Lupine planting and care in the open field before winter

For landlords looking to create a beautiful garden with vibrant flowers, a member of the Legume family is the perfect solution. Lupine, which is very easy to plant and maintain outdoors, stands out for its combination of aesthetic beauty and practical benefits: a plant that has the ability to enrich the soil with nitrogen due to its nitrogen-fixing root system with tubers is an excellent green manure.

Types and varieties of plants

Lupine, often used in landscape design, is also used in the food industry, agriculture and for the manufacture of medical supplies due to its protein (50%), iron, fatty acids and bitter alkaloids (up to 2%) content. Annual varieties of lupine, such as yellow, white, are usually used for industrial purposes. And for the design of flower beds, front gardens from one-year-olds, a hybrid, dwarf, changeable type of flower is used. But the most decorative lupine is perennial.

Lupine multifoliate

The winter-hardy native of the North American region is a perennial herb, reaching a meter in height. Candle-shaped inflorescences 35 cm high consist of small flowers that bloom in early summer and remain in this state for a month. Timely pruning of faded inflorescences allows the perennial to bloom again at the end of the summer period.

Among the most popular varieties are:

• pink Schlossfrau;
• carmine "Edelknabe";
• white "Burg Fraulen";
• orange "Apricot";
• red "Carmineus";
• white with a pinkish tinge variety "Princess Julianna";
• pink Roseus;
• snow-white "Albus";
• undersized variegated variety "Minaret";
• blue with white sail "Castellan";
• violet-ruby "Rubinkönig".

Lupine angustifolia

He is also blue lupine - a perennial representative of legumes with a height of up to one and a half meters.The name does not characterize the color of the flowers, which can be not only blue or purple, but also white and pink.

Lupine white

An annual plant, the height of which also does not exceed one and a half meters, has an erect stem, branching in the upper part, covered with palmate drooping leaf plates. Flowers of white, pink or blue shade form an inflorescence in the form of a brush, arranged in a spiral.

Lupine yellow

An annual herb with a slightly leafy central shoot, crowned with a racemose inflorescence, which consists of yellow flowers with a scent similar to that of mignonette.

When to plant lupins outdoors?

Planting time depends on the method:

• With the seed method of lupine cultivation, sowing directly into the ground can be done after the snow melts and the warmth is established in April.
• If it is planned to grow seedlings from seeds, then the procedure is carried out in early spring - at the beginning of March.

Important! It is permissible to plant lupins in the fall before winter - in September-October. Sowing at this time allows you to get a flowering plant by the end of next summer.

Seed planting

When sowing seeds in open ground with the first flowering, the perennial will delight the owner after a year.

To make this happen:

1. In the fall, the soil is prepared by digging the selected area to the depth of a shovel bayonet, applying fertilizers (superphosphate, wood ash) and adding sand.
2. With the arrival of spring, grooves are made up to 2 cm deep and half a meter apart.
3. Seeds previously disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate or fungicide are placed in the grooves and sprinkled with soil.
4. After half a month, seedlings appear.
5. After the formation of the first pair of true leaves, the seedlings dive to a permanent place of growth or thin out in such a way that the distance between the specimens is at least 30 cm.

Growing seedlings

Before starting to grow seedlings, a soil mixture is prepared from sand, leafy earth and peat in equal proportions.

Then:

1. The prepared soil mixture is placed in a container with a drainage layer.
2. Seeds are sown to a depth of 2 cm and crushed with 1 cm peat.
3. The container is covered with a damp cloth and moved to a warm room, where the first shoots will hatch in 2 weeks.
4. After the appearance of the first pair of true leaves, new plants are planted in the prepared area of ​​the garden.

Advice! When using the seedling method, the duration of forcing seedlings should be taken into account in 3 weeks, so that the seedlings do not come up before the establishment of warm weather.

Propagation by cuttings

If cuttings are carried out in the spring, then in the current autumn the plant will form the first inflorescences.

For this:

1. Cuttings are prepared from basal rosettes formed from growth buds, which are located at the base of the central shoot, by cutting them together with the root collar.
2. Cuttings are placed in a mixture of soil and sand for a period of two weeks.
3. After the roots are formed, new specimens are transferred to the garden.

Carefully! When grafting, you cannot divide the bush: the taproot may not regenerate if damaged.

Proper care of perennial lupins

The plant is undemanding: lupine can independently enrich the soil with nitrogen and cope with pests. However, when cultivating a flower for decorative purposes, certain care requirements should be observed.

Soil and lighting requirements

The flower does not need a special soil, taking root on neutral, slightly acidic soil types in well-lit areas. Its root system, which feeds the soil with nitrogen, makes it possible to fully develop even on sandy soils. However, if the acidity level is too high, the flower may turn yellow, in order to prevent the development of such a scenario, the area for sowing lupine is limed at the rate of 5 kg of a mixture of peat and dolomite flour per 1 m2.

Watering and loosening

Watering the lupine should be moderate.However, the frequency and amount of moisture often depends on the plant variety, soil type and seeding time. After simplification, the soil should be loosened.

Weeding the soil on the site

In systematic hilling and weed removal procedures that stimulate growth and lush flowering, the plant needs its first year of development. Some varieties practically do not require weeding: alkaloid varieties are capable of releasing substances into the soil that have a detrimental effect on weed seeds.

