Lobelia TELEKII

Lobelia TELEKII - Giant lobelia, Teleki's lobelia, Lobelia telekii.

Lobelia is an annual and perennial herbaceous plant, as well as subshrubs, shrubs, and trees of the Campanulaceae (Bellflower) family. There are more than 300 species in the genus Lobelia, distributed in almost all parts of the world, but primarily in the subtropical zone and somewhat less in temperate zones. Many species appear completely different from each other. However, all have simple alternating leaves and two-lipped tubular flowers, each with five petals. The two upper lobes may be vertical, and the three lower lobes may be fan-expanded. Flowering is often profuse, and the color of the flowers is intense, hence their popularity as ornamental garden subjects.

Lobelia telekii is a semelparous species, putting all its reproductive effort into producing a single large, tall inflorescence, and then dying. The inflorescences also possess a large core volume for internal water storage and prominent foliage that can provide insulation. It secretes a polysaccharide into this reservoir that may be beneficial for its survival in a cold climate. The plant usually consists of a single rosette that grows for several decades, blooms once, and then dies.

It propagates by very small seeds. It is usually grown via the seedling method. Sowing of seeds is carried out at the end of March or in early April. The soil in the box is carefully leveled and lightly compacted. Since lobelia sprouts suffer greatly from blackleg, humus should not be added to the potting mix for raising seedlings; instead, make it from equal parts turf soil, peat, and sand. By seeds. It is usually grown via the seedling method. Sowing of seeds is carried out at the end of March or in early April. The soil in the box is carefully leveled and lightly compacted. Since lobelia sprouts suffer greatly from blackleg, humus should not be added to the potting mix for raising seedlings; instead, make it from equal parts turf soil, peat, and sand.

Since the seeds are very small, for uniform sowing I mix them with dry fine sand (1:5) and do not bury them into the soil, but only press them against it. Many gardeners, to prevent crowded sprouts, first pour a layer of about 1 cm (0.4 in) of snow onto the ground, and only then scatter the seeds over the snow. The container with sowings is covered with film, ventilated daily, and condensation is wiped away. To keep the soil from drying out, it is periodically misted with water from a sprayer so as not to wash away the seeds. The first sprouts appear in 10-12 days, together and densely. Seedlings are usually pricked out in clusters of 5-7 pieces. For this, grooves 1 cm (0.4 in) deep are made in the prepared soil, the lobelia seedlings are carefully caught with a toothpick (usually 3-5 pieces are grabbed) and placed with their roots in the grooves. Having filled the whole row, the roots are sprinkled with soil. Having finished the pricking out, the seedlings are watered and placed in a spot where there is no bright sun. When the transplanted seedlings take root, they are moved to the sun. After 2-3 weeks, seedlings are pricked out into small pots about 5 cm (2.0 in) in diameter. A cluster (3-5 pieces) of seedlings is usually planted in one hole to obtain strong, compact bushes. This is easier to do with a thin pricking-out stick. Every 12-15 days, seedlings need to be fed with complex fertilizers. Plants are planted out into open ground at the end of May at a distance of 10-20 cm (3.9-7.9 in) from each other. Flowering of lobelia begins while still in seedlings and continues until frost. And for flowering to be profuse and long-lasting, plants should be fed 1-2 times during flowering and watered when there is a lack of moisture in the soil.

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Lobelia is cold-hardy, light-demanding, and moisture-loving. It grows and develops best in a sun-lit spot with sufficient moisture. During a dry period with high temperature and dry air, it grows poorly and may cease flowering. Soils for lobelia need to be loose and nutritious, but without an excess of organic fertilizers. It cannot tolerate fresh manure either. On overly fertilized soils, lobelia grows vigorously, but to the detriment of flowering. It responds well to trimming and pinching. If its shoots are shortened, it quickly resumes its growth, becomes bushier, blooms more uniformly, and is transformed.