Faithful men do not forgive mistakes in grooming. There are only a few points to consider; if the plants are neglected, they are usually more susceptible to disease and bloom only moderately.
Characteristics
- Botanical name: Lobelia erinus
- Plant family: bluebell family (Campanulaceae)
- Height: up to 35 cm
- Growth habit: bushy, covering the ground
- Origin: South Africa
- Flowers: racemose inflorescences, single flowers, blue, violet, white, red, pink
- Flowering period: May - September
- Leaves: green, lanceolate, narrow
Location
When buying plants, the signs for the blue lobelia often state that they can also tolerate partial shade. This is true, but the maintenance effort is much higher there. In addition, the flowering is much sparse if the lobelia only get sun for a limited time.
The blue lobelia prefers locations in full sun and can cope well with short dry periods of one to two days. If you plant the lobelia in the balcony box, it is ideal for south-facing balconies.
Substrate
The lobelia prefers a nutrient-rich and humus-rich soil. Commercially available potting soil is a suitable substrate for planting in a pot or balcony box.
If you plant the lobelia in the bed, you should prepare it with compost. You should also work some long-term fertilizer such as horn shavings into the soil so that the plants have a good start. The lobelia are lime-tolerant, but you don't have to sprinkle additional lime. The existing lime in the soil or through the watering is completely sufficient for the plants.
Note: Although the lobelia survives brief periods of drought, this should remain the exception. Add lava rock to the substrate, which can store water and later release it back into the earth.
sowing
Lobelia are easy to grow from seeds. From March the seeds are scattered in poor seed compost and should be at a temperature of around 18 ° C so that they germinate. The man faithful is a light germinator, which is why you do not cover the seeds with soil
to be allowed to. To reduce the risk of dehydration during germination, you should use an indoor greenhouse for cultivation.
Once the seeds have germinated and developed well, they are pricked out in groups and planted in pots with a slightly more nutrient-rich substrate. You can put the plants outdoors from mid-May.
planting
There are no special points to consider when planting. If you buy lobelia in stores, loosen the root ball a little when planting. Do not plant the man faithful too deeply. The plants are even allowed to look out about an inch. This has the advantage that the roots are largely in the ground, but they are a little more airy when they spread out. This will help you reduce the risk of illness a little later.
When planting, the male loyal should have enough space and the distance to other plants should be large enough. There should be at least 12 cm of space for the next plant. When cultivating in planters such as pots or balcony boxes, the distance should even be at least 15 cm. The planting distance is not only important so that the plants can develop well, but also so that diseases such as mold growth are prevented.
to water
Faithful men like it sunny and warm, but also always moderately humid. This also carries the risk of waterlogging. With potted culture in particular, there is a great risk that too much water will be poured and that the roots will start to rot due to the moisture. Plants can usually no longer be saved if they are waterlogged because the root system is permanently damaged and they can neither absorb water nor nutrients.
When planting in heavy soils, waterlogging can also form. To prevent this, you can create drainage both outdoors and in pots in the soil.
The following substrates are suitable as drainage:
- Expanded clay
- Lava granules
- coarse gravel
Tip: When cultivating in a pot or bucket, pour the lobelia preferably from
below. In this way, the water comes directly to the roots and the surface can be drier, which also reduces the risk of mold forming.Fertilize
The man loyal to men has a high nutritional requirement. Therefore, not only is the basic fertilization indispensable when planting, you have to provide the plants with fertilizer regularly throughout the season. A liquid fertilizer that you can add to the irrigation water is ideal for this. Fertilize the plants every two weeks.
For fertilization, however, use an agent that does not have too high a nitrogen content. The nitrogen promotes growth, which is an advantage for basic fertilization, but prevents the plants from producing flowers. There are liquid fertilizers on the market that are suitable for flowering plants. You should also use such a preparation for your lobelia so that they bloom profusely.
Cut back
A pruning is not absolutely necessary for the male loyalty, but you can encourage a longer and more abundant flowering. To do this, cut back the plants after the first flowering in July. Shorten the plants by about a third. This promotes the formation of new shoots with flowers.
In addition, pruning also promotes healthy and strong growth. If you did not cut the plants after the main flowering, the fertilized flowers will produce seeds. As a result, the plant puts all of its energy into the ripening process of the seeds, which does not result in just one leads to decreased flower formation, but the plants can also prematurely after the seed ripening die.
Multiplication
In addition to propagation via seeds, some varieties such as the "Richardii" variety can also be propagated via cuttings. You can also overwinter the lobelia in the form of cuttings.
If you propagate the plants using cuttings, do not cut them back before wintering. You should cut lobelia cuttings around November, which is why you have to bring the plants into the house in good time.
You can plant the cuttings straight away. However, you should cover the pots tightly with a transparent bag to prevent moisture loss.
wintering
Wintering lobelia is theoretically possible, but is rarely done in practice. Only a few varieties can hibernate well and it is much less laborious to simply keep growing them from seeds.
However, if you want to overwinter the Männertreu, you must bring the plants into the house in good time before the first forest. Cut them back again so that the plants can conserve their resources. A light and frost-free location is important in winter.
Requirements for the winter quarters:
- south-facing window
- Temperature between 10 - 15 ° C
- no drafts
- medium humidity
In winter quarters you should only water the plants moderately. However, make sure that the substrate is constantly slightly moist even during this time. From mid-May, when there is no longer any risk of frost, the plants can go back into the field.
Diseases
The male loyal is particularly susceptible to the gray mold. You should regularly check the plants for this. Mold growth often occurs after long periods of rain. Therefore, when watering plants in pots, you should primarily water from below to avoid mold growth.
If gray mold appears, you should act quickly, as other plants can also be affected within a few days. Immediately cut off the affected parts of the plant and dispose of them in the general waste. If the substrate is already affected, remove the surface and replace the areas with new substrate.
To prevent gray mold, the plants should be in a suitable location that is sunny. Correct fertilization and the correct watering behavior also reduce the risk of mold growth.
Pests
The lobelia are largely spared from pests. Occasionally there can be an infestation by the thrips. Plants in window boxes or in pots can be particularly affected. You can recognize an infestation by the fact that the leaves get bright spots and become more translucent when you hold them up to the sun.
A moist substrate helps against thrips. The insects themselves tend to cause less damage, although the appearance of the plants can also suffer. Your main danger is that you can transmit viral diseases to the loyal men. As a rule, plants that have been infected by a virus can no longer be saved.
If the lobelia just perishes in the balcony box for no apparent reason, you should remove all other plants immediately and remove most of the substrate from the root ball. Replace the earth and also clean the balcony box with hot water. Then plant the other plants back in.
use
Lobelia are particularly popular when planting balcony boxes. The abundant flowering plants are also suitable for cultivation in pots or as a hanging plant. When planting hanging baskets, however, you should choose a variety that grows pendent rather than upright.
As an annual plant, you can also use the Männertreu as a border plant for flowers or plants. Use perennial beds. The blue lobelia is only suitable to a limited extent for planting graves and only if the earth is regularly watered several times a week.
Plant neighbors
Lobelia are therefore suitable as solitary plants or for planting in groups. But they can also be cultivated together with other flowering plants that have similar requirements in terms of location and care.
Suitable plants are:
- Tagetes
- Geraniums
- Petunias
- Sun rose
- Gold basket
sorts
In addition to the blue lobelia, there are other types of lobelia, some of which, such as the herbaceous lobelia, are even hardy. There are now many cultivars of the blue lobelia that also have a large variation in flower color.
Selection of varieties:
- Blue pearl: blue flowers
- Rosamunde: red flowers
- Regatta White: white flowers
- Richardii: light blue flowers