Lobelia can be grown in pots, containers, hanging baskets and of course in the ground. There are regular and ampelous varieties. But to be honest, having been growing these flowers for a long time, I never noticed much of a difference between the most common and ampelous lobelia.
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Let's try to grow such a beauty! |
Well, except that the second one has slightly longer stems.And so they both look great in any hanging containers, are moderately drought-resistant, bloom profusely and for a long time. In addition to blue and light blue colors, there are many varieties with pink, crimson, red and white flowers.
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Soil for growing seedlings
Land for growing seedlings should be nutritious, light and moisture-absorbing. Stores sell a special substrate for flower seedlings. The easiest way is to use just such a soil. If you are used to stocking up on soil for planting seedlings yourself, then in the fall you need to prepare an earthen mixture consisting of forest soil, humus, peat and sand in equal proportions.
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The earth mixture prepared at home (and often purchased in a store) must be sifted through a large sieve, or at least through a mesh from an old iron bed. It will be very difficult to work with unsifted soil. |
Both store-bought and home-prepared soil must be disinfected before planting. This can be done by spilling it with a fungicide solution or frying it in the microwave, or you can simply keep it outside in the cold all winter.
How to grow lobelia seedlings
Lobelia blooms only 2 - 2.5 months after planting. Therefore, in most cases it is grown through seedlings.
When is the best time to start sowing?
Seeds begin to be sown for seedlings from mid-February to the end of March. It is still more advisable to sow in the first half of March. The lag in flowering of March seedlings from February seedlings will be insignificant, but there will be significantly less hassle.
How to sow seeds
To sow seeds, you can use low plastic containers or peat tablets. If you choose a plastic container to plant lobelia, first make drainage holes in it, fill it with soil and moisten it well. After this, you can proceed to sowing the seeds.
Lobelia seeds come in granules and loose. One granule contains 5 - 8 seeds, they are laid out on the surface of the soil at a distance of 3 - 4 cm and a small bush grows from each granule. Subsequently, such bushes are very convenient to dive.
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It is also better to sow the seeds in bulk unevenly, but in nests as you see in the photo. |
To do this, scatter the seeds on white paper and touch the seeds with the blunt, slightly damp end of a pencil. The seeds stick to the pencil and then with this pencil, with the stuck seeds, they make small depressions in the soil. The pencil is turned slightly so that the seeds remain in the ground.
Then, very carefully, so as not to blow away the seeds, we lightly moisten them by spraying, cover them with film and place them in a warm, bright place.
Lobelia seeds germinate in the light and should not be covered with soil.
2 ways to sow lobelia seeds. Take a look, maybe this will be useful to you:
Lobelia seedling care
At first, you will have to carefully care for the seedlings!
Temperature
In the room where the seeds will germinate, the air temperature should be + 20 - 22 degrees. When the first shoots appear, the temperature should be reduced to + 15 degrees. To do this, simply move the planting box to the windowsill. Shoots are usually friendly and appear after 7 - 10 days.
During the entire time the seeds germinate, make sure that the soil is moist and do not forget to ventilate and remove condensation from the film or glass. After the sprouts appear, do not rush to remove the film cover. This must be done very gradually. The shelter is completely removed when the seedlings grow to 1 cm.
One of the most common mistakes when growing lobelia from seeds is abrupt removal of the film after germination. After this, the seedlings may die within one day.
Backlight
When planting lobelia in February, the daylight hours are still very short and without lighting the seedlings will grow elongated and frail, so they need additional lighting. When planting in March, you can already do without lighting, especially if the seedlings are placed on southern windows.
Watering
There are many problems with watering young seedlings. The seedlings are so thin and tender that when watered with “rain” they will all fall to the ground and most likely never rise again.
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It was said above that it is preferable to sow lobelia not in a continuous carpet, but in bushes. Such a planting will make it easier not only to pick, but also to water. |
You can, of course, try to lift them with a toothpick, but it is safer to water them so that the water does not get on the plants. This will also protect the seedlings from blackleg disease.
Indentations are made between the bushes (with the same pencil) and water is poured from a syringe into these holes. Water is absorbed and the soil is evenly moistened, and young shoots remain dry and do not fall. The same result can be achieved by pouring water from a syringe onto the walls of the container, but provided that the container is small.
It is necessary to water in this way for 2-3 weeks, then the plants will get stronger and these precautions will become unnecessary.
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In the photo you see seedlings that are about to be picked. These seedlings grew this way in about a month. |
Picking
Lobelia is picked not one plant at a time, but in groups at once. Use a small spatula to pry up the bush and transplant it into a glass. If the seedlings grow like a carpet, then separate part of the soil along with the seedlings and transplant them into larger containers.
After picking, the plants are watered and kept in the shade for several days, after which they are again placed in a sunny place.
Topping
When the seedlings begin to grow after picking and grow to 3-4 cm, it is recommended to pinch them. To simplify this procedure, you can use scissors to cut off the tops of all seedlings at once. This will promote bushiness of plants and development of the root system.
It is especially useful to do this when only a few roots grow in a glass. If you pinch several times, then even from one seedling you can grow a large, lush bush.
Growing seedlings in peat tablets
It is very simple and convenient to grow lobelia in peat tablets. But it is better to transfer the seeds to the surface of the tablet not with a pencil, but with a wet toothpick. To prevent the seedlings from sprouting too thickly, use the tip of a toothpick to distribute the stuck seeds to different places on the tablet.
