Curly shrub kobeya climbing is a member of the Sinyukhov family. This is a perennial crop that is grown in Russia as an annual plant. Large and eye-catching plant flowers adorn a home or garden. Even a nondescript landscape can be revived with a single kobe branch. This southern plant is widely used by landscape designers around the world.
Plant features
In nature, a kobe flower grows in Peru and Mexico. It got its name in honor of the monk Barnabas Kobo, who loved natural science and studied the nature of the subtropics. The first mention of the plant dates back to the end of the 18th century. Now it is used for landscaping arbors and creating hedges.
Flowering kobei
In the natural environment, a kobe plant is found in South America. From other representatives of this family, it is distinguished by a very rapid growth of shoots. The powerful root system of the plant consists of a large number of fibrous branches.
The length of the stem can reach six or more meters.
A perennial flower has complex-pinnate leaves arranged alternately. Each of them is divided into three parts. At the end, the leaves become narrow and resemble the antennae. It is they who help the kobe to catch on a nearby support in order to reach a height where there is sun. In the rainforests, this is necessary to survive.
Purple Kobe Bells
The kobei flower has the shape of a large bell. Its diameter can reach 8 cm. The original flowers are attached to the stem with strong pedicels. They are located in groups or singly. Only when you see a kobe flower, you can understand what it is, and appreciate the beauty of the bush.
It is interesting! Seeds are enclosed in a box covered with durable skin. They are oval, upon maturation they acquire a brown tint. After the leaves appear from the outlet, the bud has a green-yellow hue, and when it blooms, it becomes snow-white or purple.
Popular varieties
Of the 9 species of Cobaea known to science, only one is grown in Russia - a climbing or creeping variety of a plant.
Creeping kobe is distinguished by its unusual leaves and large bell-shaped flowers that exude a tart musky smell. Kobeya grows very quickly, which is good for a short summer in central Russia.
Designers make extensive use of flower in landscaping. The most popular varieties of kobei:
- Alba Has large white flowers that hang beautifully down.
- The Tsar Bell. Delicate white flowers are pleasing to the eye, from mid-summer to the very frosts.
- Cathedral bells. The flowers are large, purple. Flowering continues until the first frost.
- Colando. This variety has large blue-violet flowers with a long pestle looking out of the petals. The plant is thermophilic, so you need to plant it in the sun.
- Amazon. Has a lush vine, reaching a length of 4 m. The flowers of this kobe are purple, pleasing to the eye for several months.
Seedling by seedling
The most common way to grow kobe is seed. But novice gardeners often face the problem of germination, since the seed coat is quite thick, and sprouts can not always break through it.
Experienced flower growers dissolve the peel in a liquid and then clean the mucous substance from the surface of the seeds. Procedure:
- Having laid the seeds at the bottom of the container so that they do not touch each other, they are filled with ordinary water and covered with a lid.
- After half an hour, the deoxidized layer is removed.
- If necessary, the procedure is repeated several times until the coating is completely dissolved.
This is a preparatory stage for obtaining a kobe plant from seeds, the cultivation of which is not particularly difficult. After peeling, the planting material is ready for planting.
Seed fruit plant
The process of growing seedlings begins in late February - early March. Each seed is immediately planted in a separate container. This avoids the pick that the kobe does not tolerate. Any soil from the store is suitable for planting. Seeds are laid on the surface of the soil and sprinkled with a thin layer of substrate. If a preliminary cleaning is carried out, then the first seedlings will appear in two weeks. Otherwise, it will take some time to wait for the sprouts.
When the second pair of leaves appears on the seedlings, they should be planted in more spacious containers. It is best to transfer plants along with an earthen lump, so as not to violate the integrity of the root system and allow seedlings to grow stronger faster. Even for such a tiny kobe, a backup made of plastic or wood is already needed. For this so-called ladder, the plant will cling to the antennae.
Important! For the formation of healthy shoots, it is necessary to conduct hardening of seedlings. For this, the containers are carried out into the open air. If the balcony is glazed, then you can leave it there for the night.
After three weeks, kobeya climbing, the cultivation of which is not too difficult, will be ready for planting in the ground. It is better to do this when the night frost ends. Seedlings can hardly tolerate frequent transplantation, so in the first days you will have to monitor its condition.
