How long do lobelia seeds take to germinate

Thanks to its wild popularity with the Victorians, lobelia arrived in North American gardens in the mids. Within the genus are some well-known North American wildflowers that make attractive perennials in the garden as well.

Cardinal flower L. Great blue lobelia L. Lobelia seeds are extremely small and fine-textured but are easy to cultivate if started indoors eight to 12 weeks before transplanting out — generally, two to four weeks after your last frost date.

Direct sowing outdoors after the average last frost date in your area is possible, but germination is much less reliable and indoor sowing is recommended. Because the seed is so fine, seedlings often mat together and can be difficult to pull apart when transplanting. For this reason, pellets, or trays with 12 or cell plug inserts, help to make transplanting easier — and with less plant loss. These plant trays are well suited for starting lobelia.

The divisions make for easy transplanting and they come with a humidity dome that assists germination. Seed Starting Trays with Humidity Dome. Six-packs of trays are available at Home Depot. Add a good seed starting mix to the cell packs and gently sprinkle the seed on top of the soil. Use a small spoon to disperse the seed as evenly as possible over the entire surface area. Do not cover seeds with soil, but gently firm the planting medium down with your fingertips after seeding.

Seeds require light to germinate. You can use a heat mat if required. Provide bottom watering or water gently with a mist sprayer to avoid disturbing the seeds. Keep the soil evenly moist but not wet. Cover with a clear hood or place in a polythene bag to keep seeds moist and warm. Germination occurs in 15 to 21 days. After four to six weeks, when seedlings are two to four inches tall, you can start to gradually harden them off to prepare them for outdoor conditions.

To harden off, place seedlings in a sheltered location outdoors for an hour a day, and gradually extend the time they spend outside over the course of a week or two. When transplanting seedlings or nursery starts into beds or containers, plant at the same depth and width as the container they are growing in. Space seedlings four to six inches apart. Plants do well in full sun to part shade and require well-draining soil enriched with organic matter. Lobelia is adaptable to most soils but does best in slightly acidic conditions with a pH of 5.

Newer cultivars have been developed for improved heat tolerance that keeps them blooming regardless of the temperature. If the flower display does decline in high heat, cutting plants back encourages a continuous bloom set. In areas of extreme heat, the second wave of flowers may be delayed until summer starts to cool into fall. Cut plants back by as much as one-third if needed. Plants also require regular feeding. An application of a balanced, NPK water soluble fertilizer every two weeks throughout the growing season will keep them at their best.

Five-pound containers of Miracle-Gro all-purpose plant food are available at Home Depot. Water regularly, and keep moisture levels even, particularly during hot spells. During these times, containers may require daily watering to maintain consistent soil moisture. But take care not to overwater into sogginess — especially in cool, damp, or wet conditions. If plants start to fail, cut them back by as much as one-third, and provide some afternoon shade. There are hundreds of lobelia varieties available.

The following are some of the most popular for the home gardener. A compact variety with a spreading habit, it grows four to five inches tall with a six-inch spread. Seed packets are available at Eden Brothers. Plants have a compact form with upright growth of four to six inches and a lush spread of six to eight inches.

Pelleted seeds in packets of are available at True Leaf Market. The compact plants have an upright growth of six to eight inches with a spread of six inches, and add bold color to beds, containers, and rockeries.

Seed packets can be purchased at Burpee. It usually appears when the plants begin to set fruit. Circular spots with gray centers and dark margins appear on the lower older leaves. Fungi spores are produced and darken the center of the spots. There is a progressive loss of foliage and fruits suffer from sunscald.

Burpee Recommends: Remove and destroy infected plant debris. Don't handle or brush against plants when they are wet. Rotate plantings. Remove weeds growing nearby. Aphids: Greenish, red, black or peach colored sucking insects can spread disease as they feed on the undersides of leaves.

They leave a sticky residue on foliage that attracts ants. Burpee Recommends: Introduce or attract natural predators into your garden such as lady beetles and wasps which feed on aphids. You can also wash them off with a strong spray, or use an insecticidal soap.

Japanese Beetles : Burpee Recommends: Hand pick early in the morning into a bucket of soapy water. Slugs: These pests leave large holes in the foliage or eat leaves entirely. They leave a slime trail, feed at night and are mostly a problem in damp weather. Burpee Recommends: Hand pick, at night if possible. You can try attracting the slugs to traps either using cornmeal or beer. In the morning, the bowl should be full of drowned slugs that can be dumped out for the birds to eat.

For a cornmeal trap, put a tablespoon or two of cornmeal in a jar and put it on its side near the plants. Slugs are attracted to the scent but they cannot digest it and it will kill them. You can also try placing a barrier around your plants of diatomaceous earth or even coffee grounds. They cannot crawl over these. Spider Mites: These tiny spider-like pests are about the size of a grain of pepper. They may be red, black, brown or yellow.

They suck on the plant juices removing chlorophyll and injecting toxins which cause white dots on the foliage. There is often webbing visible on the plant. They cause the foliage to turn yellow and become dry and stippled. They multiply quickly and thrive in dry conditions. Burpee Recommends: Spider mites may be controlled with a forceful spray every other day. Try hot pepper wax or insecticidal soap.

Check with your Cooperative Extension Service for miticide recommendations. Is cardinal flower a good plant for a pollinator garden? Yes, it is an excellent choice, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds, and beneficial insects as well. Can I grow perennial lobelia in a container? Some varieties are large for containers, but some more compact ones are fine for containers.

Do not allow to dry out. Does perennial lobelia self sow? Lobelia tends to be a short loved perennial, but it often self sows.

Actually one of the easiest annual flower and the rewards of the shiny flowers are really worth the try to grow these beauties in your garden. If you have hanging baskets around your house or shed, then in those you can grow the trailing varieties, like our cascade mix. Sprinkle the lobelia seeds on the surface of a good seed compost and do not cover the tiny flower seeds with anything, the lobelia seeds need light to germinate. Gently firm the compost down after you sprinkled the seeds.

Keep the seed trays, pots at a temperature of Celsius. The germination can take days. Sow the seeds from February onwards, generally about 7 weeks before you want to transplant the seedlings. Placing the seeds into a polythene bag can aid germination by keeping these flower seeds warm and moist.