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When growing lobelia in peat tablets, picking may not be necessary. If the plants are not planted very densely, then they can wait in this state to be planted in open ground. |
Then do everything as usual, only it is more convenient to water the seedlings in tablets through a tray.Watering should be moderate, making sure that water does not accumulate on the tray.
Growing without picking
For those who grow lobelia in hanging baskets and do not want to bother with seedlings, we can recommend the following method.
At the beginning of April, fill the pot with fertile soil, sow the seeds there, cover with film and place on the windowsill. When it gets warm, all you have to do is move the pots into the garden. Flowering will begin later, of course, but no fuss with seedlings.
Planting and caring for lobelia in open ground
Hardening of seedlings. Before planting in the garden, it must be hardened off. On the first day, seedlings should never be placed in the sun or wind. Choose a warm, quiet day and place the plants in the shade, next time try partial shade, and only then can you put them in the sun for an hour or two.
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These flowers are often planted on hills among stones |
Landing scheme. When planting lobelia after 10 - 15 cm, a continuous carpet is formed, and when planting after 25 cm, the plants will grow in separate bushes.
Where to plant and how to care for lobelia
The plant is not capricious and requires a minimum of care and attention.
The soil. She loves loose, breathable soils without stagnant water. You should not plant lobelia on too fertile soils, otherwise it will actively develop green mass and there will be few flowers. For the same reason, you should not feed it with nitrogen fertilizers.
Watering. Like most plants, lobelia prefers moderate watering without overwatering.
Location. It grows well in the sun, but it will develop and bloom just as well in places where the sun shines for 2 - 3 hours a day. Flowering lasts until frost.
Caring for lobelia in flowerpots and hanging pots
Caring for plants growing in flowerpots and pots is much more difficult. The soil there dries out quickly and there are also not enough nutrients due to the small volume of soil.
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To make caring for such flowers easier, when filling flowerpots with soil (turf soil and compost in equal quantities), add hydrogel or vermiculite. |
During the season, plants in pots are fed 2-3 times with potassium sulfate and complete mineral fertilizer.
Watch a video about planting lobelia in a flower pot:
How to collect seeds
Lobelia even has small seed pods - you can’t grab them with your fingers. But the seeds can only be seen in a bunch. But despite their meager size, they sprout beautifully, and therefore it makes sense to collect the seeds yourself. Many summer residents grow flowers in flower pots and other containers. It is easiest to obtain seeds from such plants. The pots are placed on paper and, after waiting for the seeds to sow on their own, they are poured from the paper into a bag.
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You can also collect seeds from flowers that grow in flower beds. They cut off shoots with yellowed seed pods, tie the shoots into a bundle, onto which they put a paper bag and hang it in a dry, warm place. The seeds will ripen and fall out into the bag. |
For those who want to grow lobelia from their own seed material, but are too lazy to bother with all this: You can simply dry the cut stems until brittle, and then grind them in your hands. Among the remains of leaves there will be many seeds. In the spring, all this can be sown in the same way as lobelia is always sown: on the surface of moist soil - and covered with glass or film. The seedlings with such sowing may not be as dense as always. But that's a good thing.
Continuation of the topic:
- Growing garden balsam
- Growing salvia from seeds
- How to grow gatsaniya from seeds
- Azarina - varieties, planting, care
- Growing and caring for clematis
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Thank you, very useful and interesting.
Irina, I am very pleased that you liked the article. Come visit us again.
I have already bought lobelia seedlings.. When is the best time to plant them on the balcony?
Nadezhda, we have already planted our lobelia (we live in the Volgograd region). If there are no strong night frosts in your area at this time, then feel free to plant your lobelia. While it's not hot, it will take root faster.
This year I grew lobelia for the first time according to your recommendations, everything worked out! My lobelia is already blooming!
Is it possible to plant lobelia on a grave? Through seedlings, of course. Has anyone had this experience?
Thank you very much for the informative and illustrated article! I will be glad to read your advice about other plants. Tell me, is it too early to plant lobelia seedlings now (January 23-25)? I live in Brest, Belarus.
Alexander, lobelia can be sown at the end of January. True, it will stretch out and you will have to pinch it 2-3 times or simply trim it with scissors. Then the bushes will be lush and pretty. I would advise you to sow the seeds a little later, February 15-20. Although even when sown in February, lobelia seedlings still need to be trimmed at least once to make them bushy.
Thank you very detailed and clear for the first landing
Olga, I am sure that everything will work out for you.
I have been growing lobelia for 4-5 years. I plant the seeds in peat tablets, then replant them together with the tablet into plastic cups. Everything always sprouts and blooms all summer. That year, to prevent the roots from drying out in the pots, I put a baby diaper on the bottom and there were no problems with watering. I read this recommendation on some website, it really helped out in our hot summer! Maybe it will be useful to someone.
A very interesting experience. Marina, thank you very much for sharing.
Thank you, I finally found a very informative article. And, special thanks for the good Russian language. But I still have a question. Is it still possible to plant lobelia directly with seeds in open ground in
Vladimir region in early spring? Maybe under the film, maybe under the Christmas tree branches? Or something else. Thanks in advance for your answer.
Olga, sorry for not answering right away. I was away. Lobelia, of course, can be sown directly into the ground, but it will bloom only by the end of summer. We always grow it in seedlings. The first batch was sown in December, and the last in early March. So the March one is now 1-2 cm high. Personally, I have no experience of planting seeds directly into the ground and I won’t undertake to recommend anything. Try it, it will bloom sooner or later anyway.