Dolichos LABLAB

Dolichos LABLAB - Hyacinth bean, Lablab bean, Lablab purpureus.

Lablab is a genus in the legume family (Fabaceae) with a single widely cultivated species, which is still frequently sold under its older name Dolichos lablab. The plant is native to tropical Africa, from where it reached India at a very early date and spread throughout the tropics.

The plant is a climbing vine, perennial in its homeland and annual in temperate climates, with fast-growing stems 3-6 m (10-20 ft) long. Leaves are trifoliate, large, and in ornamental forms feature purple veins and petioles.

Flowers are pea-like, fragrant, gathered in upright racemes that rise above the foliage, ranging from white to rich purple. The fruit is a flat curved pod 5-10 cm (2-4 in) long, bright purple and glossy in ornamental forms.

Hyacinth bean is a fast-growing vine that covers a trellis 3-4 m (10-13 ft) high in a single season. The stems and petioles in colored forms are dark purple, and the leaves are green with a violet sheen.

Flowering begins in July and continues until frost. After flowering, glossy purple pods develop on the plant, which are no less ornamental than the blooms and persist until the end of the season.

Lablab seeds are large, smooth, with a tough seed coat and a characteristic white hilum. Before sowing, they are soaked for 12-24 hours in warm water or in a solution of a growth stimulant: SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminozol, Epin, or Zircon until swollen. Stratification is not required, while very hard seeds benefit from being lightly filed on the side, well away from the hilum.

In temperate regions it is raised via seedlings: sowing in late March or early April in individual pots to a depth of 2-3 cm (0.8-1.2 in), since the root system tolerates transplanting poorly. The sowing is moistened from a spray bottle, covered with a transparent lid or placed in a mini-greenhouse, and germinated at a temperature of 20-25 °C (68-77 °F).

Sprouts emerge in 7-14 days. Sowings are ventilated daily and condensation is wiped away. Seedlings are planted out into the ground with the entire root ball in late May or early June, spaced 20-30 cm (8-12 in) apart, with support installed immediately.

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The plant needs an open sunny spot protected from cold winds. In shade, the vine stretches out and hardly blooms.

The crop is heat-loving, with an optimal growth temperature of 20-30 °C (68-86 °F). The plant cannot tolerate frosts at all; seedlings are planted outdoors after the threat of late frosts has passed.

Watering is regular and generous, especially during hot spells and through the flowering period. Drying out causes bud drop.

The substrate should be loose, nutritious, and neutral. On heavy soils, sand is added to the planting hole, and in container culture a drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the pot.

Nitrogen feeding is not needed: like all legumes, lablab provides its own nitrogen. A phosphorus-potassium fertilizer applied before flowering is sufficient.

A trellis or support is mandatory and must be sturdy: the vine accumulates substantial biomass over the season. Pinching the tip early in growth promotes branching.