Capricious or not lobelia “White Lady”: secrets for successful propagation and cultivation of varieties

A beautiful decoration of the garden are lush lobelia. This shrub is covered with many small flowers of a wide variety of shades. A snow-white coverlet spreads over the flower beds of the lobelia variety of the "white lady".

From the article you will learn in detail about this variety of lobelia, learn how to properly care for and fight against diseases and pests, as well as what are the features of planting and growing.

Description of appearance and places of growth

This compact annual plant belongs to the bellflower family and grows in our flower gardens. South Africa is considered the birthplace of lobelia, from where it was brought to many continents. Most of them grow in subtropical zones. In the temperate zone, the variety of farmed species is much more scarce.

"White Lady" - an elegant spherical bush, reaching a height of about 10-12 cm. The stems are covered with small white buds of about 2 cm, located in the axils of the leaves on short pedicels.

Photo

Colorful photos of the “White Lady” lobelia fascinate:

Growing Features

Sowing seeds is best done in the early spring months from March to April. If there is a phytolamp and a greenhouse in the arsenal, then you can start sowing even in February. However, even with the most recent planting, in April, seedlings are developing rapidly and by June you can enjoy the ready-made flowering shrub.

How to choose and prepare the soil?

Soil for lobelia is best used not too nutritious, because otherwise there will be an active growth of greenery instead of flowers.

"White Lady" does not like high humidity at the rootstherefore, landing sites should be avoided in lowlands where water may stagnate.

Seed cultivation

A feature of lobelia seeds is their lightness and tiny size. They resemble dust, and therefore their landing is very difficult. But unlike cuttings, there is no need to have a mother plant.

Seeds can be collected on their own after the plant fades. Moreover, it is self-sowing. But, in order to get successful seedlings, it is better to buy seeds of well-known companies. Granular seeds are available for easy planting..

Landing procedure

1. Before planting the seeds, mix them with sand or coffee grounds. So they are more evenly distributed. You can also pick up the seeds in their pure form on a toothpick a few pieces.

   But this is the longest process. There is a planting option when a layer of snow is laid on the ground, and seeds are already scattering on it. On white snow, they are clearly visible, and when it melts, they are absorbed into the ground.

   But with this method, there is a risk that the seeds will freeze. It is most convenient to purchase granular seeds and manually distribute them into cups.

2. Pre-prepare the container for sowing. For this purpose, wide but not deep containers of 2-6 cm in height are suitable. When choosing granular seeds, you can use special seedling cassettes.
3. The selected container should be filled with soil. It should be light, but nutritious. It is good to pass moisture and air. It is preferable to use a ready-made mixture for flowering crops. You can mix garden soil with sand and vermiculite yourself. In order to avoid the formation of humus, the soil should be disinfected. A solution of potassium permanganate or boiling water is suitable.

   Important! Do not water the soil before sowing.

4. Seeds should not be distributed too thickly on the ground. After spraying the surface of the soil with a spray gun.
5. Thus, after sowing, the container must be covered with a film.

   The film must be opened every day to allow the sprouts to ventilate.

Cuttings

This method of reproduction is the simplest and fastest.. But it will require an adult plant.

1. For this purpose, an old bush is suitable, which is dug up in the fall along with the ground. It is better to choose the strongest and most healthy plants.
2. Further, they are planted in pots and sent for wintering in the room. The best place is window sills. With good watering and removal of dead flowers and leaves, flowering can continue until January. After that, for the "white lady" comes a period of rest. Watering should be reduced at this time.
3. After two months, young shoots appear at the base. It is necessary to cut the cuttings with a length of about 7 cm.
4. In order to stimulate root growth, it makes sense for some time to hold the cuttings in a special solution, for example, "Kornevin."
5. Then they should be planted in soil consisting of a mixture of sand and vermiculite.
6. Above the container with cuttings it is required to arrange a shelter, like a greenhouse. For this purpose, a plastic bottle or glass jar, turned upside down, is suitable. Every day it is required to ventilate this greenhouse.
7. After two to three weeks, roots appear on the cuttings and the plant is ready for planting.

Action algorithm

Seedlings begin to be planted closer to the end of May on open groundwhen low temperatures are no longer foreseen.

1. First of all, you need to choose the right place. A sunny and open place is suitable for this plant. The soil is required quite fertile and moist, but light and loose.
2. Shallow pits are excavated in the selected place, not more than 30 cm. The distance between them should be about 20 cm.
3. The bottom of the recesses is filled with drainage. Expanded clay or ground brick is suitable.
4. The seedling is set in a hole, the roots are buried in the soil.

   Tip. Very young small bushes can be planted in a hole for several pieces.

How to prepare for frost?

Since this plant is annual, then there is no talk about its overwinter. It manages to bloom by September and does not survive until the next year. Exceptions are those cases when you need to take a stalk. As already stated above, it is transplanted into a pot for the period of wintering in the apartment.

Daily care

• Temperature. Lobedia does not tolerate heat, from this the leaves may turn yellow and dry. In general, the plant is thermophilic and does not tolerate low temperatures at all.
• Watering. Drought is extremely fatal to this plant. Watering is required frequent. Do not allow prolonged drainage of the earth.

  But also, you should make sure that a lot of water does not accumulate at the roots. Therefore, do not forget about the drainage holes.

• Shine. Unlike diffused light, direct sunlight is fatal to her. Thus, slightly shaded places are suitable for her, excluding direct sunlight, but leaving a lot of light.
• Pruning. By mid-summer, you should take care of the full pruning. In July, the peak of flowering "white lady" subsides, the stems are overly long. After pruning, repeated flowering begins.
• Top dressing. 2-3 times the bush is recommended to feed. Fertilizers for flowering plants that contain phosphorus, nitrogen, and calcium are well suited for this. Excessive feeding is not worth it, this can lead to an increase in green mass. Initially, you can fertilize lobedia 2 weeks after planting, then only when it blooms.
• Pot. This variety is usually planted in flower beds and a garden on open soil. If you still use a pot, then for such a plant, shallow wide containers are best suited.

Diseases and Pests

Like any plant, lobelia can get sick or it can cause pests.

There are three main diseases inherent in this species: blackleg, gray rot and tracheomycotic wilt.

1. The black leg usually affects seedlings, as a result the stalk near the root darkens and becomes thinner, dropping the sprout to the ground, which leads to death. Processing from Previkur, Alirin-B, etc. helps to save from this scourge.
2. With gray rot, a brown coating appears on the stems and leaves caused by anamorphic fungi. Fungicides are used to combat this disease.
3. Yellowing and wilting of the lower leaves are characteristic of tracheomycotic wilt. The stalks seem to dry out. Treatment should be carried out as with a black leg.

The main pests are slugs and thrips:

• You can fight slugs with the help of rough mulch or simply luring them into small cups with beer.
• If light spots appear on the plant, then these are thrips. Various insecticides can be used for and destruction.

Conclusion

Lush clouds of snow-white flowers of the Lobelia "White Lady" will transform any landscape, perfectly harmonizing with other plants. At the same time, planting and caring for the bush is not so difficult. Therefore, this species is so popular among gardeners.