Amazing lobelia Swallow's Nest: description, instructions for growing from seeds, photo

Lobelia Swallow's Nest is a tall culture that is distinguished by decorative leaves and spike-shaped inflorescences of purple color.

A plant is suitable for creating group plantings to get colorful compositions in a flower bed or in a garden. The culture blooms for a long time and is bright, and with proper care it does not get sick and is not exposed to pests.

This article describes the features of growing and propagating this variety of lobelia, as well as tips on how to prepare the plant for winter.

Perennial characteristic

Lobelia Swallow's Nest is a perennial plant native to South Africa. It belongs to the Kolokolchikov family. But in conditions of the Russian climate, culture is grown as an annual one, since it does not withstand winter frosts. Although you can dig a bush in the fall and keep it in the pot all winter.

Swallow's Nest is considered one of the most beautiful and delicate flowers that grows on a rocky and damp surface. This is a bush perennial with spike inflorescences, it reaches a height of 70-80 cm.

REFERENCE! The plant is used to design borders, create group compositions. The variety is distinguished by a variety of shades, from white to purple.

Photo

Below you can see how the lobelia Swallow's Nest looks in the photo:

Cultivation Features

What season is the best time to start?

Sowing seeds for seedlings is necessary in March-April. But to send the planting material into the open ground not earlier than May, when the earth warms up well, and the frosts do not return anymore.

Substrate selection

ATTENTION! The soil for lobelia Swallow's Nest is to choose nutritious, loose and breathable. You can use a commercial substrate intended for flowering plants.

You can prepare the soil yourself. To do this, in an equal amount to connect such components:

• garden land;
• sand;
• vermiculite.

Breeding methods

From seed

The advantages of the seed method are as follows:

• plant resistant to viruses and diseases;
• young shoots quickly adapt to certain conditions.

Cons of the seed method:

• the plant takes longer to bloom;
• culture does not always convey varietal traits.

How to choose?

Lobelia planting material is very small. It is easily carried by the wind, so self-sowing of the plant is possible.

In this case, flowering will come much later than with an organized planting. To collect lobelia seeds, you need to carefully cut and shake the bush over a spread newspaper.

Then put the collected material in a clean and dry container.. Put it in a dark, dry place in which to store the seeds until spring.

Landing procedure

If the seed method of breeding Lobelia Swallow's Nest is selected, then you need to adhere to the following plan:

1. Fill the container with drainage holes with nutritious soil, at the same time lightly compact its top layer.
2. Since the seeds of the plant are very small, combine them with sand before planting.
3. After sowing, irrigate the soil with Epin or Zircon solution (1 ml of the product is diluted in 5 l of water).
4. Do not sprinkle seeds on top of the ground. Cover the container with plastic wrap, install in a warm place where the temperature will be 18-20 degrees.
5. Remove film every day for 30 minutes to prevent condensation.
6. After 10-14 days, the first shoots are formed.REFERENCE! From this moment it is necessary to remove the covering material for 2 hours and increase the time by 20 minutes every day.
7. Watering seedlings should be extremely accurate. At first, the sprouts are very small, so use a spray bottle for irrigation.
8. When full leaves appear, you can proceed to picking. For these purposes, choose the strongest sprouts. Plant them in a pot of 3-5 pieces. Conducting a pick is convenient with a teaspoon. She will cut a small piece of soil with sprouts. Place the collected "portion" in plastic cups, which should be placed in a bright and cool place. During this period, plants should be kept at a temperature of 15-18 degrees.

Cuttings

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of grafting are as follows:

• the plant grows and blooms rapidly;
• all parental characteristics are retained.

The grafting method has minuses:

• the plant from which the stem was taken is stressed;
• The reproduction process is quite painstaking.

Organization

To propagate the plant by cuttings, it is necessary to start in late autumn before persistent freezing occurs:

1. Dig up the bushes and transfer to a bright and heated room, where the temperature will be 5-7 degrees Celsius.
2. In March, when the growth of young shoots occurs, break off one, lower it with a tip into water, and then immerse it in Kornevin (1 g per 1 liter of water).
3. Only after 2 hours, place the stalk in the prepared substrate. Instead, you can use steamed wood chips.
4. Be sure to cover the container with planting material with glass and place in a slightly shaded place.