Top dressing

Lupine is a green manure, so it does not need special feeding. But to ensure the riotous flowering per 1 m2 of soil under the plantings, 20 g of superphosphate and 10 g of potassium sulfate are introduced. Ash or dolomite flour is also periodically added to the soil.

Post-flowering care

To preserve the decorative effect of lupine before the arrival of winter cold, dried inflorescences and shoots are promptly removed. Carrying out such actions ensures the formation of young shoots and re-flowering at the end of the summer season.

Support for tall lupins

Tall varieties require additional support, which will maintain the integrity of tall stems in case of strong gusts of wind and intense rainfall in the form of heavy rains in May-June.

When to collect and how to store lupine seeds?

After ripening, the fruits of the lupine crack, and the seeds scatter. To avoid this, the seeds must be collected when the beans turn yellow, which are just beginning to dry out. The harvesting process is carried out in several approaches in sunny weather: while on the central shoots the beans begin to turn brown, on the lateral ones - the fruits remain green.

The procedure is carried out as follows:

1. Seeds are extracted from the pods, distributed over a paper sheet, on which they are dried in a warm and dry room without access to direct sunlight.
2. The seed is placed in a glass, paper or tissue container, where it will be stored until sowing.

How to prepare lupine bushes for winter?

Despite the frost resistance of plants, in latitudes with a temperate continental climate, it is better to prepare perennial lupine for wintering as follows:

1. In mid-October-early November, the aerial part of the plant is cut off.
2. The bush hounds, which allows you to cover the bare root collar.
3. Then the plant is covered with a layer of sawdust, under which it spends the whole winter.

Lupine: diseases and pests

Lupine, along with other legumes, is affected by insects and diseases. Sowing material and seedlings are often damaged by wireworms, beetle larvae and gnawing moth caterpillars. The greatest harmfulness is noted in the spring, which accounts for the slow growth of the plant and active nutrition of the pests. Weevils can also harm plantings. To combat soil-dwelling pests, which include the wireworm, pre-sowing seed dressing is used. A similar event will also protect the culture at the germination stage.

Adult plants, as a rule, are damaged by sucking pests (thrips, bedbugs) and leaf-eating scoops, for protection from which timely insecticidal treatments are carried out according to the manufacturer's instructions. Excessive watering and a violation of crop rotation can lead to the development of fungal diseases, from which rust, root rot, mosaic, and fusarium are released.

So, unpretentious lupine looks great in combination with other crops, being placed in the center of flower arrangements. The lower plants surrounding it are an excellent protection of the flower from strong winds.

Lupine (Latin name Lupinus) is a genus of ornamental plants from the legume family, which includes annuals and perennials of herbaceous and shrub types. In Latin, the word "Lupus" means a wolf, so among the people you can often find "wolf beans" as the name of the plant.Lupine is very common in nature and grows widely in the Mediterranean and Africa, where there are 12 plant species, 1 of which is perennial.

As for the western part of the planet, the species diversity there is even greater - 200 species grow from Patagonia to Alaska. American species of the wild plant were domesticated. The Incas cultivated volatile lupine, and in more modern times they have ennobled the multifoliate lupine. The advantage of the plant is its ability to survive the absence of moisture. It is not surprising that it is found in the deserts of Texas, Arizona, California, Chile, Peru, and the Sahara.

But the history of hybrid varieties begins in 1911, when George Russell, a breeder from England, first bred the so-called Russell hybrid varieties. Since then, lupine has been a permanent part of many modern gardens.

Description of the lupine plant

Lupine planting and care in the open field How to grow lupine

All lupins have a taproot system that can grow into the ground up to 2 meters. Like all legumes, the roots have bulges to absorb nutrients and nitrogen to enrich the soil. The stems can be both herbaceous and more dense, the branches spread along the ground, erect or protruding.

The leaves have long petioles, are arranged alternately on the branches, have a finger-like complex structure. The inflorescence is an apical raceme of whorled, semi-whorled, or alternate type. Depending on the species, the brush can be small or even gigantic, about 1 meter. The flowers are also painted in different colors, depending on the species - white, red, pink, yellow, purple, cream, purple, etc.

At the end of flowering, lupine throws out seeds, which can differ in color, shape and size. So the beans of the Mediterranean varieties of lupine are slightly larger than their western counterparts. When the beans are ripe, they crack, scattering seeds everywhere in the form of very small grains. Due to its easy distribution, lupins are grown both in flower beds and as a green manure (that is, to fertilize the earth with rotted leaves and stems). Therefore, even fodder lupines can be found on the farm.

How and when to plant lupins with seeds

Growing lupine from seeds is the easiest way to propagate a plant. In stores you can buy varieties and hybrids of various colors, which will allow you to "paint" the garden with the most variegated colors.

When to sow lupine outdoors

When to sow lupine How to plant lupine seeds Photo of seedlings in the garden

Lupine is a perennial resistant to freezing, the seeds of which will sprout, even if sown in the fall before winter. It reproduces well by self-sowing, however, if it is not a hybrid (the seeds will sprout, but the plants will not look like "parents"). Given the properties of lupine seeds to germinate in any conditions, sowing can be done very early, as soon as the land is ripe. It may even be late March or early April, right up to the end of May.

The seeds are large and very easy to plant. Usually, even in the ground, lupine is planted on seedlings: the plants sprout quickly, but develop for 1.5-2 months until they can be transplanted. It is advisable to organize a greenhouse altogether: put arcs and cover with a film. Then the lupine sown in March will delight you with flowering in the same year.

