Lubelia Crystal Palace: photo of the flower, the rules of planting and care, as well as the conditions necessary for growing

Lobelia Flower Crystal Palace has a long history. This flower was discovered in the 17th century by the Dutch botanist Matthias Lobel, who headed the Royal Botanic Garden in England.

Since then, lobelia has become a favorite of gardeners not only in the English kingdom, but throughout the world. It is grown at home, on balconies and loggias, as well as in gardens and parks.

There are more than 300 species of lobelia, but only 20 of them have been cultivated. From the article you will learn how this plant conquers so much, what kind of care it needs and how to grow it from seeds and with the help of cuttings.

Appearance and habitat

Lobelia is a perennial herb of the bellflower family. It forms a stunted dense compact bush with a height of not more than 12 - 15 cm. The crown is lush, spherical. The branches are thin, branching straight from the base.

The leaves are small, oblong, dense in structure, grow alternately, densely planted on stems, bright bronze hue. Flowers have 2 lips; pedicels themselves are short. The colors of the petals have cold tones - blue, saturated - purple, cornflower blue, depending on the sub-grade. The flowers are small, up to 2 - 3 cm in diameter.

The flowering is plentiful, begins in mid-June, lasts until the end of September - beginning of October. Most often used for the design of gardens and parks, usually planted varieties along borders, in flower beds. Lobelia is grown on open verandas, balconies.

Photo

Lobelia photo:

Landing

What season is the best time to start?

Due to difficulties associated with prolonged germination of seeds, sowing is carried out in Februaryso that the seedlings have time to grow and get stronger for planting in the garden or in pots and hanging baskets.

Priming

The substrate for lobelia should be loose, drained, the variety grows well on sandy and loamy soil mixtures.

IMPORTANT! Overfeeding with organic fertilizers is not recommended, this delays flowering, only the green mass of the bush grows and develops.

Methods

Seeds

It is worth noting that it is the varieties of lobelia of blue colors that are good to grow from seeds - seedlings appear quickly, the sprouts are stronger and more resistant to disease. It must be borne in mind that the seeds are very small, similar to dust. Difficulty sowing - evenly distribute them in the landing container.

Often seeds are sown in food vessels with a lid for a greenhouse effect. Seedlings under such conditions are well developed, but one of the disadvantages of this method is that seedlings must be dived in the future.

How to choose?

It is important to collect lobelia seeds on time:

Choose a time when the flower has completed flowering.
3 to 4 shoots are tied together.
The seeds are knocked off them on white paper.

Store seeds preferably in paper bags or glass containers. You can buy ready-made granular seeds of the desired variety, they are usually planted in peat tablets or cassettes - this will save the process of picking seedlings.

Watch a video on how to collect lobelia seeds:

Procedure

The seeds are very small for uniform sowing, seeds can be mixed with sand. Sowing lobelia seeds should be done in February - early March. Seeds should be grown in a well-lit place, with a lack of light, thin and non-viable seedlings grow.

Soil for seedlings can be purchased at the store, you can prepare yourself in the autumn yourself:

Turf Garden Land - 1 hour
Humus - 1 hour
Horse peat - 1 h.
River sand - 1 hour

A little lime should be added to the substrate for the required level of soil acidity. Also suitable for sowing is a mixture of garden soil and vermiculite, which ensures the friability of the substrate, normalizes its moisture.

Lobelia seed planting pattern:

A wide and shallow landing box or container is selected.
Evenly distribute the substrate with a layer of 5 - 6 cm, slightly tamping it.
The primary watering is carried out - disinfection of the substrate - fungicide is added to the water.
The moistened substrate is aged 12 to 20 hours.
Seeds are evenly sown from a paper bag.
Seeds should not be sprinkled with a layer of soil.
The sowing is humidified by spraying from a spray gun.
In water, you can add a weak solution of manganese.
The container is covered with film or glass.
The greenhouse is placed in a warm, bright place.
The temperature of the seedlings should be at least e 18-20 ° C.
Daily ventilation of seedlings is necessary, condensate is removed from the glass.
Crops germinate after 2 weeks.
Watering is carried out only from the sprayer or water is poured into the pan.
It is necessary to dive seedlings into a light substrate when 2 to 3 leaves appear.
Nipping the tops is necessary when the seedlings grow 3 cm.
Seedlings are planted in open ground when spring heat is established.
5 to 6 seedlings are planted in each hole or pot for the density of the lobelia bush.

ATTENTION! Drainage holes in the container are mandatory for breathability, lack of air and excessive wetting of the substrate leads to the appearance of a Black Leg, harmful to seedlings.

Watch a video on how to grow lobelia using seeds:

Cuttings

New hybrid varieties of lobelia propagate only by cuttings - This is a simple procedure, does not cause much trouble.

Propagation by cuttings - does not require much time, rooting is quick and painless. The main thing is to pre-prepare the necessary soil mixture, choose the right capacity for planting, follow all the rules for caring for seedlings.

Advantages and disadvantages

Despite the fact that this variety is mainly used as an annual flower, by their natural qualities, bushes are perennials. But due to the climate, these flowers are not suitable for wintering. They are transplanted or transferred to the house for the winter, when pruning, cuttings can be used for further propagation.

ATTENTION! When propagated by cuttings, the varietal properties of the Lobelia Crystal Castle are preserved.

