Hyacinth beans

In summer cottages, you can find a large number of climbing plants. In addition to being cultivated as a vegetable, hyacinth beans also function as ornamental plants. Further in this article we will talk about them. The second name for hyacinth beans is lobia, also called Egyptian beans. Whatever the name of the plant, this crop belongs to the legume family.

And in popular literature there is still the term dolichos, which means hyacinth beans. However, this is a mistake, since the hyacinth beans do not belong to the genus Dolichos.

Hyacinth beans: plant description

Hyacinth beans: photo

This plant grows up to 5 m in length and forms a large number of stems. Hyacinth bean leaves are collected in 3 pieces in one petiole. The color of the leaves is green with bright, very prominent purple veins on the back of the leaf. Flowers are formed on top of the shoots, and then beans, which are arcs - stripes of pink color.

About 5 seeds are formed inside each fruit. The seeds of the hyacinth bean are the same as those of other beans, with a dark hue. There are also white seeds, their size is quite large. The homeland of hyacinth beans is East Africa. Russian summer residents grow these beans as annuals.

Flowering period

Hyacinth beans bloom around the beginning of summer, or to be more precise, it will be the second half of June. The flowering period lasts until late autumn.

Flowers are collected in inflorescences that form a brush. Each of them blooms for about 30 days. Reaching their climax, the flowers bloom and then begin to fall. The shade of the petals is usually pink. It can be both light and dark colors, closer to a purple hue. Sometimes there are also white inflorescences. The flowers have a pleasant and unobtrusive scent.

Hyacinth beans - species and varieties

Hyacinth beans are considered unpretentious and do not require much attention. The following varieties of hyacinth beans are in demand, which are distinguished by beautiful flowering.

• Ruby moon... The stems of this plant reach approximately 4 m in height. The leaves are dark green in color with the characteristic purple veins on the reverse side of the crop. The flowering period lasts from mid-summer to mid-autumn. At the same time, the flowers are distinguished by their splendor and abundance.

Photo of hyacinth beans, Ruby Moon variety

Each inflorescence is about half a meter long. The shade of the flowers is bright, pink, and the flowers also have a pleasant aroma. The beauty of the picture is complemented by dark beans, which are on the plant until the end of the growing season.

• Lilac cascade... This variety of hyacinth beans has a stem about 5 m long. Outwardly, the loach seems to be very lush, since it has a lot of side shoots. The leaves have a deep green color.

Photo of hyacinth beans, variety Lilac Cascade

In addition, the plant also blooms beautifully from mid-summer to mid-autumn with beautiful rich purple flowers. The variety is considered frost-resistant, so it can be grown on loggias and balconies.

• Purple garland... The stem of this culture reaches 6 meters in height. The leaf plates are very large, with characteristic prominent veins. The inflorescences form brushes that look like garlands. As the name of this variety says, the shade of fruits and inflorescences is also purple here.

Photo of hyacinth beans, variety Purple garland

It is important to note that all hyacinth beans are very efficient and optimal for planting as green manures. The only moment here is that such a beautiful plant is a pity to bury or dig in the soil. However, it is at the time of the peak of flowering of the culture that the beans are most effective as green manure.

However, even if you do not grow hyacinth beans as green manure, you can dig up faded plants along with the rest of the organic matter into the soil before winter. This will also be of great benefit for the coming year.

How to propagate hyacinth beans?

Reproduction here will be seed, since there is no other way in our climate. Seeds are sown in early May immediately in open soil, the planting depth should not exceed 5 cm. Thus, it will be possible to slightly delay the beginning of flowering.

Gardeners grow the plant using seedlings. In this case, seeds are sown in mid-spring, and ready-grown bushes are planted in open ground in May. The seedlings need to be covered at night, since subzero temperatures at night are still possible in May.

Preparation of planting material

Hyacinth Bean Seeds

Bean seeds are characterized by a very hard peel, as a result of which the plant germinates for a very long time. This period will help shorten the process scarification. More specifically, the peel is specially pierced with a needle or pin. Then the sawn seeds should be dipped in a glass of warm water for about one or two days. The water in the glass should be changed approximately every 45 hours.

Some seeds are scarified not by a puncture, but by a sharp change in temperature. Thus, in turn, immersing the seed in cold water, then in boiling water. Experts say that the embryo will not suffer in this case.

Hyacinth beans: growing seedlings

After the seeds are prepared, it is necessary to plant them one by one in separate pots filled with fertile neutral soil. The planting depth here will also be about 4 cm.

After sowing, the seeds must be watered, and then, before the shoots appear, they must be in a room where the air temperature will be above 25 degrees. In a week or even earlier, you will be able to see the first shoots. Then you can already place the pots on the windowsills or where there is a lot of light so that the sun's rays fall on small sprouts.

Hyacinth bean seedlings: photo

If the apartment does not have a light window, then it is necessary to use artificial lighting with a phytolamp. Because with a lack of sunlight, the plant will be weak and will stretch out strongly. In order for the sprout to grow evenly, it is necessary to turn the pot periodically.

Watering is carried out here after waiting for the soil to dry completely. It is better to use a spray bottle and spray the soil for this purpose than to water from a watering can. Since the jet of water during watering can damage the thin shoots.

When the time for planting seedlings in open ground is already approaching, it is necessary to harden the bushes. To do this, place them on a balcony or veranda, gradually increasing the time spent there.