Lupins growing from seeds when to plant What do lupine shoots look like

How to plant lupine seeds in the ground:

• Embedding depth 1-2 cm.
• Distance in a row 8-10 cm.
• The distance between the rows is 10-12 cm.

When shoots appear, they are freed from weeds, the soil is slightly loosened. Watering is needed in moderation, after 2-3 days. When the plants reach 8-10 cm in height, they can be carefully transplanted, trying not to disturb the root system. Lupine tolerates transplanting well, is quickly taken and actively begins to build up green mass, the main thing is to ensure good watering.

Lupine from seeds for seedlings at home

Planting lupins with seeds Photo of seedlings How to grow lupins from seeds

You can grow lupine seedlings from seeds at home. Sowing begins in late February - early Marchto plant the plants in the ground in April. True, everything depends on the local climate: the main thing is that night frosts do not appear anymore.

The seeds are large, so the easiest way is to immediately plant them in separate cups so as not to suffer from diving. In addition, when growing plants without picking, at least two weeks of growth are retained, which are lost when the roots are forced to regenerate again.

• You can use the usual substrate for flowers that are sold in the store.
• Cups must have drainage holes.
• Embedding depth 0.5-1 cm.
• Watering is needed in moderation, there should be enough moisture so that the substrate does not dry out, but maintains an air-permeable state. This means that stagnant water is unacceptable.
• Before planting on a flower bed, harden the seedlings: accustom them to light and wind, taking them outside daily. This should be done for at least 10-12 days, so that by the end of hardening the plants could withstand a full day in the open air without damage.

Planting lupine seedlings in open ground

How to plant lupines? For a flower, choose a soil close to neutral (slightly alkaline or slightly acidic), loamy or sandy loam, in a well-sunlit area. To prepare the site in the fall for planting in the spring, too acidic soil is treated with lime or dolomite flour, adding 5 kg of substance per square meter. This will be enough for 4 years. If the soil is very alkaline, it is treated with peat, pouring the same amount as lime in the previous version.
How to plant lupite in the ground, look at the video:

• When the seedlings have grown and matured in spring, they are planted in ready and open soil at a distance of about 30-50 cm from each other.
• It is advisable to add humus to each hole.
• It is better to plant by transshipment. To do this, water the seedlings well and let stand for about an hour. The earthen lump can be carefully pulled out of the container and immediately placed in the hole without violating the integrity of the roots. Sprinkle with earth, lightly press with your palms.
• Water it abundantly so that the moisture is well absorbed and soaked the earth in the hole.

Lupins will bloom this year, but the bushes will still be small. It is advisable to cut off the faded inflorescences so that the bush does not waste energy on the production of seeds. So the plant will take root better in order to please with flowering in full force next season.

How to care for lupines

Lupine in landscape design photo

There is nothing difficult in this. So, for the cultivation of perennial lupine for the first year, you need to take special care of the plant, removing weeds in time and loosening the soil. After a while, the bushes will become strong and themselves will drown out the weeds. Sometimes hilling is carried out so that the root collar is not exposed and the lateral shoots are not isolated.

When 5-6 years have passed, the old bushes are removed, since their middle part dies off by this time, which dramatically affects the quality of flowering. If you are growing tall varieties of lupines, put supports to them to prevent deformation of the stems from the wind. To maximize the flowering of the plant, constantly remove the faded flowers before they dry. If you do this, you can achieve a double flowering of lupins. Watering is done in moderation, and in the spring - plentiful in order to accelerate the growth of the stems.

Feeding lupins

• Mineral dressing for plants is applied in the second spring.
• To do this, choose fertilizers without nitrogen, such as superphosphate and calcium chloride, which are applied in the amount of 20 and 5 g, respectively, per 1 m² of area.
• After that, every spring, the soil is fertilized under the old plants.

Pests and diseases

When buds are actively formed before flowering, the plant is prone to damage by aphids, and then larvae of a sprout fly or nodule weevils can develop on it.May beetles do great harm, literally eating flowers (beetles can fly even from neighboring gardens). To get rid of them, the plant and soil must be treated with insecticides, and the beetles themselves are harvested by hand.

A particularly dangerous disease is gray rot or root rot. You should also pay attention to spotting, fusarium wilting, mosaic, rust and phomopsis. If you ensure adequate flower cultivation, observing all the rules and regulations, and also not violating the crop rotation (lupine can be sown again on the site only after 3 years), there will be no problems with it. It is recommended to grow cereals on the site a year before planting lupines.

How to get lupine seeds

How to collect lupine seeds photo

When the plant fades, it actively forms beans. When ripe, they crack with maximum dispersion of seeds. This grower is not suitable, so you need to collect the beans earlier, when they are just starting to dry out or tie the pods with gauze, then the seeds will definitely not crumble.

Lupine care after flowering

After the lupine has flowered (and this happens in October), the peduncles are cut off, the seeds are collected, if this is planned by the gardener in advance. The bushes are spud in the fall to preserve the exposed root collar and mulch with sawdust - this is how they prepare for the winter so that the flower does not freeze.

Types and varieties of lupins with photos and descriptions

First of all, it is necessary to study the plant species that are actively growing in the wild.

Lupine angustifolia or blue Lupinus angustifolius

Lupine narrow-leaved or blue siderat photo

Herbaceous plant growing up to 150 cm in height. It has a slightly pubescent stem of an erect type, palmate-separate leaves, the lower part of which is also pubescent. The flowers have a white, pinkish or purple hue, which is why the species was called blue. It is grown as an annual green manure.

