Although most consider perennial lupins wild flowers and thinks that planting and caring for flowers is difficult enough in garden conditions, these plants are becoming increasingly popular among gardeners. Lupine - representative of the legume family, with a well-branched core root system. Bright-colored small flowers are located on a thick, fleshy stem. Lupine growing time depends on the type of plant. The flower is presented in the form of a shrub or shrub.
Did you know? The name of the flower comes from the lat. "Lupus" is a wolf, so the plant is often called the "wolf bean."This article will tell you how to grow perennial lupins in your garden.
Choosing a place for growing lupins in the garden
Lupins in the design of gardens, alleys, plots are becoming increasingly popular. In order for the plant to feel comfortable and delight you with its appearance, it must be planted in a favorable place. It is best to plant a lupine in a well-lit sunny place, because in the shade the plant fades and loses its decorative appearance.
When growing lupine, it is necessary to follow the rules of agrotechnology, which include including the question of predecessors. The most suitable precursors for lupine will be winter crops and ardent cereals. If you decide to plant a lupine in the place of a perennial cereal or leguminous plant - you should not do this. In order to protect the plant from diseases and pests, it is better to plant a flower away from cruciferous and perennial legumes. If you want to land a lupine in the same place as before, then this can be done only in 3-4 years.
Important! If it happens that you grow lupins in a windy place, then it is better to tie the flower to the support so that the stem does not break.
Preparatory work
Before planting lupins in his garden and start growing flowers from seeds, it is necessary to carry out some preparatory procedures. This is primarily due to the preparation of the soil for planting. This procedure should begin in the fall, immediately after harvest, before digging the site. In order to avoid rotting of the root system, as well as to promote healthy growth of the plant, liming of the soil is needed. Also an important step will be the preparation of seeds, which may have to be planted for seedlings of lupine in a container with loose soil.
Growing lupine from seed through seedlings
Growing lupine seedlings is a complex and rather time-consuming procedure. In order for the process to go well, you need to do everything, following the rules, and then you will get a wonderful plant for your garden.
When is it better to start sowing seeds
It is better to start sowing seeds for seedlings from the end of February - at the beginning of March, when the temperature is already more or less stabilized. In order for the seeds to germinate better, plant them for seedlings better in a warm place.
Soil mixture for germination
In the cultivation of lupine, the choice of soil is of great importance, which is best done in favor of a mixture consisting of sand, sod land and peat in equal parts.
Did you know? If pounded tubers of old dried lupins are added to the soil, the seedlings will grow faster.The soil for planting should not be too wet and loose.
Sowing lupine seeds for seedlings
Before planting lupine seeds for seedlings, you must first prepare them. Seeds before planting are soaked in a 50% solution of "Fundazol" to increase the chances of germination. Pour the substrate into the prepared container and make 1.5–2 cm deep grooves in it, the seedling container should be large, or if you use a small container, it is better to sow less seeds. Seeds are just poured into the grooves and covered with primer.
If the seedlings stand in a warm place, it is not necessary to mulch the soil with peat, but if the seedlings are in a cool place, it is better to mulch the sown seeds. You will notice the first shoots after 2 weeks.
Important! To accelerate the emergence of shoots, you can cover the container with glass or polyethylene.
Planted seeds need to be watered as soon as you notice that the top layer of the substrate has dried. During irrigation, loosening should be carried out, however, starting from the second irrigation, in order not to dig up the seeds. If you covered the container with plastic - you need to remove it from time to time to get fresh air.
Planting seedlings in open ground
Seedlings are planted in a permanent place after 2.5-3 weeks, when the air temperature is already rising. Seedlings are planted in the drained and moist soil. For planting fit plants, which already appeared on 2-3 adult leaves. In open ground, seedlings should be planted at a decent distance from each other - at least 35 cm. The landing process should be carried out carefully so as not to damage the root system during a dive. Planting undeveloped or weak sprouts is not necessary, because they can not get stronger and just will take place.
Sowing lupine seeds right in the ground
When seed reproduction of lupine varietal characteristics may not be preserved: a different color may appear. Sowing seeds in open ground is a fairly simple procedure and takes less time than when planting lupine in a seedling manner.
When is it better to start sowing seeds
In the question of when you can sow lupins in open ground, you should not rush. Perennial varieties of lupins, in principle, are not afraid of frosts, but it is better to wait until the warm season is established. The best time for this is the first half of April. If you sow lupins at this time, you will have flowering next year in the second half of May - early June.
