Kobei is a creeper of amazing beauty. An ornamental plant belongs to the cyanide family. Its homeland is the humid mountain forests of South America. The flower is named after the Spanish monk Barnabas Cobo, known as a naturalist.
Botanical reference about the plant
Climbing Kobe got its name from the tenacious creeping stems. This is a liana-like plant, reaching a height of six meters. Thanks to the many tendrils that cover the stems of the flower, kobeya clings to any support and crawls until it reaches the top point.
The creeper has a strong fibrous root system with abundantly branched cord-like processes. The flowers are large, up to 80 mm in diameter, the shape is graceful bell-shaped, the pedicel is elongated. Grow singly or grouped in 3-4 pieces in leaf pauses.
Whoever saw a kobe noticed the stamens and pistil that protrude significantly beyond the petals, giving the flowers a special charm. The leaves are soft, light green in color with a complex peripheral shape, including three lobes.
In landscape design for vertical gardening, kobeya began to be used at the end of the 18th century. Since that time, gardeners have begunbe interested in raising kobei.
Species diversity of flowers
In their native places, kobe grows in the wild and is represented by 9 species. At home, only one variety, considered in the article, is grown by a person - climbing kobeya, also known under other names: creeping, climbing, Mexican ivy and monastery bells. Kobeya gives a lot of shoots, reaching more than 3 meters in length. Leaves, shaped like feathers, openwork with small folds, branched tendrils at the tips of the leaf plates. As soon as the flowers open, they are green and give off a musky scent, turning lilac over time, later turning deep purple and exuding a honey scent.
Breeders have succeeded in breeding kobei, and as a result of hard work, a new variety with white flowers has been bred - Albu.
How to raise a kobe at home
At home, growing in nature, the plant is one of the perennials. Under home growing conditions in our region, this is an annual liana. Being a heat-loving flower, kobeya does not survive the winter. Usually propagated by seeds. Reproduction of the plant is simple and is of particular interest to many gardeners. While doing this, it is worth knowing a few things about growing a plant from seed. Seed material requires specific special preparation.
Sometimes creepers are propagated using cuttings from the mother stems.
How seeds are sown
Kobei growing conditions include the preparation of planting material. Let's take a closer look at this.
Seeds begin to prepare for planting in the last weeks of February. Germination sometimes causes difficulties in the structure of seeds - they are large with a thick hard shell. Therefore, planting material requires special preparation before planting in the ground. This will make it possible to clean the seeds from crusts manually. To do this, the seeds are laid out in one layer in a small wide bowl and poured with water. The container is covered to slow down the evaporation of water. Waiting for the shell to get wet. After that, the outer peel is removed, and the seeds are put back into the bowl. Further, the cleaned planting material is worked out:
- paper folded in two or three layers is moistened with a solution of potassium permanganate;
- seeds are placed on paper;
- the laid material is placed in a plastic bag;
- Kobe under the film is placed in a warm, well-lit place.
Growing from seed kobei is a long process. One germination can last up to 20 days. During the process, careful monitoring of the condition of the seeds is required, constantly maintaining moisture. In chamber conditions, mold often appears. Watching this, carefully wash the planting material and change the paper.
After germination, the seeds are placed in loose soil, laying them on a flat barrel. Approximately 1.5-1.7 cm of the soil mixture is poured from above. Kobeya is sensitive to picking and has difficulty dealing with the process. Therefore, experienced gardeners recommend plantingseeds in separate plastic cups and tighten the film on top, simulating greenhouse conditions.
When growing climbing kobe, you should ensure optimal conditions for germination: place the containers in a bright room and maintain the temperature around 20oС.
Be sure to germinate the cups with seeds, removing the film daily, in order to ventilate and increase the humidity of the planting. If the seeds germinated prematurely, then seedlings appear after 7-10 days.
How to dive kobei seedlings
After waiting for the first two leaves to develop in the plant, they dive. When growing from seeds at home, weaving kobei is required to prepare bulky pots (at least 3 liters), fill with drainage, and pour a nutrient soil composition on top. Transplanting into a bulk container will contribute to the activation of the growth and development of the root system, which will make it easier for the plant to transfer planting to open ground. In addition, the plant will give active growth, the formation of strong shoots, large numerous buds.
Before the sprouts dive, the soil is well watered. This will facilitate careful removal without damaging the root system of the young kobei flower. When transplanting into new pots, the earth ball is kept to minimize stress on the plant. In the process of growing kobei, it is worthwhile to ensure the presence of props to support thriving shoots.
Features of landing kobei in open ground
It is better to choose a bright but draft-free area for planting in open ground. Young seedlings do not like cold, so the plants are pre-hardened, keeping them for several days before planting on a glazed loggia.
Over time, when the threat of frost has passed, the seedlings are transferred to a permanent place when grown from seed. When to plant a kobe? As a rule, this is the end of May - the beginning of July. But even at this time, low temperatures, although very rare, make themselves felt. To protect the kobe, it is recommended to cover it for some time with non-woven fabric laid in several layers.
Scheme of planting seedlings
Flowers are planted, retreating 0.5-1 m between plants. A mixture of soddy soil, peat and humus is poured into the bottom of the hole in equal proportions. A prerequisite is loose soil. Seedlings are watered before being taken out of the pot, after being placed in the soil, they are only slightly moistened.
The soil around the trunk of the plant is mulched. Peat or sawdust works well for this.
Do not forget about the supports needed for weaving and growing kobe climbing. Growing from seeds is accompanied by infrequent moderate watering. Although the plant loves moisture, it quickly rots from its excess.
Fertilization
In the period from the development of the first leaves to the moment of bud formation, kobeu is fertilized with nitrogen-containing mixtures that contribute to the growth of green mass. After that, they will be replaced by phosphorus-potassium fertilizers applied to stimulate and support flowering.
Given that kobeya is a largeLiana, she needs intensive feeding: 2 times a week.
If there is time and desire, then mineral organic top dressing can be applied alternately.
Cultivation and condition of kobei in the winter season
As mentioned earlier, at home cultivation in the open field, the kobea lives exactly one year. Gardeners are trying to keep the plant alive and are practicing growing kobei as a perennial.
After waiting for the end of flowering, the liana is carefully dug up, making sure that the root system is not injured, and placed in a container of the appropriate volume. The pot with the plant is placed in a dark cool room (9-11oC) and left alone until spring.
Keeping the kobe in the cellar, moisten the soil once a month, monitoring the condition of the root system.
After waiting for March, the plant is moved to a warmer room and the amount of watering is increased. When the first leaves hatch, it is advisable to start feeding the plant by introducing nitrogen compounds.
Growing kobei from cuttings
Activating in growth, young cuttings become suitable for reproduction. When taking material, keep in mind that these are fragile processes, and proceed with extreme care. Each shoot is planted in a separate small pot filled with wet sand and placed on a light windowsill, covering the top with a glass jar.
When growing kobei this way, and if done right, the twigs will take root before the start of summer. After that theyplanted in a permanent place of growth.
As a result of competent care of a kobe, you will be able to enjoy a colorful carpet of vines pierced with bright purple bells until late autumn. This chic ornamental plant is loved by many and is used as a hedge in landscape design, park design, and to decorate arbors.