Lupine multifoliate Lupinus polyphyllus

Lupine multifoliate Lupinus polyphyllus photo

The plant is native to the Northwest of North America. It has a high degree of winter hardiness, which means it is perfect for our latitudes. The height of an adult organism is 80-120 cm. In this case, the straight stem is almost naked, and those leaves that exist have long petioles and finger leaves pubescent below. The inflorescences are 30-35 cm long and are formed by a large number of blue flowers. Flowering time is all June. If you cut off wilted flowers, you can wait for re-flowering in August-September.

Lupine yellow Lupinus luteus

Lupine yellow Lupinus luteus photo

An annual plant, the stem of which is also weakly covered with leaves and heavily pubescent. The leaves are arranged on long cuttings, the lower part of them is pubescent. They consist of 5-9 blades. The plant blooms in yellow and has a strong aroma similar to mignonette. The shape of the inflorescence is a whorled brush.

White lupine Lupinus albus

White lupine Lupinus albus photo

Plant height is up to 150 cm. The stem is straight, branches only at the top. The leaves are also palmate, covered with villi below, and smooth above. The flowers are white, light pink or light blue, do not smell, grow in a spiral.

These are the main species of this plant, but perennial, small-leaved, nutkan, dwarf, tree, hybrid, etc. lupine can also be cultivated.

Lupine hybrid

Lupine in the flowerbed photo Lupine flower planting and care

If we talk about hybrid varieties, the following are popular:

• Princess Juliana - plant height 110 cm, blooms with white-pink flowers, inflorescence size - 40 cm, flowering time - 40 days in June-July;
• Apricot - plant height 90 cm, has orange flowers, collected in 40-centimeter inflorescences. It blooms for 30 days in June-July.

Breeder Russell pioneered the development of lupine varieties, but they are still the finest varieties of today.

• This is a white variety Burg Fraulin,
• red-brick Mine Schloss,
• undersized Minaret, Splendid and other hybrids.

Lupine plant growing and care Blue lupine in the photo

Multi-colored lupine, planting and caring for in the open field, which even inexperienced gardeners can do, is completely unpretentious. It reproduces easily, winters well in the ground, and is drought-resistant. This ornamental plant is a popular decoration for gardens and flower beds. Its seeds and stems are used not only for making crafts, but also in medicine.

Lupine species

The lupine plant attracts with colorful clusters-inflorescences, which can reach one meter in size. The colors of the corollas are very different - white, yellow, red, cream, pink, lilac, blue and all shades of purple. Lupine varieties have one-, two-, perennial, garden or fodder varieties. You can see both low 10 cm and large up to 1.5 m plants. Their serrated leaves are collected in a basal rosette.

Lupine annual

If you want to have a colorful flower garden of unpretentious plants in the garden, you can use an annual lupine, planting and caring for it in the open field is not a hassle. It looks decorative and is a useful green manure for the soil. What does an annual lupine look like:

• stems are erect, branched, bush up to 1.5 m high;
• the leaves are elongated, covered with villi, collected in a socket;
• high inflorescence looks like a long candle or cob, consists of moth corollas.

Popular types of annual lupine:

1. Yellow. The plant has a size of up to 1 m, annual, flowers are lemon-colored, have a mignonette aroma. The stems have few leaves that grow on petioles, are equipped with 6-9 lobes.
2. White. Tall, erect appearance with fleecy silvery leaves. Blooms in pale blue or pinkish rosettes, odorless.
3. Lupine is narrow-leaved. Annual, grows up to 80 cm tall, erect stem, sparsely pubescent. The flowers are violet-blue, pale pink and white, odorless.

Perennial lupine flower

The plant is winter-hardy, self-pollinating and unassuming, lives about 8-10 years. It reaches a height of 50-150 cm, flowers are collected in racemes. For perennial lupine seed cultivation begins in April, the first flowers will bloom the next year. The most popular decorative type:

1. Lupine is multi-leaved. Perennial, frost-resistant and undemanding to care for, size - up to 120 cm, inflorescences 35 cm long. Almost bare straight stems have leaves on long petioles. The variety of subspecies of this variety is extensive - it is found in snow-white, deep lilac, blue, lemon, brick-red, two-color.
2. Silver. Leaves on stems reach 16 cm, flowers are found from dark blue to white, have a reddish center.

Sowing lupine

The lupine plant is photophilous, planting and care in the open field should be carried out in a sunny, windless place. On such a site, its flowering will be longer and more colorful. The plant needs a slightly acidic or neutral soil. For lupines, when planting in an alkaline substrate, it is advisable to add peat, in an acidic one - dolomite flour, 5 kg per 1 m2. This is done in the spring before digging the site, the fertilizer will last for 3-4 years. Nitrogen-containing bacteria are formed on the roots of the plant, so the culture is a green manure and improves the condition of the soil.

How to plant lupines?

The flower is propagated by seeds directly in the open field or by seedlings. The first method attracts with its simplicity, and the second is more reliable. But for garden lupins, seed cultivation is the most popular cultivation method. After flowering, pubescent pods are formed on the legs, which eventually turn brown, in them seed material - beans - ripens. Depending on the variety, they are found in different sizes and colors.

