Kobe - a vine of amazing beauty. Ornamental plant belongs to the family of cyanosis. Its homeland is the moist mountain forests of South America. The flower is named after the Spanish monk Barnabas Cobo, known as a natural scientist.
Botanical certificate of the plant
Kobeya climbing got its name because of the tenacious creeping stems. This is a liana-like plant reaching six meters in height. Thanks to the many antennae with which the stems of the flower are covered, the 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-shaped processes. The flowers are large up to 80 mm in diameter, the shape is elegant bell-shaped, the peduncle is elongated. They grow individually or are grouped in 3-4 pieces in leaf pauses.
Who saw the kobe - noticed the stamens and pestle protruding significantly beyond the petals, giving the flowers a special charm. The leaves are soft, light green in color with a complex peripheral shape that includes three lobes.
In landscape design, kobeya began to be used for vertical gardening at the end of the 18th century. From that time, gardeners began to be interested in growing kobei.
Species diversity of colors
In native places, kobe grows in the wild and is represented by 9 species. At home, only one variety is grown by a person, considered in the article - climbing kobe, known under other names: creeping, curly, Mexican ivy and monastery bells. Kobei gives a lot of shoots reaching more than 3 meters in length. Leaves, shaped like feathers, openwork with small folds, branched antennae on the tips of leaf plates. As soon as the flowers bloom, they are green and give off a musky smell, eventually acquire a lilac hue, later become dark purple and exude a honey smell.
Breeders succeeded in breeding kobei, and as a result of hard work, a new variety with white flowers, Albu, was bred.
How to grow a kobe at home
At home, growing in nature, the plant is one of perennials. In the conditions of home cultivation in our region, it is an annual vine. Being a heat-loving flower, the kobe does not survive the winter. Usually bred by seeds. Propagation of the plant is simple and many gardeners are of particular interest. When doing this, you should know something about growing a plant from seeds. Seeds require specific, special preparation.
Sometimes lianas are propagated with cuttings from the uterine stems.
How does seed sowing
Kobe breeding conditions include the preparation of planting material. Let's dwell on this in more detail.
Seeds begin to prepare for planting in the last weeks of February. Germination sometimes causes difficulties in the structure of the 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 the crusts manually. To do this, the seeds are laid out in a single layer in a small wide bowl and poured with water. The container is covered to slow down the process of water evaporation. Wait until the shell gets wet. After that, the outer peel is removed, and the seeds are put back into the bowl. Further purified planting material is worked out:
- folded in two or three layers, the paper is moistened with a solution of potassium permanganate;
- seeds are laid on paper;
- the laid material is placed in a plastic bag;
- the kobe under the film is placed in a warm, well-lit place.
Growing from kobei seeds 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. Observing this, carefully rinse the planting material and change the paper.
After germination, the seeds are placed in loose soil, laying them on a flat barrel. About 1.5-1.7 cm of soil mixture is covered with soil. A kobe is sensitive to a dive and has difficulty surviving this process. Therefore, experienced gardeners recommend planting seeds in separate plastic cups and tighten the film on top, simulating greenhouse conditions.
Growing a kobe, climbing, it is necessary to ensure optimal conditions for germination: place the containers in a bright room and maintain the temperature in the region of 20 ° C.
Be sure to germinate cups with seeds, removing the film daily, in order to ventilate and increase planting moisture. If the seeds sprouted prematurely, then seedlings appear after 7-10 days.
How to dive kobei seedlings
After waiting for the plant to develop the first two leaves, a dive is carried out. When growing kobey weaving from seeds at home, it is necessary to prepare volumetric pots (at least 3 l), fill it with drainage, and pour nutrient soil composition on top. Transplanting into bulk containers will contribute to enhancing the growth and development of the root system, which will make it easier for the plant to transfer the planting to open ground. In addition, the plant will give active growth, the formation of strong shoots, large large buds.
Before diving sprouts, the soil is well watered. This will facilitate accurate removal without damaging the root system of the young kobei flower. When transplanted into new pots, an earthen lump is maintained to minimize stress for the plant. In the process of growing kobei, it is worthwhile to ensure the presence of props to support successful shoots in growth.
Features of landing kobe in the open ground
It is better to choose a light, but protected from drafts site for planting in open ground. Young seedlings do not like cold, so the plants are pre-tempered, holding them for several days before planting on a glazed loggia.
Over time, when the threat of frost passes, the seedlings are transferred to a permanent place when grown from seeds. 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, are making themselves felt. To protect the kobe, it is recommended to cover it for some time with non-woven fabric laid in several layers.
Seedlings planting scheme
Flowers are planted, retreating 0.5-1 m between plants. A mixture of turf soil, peat and humus is poured to 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 is well suited for this.
Do not forget about the supports necessary for weaving and growing a kobe climbing. Growing from seeds is accompanied by infrequent moderate watering. Although the plant loves moisture, but from its excess quickly rots.
Fertilizer application
In the period from the development of the first leaves to the moment the buds are formed, the kobe is fertilized with nitrogen-containing mixtures that contribute to the growth of green mass. After that, they will be replaced by phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, introduced in order to stimulate and support flowering.
Given that a kobe is a large vine, it needs intensive feeding: 2 times a week.
If there is time and desire, then mineral organic top dressing can be applied alternately.
Growing and condition kobei in the winter season
As mentioned earlier, at home cultivation on open ground kobeya lives exactly a year. Gardeners try to save the life of the plant and practice growing kobe as a perennial plant.
Waiting for the flowering to end, they carefully dig up the vine, making sure that the root system is not injured, and place it in a container of appropriate volume. The pot with the plant is placed in a dark, cool room (9-11 o C) and left alone until spring.
Keeping the kobe in the cellar, the soil is moistened once a month, monitoring the state of the root system.
After waiting for March, the plant is moved to a warmer room and the number of waterings is increased. When the first leaves hatch, it is advisable to start feeding the plant, introducing nitrogen compounds.
Growing kobe from cuttings
Activated in growth, young cuttings become suitable for reproduction. When collecting material, consider that these are fragile processes, and act 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 kobe in this way and, if done correctly, the branches take root before the start of summer. After that, they are planted at a constant place of growth.
As a result of competent care of the kobe, you will be able to enjoy a variegated carpet of vines, pierced by bright purple bells, until late autumn. This gorgeous ornamental plant is loved by many and is used as a hedge in landscape design, the design of park areas, for decorating arbors.