How to grow lobelia seedlings yourself
Lobelia is considered the best curb plant. It is propagated by seedlings grown from seed and needs a lot of attention throughout the growth process.
Soil preparation
Sowing lobelia for seedlings can be carried out in any soil, the main thing is that it is soft and loose.
For this purpose, quite suitable peat tablets
, soil for indoor plants from the store, you can use garden compost, having previously spilled it with phytosporin to prevent diseases, such as black leg.
Seedlings are grown in shallow planting boxes with a side height of about 5 cm.
The optimal timing for planting lobelia seedlings
For seedlings, plant seeds are sown at the end of February. This is due to the fact that in the first period of its development, the growth of lobelia is slower, since at first the root system of the plant is growing.
However, after two weeks, sometimes even earlier, seedlings appear. By the time of their appearance, the length of daylight hours is insufficient for their full development, and the shoots are stretched out, become weak. To prevent this, apply backlight.
How to sow lobelia seedlings correctly
Since the seeds are very small, they are mixed with dry sand - this will protect the crops from thickening.
- The soil is leveled, slightly compacted, seeds are scattered. From above, they are not covered with soil, but only slightly rolled, moistened abundantly.
- Then the planting box is placed in a plastic bag - a kind of mini-greenhouse is obtained, and installed in a warm place.
This must be done as the seeds germinate at a temperature of +22 ° C.
Advice: to get fresh air to the lobelia seedlings, make several holes in the plastic. Then condensation will not form, but it is he who is the cause of the death of seedlings.
Seedling care
Watering is carried out in moderation, in accordance with the drying of the soil.
To moisten it, use a spray that needs to be adjusted to a fine fraction of drops, watered very carefully.
At the first stage, the plant does not need feeding.
Observance of the following rules will help to grow lobelia seedlings strong and healthy:
- as soon as shoots appear, remove the polyethylene from the box and reduce the temperature of the content to +15 ° C;
- in a month, when two pairs of full-fledged leaves appear, pick 5-6 plants in one hole, the distance between the bushes is about 4 cm;
- two weeks later, feed the seedlings with complex fertilizer.
The pick is carried out in order to strengthen the root system and make it grow more actively. Then the lobelia bushes will be more magnificent. Re-picking is possible, in which each bush is planted in a separate container. For this purpose, it is convenient to use disposable peat cups. When the height of the seedlings reaches about 3 cm, pinch the top of the seedling - this contributes to the formation of lush bushes.
Important! It must be borne in mind that when diving in bunches of lobelia, the shoots grow thin, and the flowers are small.
For cut seedlings, the soil is more nutritious than for sowing lobelia for seedlings.
This is how lobelia seedlings are grown until the end of May, when the likelihood of repeated frosts is minimal.Seedlings are planted in the ground with a distance of 15 cm between them. Blossoming lobelia can be admired already in June, and flowering continues until the arrival of frost.