Before sowing, the grains are often scarified - they deliberately damage the peel. This greatly improves seed germination.Then they are mixed with the powdered roots of the old plant to stimulate the growth of nitrogen-containing bacteria. Seeds are planted in moist grooves to a depth of 2 cm, randomly or in rows at a distance of 30-50 cm between plants. Seedlings will hatch after a week. Seed propagation does not guarantee the preservation of the maternal color of plants (especially white). In the spring of next year, the seedlings break through so that there is no thickening of the planting.

Also, the seeds can be germinated as seedlings in small containers or boxes. For planting, a mixture of turf, peat and sand is taken in a 2: 2: 1 combination, the containers are covered with foil after sowing. Saplings are cultivated without picking. Watering the seedlings should be moderate, keep at + 20 ° C. After the first 2-3 leaves appear on the sprouts, they can be rooted to a permanent place. It is not advised to delay the transplant - older plants tolerate the "move" worse.

When to sow lupines?

The seeds of this plant retain their germination for 5 years, they can be sown in April, after the snow has completely melted from the site. Planting in winter is also acceptable for lupine flowers - in October or early November they are placed in open ground and sprinkled with peat. In the spring the seeds will begin to grow, in August the buds will appear. If the seedling propagation method is used, then planting seeds in containers is carried out at the beginning of March.

Lupins - growing

Bright lupine, planting and care in the open field, which are performed competently, will delight you with flowering already in the first season. Colorful buds-cobs appear on it in June-August. Lupins - proper cultivation and care:

• adult plants need to be hilled to protect the root collar, which rises above the ground every year;
• after 4-5 years, bushes - centenarians are removed, new specimens sit down;
• tall specimens must be tied up so that the stems do not break from the wind;
• to prolong flowering, wilted rosettes can be cut off before the seeds appear;
• for the prevention of diseases, wood ash is introduced into the open ground;
• if it is necessary to collect the seeds, the fruit must be plucked as soon as it begins to dry so that the seed does not scatter to the sides spontaneously;
• perennial bushes are sprinkled with sawdust for the winter, otherwise the plant may not tolerate frost below -8 ° C.

Lupine - transplant

The plant acquires a pivotal, powerful and deep root system - extending up to 2 m into the ground. Therefore, it is better to move young specimens, since it is harder to transplant lupine at an older age - it can hurt for a long time after the procedure. This is because long taproots break off easily and do not recover well. If you still need to move the bush to another place, then it is better to do this in the fall after flowering. It is better to renew such perennials every 5-6 years by sowing seeds, because old plants are no longer blooming so luxuriantly.

Lupine in the garden - reproduction

Garden lupine, planting and care in the open field, which is carried out according to the rules of agricultural technology, is propagated by dividing the bush. In the spring, from the buds located near the root collar, small rosettes of 5-7 leaves appear. They can be used for cuttings. The sprouts are cut off together with a piece of the root collar. They can be planted in a shaded area in sandy soil. After 25 days, a root is formed on them and the flower can be planted in a permanent place.

Rosettes develop by mid-summer and can also be used to expand the plantation of bright flowers. 3-4 year old plants are ideal for dividing. Vegetative propagation of lupine by rhizome allows you to completely preserve the color of the flowers. When planting cuttings in the summer (after flowering), lateral shoots formed in the leaf axils can also be taken for germination.

Lupine disease

Sometimes lupine, which was planted and cared for in the open field in violation of agricultural technology, can be exposed to disease or attack by pests.At the stage of budding, the plant damages aphids, later - the larvae of the sprout fly or nodule weevils. Spraying the bush with Aktellik and Apollo insecticides will help you quickly get rid of them.

Of the diseases, rot (root and gray), mosaics, spots, rust, phomopsis are dangerous to the flower. As a result, brownish spots appear on foliage, fruits, damage in the root part. In this case, it is advisable to treat the bushes with fungicides, cut off the diseased bush completely or remove the affected parts of the plant. New shoots emerge quickly from the root remaining in the open field and are healthy. Sometimes you will need autumn digging and liming of the substrate.

Knowing how to grow lupine, observing the rules of crop rotation and care, you can ensure that the plant practically does not hurt. It is important to know: you can re-place the plant in one area after five years, otherwise the soil under it begins to overgrow with weeds more intensively, accumulates phytotoxic microorganisms, leading to various diseases.

Lupine - care

Garden lupine is an unpretentious plant. He is provided with moderate watering, complex mineral fertilizing is introduced into the soil. In the first year of life near the plant, you need to loosen the soil, remove weeds. For the winter, the stems are cut off, they get rid of yellowed leaves, they can be used as mulch when hilling the plant before the onset of cold weather.

Lupine in the garden - watering

The amount of moisture that a plant needs depends on the planting period and the composition of the open ground. Lupine flower - planting and competent care in terms of watering:

• abundant moisture for the culture is required in the spring, after the seeds are just planted. Lack of moisture will lead to low productivity of the green mass, the leaves droop, even lie on the ground;
• the plant also needs generous watering after the buds are tied on it. With a lack of water, the outlets of the culture are not as lush as always, and the fruits are formed of a small size;
• the rest of the time, the bush is watered moderately;
• older plants need less moisture - their long roots absorb water from the lower layers of the earth.

How to feed lupins in spring?

After wintering in the second year of life, you can begin to feed the plant with mineral fertilizers that do not contain nitrogen (its culture produces independently on root growths): 10-20 g of superphosphate plus 5 g of potassium chloride are added per 1 m2 of area. Top dressing of lupins in spring is carried out regularly every year, until the time comes to cultivate new flowers.

