Black-eyed Susan, Thunbergia alata

the Black-eyed Susan, a climbing plant with decorative small flowers, is becoming increasingly popular in gardens in the local latitudes. Because it cuts a fine figure not only in the garden, but also in the kitchen. The actually annual, non-poisonous plant can be overwintered in the tub and is therefore easy to cultivate for families with small children and pets. It is very decorative in the garden as a summer privacy screen in front of a fence or on the terrace and balcony in a bucket and also hanging in a hanging basket.

care

The black-eyed Susan is an annual plant in the local latitudes, because it does not tolerate frost and dies at the first low temperatures. If it is therefore planted in the garden bed, it must be pulled from its seeds again every year.

But cultivated in the tub, the plant can withstand the winter in a room with a little care and can therefore be grown for several years. Otherwise, the non-poisonous and even edible Thunbergia alata requires little care, but offers a veritable sea of ​​flowers in red, white or orange in summer and autumn.

Location

The place chosen for the black-eyed Susanne must above all be warm and sunny, because her home is Africa. She also prefers to be too dry than too damp and wet. Above all, the climbing plant also needs a lot of space upwards. A climbing aid is helpful so that it can climb counterclockwise upwards.

So the ideal location should look like this:

• sheltered from the wind
• still airy
• in front of a warm house wall
• a north side of the house is not suitable
• on a south-facing balcony or terrace
• in the garden bed on a fence
• at a pergola
• penumbra is also still accepted

If no suitable, full sun can be found, the conditions must be set up so that it is still bright, warm and dry. Moisture must not be stored here, as the sun-used plant cannot tolerate it.

Soil condition

The soil in which the black-eyed Susan is to be cultivated must above all be permeable and loose and contain a lot of nutrients. The rain and irrigation water must be able to drain off here, because the decorative climbing plant cannot tolerate waterlogging.

Therefore, before planting, the substrate should be prepared as follows:

• for potting soil from the trade
• potted plant soil is also suitable
• Garden soil is loosened with compost and sand
• even Horn shavings provide nutrients and permeability

to water

Watering the black-eyed Susanne requires a little tact from the hobby gardener. Above all, she likes it dry rather than too wet, but she shouldn't dry out right down to the roots either.

So when pouring should be paid attention to the following:

• water on very hot days
• Especially the potted plants then dry out faster
• in the early morning or late evening hours
• Pour only on the soil and roots
• on rainy days the water is completely sufficient
• Let the soil dry on the surface before watering again

Especially if the black-eyed Susan gets too wet on the leaves from above, this can damage the plant. Therefore, it should be airy so that any raindrops can dry off quickly. In heavy rain, it can also help to shake the individual shoots a little so that the water can fall off.

Fertilize

Even if Thunbergia alata was only grown as an annual plant in the garden bed, it still needs regular fertilization. However, this is the only maintenance measure that is somewhat larger.

These are ideally added to her every two weeks as liquid fertilizer with the irrigation water. So it grows fast and dense and an unsightly house wall or a garden fence quickly disappears behind the foliage and the decorative flowers.

Seeds

Seeds for cultivation

Finished small plants are hardly or very expensive to buy in stores, but the seeds are available. But the seeds formed from your own, already existing Thunbergia alata can also be used.

The procedure for collecting the semen should be as follows:

• leave some withered flowers
• this is how the seeds can develop
• when they are ripe, remove the flowers
• remove the grains from the dried up flowers
• Store in a dark, not too warm and dry place
• sow after winter

Cultivation and sowing

Since the Thunbergia alata grows very quickly, it is an easy climber to pull and can therefore be used as a privacy screen on a fence or as a beautification of a wall in summer. If it is therefore preferred in the late winter from February in seed trays, it will have grown to a large size in May to move to its location.

When sowing, proceed as follows:

• Fill special soil for cultivation into small pots
• Insert seeds easily
• Cover with transparent film
• ventilate regularly to prevent mold growth
• ideal germination temperature is 18 ° Celsius
• light up
• Keep the soil slightly moist

The first seedlings will appear after about two to three weeks. If several seeds have been sown in one pot, the small plants must be pricked out; only three strong seedlings should remain in each pot. Now the tips should also be shortened to stimulate branching. The small plants have to remain in a warm place until mid-May after the ice saints. However, in order to stimulate growth and flower formation, they can be placed outside in the midday sun during the day.

Plants in the tub

The ideal planting time for the black-eyed Susanne is in mid-May after the ice saints, when no more frost is to be expected. Then the self-grown small plants can be planted in the place chosen for them. For the cultivation in the tub, a large vessel should be chosen for the strong roots of Thunbergia alata.

