bush is used. In the fall (when the night temperature reaches +5 ° C), he, together with a lump of earth, is carefully transplanted into a pot and left for the winter in the house under good lighting and a temperature of no higher than 15 ° C.

The plant blooms until mid-winter (if the faded shoots are removed on time), then it goes into a dormant phase: it is watered no more than 2 times a month and kept in a cool room. At the end of winter, young shoots grow from the base of the bush, and they are used as cuttings:

1. Fresh soil is added to the pot and the shoot growth is directed to the sides so that they touch the ground. You can pin the sprouts to the ground in several places - this will increase the number of cuttings.
2. Roots grow on the processes (the process takes about 3 weeks), they are treated with a growth stimulant (Kornevin) and planted in separate containers.
3. After the cuttings reach a height of 4-5 cm, pinch them or pin them again to the ground, waiting for the roots to appear.

Thus, from a single bush, many cuttings are obtained for planting in open ground.

Going to a permanent place

Lobelia seedlings are planted on a permanent place in late May - early June, after the end of frost. The plant is able to withstand a drop in temperature to -1 ° C, but it is better to cover young sprouts with a spanbond. The soil should be light and not too fertile, because then lobelia will give a lot of greenery and few flowers.

The earth and sand are mixed in equal parts and a tenth of humus or rotted manure is added. The bushes are planted in a sunny place at a distance of 15 cm from each other in the flowerbed and 10 cm in pots and flowerpots.

In the flowerbed and flower pot

Care includes:

• watering;
• top dressing and cultivation;
• pruning.

Lobelia is a moisture-loving flower, watered up to 2 times a day in hot weather. The surface of the soil must be constantly moist. When growing in a pot with a limited amount of land, vermiculite or hydrogel can be added to the soil to retain moisture. The plant blooms well only on breathable soils, so it must be regularly, but very carefully loosened so as not to damage the delicate roots.

Top dressing is carried out 2 times per season:

1. Before flowering - Dry potash fertilizers during loosening, then watered abundantly.
2. During flowering - complex mineral fertilizers in dry form also during loosening or in liquid form under the root. This top dressing can be repeated in a month.

Bushes usually bloom until the end of summer. To prolong the process, in August they cut the lobelia with a sharp knife at a height of 5 cm from the ground, and then it will delight the eye to the very frosts.

What to do if it does not take root?

Sometimes when planting lobelia seeds they do not emerge or seedlings die in the growth process. This happens for various reasons, and in each case there are ways to rectify the situation.

Table: problems and solutions

Conclusion

Lobelia is a beautiful plant for open ground. With proper sowing and proper care, it will bloom all summer.

Watch the video: How To keep your Pansies looking Full and Flowering all season long (April 2024).