Kobei flower is considered one of the most beautiful vines. This heat-loving plant prefers to grow in the southern regions. Here kobeya blooms for several years. In our climate, the plant belongs to annual species. If desired, you can hide the plant for the winter in a warm, protected place. However, many flower growers prefer to grow kobe with each new season from seed.
What are the features of the presented flower, how it is planted and cared for, should be considered in detail by each grower before breeding lianas on their site.
General characteristics
Kobei (photos of flowers are presented below) is a beautiful exotic plant. This picturesque liana got its name in honor of the Spanish explorer Barnabas Cobo. The Jesuit lived for a long time in Mexico and Peru. Here he first saw this lovely flower. Since the 18th century, kobeu has been cultivated in vertical gardening by many European landscapers.
Today there are 9 types of kobei. In our country, mainly only two species are grown - with white or purple flowers. In terms of its decorative qualities, this vine is much superior to other tropical climbing plants.
Kobeya is developing very fast. Many tendrils appear on the stem. The shoots are covered with heart-shaped leaves. They cover the entire liana with an openwork carpet. Plant height can reach 6 m. Tenacious tendrils help the vine to climb to a great height. It adheres firmly to any surface.
Kobei bloom
Kobei (photo of flowers is presented in the review) is famous for its delicate charming bell flowers. They densely cover a green carpet of leaves. In diameter, the buds can reach 8 cm. In nature, there are lilac, white, light green, burgundy varieties of kobei.
In our country, only one type of creeper is grown. This is a climbing kobe. Its buds are purple or white. Long stamens and pistil protrude. During the development period, the bud may have a green color. After the flowers change their color to purple or white.
The flowering period lasts from July to October. With the first frost, the vine withers. Although the plant is able to withstand the first frosts. It will not fade even at a temperature of -5ºС, if the cold snap is short-lived. When stable cold weather is established, the kobe fades. Therefore, every year gardeners acquire new seeds to grow this beautiful plant on their site.
Due to the insufficient duration of the warm period in our climatic zone, plant seeds do not have time to ripen. Therefore, seed is purchased in a specialized store before each new season.
Features of cultivation
Almost every gardener can plant this flower on his plot. Kobeya, (growing from the seeds of this vine requires certain skills) is a light-loving plant. If it can somehow put up with a small penumbra, however, it will not grow in dimming. Therefore, you should choose a sunny place on the site.
The soil should be fertile, well fertilized. The plant also likes moist soil. However, excessive watering, as with most plants, causes rot. In this case, the plant is attacked by pests (mites or aphids). Therefore, maintaining a certain level of humidity for kobei is extremely important.
Features of reproduction
The kobeya flower, which is planned to be grown on the site, requires the gardener to choose the right planting material. For this, seedlings or seeds are suitable. If the kobe has been grown for more than a year, you can save its cuttings for the winter. Most often, summer residents purchase seeds in specialized stores.
When choosing planting material, it is recommended to give preference to trusted suppliers. Seeds can be sown from the end of February. For this, greenhouse conditions are created for plants. The deadline for starting seeding is mid-March.
Before planting, the material must be properly processed. If dry seeds are introduced immediately into the ground, they may not germinate well, such vines have practically no strength to bloom. Therefore, it is recommendedbefore introducing them into the ground, soak the planting material in a special growth stimulator. For this, for example, HB-1 or other similar solutions are suitable.
Some flower growers grow kobe by cuttings. Shoots suitable for transplantation are taken from the mother liana. They appear on last year's plants transferred to a warm place. Transplantation of cuttings is carried out in separate containers. They are filled with wet sand. In such soil, kobeya takes root. With the advent of stable warm weather, creepers are planted in open ground on the site. This method is less common, as it is quite difficult for many gardeners to keep last year's kobe until the next warm season. She needs constant proper care.
Ground landing
The Kobe flower, which is planted in the soil of a mini-greenhouse, requires a careful approach to each seed. There are usually 5 in a pack. You can buy 2 bags of seeds to get seedlings for sure.