Transplanting seedlings into open ground

When the soil has already warmed up enough, and this will be around the beginning of May, then you can already transplant the seedlings into open ground. The weather for this procedure is calm, but cloudy, so that there are no scorching sun rays. You can transplant the plant in the evening. You will first need to make holes and fill them with nutritious soil. The holes should be dug at a distance of about half a meter.

You should carefully remove these plants with a lump of earth from the pot. And then cut the roots and transfer this seedling to the hole. The soil is compacted from above, but everything must be done carefully, since the root system is still very delicate and vulnerable.It is better to immediately install a peg next to the seedling - a support, since, once in open ground conditions, the plant will immediately begin to develop with great growth force.

After all the seedlings are transplanted, water them abundantly. In this case, the water should be warm. You can pinch the tops to stimulate the growth of additional shoots.

This plant will not grow well and develop in acidic soil. The stem of the plant will be weak, and the flowers will be very nondescript. If you have acidic soil on the site, then during planting it will be necessary to add ash, sand to the hole and mix everything properly.

Hyacinth beans: planting and care

Hyacinth beans: photo

For hyacinth beans, as for all other crops, a good, open, sunlit area is the best place. It is desirable that there is no draft in this place. You can land near some kind of fence, for example, near a fence or near a house. In addition, grown and flowering plants will decorate the facade.

As described above, it is necessary to think in advance about the support for this plant. Since this loach will curl precisely according to the proposed design. Thus, having installed a support next to it, you can be sure that this plant will grow strictly vertically upwards and will not get confused with each other, having a large number of leaves and flowers. If you let the growth of this plant take its course, then it will lose its decorative functions.

Trellis, ready-made structures that can be purchased in special stores, as well as self-prepared structures are well suited as a support. If there is no time to create such structures, you can simply plant plants near the fence and tie up adult bushes with a rope.

Watering rules

Watering the hyacinth beans should be very generous and fairly regular, since the plant loves moisture very much. If it is a hot summer with no rain, then water the beans every morning and evening. It is important to focus on the condition of the soil.

After watering, the soil must be thoroughly loosened. To save yourself from these worries, you can lay out a good layer of mulch on the surface of the soil where the plants grow. You can mulch the surface with bark, sawdust, hay, or even paper.

Feeding

Like any plant, hyacinth beans are fertilizer responsive. Thus, for the first time, you can feed the crop in about a month after planting in open ground. The optimal composition here will be ready-made mineral fertilizers that are suitable for all garden crops.

Hyacinth beans: photo

You can prepare the composition of fertilizers yourself using an infusion of any herb, for example, an infusion of weeds or an infusion of nettle. For this, the green mass is placed in a container with water. It is necessary to ensure that the container is in the sun all the time in order to enhance the fermentation processes. Also, this mixture must be constantly mixed and periodically thrown there again weeded grass or some remnants of tops. The composition will be ready in 14 days.

Next, they need to process the hyacinth beans, diluting with five more parts of water. Fertilizer is applied here as root, directly into the soil.

Feeding with ash infusion will also be optimal. To prepare it, you need to mix 200 g of ash powder in one bucket of water.

The infusion should also stand for some time, periodically it must be stirred. Ash infusion is suitable as a feeding, which can be carried out about once a month throughout the summer, using 1 liter per plant.

If you see yellow spots on the leaves, you need to add fertilizers that will contain potassium. It is necessary to feed the plants with potassium-containing preparations according to the instructions. It is also important to preserve the topsoil.There are many granular complexes on the market today that do not need to be dissolved in water. You can simply sprinkle them on the ground on top.

Diseases and pests

Hyacinth beans have a fairly good immunity to various diseases and insect pests. Therefore, experienced gardeners do not complain about over-concern for plant protection.

Occasionally, however, hyacinth beans can be affected by powdery mildew or spider mites. At the first signs of damage, it is necessary to treat the plants with phytoncides. For example, Fitoverm solution is effective.

Processing must be carried out in the morning before the sun has risen. Processing in the evening is also suitable. One use of the drug is enough to get rid of ailments.

Application area

Hyacinth beans in landscape design

Hyacinth beans are very often used by landscape designers when creating compositions. With the help of these beautiful flowering loaches, areas are ennobled, planting them near the beautiful shape of forged supports. Most often, arches or pergolas are used.

Also, this plant can be safely planted near a terrace, gazebo or veranda, so that the plant not only has a more spectacular appearance, but also creates a kind of partial shade where you can hide from the sun.

Also, hyacinth beans are often planted on loggias and balconies, decorating their home and creating an openwork shadow in the apartment.

In addition to being used in landscape design, this plant is actively used in cooking. Unripe fruits and seeds have a lot of useful and nutritious substances. The maximum in them is protein. It also contains substances useful for the human body, such as magnesium, zinc and vitamin B.

Like other legumes, seeds are moistened with water. After they swell, they are added during the preparation of various dishes. The fruits can be frozen or even canned. Some people use plant flowers to decorate their meals.

Conclusion

Hyacinth beans are a very beautiful culture that can be grown both for decorative purposes to decorate a loggia, a flower garden, a flower bed, to surprise loved ones and neighbors with amazing flowers and fruits of this loach, and used as a vegetable.

In addition, this plant is completely unpretentious. Growing is within the power of even inexperienced gardeners. An important factor is that hyacinth beans have a very long flowering period. Therefore, you do not need to worry about the beauty of the site during the summer and for the onset of the first frost.