Lobelia is a perennial herbaceous plant that is grown in home as an annual or biennial from the lobelia family. Lobelia stems are thin and branched, densely covered with tiny flowers up to two centimeters in diameter; depending on the variety, there are white, purple, dark blue and blue.
Flowering usually begins in June and lasts until frost. In the natural environment, lobelia grow in almost all parts of the world, but most varieties are found in the subtropics, in temperate climate zones – a little less. In total, today there are about 300 species of lobelia. Some varieties of lobelia are used in folk medicine (for lung diseases). Lobelia flowers combine very well with any other flowers.
How to care for lobelia
Growing and caring for lobelia is not difficult, so buy seeds or seedlings and decorate your balconies, flower beds and gardens with colorful mats.
Watering and feeding lobelia
The most important point is watering the plant, since the soil must be kept slightly moist all the time, especially the plant planted in pots. Ampel lobelia requires watering twice a day.
Brightness of light. The second important point in caring for lobelia is the brightness of the light.
Lobelia grows well in open ground, but lobelia in pots should be given more attention, it is better to shade it on hot sunny days.
Every 10 days for abundant flowering, it is necessary to feed with a complex mineral fertilizer for flowering plants.
How to cut lobelia
Another important point in caring for lobelia is pruning, which should be done at the end of the first flowering. The stems are cut at a height of 5 cm from the ground, after which the vigorous growth of new shoots and repeated, more abundant flowering begins.
Propagation of lobelia
Lobelia is propagated vegetatively by cuttings and seeds. Lobelia seeds are very, very tiny. Therefore, before planting them, it is necessary to mix them with a small amount of sand. The crops will be uniform and not very dense.
Diseases and pests
With a lack of light and heat, lobelia seedlings are stretched very much, develop very slowly and are affected by “black leg”. “Black leg”can threaten if the plant is weak.
How to save lobelia until next year?
To save the flower until next year, it should be brought into the house for winter storage, it is better to put it in a cool, bright room. On the eve of spring, lobelia bushes are propagated by division of the bush or cuttings and planted for rooting in individual pots. As soon as rooting takes place, you can plant lobelia in the ground.