Hyacinth beans, lobia or dolichos - a plant belonging to the
legume family. This ancient cultivated
annual plant does not occur 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 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, in Western Europe, Central Asia, and Transcaucasia. The dolichos has a curly stem, which can reach a height of 1-1.5 meters. There are many large triple leaves on the stem. The flowers are large, can be reddish, purple or white, arranged racemose inflorescences. 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, since nitrogen-fixing nodule bacteria settle on well-developed roots. In early ripening varieties, the growing season lasts up to ninety days, in late ripening - 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 collect 200-300 grams of crop.
There are two ways to grow dolichos. In the soil, you can plant seedlings or seeds immediately. In the south, the second method is usually used. After warm weather is established, for example, at the end of spring, seeds are planted immediately in the soil. Before this, the seeds can be soaked for several hours. When sowing seeds from each other must be laid out at a distance of not less than thirty centimeters. As soon as three leaves appear, the plant can be pinched, then side branches will begin to appear and rapid flowering will begin. In an insufficiently warm climate, hyacinth beans, the cultivation of which is better to produce seedlings, are planted in jars and boxes in early April. After about 35 days, the young seedlings are planted in open ground, and it is immediately necessary to place a support, since by this moment 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 need to be watered frequently, but in moderation, without pouring. Dolichos loves fertilizers, most potash. During the formation of seedlings, it is necessary to apply
nitrogen fertilizers 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 besides the leaves.
Hyacinth beans are very unusual, puffy, round, black or
cream. Usually used in soups, in salads, as an independent dish or as a side dish for the main dish. It goes well with vegetables, rice, seafood, spices. Reminiscent of the taste of green 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% protein, 3% fat, 8% minerals. In addition, hyacinth beans are also of medical importance - they are used to obtain plant agglutinins, which are used to determine the blood group.