Seating

Landing activities to carry out according to the following plan:

1. Prepare a container, lay a layer of expanded clay and a nutrient substrate.
2. As soon as the cuttings cease to fade, the process of rooting has begun, so plant them in prepared containers 2-3 weeks after cutting.
3. Tamp the soil thoroughly and pour it with settled water.
4. Set the cuttings in a shaded and cool place.

Outdoor cultivation

Lobelia Swallow's Nest suitable for outdoor cultivation. Only before planting in open ground seedlings must be hardened. On the first day, young seedlings should not be exposed to the sun and wind. It’s better to choose a quiet day for this and set the plants in the shade. The next day, you can rearrange at partial shade, and only then put it in the sun for 1-2 hours.

IMPORTANT! When planting lobelia, observe an interval of 10-15 cm. Then the bushes can grow and create a continuous carpet. And if the gardener wants to grow lobelia in separate bushes, then there should be a distance of 25 cm between them.

When growing plants in open ground, the following problems may occur:

1. Bushes respond poorly to rainy weather. Then they do not bloom and look painful. But with the onset of sunny weather, the plants bloom again, and the flowerbed becomes bright and attractive.
2. Bacterial wilt. This is a disease in which seedlings begin to wither very much after the sun. The leaf plate becomes dull, and the plant dies. Stems can also darken, and purple spots appear on the leaves. Bacteria settle on bushes and spread in a conductive way. This contributes to the temperature above 18 degrees. It is not necessary to treat the plant with copper sulfate or benzoic acid, as they weaken the culture, and only those that are located on the surface die from bacteria.
3. Stalk rot. Some parts of the stem become gray, and dry mold forms under them. The escape withers and dies. To prevent the development of the disease, it is necessary to maintain low humidity and not to make nitrogen fertilizers often. Also, foliar irrigation should be avoided, and in case of infection, treatment with Inprodion or Fengesamide.
4. Thrips. These are pests that form light spots on the leaves. Insects feed on plant sap. Because of this, the bushes bloom ahead of time. Young shoots and leaves are deformed. Thrips are carriers of viruses. In the process of combating them, it is necessary to regularly inspect plants that have not yet bloomed, as well as conduct treatment with such insecticides as Metiocarb, Spinosad.

Preparation for winter

Since the lobelia of the Swallow's Nest is a thermophilic plant, it is unstable to winter frosts. Even if the bushes successfully wintered for several years, the next year they may die in severe frosts.

ATTENTION! In order for the plant to please its attractive appearance for many years, it is necessary to dig it up and transfer it to a room for the winter, where there is good lighting and the air temperature is 5-7 degrees Celsius. As soon as spring comes, you can perform the cuttings and begin to multiply the plant.

Care

Temperature

If you grow a plant at home, then the air temperature should be 20-22 degrees heat. Make sure that these indicators do not increase, as this will negatively affect growth and flowering.

Watering

Watering is necessary as the topsoil dries. It is important to prevent the drying out of the earth and its overmoistening. For irrigation use only settled water at room temperature.

Lighting

When lobelia planted in February, the daylight hours are insufficient for the full development of the culture. Without illumination, the seedlings will grow elongated and frail. For additional illumination, you can use fluorescent lamps. And it is advisable to keep an adult plant on a well-lit window sill, where there is no direct influence of sunlight.

Topping

As soon as the seedlings are taken after a pick and grows to the level of 3-4 cm, pinching can be done.

To simplify this procedure, it is necessary to cut off the crown of all plants at once. This will make the lobelia bushes more magnificent and significantly develop the root system.

It is very useful to do pinching when several roots grow in one container. If you carry out the procedure 2-3 times, then from one seedling you can get a large, lush and healthy bush.

Top dressing

To fertilize lobelia, it is necessary to use complex mineral fertilizerscontaining nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus. Organics, and especially fresh humus, will oppress lush colored ones, contributing to the development of lush foliage.

REFERENCE! For the first time, the plant can be fed 2 weeks after planting. The next time to carry out the procedure during flowering.

Pot

You can grow lobelia Swallow's Nest in a container. It should be wide and shallow. A flower pot, flowerpot, pot is suitable. The selected container must have drainage holes for air exchange.

Lobelia Swallow's Nest is a very beautiful ornamental plant that can be grown both on the street and in the house. In terms of care, it is not picky, grows quickly and rarely gets sick. But this is subject to, if all agricultural rules are followed and regular care is taken for flowering bushes.