Lupine in landscape design

If you need to decorate the garden with a bright flower, you can use lupine, planting and caring for it in the open field will not cause trouble, and it is easy to find application in landscape design. It looks beautiful in combination with perennials - lilies, gladioli, irises, delphiniums, tapeworm hosts and mixed groups. A lush composition is formed by lupine in the garden in combination with peonies.

They use a bright flower, both in numerous plantings and in single compositions. In mixborders, lupine looks better next to fast-growing low lush crops - by the middle of summer they cover the lost stems with their foliage. And in the background, a stately tall lupine in numerous combinations will help create a charming landscape.

In addition, the plant is an excellent fertilizer for the garden. Thanks to the nodule bacteria that accumulate on the roots, the green manure saturates the soil with nitrogen. The same microorganisms convert sparingly soluble phosphates into an easily assimilated form. In terms of nutritional parameters, the green fertilizer lupine is equivalent to manure. It is one of the best green manures for increasing soil productivity.

What are lupins, when to plant, what kind of soil this plant prefers, is it possible to grow them from seeds - let's take a closer look.The beauty of these flowers inevitably attracts the eye and makes you want to plant them in your garden. The multicolor is amazing, they can be white, yellow, red, pink, blue, dark red and even tricolor. Look great in a company with other garden flowers, decorate flower beds, paths, alpine slides.

In addition to the aesthetic effect, these plants improve the structure of the soil, enrich it with nitrogen. With all this, these flowers are not at all capricious, the process of growing them, caring for them will not give you much trouble.

When do lupins bloom? This time comes with the arrival of the calendar summer - in June, lasts about a month. It is noteworthy that perennial representatives can give color twice a season - in the second half of July, and then in August.

There are about 200 species of this decorative flower, all of them are similar to each other (the shape of a candle, the leaves are similar to palm leaves), have insignificant differences in the structure of the inflorescences.

Leaf after rain

Lupine is a plant from the legume family, it can be both annual and perennial, it has thick long roots that rush into the depth of about 2 meters. In addition to the work of the roots, the ground part also contributes to the enrichment of the soil. It is cut off and buried in the ground to a depth of about 20 cm, where it safely decomposes, thereby giving the soil useful substances, and lowering acidity.

For all its decorative qualities, this plant is a fodder and green manure crop.

Inflorescences and leaves, photo:

↑ back to content ↑ Lupine as green manure and fertilizer

The grains, as well as the green part of the plant, are very rich in protein (40-50%), while the process of toxic bitter alkaloids is also high. According to the content of toxic substances in the composition of lupins are bitter, low alkaloid, sweet. Bitter species are used to fertilize the soil, but sweet and low-alkaloid varieties can be used as animal feed. This plant culture is very productive, to obtain fodder raw materials are grown white, yellow, blue lupine (also called narrow-leaved). For fertilizers, perennial crops are most often sown.

White lupine can reach a height of one and a half meters, it tolerates drought comfortably - this is the most common variety.

Flowers of this species can be white, pale pink, pale blue. This is the most excellent green manure for poor soil with a high level of acidity (deoxidizing it). It grows well and gains green mass even on infertile soil. Recommended for sowing on loam and sandy loam soils - increases their fertility, can completely replace manure. On the roots of the white, bacteria that are useful for the soil live; they convert poorly soluble phosphates into accessible forms. After removing the ground part of the plant (cutting), the roots decompose in the soil, turning into an easily digestible top dressing. As a result, the soil is enriched with humus and organic components.

Yellow lupine is also an excellent green manure, heals the soil, improves its structure, and increases fertility without any chemical effects. This crop is simply the record holder for soil saturation with nitrogen, after its presence on the field there remains 200-250 kg of nitrogen / ha in the most acceptable form for future plantings. Yellow is sown quite early, and when its beans are formed, it is time for mowing.

Lupine as a siderat not only nourishes the soil, but also loosens it well. As already mentioned, this plant has a developed, powerful root system. The roots branch out in different directions - thus, the earth is loosened, the mineral compounds of the soil rise to the upper layers. This culture increases the drainage properties of the soil, contributes to its reclamation; after sowing this culture, the soil retains moisture and air better. This plant also serves as a food source for earthworms, which contributes to higher yields and resistance to diseases in the future.

The advantages of this plant as a green manure:

• Long roots that extend deep into the soil, extracting useful elements from its depths;
• Ability to assimilate and process heavy micro- and macro-soil elements;
• Abundant yield, usefulness comparable to manure;
• Rapid ripening - the plant reaches the required condition 45-50 days after sowing the seeds.

Are lupins poisonous or not? As a feed for farm animals, it acts as a source of ideal, easily digestible protein. This is the best option of all pulses available today. The stems and foliage of the plant contain many useful components; grains are a source of fat.

The disadvantage of this situation is the presence of poisonous alkaloids in the composition of the plant.

To feed animals, you must use only yellow or white lupins - they contain the lowest content of toxic substances.

The blue species cannot be used as a forage crop. Usually the green part of the plant is used for fodder mixed with other ingredients: silage, turf, artificial fodder.

For the preparation of forage and hay, the plant is cut at the stage of bud formation. Yellow lupine is mown before the onset of the phase of bean formation, white - without waiting for the end of its flowering.

