Delicate lobelia, so beloved among gardeners for its abundant flowering and various shades, from bright blue to soft pink, is a very beautiful, but very whimsical flower. Growing it in our climate is not so easy. But the result fully justifies all the effort and patience invested. Lush mats of flowers stretching out in the middle of greenery - isn’t this what every gardener dreams of seeing when he goes out into the courtyard of his summer cottage on a fine summer day?
Despite the difficulties, everyone can grow beautiful lobelia. The main thing is to be patient and arm yourself with 5 simple rules for growing seedlings regarding:
- seed selection;
- determining the landing time;
- ensuring proper watering;
- organizing the necessary lighting;
- timely and correct removal of seedlings to fresh air.
The right choice of seeds is the key to successful sowing
When choosing lobelia seeds for sowing, you should pay attention to the name on the package. If it contains the word “erinus”, then you are dealing with bush lobelia; the presence of the phrase “ampelous” means that this is an ampelous (“hanging”) lobelia. Bush lobelias are distinguished by abundant flowering and grow in the form of a low spherical bush. The ampelous lobelia bush is looser and does not bloom as profusely. In addition, ampelous lobelia is quite capricious and requires certain skills to grow; even a novice gardener can easily cope with bush lobelia.
It turns out that the difficulty of growing lobelia is affected not only by its type, but also by its color. Thus, blue lobelia sprouts quite quickly and is not particularly demanding to care for, white lobelia sprouts erupt and develop more slowly, while purple lobelia is considered the most whimsical and slowest.
When is the best time to start sowing?
Lobelia is a rather leisurely plant. From the moment of sowing to the beginning of its flowering, at least 3 months must pass. For this reason, many gardeners begin planting seeds as early as February. But with such a planting period, keep in mind that you will have to take very painstaking care of the seedlings; in this case, you simply cannot do without special lamps. Flower growers note that you can start planting in March; in this case, lobelia sprouts will not lag far behind those in February. They say that it’s not particularly scary even if you delay planting until April.
The procedure for planting lobelia at the seedling stage is not particularly complicated. For planting, you can use either soil, cassettes or peat tablets. The only thing that must be taken into account when planting is that lobelia seeds are very small, so they should be loaded into the soil using a toothpick or a sharpened match.
Basic principles of caring for and watering seedlings
The first lobelia sprouts hatch from the soil within 7-10 days. At the stage when the container with seedlings is covered with film, it is very important to wipe off the condensation that accumulates on it, because even a small falling drop can easily ruin the sprout.
After removing the film from the seedlings, it is very important to organize proper watering.Lobelia is a very moisture-loving plant, so you will have to water it quite often, but carefully, because too much water threatens with a terrible disease - blackleg. At first, it is recommended to use a small teaspoon, distributing the water along the edges of the tray. When the sprouts get a little stronger, you can switch to a spray bottle.
Sunbathing: how to properly organize the lighting regime
Like many other plants, lobelia loves the sun very much. But you also need to organize the light regime correctly: direct sunlight is no less destructive for baby sprouts than complete shade. Lobelia needs diffused light. This must be taken into account both at the seedling stage and during the process of planting in a permanent place in the garden.
Going out for a walk
Lobelia loves fresh air very much, so one of the main tasks of the gardener is to provide the plant with the necessary walk. Starting from the time the air outside warms up above 10 degrees, you can begin to take the lobelia outside or onto the balcony. It’s worth starting with 15-30 minutes, gradually increasing the duration of the sprouts’ exposure to air.
If the above rules are followed, by about the end of May the lobelia sprouts will get stronger and will be ready for planting for permanent residence. The sprouts are planted in groups of 5-10 at a distance of approximately 20 cm. When planting lobelia, you should remember its lighting requirements and avoid places exposed to direct sunlight.
Sowing lobelia and caring for seedlings is quite painstaking work.But, despite its whimsicality, lobelia will repay its caring owner in full for his love and patience, delighting him with lush multi-colored rugs throughout the summer.
Have you ever tried to immerse lobelia seeds into the ground with a toothpick?!!!
There is a much simpler option to grow lobelia without any “dancing with tambourines” around it (I’ve been doing this for five years now and always have excellent results). We take a 5-liter flask and place it on its side. We cut the upper part on three sides, leaving the part at the bottom uncut. It turns out to be a kind of lid. Pour soil 4-5 cm high and compact it. Pour the same layer of snow on top and compact it. Scatter the seeds directly on the snow. We close the flask and seal the cut line tightly with tape. We put the flask on the windowsill and that’s it! No need to water. Further, lobelia will develop on its own. When its sprouts rest against the roof, we remove the livestock and begin to accustom it to room conditions, gradually lifting the lid of the jar higher and higher.Now you will need to monitor the condition of the soil and water it as it dries. When it’s time to plant, we take out the entire layer at once, divide it into parts (I cut it directly with scissors) and plant it in open ground.
Leila, I like your method of growing lobelia! And when do you sow lobelia in this way and when do you plant it in the ground?
I would like to see a photo.