How to grow ampelous lobelia from seeds at home

Lobelia ampelous, or rather, growing it from seeds, causes slight difficulties for inexperienced growers. An amazing plant is the perfect decoration for a personal or summer cottage, but it needs care. Compliance with the rules will help you get an unusual and eye-catching flower garden.

Lobelia ampelnaya: growing from seeds

A peculiarity of the culture is considered its buds with various shades, which retain their beauty until the first serious frost. Plants are usually planted in flowerpots or boxes, they are easily combined with other varieties of garden flowers.

What does ampelous lobelia look like?

Selection and purchase of seeds

Growing ampelous lobelia begins with the search for suitable seed material and its acquisition.

If you want to decorate the garden with culture, you can choose:

• ampelous variety with medium flowering and loose form;
• bushy, requiring less care for it, but with a large number of buds and a neat spherical bush.

Many growers choose a plant according to the color of the petals:

• white tone. They develop more slowly, there may be problems with seed germination;
• blue-blue. They are considered more persistent, they are distinguished by abundant flowering;
• lilac or purple. They are famous for their capricious character, but they look quite decorative.

Common varieties include Serpentine, Sapphire, Red Cascade, White Lady, Rosamund.

Lobelia Erinus

Correct planting of seeds

The seeds of the plant are small in size, which provokes problems when planting them. Experienced flower growers recommend using the following means when carrying out planting work:

• paper. A standard white sheet is folded into a bag, seeds are poured inside. With its help, the planting material is moved to the ground;
• toothpick. A sharpened stick is pre-moistened with water, brought to the material. The adhered seeds are gently spread over the soil surface;
• sand. Seed material is mixed with sand and evenly scattered over the surface of the pre-moistened nutrient composition. Before planting, the sand is disinfected; after the procedure, the seeds do not require deepening or an additional layer of soil mixture;
• snow. The containers are covered with sand, a thin layer of snow is placed on it, seeds are scattered on top. As it thaws, it will pull the seed into the soil with it. In addition to convenience, when disembarking, the method helps to carry out stratification;
• peat tablets. They are pre-soaked in water, waiting for swelling. The seeds mixed with the nutrient mixture are placed in the resulting grooves. In the same way, material mixed with snow is placed in the cavity.

For inexperienced gardeners, there is a simpler option for planting work - using granular seeds.This approach does not always pay off. Some of the pellets may be empty and the containers may not be seeded evenly.

Lobelia seeds

After planting the seed (regardless of the option), the boxes are covered with plastic wrap or glass and sent to a bright and warm room. In anticipation of the first shoots, the temperature regime is constantly maintained within the range of 18-22 ° C.

Greenhouses are regularly ventilated to prevent mold from forming. After the first sprouts appear, the containers are moved to the windowsill (the temperature should not drop to 18 ° C). Removal of the covering material is carried out after the mass germination of seedlings.

Growing seedlings

When done correctly, lobelia will throw out the buds in the first summer months. Before planting work, prepare containers and soil. Garden soil is mixed with clean river sand and sent to an oven preheated to 180 ° C for 10 minutes. The procedure helps to destroy bacteria and viruses, disinfect the soil.

When to plant lobelia seedlings: in early February. The procedure is carried out in stages:

1. Small holes are made in the boxes for planting. They will help avoid stagnant water.
2. A wide layer of expanded clay or broken brick is poured onto the bottom.
3. From above they are covered with a prepared soil mixture.
4. The earth is lightly tamped, leveled and moistened.
5. Place the seed at regular intervals.
6. The containers are covered with plastic wrap or glass.

Lobelia seedlings

Planting seeds in pots

Before sowing, select a suitable land. It must meet the following requirements:

• be airy;
• loose;
• easy;
• wet.

Only a sufficient supply of oxygen will help the seed to germinate quickly, and the immature sprouts to develop. The soil should be neutral or slightly acidic. For sowing a sufficiently small pot or similar container.

The whole process follows the standard algorithm, the containers are wrapped in polyethylene and sent to a shaded room. They check daily for emergence of seedlings, after their detection, the container is covered with glass and moved to a bright place. During the entire growth of seedlings, they are ventilated for 20 minutes. in a day.

Soil preparation

The plant grows well in soils with different compositions, the main principle is lightness and good looseness with a constant supply of oxygen to the root system. Heavy clay mixtures are not suitable for growing crops; they can cause root rot and the subsequent death of seedlings. To grow seedlings, you need to use ready-made mixtures purchased at a flower shop, tablet or regular peat.

Planting seedlings in open ground or pots

You can plant a crop after the end of frost and warming of the soil. The plant can be planted both on a constantly illuminated part of the site, and in partial shade.

Planting activities are carried out according to the scheme:

1. Dig holes 25 cm deep at a distance of at least 20 cm from each other.
2. Pour 1 teaspoon of vermicompost and 0.5 tbsp into each hole. spoons of wood ash.
3. A small amount of sand is poured on top, all the components are mixed and the composition is poured with water.
4. One or more seedlings are placed in each hole.
5. The remaining cavities are covered with earth.

Lobelia in pots

When transplanting into a pots, the process is carried out according to the algorithm:

1. Plants are watered.
2. They are removed from the main box in groups of several sprouts.
3. They are sent in containers.
4. Varieties with straight stems are placed in the center.
5. The remaining void is filled with soil mixture.

In the description of the culture, it is indicated that the moistening of the earth should be carried out no more than once a week, overflows can lead to the development of fungal diseases.

How many pieces to plant in pots

The number of units of seed material directly depends on the size of the container used. With a diameter of 30 cm, 15 pieces are enough, but some growers advise increasing the volume to 25 seeds. If the plants after germination turned out to be not enough, then their stems are pressed against the sand, lightly sprinkling with earth. After 1.5 months, instead of rare bushes, a lush hat will form.

Do I need to pinch ampelous lobelia

The plant does not need to be pinched, but some experts recommend not to neglect it. This approach will allow you to get fluffier bushes. The procedure is carried out before transplanting to a permanent place during the growth of seedlings. You need to pinch after the development of sprouts 5 cm in height.

The ampelous lobelia variety does not require special knowledge for cultivation and care. The main problems are caused by planting when using too small seed material. With proper observance of all requirements, the plant will delight with abundant flowering in the first year after planting, which will persist until the first frost.