Scheme of sowing seeds in the ground
It is not enough to decide when to plant lupins in open ground with seeds, you still need to know how to do this. The sowing process is quite simple and very similar to the procedure for growing seedlings. For planting in prepared soil, it is necessary to make small grooves with a depth of 2-3 cm. Before the sowing, the soil is first fertilized by adding superphosphate, ash, dolomite flour, and sand or clay can be added.
Wetted previously in the "Fundazole" seeds need to be sown to a depth of 2 cm and sprinkled with the substrate. From above, the seeds need to be mulched with a peat layer of 1.5-2 cm. It is necessary to moisten the soil depending on weather conditions, because the plant will not take root in the overmoistened soil.
Did you know? It is possible to sow lupins in open ground not only in spring, but also in summer and in autumn.
Features care for lupine in the garden
Caring for lupins is quite simple and does not require much material investment. In order for the flower to feel comfortable, it is necessary to properly moisturize, timely feed and weed the plant.
How to water lupins
Caring for lupins is to properly water the flower. The amount of moisture needed by the plant varies depending on the weather. In hot, dry summers, lupins require a lot of water. Watering the plant should be abundant, but not often. For irrigation it is better to use separated rain water.
Loosening and weeding the soil in the area
Loosening contributes to a better penetration of oxygen into the soil and enrich the root system with it. As for weeds, if you do not remove them on time, the plant may have little space, or the pests will "move" to healthy lupine.
Important! From time to time it is necessary to pour the ground under the bush so that the root collar does not become bare and is protected from cold and winds.
Lupine fertilizer
In the first year of life, lupins do not require additional feeding. The first time flowers need to be fertilized in the second year, mineral fertilizers without nitrogen are usually used for this. Top dressing is carried out in the spring. Fertilizers need to be in the ratio: On 1 meter of a site it is necessary to bring 20 g of superphosphate and 5 g of calcium chloride. It is necessary to feed the plant every spring.
Support for tall lupins
Despite the fact that lupins can be quite tall, the stem of this flower is quite fragile. In tall varieties of lupine, the stem may break under the influence of strong winds, so it is better to take care of support for flowers. For this, a garden pole or an ordinary wooden thin stake is best suited. Tie up the plant is necessary not very closely.
How to achieve flowering of lupins to the cold
In order to prolong the flowering of lupins, you can plant them in a light shade, then the color will be less abundant, but it will last longer on the flower. So that the bloom is preserved until the very cold, before the seeds appear, you need to cut off flowered flower stalks and wait for new flowers in August. In this case, the seeds can be collected before the first frost.
When to harvest and how to store lupine seeds
Seed ripening is marked by the yellowing of a seed pod in the form of a pod. When harvesting seeds, it is important not to allow them to scatter around the district and spontaneously sow. To do this, as soon as you notice that the seed pod begins to turn yellow, it is better to collect it and, without tearing it, put it in a plastic bag.
Do the same with the other pods. Thus, after a while you will notice in your bag a fairly large number of seeds. You can store them in the same package, only by removing the pre-pod. The place is better to choose dry and dark.
How to prepare perennial lupine bushes for winter
Preparing lupins for winter begins with pruning of dried buds, yellowed leaves. In especially cool areas of growing lupins, shelter of flowers with peat will also be needed.
Did you know? Before winter, all fallen leaves must be removed from under the bush. This is done in order to get rid of possible pests and diseases.
Reproduction of lupins cuttings
In order to propagate the lupine by cuttings, it is necessary to cut a kidney (formed at the base of the stem) together with a part of the root collar and plant it in the sandy ground. The first roots of the cuttings are formed in 20-25 days, then you can transplant the cuttings to a permanent place. If you decide to do cuttings in the spring, then you need to take a rosette at the base of the stem, and if in the summer, side shoots that form in the leaf axils.
Important! When reproduction of lupine cuttings can save the color of the leaves.
Lupine pest and disease control measures
Most often, lupine is sick due to unsuitable growth conditions: sudden changes in temperature, poor lighting, too wet soil will cause the flower to be damaged by powdery mildew. Measures to combat this disease are quite simple: treatment with fungicides, loosening the soil and fertilizing. Gray and brown rot can damage the plant due to too much moisture. You need to fight them with the help of fungicides. From insects lupins attacking a germ fly, nodule weevils. You can get rid of them with insecticides, and preventive measures will be cleaning of fallen leaves and pruning damaged parts of the plant.
As you can see, caring for lupine is simple and does not require any special expenses. The flower will delight you with its beautiful decorative look and will decorate your garden for years.
