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Not only tall flowers with large inflorescences look elegant and worthy of becoming a flower bed decoration. Small, but abundant and bright flowering looks no less presentable - a kind of weightless cloud of delicate flowers. Lobelia, which is increasingly appearing on balconies and flower beds in all corners of the country, belongs to just such colors. Lobelia ampelous deserves special attention, which is a universal "tool" of designers: it is beautiful in hanging pots and balcony boxes, suitable for decorating flowerpots, pots and landscape compositions. Everything is fine in lobelia, but the difficulty lies in growing this flower.
Planting and caring for ampelous lobelia, with photo and video instructions, will be discussed in this article. All stages of growing flowers will be described in detail here: from seeds and seedlings to planting in a permanent place and the rules of care.
How to choose a variety
Lobelia came to Europe from North America and southern regions of Africa. Today, this flower is ubiquitous; it grows on almost all continents of the earth. Botanists attribute lobelia to the Kolokolchikov family, highlighting more than three hundred species of this plant.
There are several varieties of this plant, differing primarily in the height of the shoots and the shade of the inflorescences. Most often, domestic florists grow:
- bush lobelia (or Erinus), which grows in low balls, covered with many small flowers;
- ampelous variety, the bushes of which are looser and climbing, there are not so many inflorescences on them as on Erinus.
Shrub lobelia is suitable for planting in flower beds and in various landscape compositions (on an alpine slide, for example). But ampelous varieties will decorate hanging pots, balcony boxes, window sills, suitable for growing in flowerpots and pots.
Growing an ampelous variety is somewhat more difficult than a bush one. She is more whimsical and often dies due to improper care. Practice shows that the most persistent are those types of ampelous lobelia, the inflorescences of which are blue-blue in color. The white variety rises more slowly and develops worse, but it is also quite suitable for novice florists. But it is better to refuse the purple or lilac variety - they are very moody and rarely give abundant flowering.
The appearance of ampel colors is very characteristic:
- stems are branched, angular;
- shoots are reddish;
- hanging stems, reaching a length of 50-60 cm;
- leaves are shiny, dark green, small, lanceolate;
- inflorescences are two-lipped, small in size.
Growing from seeds
The development of lobelia seedlings is a long process, taking from 2.5 to 3 months. Therefore, it is necessary to sow flower seeds in advance - starting from the middle of winter. To determine a more accurate landing time, you need to decide whether there will be an artificial light for seedlings.
The fact is that with a lack of light, the lobelia sprouts become thinner, the seedlings "sit still", inhibit development, and may get sick with a "black leg". Lobelia, sown in Februarywill have to be illuminated with fluorescent lamps. Seeds, sown in March or even in April, will sprout quickly, and the seedlings will catch up with the February one, and maybe even outstrip it in development.
Seedling flowers
The first thing a grower should consider is the size of the seeds. Lobelia seeds are very small, so it will not work to separate them - planting will be group.
Now you need to choose a container for flower seedlings. Shallow plastic containers, wide bowls or plates, seedling cassettes with trays, peat tablets or cups, candy or egg containers will do.
The soil for seedlings of these flowers is peaty, not too nutritious. Both purchased soil and prepared independently will do. Homemade substrate must be disinfected by pouring boiling water with several manganese crystals.
When the soil has cooled down, you can start sowing ampelous lobelia seeds. This can be done in several ways:
- Mix the dusty flower seeds with sand and distribute them evenly over the entire area of the container, as if "adding" the earth.
- Take a toothpick, moisten it in water and, dipping it into the seeds, grab 5-10 grains at a time.
- Purchase lobelia seeds in multi-dragee - a shell containing 5-10 flower seeds at once. Spread large pills over the surface of the ground or put a couple of "grains" in an individual cup (tablet).
The flower grower must understand that lobelia is planted in the ground or in the flowerpot only in groups. Therefore, they dive this flower in small bunches of 5-10 seedlings or try to immediately plant seedlings in groups.
It remains to cover the container with flower seeds with a transparent lid: plastic, film, glass or polycarbonate. Lobelia is removed to a warm place before shoots appear.
Flower Seedling Care
Growing from seeds is a laborious and lengthy process. Only after a couple of weeks, the lobelia will sprout. Until this happens, you need to remove the lid from the container twice a day and wipe it from condensation. Let the seedlings air out for 10-20 minutes, and then put the lid back in place.
When all the shoots have sprouted, you can completely remove the shelter. But it is better to do this gradually, gradually increasing the airing time - so the lobelia seedlings will harden and get stronger.
The root system of lobelia is small and superficial, and in young seedlings, the roots are completely microscopic. That is why watering is so important for the seedlings of these flowers. As soon as the soil seems dry, you should immediately water the seedlings with warm water. Watering can be carried out both from above and through the pallet.
Ampelous lobelia does not like abundant nutrition, so it is enough to feed the seedlings once at a month's age. You can use a mineral complex for flowers, after dissolving the fertilizer in water (the proportion should be two to three times less than that indicated on the package).
When the temperature on the balcony or outside the temperature reaches 10-15 degrees Celsius, you can take out the flower seedlings “for walks”. The time the flowers stay in the open air is gradually increased, and as a result, the boxes with lobelia are left for the whole day, and then overnight.
Dive seedlings
Lobelia ampelous can be grown with or without a dive. It is not necessary to plant flowers grown in tablets, cassettes or small cups. But when sowing seeds in the total capacity, picks cannot be avoided.
Neighboring flower sprouts are intertwined not only with roots, but also with stems and leaves, so you need to dive lobelia early - at the stage of two or three real leaves. Flowers dive in bunches, each of which has 5-10 plants.
The root system of lobelia is tenacious, it is not afraid of mechanical damage, so the soil in a common container with flowers can simply be cut with a sharp knife into identical pieces. You can also separate groups of flowers with a teaspoon or the back of a fork, a wooden spatula, and other improvised means.
After transferring to an individual container, the lobelia sprouts are sprinkled with soil and slightly compacted, now you can water the flowers with warm water.
Planting flowers in the ground and caring for them
Planting and caring for lobelia outdoors or in pots is no less laborious than growing seedlings. Flowers are planted in bunches, leaving about 15-25 cm between groups. After a month, the bushes will grow so much that balls of neighboring flowers will merge into a solid carpet.
The place for the ampelous lobelia is chosen in partial shade or on the north side of the house. The scorching sun can instantly kill these delicate flowers, so it is recommended to shade them.
Lobelia care is as follows:
- Frequent and abundant watering, which does not allow the soil to dry out.
- Drainage of the soil, which will not allow moisture to stagnate at the roots of flowers.
- Top dressing with mineral fertilizers without nitrogen. Potassium sulfate is recommended for abundant flowering.
- In the middle of summer, when the lobelia has faded, its stems are pruned, leaving only 5-10 cm. After a couple of weeks, the bush will grow and begin to bloom again.
- Due to the heat, the plant may begin to dry, then you will have to pick off the yellowed leaves and inflorescences.
There is nothing difficult in leaving, just lobelia cannot be left unattended for a long time - every day it needs the participation of a grower.
Conclusion
Ampelous lobelia is very effective: delicate clouds of tiny flowers painted in pastel shades.
This is not to say that this flower is very capricious or too whimsical, just lobelia needs constant attention of the grower, regular watering. The biggest challenge is growing flower seedlings from seed, but this can also be done with a little patience and time.