Seeds soaked in growth stimulator can be planted in the ground. They will germinate in about 2-2.5 weeks. The first shoots should appear in the second week after transplanting the seeds into the ground. A place for a mini-greenhouse should be chosen bright and warm. The ambient temperature must not be less than 20ºС. The seed container must be covered with a plastic bag.
In order not to subsequently violate the integrity of the kobei roots, it is recommended to protect each seed with a separate foil pot. This helps speed up the growth period. Seeds should be covered with a layer of soil about 1.5 cm. They are brought into the soil with a flat side. It's provenmany flower growers technology allows you to quickly and efficiently grow a vine even in our climate.
Transfer
Kobei flowers, planting and caring for which require certain skills from the gardener, are easier when using special growth stimulants. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the sprout to break through the shell. When the first shoots appear, prepare a container for planting and soil. You can use plastic cups for this purpose.
Sprouts need to be watered abundantly. The foil is then unrolled. An escape with a clod of earth must be carefully removed from the greenhouse soil. You need to make sure that the roots are not damaged. This will significantly slow down the growth of the vine. Foil molds allow you to do this as neatly as possible.
The substrate for transplantation should be loose and light. It should contain enough nutrients. After transplanting, you need to give the sprouts time to adapt. After that, you can begin to gradually harden the sprouts.
Seedling care
After transplanting young shoots, proper care should be taken. The soil must be watered periodically (as it dries). It is recommended to ventilate the room in which there are containers with small vines. The window should be opened in the first few days for only 2-4 minutes. Then the interval increases gradually every day.
You can fertilize with humate. During the growth of a flower in cups, this procedure can be done no more than 2 times. Otherwise, the shoots will be too long. They will be hard to transplant. Gardenersopinions differ on the issue of when it is possible to pinch a kobe flower. Some experts recommend performing this procedure before planting in open ground. Other growers don't pinch shoots at all.
You need to pinch a plant when its shoots do not develop densely. In this case, new stems up to 20 cm long are grafted before transplanting the plant into open ground.
If the kobea develops correctly, it will develop thin brown branches on the shoots. These tendrils will look for something to cling to. However, they will be easy to remove from the wall, from clothes or other objects. The antennae are strong enough to be hard to damage.
Dive
What else are these curly flowers interesting for? Kobeya is a plant that should be dived when grown. Sprouts are recommended to be transplanted into a large container 3-4 weeks after their germination. This will allow the vine to develop a powerful root system. The rate of growth and development of the plant will depend on this. By the time of transplanting into open ground, the kobe will be able to form strong shoots.
You will need a large flower pot for transplanting. Its capacity should be about 3 liters. The soil must be nutritious. Before transplanting, water the soil and move the plant with an earthen clod into a pot. In a spacious container, kobeya will begin to actively develop. Liana needs to be tied up with ropes so that she strives to grow up.
Before transplanting to the selected site on the site, the kobe should be prepared for environmental conditions. To do this, the plant is hardened. This process is conveniently carried out on the balcony. The first time a kobe is taken out here for 15 minutes. Every day this interval increases. After a while, the pot may not be brought into the room.
Preparing for transplanting into open ground
Flowers (kobeya purple or white, it doesn't matter) can be planted in the summer cottage in early summer. Some flower growers even decorate balconies or loggias with climbing stems of this tropical creeper. First you need to choose the right landing site.
Growing area should be well lit. There should be no drafts here. Next, you need to prepare the ground. It should contain nutrients and be loose. Water should not stagnate on the site.
The soil should be dug up and leveled with a rake. A week before planting kobei in the ground, holes must be made. They should be at least 50 cm apart from each other. The bottom of the holes is covered with peat and humus. Watering is done immediately before the transplant process.
Kobey, which grows on the balcony, should be untied and folded into a ring. By the time of the transplant, its height will reach approximately one meter.