Disadvantages of the cuttings method: it is necessary to maintain the old bush throughout the winter, proper care is required, good lighting, timely top dressing, so that the shoots are healthy and strong for further reproduction.

Which to choose and prepare?

Reproduction requires an adult, strong bush, shoots are chosen strong, healthy, not affected by diseases and pests.

Cuttings are cut in the spring. The size of the planting cuttings is up to 10 cm.
For 40 minutes before planting, the seedlings are lowered into the growth stimulator - root.

It is necessary to prepare a substrate for cuttings:

River sand - 1 hour
Vermiculite - 1 hour

Step-by-step instruction

You can make a temporary greenhouse from a plastic transparent bottle. Periodically remove the lid during rooting to ventilate the seedlings.

Lobelia cuttings planting diagram Crystal Castle:

Cuttings are cut.
Processed by a stimulator of growth in the location of the slices.
Cuttings are planted in a specially prepared substrate.
The seedlings are moistened with warm clean water.
Seedlings are covered with a film.
It is required to air the greenhouse every day for 20 minutes.
Rooting occurs after 3 to 4 weeks.
The soil is regularly moistened abundantly.
Feeding is applied 1 time in 6 to 7 days.
It is advisable to use liquid complex mineral fertilizers.
After 1 - 1, 5 months from the moment of planting, the seedlings are transplanted into the open ground in the garden.

IMPORTANT! Before planting Lobelia Crystal Castle in open ground, a gradual hardening of seedlings is required - the time spent by planting flowers in the open air is gradually increased.

Necessary conditions for growing and possible difficulties

Lobelia variety Crystal Castle grows well in the garden and flower beds. For full development, some mandatory rules of care and planting should be followed: The planting site should be bright, but direct sunlight should be avoided, it is better to plant this variety in the eastern or western parts of the house.

Before planting, seedlings must adapt to the open air - a box with seedlings is carried out for several hours in the sun, and then rearranged in partial shade. Landing in the open ground of the Lobelia Crystal Castle should be carried out in late May - early June. The distance between the planting holes is 15 - 20 cm.

The planting procedure is similar to picking seedlings.:

Digging the landing site.
At the bottom is a layer of crushed stone or broken brick for a drainage base.
Sand, peat, perlite, humus are added to the soil.
The substrate is well moistened in a temporary container and planting soil.
3–4 seedlings are extracted immediately with a spatula or garden spatula.
Groups of seedlings are planted in shallow wells, lightly tamped, and the substrate is pressed around the bush.

When transplanting into open ground, it is necessary to save an earthen lump for quick and painless rooting of seedlings.

Too frequent top dressing with nitrogen fertilizers and organics is contraindicated - flowering slows down, only the green mass of the flower grows. It is enough to fertilize once a week with complex mineral fertilizers.

In the middle of summer, pruning of bushes by 5-6 cm is required, this allows the bushes to grow. With this pruning, repeated flowering is possible. Watering the seedlings should be plentiful, 1-2 times a week.

It is important to conduct timely pinching of seedlings - the tops of the stem are carefully broken off. Thanks to pinching, the bush harmoniously develops in height and width, and branches well.

How to prepare for frost?

Unfortunately, Lobelia variety does not winter on open ground, although it is a perennial. To preserve this flower in late autumn, the bushes are dug up, transplanted into flowerpots or pots. Transplanted for the winter flowers can be stored in a greenhouse or taken out to closed, insulated balconies, can be installed in cool rooms.

Lobelia bushes Crystal Castle in winter are at rest, practically do not grow and do not develop, but, having survived the winter, bloom in the spring very abundantly.

Such a wintering bush is perfect for further spring cuttings.

REFERENCE! In winter, care for the lobelia Crystal Castle is the same as for other indoor plants - top dressing, watering, necessary lighting.

Leaving: temperature, watering, light, pruning and top dressing

The landing site should be selected sufficiently lit, but you should avoid the south side, direct sunlight. In the shade, with a lack of light, artificial lighting is required for several hours a day.
Watering should be regular, moderate - 1 - 2 times a week. In winter, watering is reduced.
Watering should only be done early in the morning or in the evening, so that water does not cause burns on the leaves. It should be watered under the root so that water does not fall on the flowers.
Fertilizers are applied immediately after planting, after 2 weeks. You can use organic fertilizing - infusion of nettle or mullein, diluted 1: 10. The second feeding - at the beginning of flowering with liquid mineral fertilizers. At the end of August, you can feed the bushes after trimming the faded buds, the lobelia Crystal Castle will bloom again and will bloom until late autumn.
Observe the dosage, young seedlings require a low concentration of fertilizers. Fertilizers should not contain a lot of nitrogen - flowering slows down.
The soil should be loose and light, suitable sandy and loamy substrate. Weeds must be removed immediately.
Pruning the shoots after flowering by 5 cm allows the bush to bloom again. A pinch of seedlings is needed for a beautiful bush shape.
Pots and decorative flowerpots, landing containers should be quite spacious, medium height, a prerequisite - drainage holes for water flow.

Designers have successfully used this variety to create multi-tiered flower towers from flowerpots. Lobelia Crystal Castle looks contrasting and bright in flower arrangements in the garden and front gardens, it is planted on alpine hills, in decorative jugs, in baskets and pots on balconies and loggias.