Kobeya: landing and care in the open ground (reckless way)
It is not recommended to grow a flower in open ground in central Russia, since the seedlings will not have time to grow stronger and bloom in time. The plant develops better from seedlings grown on window sills, but some gardeners grow kobe flowers on a bed in peat tablets.
In autumn, young shoots are stored in a room with a temperature of about 5-8 ° C. In spring, they can again be planted in the ground without injuring the roots. The shoots bloom much earlier than the kobe, planting and care of which were carried out in the winter. The problem with this method is the need for constant monitoring of the state of seedlings. They should not outgrow or die from a lack of water.
Propagation by cuttings
In addition to the seed method, it is possible to grow kobe with the help of cuttings. They are cut from plants brought for the winter to the house. Moist sand is used for rooting. Young shoots are planted in the ground in mid-May, when it is already warm enough. This method allows you to achieve earlier flowering. However, in this case, when the kobe blooms, the process is not very splendid.
Plant cultivation by cuttings
Features of gardening
When transplanting plants to the site, you must choose a well-lit place with mineral-rich soil. Another condition is protection from the cold wind, the contact to which the kobe is difficult to bear. It is better to choose the darker corners of the plot. The distance between the bushes should be at least 50 cm. Before planting, humus-peat mixture is poured into the planting pits, and after that the seedling transferred with a lump of earth must be well watered. In order for the stem to have support, a special arch or fence should be built nearby.
If the possibility of frost exists, for some time the bushes are insulated with covering material. They are later opened to provide access to sunlight.
Watering is carried out systematically. Its intensity depends on the temperature regime of the region.
Important! In waterlogged soil, the roots of the plants can rot, especially if there is a lack of lighting.
You need to start feeding a kobe when seedlings appear. To do this, they are watered with a solution of humate. It is necessary to do this, and when they grow rapidly. For normal development, nitrogen is required to be applied to the soil once a week. When deciding what else to feed a kobe, one should not forget about the increased need of a flower for potassium and phosphorus at the beginning of flowering.
In addition to top dressing, for normal growth, the liana needs loosening of the soil at the roots and ridding it of weeds.
On hot days, in addition to watering, shoots must be sprayed with water. To bloom was magnificent, the following activities are carried out:
- cutting off faded buds;
- pinching a too long stem;
- transfer of stems that fell to the ground on a support.
Winter preparations
In October, long lobes of kobei are cut, and a trunk measuring 20 cm and a lump of earth with roots are dug up. Having moved the remains of the plant into a container, it is sent to a cool room for a period of rest (until spring).
Note! In the southern strip of Russia, kobe can also be stored in open ground, if covered with rotted humus.
When and how it blooms
The kobeya looks especially beautiful when it blooms. The color of its large bell flowers is bright purple. They also come in a wine-white hue. Flowering occurs in early July and can last until the first autumn frosts. With the onset of cold weather, the flower is simply torn out of the ground along with the roots or transferred to home pots.
Changes in flowering care
While the kobe is in bloom, wilted buds need to be removed, and new shoots tied to a support. Also, the plant should be regularly watered, fed with complex fertilizers and ash added to the soil. If it is necessary that the kobe has more leaves, it is fed with nitrogen fertilizers.
Note! Fertilizing with a high nitrogen content increases leaf growth, but flowering becomes less lush.
Of particular danger to this decorative culture is irregular watering and increased soil moisture. Because of this, the roots are affected by rot. The first symptom of the disease is dark spots on the leaves.
Home decoration outside
As a preventive measure, it is necessary to control the intensity of irrigation, carry out loosening of the soil at the roots and remove their affected areas. In the most difficult cases, the plant is completely dug up. Such a bush must be looked after as follows:
- remove rotten rhizomes;
- cut the stems to a level of 30-40 cm;
- treat with protective equipment;
- plant again, but in a different place.
Of pests, the flower is affected by aphids and ticks. To get rid of them, it is enough to process the shoots with a solution of green soap and Fitoverm. Replace this effective tool with the help of fleas for animals.
Growing a kobe climbing in the garden is quite simple. The main thing is to properly care for seedlings and do not forget to water and feed on time when the kobe is in bloom. Liana, strewn with blooming buds, will significantly transform the site.