Ground transplanting
The Kobe flower should be transported to the transplant site in a folded state. So it will be more difficult to damage the vine. The potted plant needs to be well watered. Then it is taken out of the container along with a clod of earth. Plants are planted at a distance of at least 50 cm (up to 1 m) from each other.
The transplant hole is watered, and then init is installed kobeyu. They dig in the earth with it. You need to compact the soil. Then the vine is watered again. A plant twisted into a ring must be carefully unfolded. If it was tied with a cord, it should be cut with a knife.
Kobei is planted near the support. If it is not, you should put an artificial fence. Otherwise, the vine will creep along the ground, entangle neighboring plants. The antennae must be raised to the place allotted for it. Liana on an arch or hedge will look beautiful. It can also be a grid with large cells. Kobei's tenacious antennae will immediately begin to firmly attach to the support intended for them.
The soil around the stem of the vine is mulched. To do this, it is sprinkled with peat or sawdust. Proper care contributes to the rapid development of the plant, the appearance of a lush green carpet of leaves. The first buds in this case will appear very soon. Kobeya will decorate any landscape design.
Caring for creepers
Kobey flower requires proper care after transplantation. Regular watering, fertilizing and creating supports are required until the vine clings to a hedge or arch on its own.
You also need to regularly monitor the condition of the shoots, leaves and flowers of kobei. It is susceptible to pest attacks. The most common disease of the vine is the spider mite. To prevent the appearance of this pest on the plant, the stems are treated with fungicides and insecticides. When the first signs of an attack of parasites appear, treatment should be carried out. For thisapply a solution of green or laundry soap, an infusion of garlic or onion peel. If this does not help, special solutions should be purchased.
Also, the plant can be affected by root rot. The reason for such an unfavorable phenomenon may be improper care of the plant. Black spots appear on the leaves. If the soil does not have a good drainage system or the grower periodically floods the soil, the roots may begin to rot. In this case, the plant quickly loses strength, fades. To avoid this, it is necessary to water the plant as the soil dries. Filling kobe is strongly not recommended. All affected leaves are removed. The soil near the vines needs to be loosened and dried. Then they water the kobe with a special solution of fungicides.
During the dry period, the vine needs to be watered abundantly. If it is rainy outside the window, it is necessary to stop periodic watering until the soil dries. It is recommended to fertilize the soil once every 2 weeks. The first time such a procedure is performed a week after the transplant. Until the kobeya has released buds, it is watered with nitrogen fertilizers. They contribute to the development of green leaf mass.
When the first buds appear, top dressing is changed to phosphorus-potassium varieties. This will stimulate abundant flowering of large luxurious flowers. During this period, organic and mineral fertilizers can be alternated. The plant will look strong and he althy.
Recommendations from gardeners
The climbing kobe flower is considered a perennial plant. If the gardener does not want to plant it again with seeds nextin the spring, he can keep it in greenhouse conditions. After the end of the flowering of the vine in October, the plant must be dug up. This is done very carefully so as not to damage the roots. Then it is transplanted into a bulk container.
Liana is installed in a dark and cool place. The temperature in the room should not exceed 10ºС. It could be a dry cellar. Here the kobe will overwinter. Watering is done once a month. In this state, the vine does not require top dressing. In March, it will be possible to get it out of the cellar and move it to a warm room. Also, the plant will need a lot of light during this period.
Irrigation is increased. After a while, the first leaves will appear on the shoots. During this period, attention is paid to nitrogen fertilizers. When the kobeya begins to grow, you can take cuttings for transplantation. They are carefully cut from the vine. They take root by the beginning of June. Such a kobeya will bloom faster. However, a seed-grown plant will have more buds.
If the plant develops poorly, it means that it is not satisfied with the growing conditions. Perhaps there is not enough light, moisture on the site, or, conversely, the gardener waters the vine too often. The cause of this state of kobei should be identified. Many adverse factors can be eliminated.
Having considered what features the kobe flower has, every gardener will be able to independently grow a lush, beautiful liana with stunning, luxurious buds. She will decorate any site, delighting her owners with flowering almost to the very frosts.