Blue view, photo:

In the field ↑ to the content ↑ Perennial lupins - planting and care

This is a really unpretentious plant that does not require any special growing technology. Most importantly, you need to know what kind of soil lupine prefers, as well as the period of its planting.

This flower thrives equally well in shady or sunny places. If you want to achieve the highest decorative values, then place it in a shaded area of ​​the site.

He loves slightly alkaline non-acidic soil, with increased acidity it will grow very frail, and on alkaline soils it can get chlorosis. This situation can be changed by first adding dolomite flour (or lime acid) to the soil.

Perennial lupine is sown after the snow melts, around April. The plot of land on which flowers will grow should be prepared in the fall. It is recommended to treat seeds before sowing with foundation (50% solution). With this approach, you can see the first flowers after 12-13 months (they usually bloom by May).

Seeds (beans), photo:

To get lupine seeds, a few pods should be left on the plant, which will dry out, ripen and give the necessary seed. During flowering, wilted inflorescences are usually removed - this is necessary so that the growth of new flowers is not inhibited, and self-seeding does not occur.

Leave a few inflorescences until fully ripe (preferably in August), if you do not have lupines yet, then the seeds can always be bought at flower shops. The pod must be completely dry (moisture is unacceptable), the extracted beans must also be thoroughly dried. It is best to store the seed in a glass container or in fabric, paper bags.

Pods, photo:

↑ to the content ↑ Reproduction of lupine - different options

If you are going to plant these flowers in the country, then know that annual lupine can be propagated only with the help of seeds. Perennial species are available for propagation by seeds and cuttings.

↑ to the content ↑ Reproduction of perennial lupine by cuttings

A stalk is a growth bud that sits on a rosette of leaves at the base of a plant. With the arrival of spring, these buds are carefully cut off and then rooted in the open ground (choose a shaded area). At the planting site, it is very desirable to dilute the soil with sand to make it light. Another option is the selection of young shoots from the leaf sinuses, after the plant has already bloomed.

This planting source is rooted in the soil in a similar way, the process of adaptation and plant survival in a new place lasts about 35-40 days.After this time, the rooted seedlings can be transferred to flower beds, alpine hills, flower beds. The main thing is not to exceed the recommended period so that the plant does not have time to thoroughly take root and take root. Lupine roots react extremely negatively to any intervention, so transplanting will not lead to anything good. For the same reason, this flower is not propagated by dividing the bush.

↑ to content ↑ Lupins from seeds - cultivation

First of all, you need to decide on the sowing dates: it can be autumn or spring. It is preferable to plant frost-resistant, self-sown representatives of this culture in the fall. Around November, when there were already the first frosts, the seeds are slightly (about 2-3 cm) buried in the ground, covered with a thin layer of peat. The distance between the future bushes should be about 15 cm. Thus, with the arrival of spring, you will see young growth, and by the end of summer it will give color. If you decide to plant plants in spring, then choose the first weeks of April, then with the arrival of next spring you will be able to admire the many colors of these beautiful flowers.

SeedlingsYoung bushes

Lupins, photo:

Tip - for best results, hard lupine seeds should be pre-scarified (slightly damage the top layer). To do this, experienced gardeners use one of the following techniques:

1. Scratch the bean shell mechanically - rub with sandpaper or lightly cut with a sharp object. During these steps, make sure that the inside of the seed is not damaged. After scarification, the seed should be soaked for several hours (so that it swells).
2. Submerge the seeds in a temperature shock (sudden temperature change) - fold the beans into a clean, thin cloth, then freeze them in the freezer. After removing them from the freezer compartment, they should immediately be immersed in boiling water, for a short time. From such a contrast of temperatures, the shell of the beans will crack, the desired effect will be achieved.
3. A bath of a chemical solution - soaking seeds for ten hours in a solution of bleach (10%) or potassium permanganate for 15-20 minutes. Chlorine solution should be taken 2 or 3 drops per glass of water. After exposure, the seed should be thoroughly rinsed with cold water. This method of scarification has an additional antibacterial effect if there is a threat of damage to plants by fungi or other diseases.

Next, we proceed to the next stage - lupins from seeds, growing in containers. To do this, we pour soil into pre-prepared cassettes, disposable cups or separate plastic containers. Do not forget about the presence of drainage holes at the bottom!

The soil for these plants should include peat, turf, clean river sand. It will not be superfluous to pre-disinfect it by frying in the oven or microwave, scalding with boiling water is also suitable. Be that as it may, the seedling soil should be light.

We fill the pots with this soil, press it down a little, pour it with water at room temperature. After that, put the beans on top, deepen it a little, water it again (it is better to use a spray bottle). Next, we cover the containers with plastic wrap, take them to where it is warm and light.

We vigilantly monitor the soil moisture level, water if necessary, remove condensate in a timely manner. The first sprouts should appear after about 2 weeks, at this stage the film should not be removed yet, you can only water it daily, ventilate the sprouts (not for long). It will be possible to remove the "greenhouse" when the seedlings get stronger.

When spring comes into its own, it will get warmer on the street, and your seedlings will have 5 or 6 leaves, you can transplant young lupins for permanent residence. When planting, keep the distance between the bushes - 30-40 cm. Do not waste time, remember about the sensitive roots of the plant, transplant them in open ground in a timely manner.

