Lobelia - a charming plant, abundantly blooming throughout the summer and autumn. Refers to the family of Lobelian, and according to some reports - to the bell-bellied. The birthplace of lobelia is South Africa, and there are about 360 species in the world, most of which are perennial . In our climatic conditions, mainly one of its species is cultivated - lobelia erinus and then, only as an annual, since in one warm season it manages to pass through all the stages of vegetation.
It is especially loved by gardeners, because its white, blue, lilac and red flowers look very impressive as flower beds and ampel (cascade) compositions in flower pots. An adult plant requires minimal care, but it is not so easy to grow it from seeds. Nevertheless, this method is actively practiced by both beginners and experienced gardeners who have their own secrets. Let's consider in detail the peculiarities of planting lobelia on seedlings.
Growing lobelia from seeds
Seedlings, as well as adult plants of lobelia can be grown in different soils, the main requirement for which must be looseness and softness. In conditions of home growing seedlings, you can take a ready-made shop mix for indoor plants or peat tablets. You can limit waste and harvest the soil in advance, in the autumn mixing garden turf and organic fertilizers. But do not overdo it - too much water can negatively affect the subsequent flowering. The finished substrate should be treated from parasites - for this you can drench plenty of land with boiling water, and keep it until the seed is planted in the open.
When to plant lobelyu on seedlings?
On the question "When to sow lobel?" You can answer unequivocally: the earlier, the better. Optimum is the period of the beginning-middle of February. This haste is explained by the fact that at the first stages of its development lobelia grows very slowly, although the first shoots can appear in 1-2 weeks. Planting seedlings in the soil is carried out from April to May.
How to grow lobelyu from seeds?
As a container for seedlings, you can take any improvised form with a height of the sides of 2-3 cm. We put the pre-prepared substrate in a pallet, compact it. Seeds of lobelia are very small, so it is not so easy to distribute them evenly over the soil surface. To do this, you can use the following methods:
- Add a little sandy soil to the sachet of seeds and mix thoroughly, after which the mixture can be spread over the soil;
- a damp wooden skewer is dipped in seeds - they adhere to its surface. With the skewer, you can place the seeds evenly;
- The most simplified task will help the use of granular seeds.
From above, the seeds of lobelia do not need to be covered with earth, like most other cultures - they rise in the light. Dense sowing should be avoided, since then it will be very difficult to thin out the seedlings.
After seeding, the container with seeds should be covered with glass and polyethylene. Every day they need to be ventilated, periodically removing the condensate with a napkin. Thus, a greenhouse effect is created that helps maintain the temperature at the optimum level of 20 ° C, which is especially important when planting in February. In case of insufficient natural illumination, it should be highlighted
When growing bush varieties of lobelia during the growth phase, you can make a pinch - this will achieve branchedness. After the seedlings become strong enough, it is divided into small bushes and transplanted to the open ground at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other.
After the end of the first flowering shoots lobelia is recommended to cut to the very bottom - then they will quickly grow back anew and will bloom even more intensively.