Planted hanging in hanging baskets, the black-eyed Susanne does not grow quite as big, as the roots usually find less space here. When planting in pots, whether hanging or standing, proceed as follows.

• Create drainage against waterlogging
• to do this, place pebbles or potsherds over the drainage hole
• plant fleece is placed on top
• Pour in part of the prepared soil
• Insert the small, young plant carefully
• Use climbing aid with a standing plant
• Pour in the rest of the soil and press down lightly
• water well
• planted in a hanging basket and hang up the pot

Cultivated in the bucket, the black-eyed Susanne must be repotted regularly when the roots have already grown strongly and the soil is very deeply rooted. The ideal time for this is after wintering, when the climbing plant is to move outside again. When repotting, a larger container is chosen and then the same procedure as when planting in a tub.

Plants in the bed

So that the plants are nice and dense, it is a good idea to plant several specimens in one place and use a single climbing aid to lift them up. After sowing and growing, the plants can then be planted in the garden bed in May after the Ice Saints as follows.

• Excavate soil and create drainage
• to do this, place stones on the bottom of the planting hole
• Refill part of the prepared soil
• Carefully insert black-eyed Susan
• Bury climbing support
• fill up the rest of the soil
• Press lightly and pour carefully

If several plants are placed on a climbing aid, the distance between the individual planting holes should be around 50 cm so that the roots have enough space.

Climbing aid

Since the black-eyed Susan is a climbing plant that can grow up to three meters high if she is offered the space above, help should be offered to her. Thunbergia alata always grows counterclockwise, but it has a left twist.

The following are suitable as climbing aids:

• taut wires, on a wall or fence
• Rose sticks
• an outdoor pergola garden bed

The climbing aids should be at least two meters, better three meters high, so that the black-eyed Susanne can develop her full height here.

Edible flowers

Since the black-eyed Susanne is not poisonous, it is particularly suitable in the gardens of young families or animal owners. Because neither small children nor free-range pets are harmed if they put leaves, flowers or stems in their mouths. In this way, these plants can be cultivated in any garden without any problems. The flowers are even used by many amateur cooks in the kitchen and are edible.

Cut

If Thunbergia alata is cultivated as an annual plant in a garden bed, it does not need to be pruned as it dies at the beginning of winter and is removed from the earth together with the roots and disposed of on the compost. However, it helps to bloom profusely if withered flowers are snapped off regularly.

This stimulates and supports the continued flowering. Should a black-eyed Susanne, which was cultivated in the bucket, but inside for the winter months are spent, it is helpful if these are cut back to a total height of around 50 cm in advance will. Here all shoots are cut.

In the spring it will sprout again and grow upwards. When cutting, care should be taken to ensure that the cutting tool is sharp and disinfected Example of a pair of rose shears, so that no bacteria or fungi penetrate the cut can.

wintering

If the black-eyed Susanne is to please the hobby gardener for a few more years, then she can also hibernate inside when planted in the tub. However, a suitable roost is required for this, because it is not very easy to overwinter the plant. So the following requirements are made of the ideal winter quarters.

• no fluctuating temperatures
• optimal is 10 ° Celsius
• an unheated winter garden
• a bright staircase
• a bright hallway
• Pour little, do not let dry out
• do not fertilize
• regularly check for pests

Before the decorative climbing plant moves into the house, it should be cut back to about 50 centimeters. Because in this way it uses less power that it would otherwise invest in the long shoots. In addition, a small plant is not that heavy and can be moved more easily. The right time to move is when temperatures drop to 8 ° Celsius in autumn.

Preparing for spring

If it slowly gets warmer and lighter again in February, then the black-eyed Susanne should move from her cool winter quarters to a warmer place. So it can sprout again now. Fertilizers are now also recommended again. If the midday temperatures allow it, it can also be placed in a sunny place on a sheltered balcony or terrace for midday. But only in May after the ice saints and the last nights of frost, it is allowed to move completely to its original place in the open air.

Diseases

Root rot and powdery mildew are the diseases that can be very difficult for black-eyed Susanne due to poor care. Both occur when it is too wet or too cold for the climber that is used to warm temperatures. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done about cold and damp weather.

However, if Thunbergia alata has been grown in a tub, then it can be moved to a warmer and dry place. Particular attention should be paid to waterlogging in order to prevent root rot.

Pests

Aphids and spider mites like to attack the densely growing plant. If these pests are found, insecticides should be used. It is often recommended to shower the affected plants against aphids, but this would not do the black-eyed Susanne so well.

Therefore, it is better to avoid this in the event of an infestation by pests. Especially if Thunbergia alata is to hibernate in a protected place, it has to be checked for pests in advance so that they cannot spread further in the winter quarters.