Dark red variety, photo:

↑ back to contents ↑ How to care for lupine

In the first year of life, a standard set of "services" is quite enough for this plant - watering, loosening, and cleaning weeds. From the second year, supplement the care with phosphorus-potassium dressings, which should be applied before the beginning of the flowering phase. If the flowers are long enough, place the pegs and tie them up. As mentioned above, dry inflorescences should be removed in a timely manner.

In the fall, all dried plant fragments are cut off, the area around the flower is mulched with a suitable material that does not change the pH of the soil. For this, mulch of inorganic origin is often used. Those varieties that do not tolerate frost (low frost resistance) should be additionally covered with protection (covering fabric). During the development and growth of the flower, the root collar may become bare, if this happens, then it should be spud (covered with a layer of soil). After 4 or 5 years, the plant exhausts its resources, grows old, then the time comes to replace it with a young representative, and everything starts all over again.

↑ back to content ↑ Lupins - reviews, impressions, recommendations

I dug up all the lupins, beautiful of course, but too aggressors - the seeds shoot in all directions, the root grows underground so that to remove it, you have to disturb the neighboring plants, or, in other words, dig it out, otherwise the root cannot be removed.

Brunetka

And last year, these flowers bloomed until November. Despite the fact that Siberia. I like them very much. This year I will sow whites at home, also reds and yellows - I really like them. And in order not to grow where it is not needed, I just cut off the faded flowers and that's it. But I have a small row dedicated to them, so they don't have much to roam.

Lanka2005

in the 70s, some kind of "smart guy" from the Ministry of Agriculture, ordered to sow lupine to enrich the soil with nitrogen, and everything would be fine, but ... .. cattle do not eat it, moreover, it is poisonous for cattle! It is almost impossible to deduce it, tk. a lot of empty land, from there he goes on and on, so I was told in the village. So the blue blooming sea is a grief for the village.

Andrevna

In the 70s, those “Clever Men” did not understand the nature of lupins. There are perennials, and there are annuals. If the annuals are mown during the flowering period, then they will fulfill their SIDERATOV task, and they will not grow next year. And about their toxicity - so there are ordinary varieties, and there are ALKALOID. Their cattle do not eat, they feel bad from him. I myself saw how my grandmother's cows in the village ate an ordinary one - and nothing. Because he was NOT ALKALOID. But alkaloid - these are the best siderates, soil orderlies from harmful little things (any nematodes, phyto ..., and even from such a large species as the larva of the May beetle, wireworm and others ... There is only one drawback - they grow quite long to technical maturity. More than two months ...

Faddeich

Lupins are wonderful. Many consider them a weed that litters the garden with self-seeding, and therefore not worthy of attention. I tried to persuade my friend to put them in jail for several years. After the first bloom, she said she changed her mind about them. In the Moscow region, for example, they bloom precisely when there are few flowering plants at all - the spring ones have already bloomed, but the summer ones are not yet. Very decorate the garden. Moreover, there are many very beautiful varieties.

Lena I

In childhood, they liked to sprinkle each other with lupine flowers. For this purpose, we specially went to the fields to collect flowers. Then there was no such riot of colors, all were blue, blue were rarely found, and whites were generally considered a "deficit". It was interesting. You run home with a bucket full of flowers, and even drag an armful of branches for a bouquet.

Lika Mozyrko

It grows in several places in my summer cottage, because it is a leguminous plant that provides the earth with nitrogen, and also has various colors, there are yellow, and red, and purple, and white. Excellent green manure. I like that this is a perennial culture, unpretentious - does not require special care, it is resistant to drought.Its compound-palmate leaves on long petioles are amazing. After the rain, droplets roll beautifully on them. The flowering is charming and long. Growing rapidly.

Anna Zakharchuk

I love these flowers at the genetic level. Flowers and delicate foliage are beautiful. There are no problems with him at all, but if you cut off the faded flowers in time. then flowering is repeated again. For the winter, I always prune and slightly huddle. I transplant and divide in the spring. You can also propagate by seeds, in this case it will bloom next year.

Galchenok

I have had a red lupine growing for a long time. A neighbor asked for seeds. When they matured, I gave her everything! She sowed everything. But then among the seedlings there was not a single red one!

amplex

You need to follow and follow him, you just miss it and everything around will be "zalupineno", and it is difficult to bring him out. At a ripe flower, the pods open, coiling and scattering seeds with a radius of up to 25 meters. So consider this feature.

Petrovich2

↑ to contents ↑ Diseases of lupine

Lupine is an unpretentious plant, but there are three insidious diseases that lie in wait for it at all stages of growth.

• Fusarium disease is manifested by the wilting of the flower during the formation of buds and flowering. Drying of foliage, damage (decay) of roots is also observed.
• Phomopsis reports itself with brown spots on the shoots and leaf stalks. Excessive moisture only contributes to the development of the disease, as a result of which the entire flower is affected. The result is complete drying of the plant.
• Ceratophorosis scatters brown spots all over the ground part, subsequently the flower dries up, loses its "fertility" (beans are not formed).

However, there is good news, with all these misfortunes the drug known to all gardeners and gardeners - "Fitosporin" is quite successfully fighting. This product contains copper, is an environmentally friendly product, highly recommended for use.

This flower is planted as you like - singly or in a group. It will be better if you place these plants at the very end of the garden bed or flower garden. Their high growth can be used as a background, planting shorter counterparts in front of them. It looks great in a company with many garden representatives, and its rich palette will look appropriate next to flowers of any shade. Now you also know how lupins enrich the soil, growing from seeds, when to plant them, how to care and propagate.