Hyacinth bean, lobia or dolichos is a plant belonging to the legume family. This ancient cultivated annual plant is not found in the wild. Dolichos does not like cold weather, and the best temperature for growing is about +18 degrees Celsius around the clock. That is why it has received the greatest distribution in the warm zones of Asia and Africa. However, with the same success, dolichos is grown in the temperate climate of the south of Ukraine, Moldova, Western Europe, Central Asia, and the Transcaucasus. Dolichos has a curly stem that can reach a height of 1-1.5 meters. There are many large trifoliate leaves on the stem. The flowers are large, may be reddish, purple or white, arranged in racemes. The beans are large, up to 9 centimeters long, curved, with three to four seeds. Hyacinth beans, the photos of which you see in the article, enrich the soil with nitrogen, as nitrogen-fixing nodule bacteria settle on well-developed roots. In early ripening varieties, the growing season lasts up to ninety days, in late ripening varieties - up to one hundred and sixty days. Dolichos is not picky and, in principle, grows well on any soil, but it is preferable to use slightly acidic or neutral soils. From one square meter, you can harvest 200-300 grams of the crop.
There are two ways to grow dolichos. Seedlings or seeds can be planted in the soil. In the south, the second method is usually used. After warm weather is established, for example, at the end of spring, the seeds are planted immediately in the soil. Before this, the seeds can be soaked for several hours. When sowing seeds from each other, it is necessary to lay out at a distance of at least thirty centimeters. As soon as three leaves appear, the plant can be pinched, then lateral branches will begin to appear and rapid flowering will begin. In insufficiently warm climates, hyacinth beans, which are best grown from seedlings, are planted in jars and boxes in early April. After about 35 days, young seedlings are planted in open ground, and it is immediately necessary to put a support, since by this time the height of the plant will be 15 cm. It blooms and bears fruit constantly, until the onset of cold weather. In hot weather, hyacinth beans should be watered frequently, but sparingly, without flooding. Dolichos loves fertilizers, most of all potash. During the period of seedling formation, it is necessary to apply nitrogen fertilizers to the soil in the ratio of 10 grams per 1 square meter, and during the formation of buds, full mineral fertilizers are applied in the same ratio. Avoid adding fresh manure to the soil as you will get nothing but leaves.
Hyacinth beans are very unusual, plump, round, black or cream. Usually used in soups, salads, as an independent dish or as a side dish to the main dish.dish. Perfectly combined with vegetables, rice, seafood, spices. They taste like string beans. Both dry beans and fresh green pods are used for food, which can be frozen for the winter. The seeds contain 60% carbohydrates, 28% proteins, 3% fats, 8% minerals. In addition, hyacinth beans also have medical significance - they are used to obtain plant agglutinins, which are used to determine the blood type.
