Lupine (Lupinus) Annual Herb: Suitable Planting Regions and Blooming Period
Lupine is also called “lupin”, and is a plant in the order Rosales, family Fabaceae, genus Lupinus. The flower spikes are upright and abundant, with bright and colorful flowers in variations of white, red, blue, and purple, and the blooming period is long. It can be used for mass planting or grouped plantings in ribbon flower beds, and it is also a good material for cut flower production. So where is lupine suitable for planting? When does it bloom?
Lupine is a transliteration by people in Taiwan, China, of its English name lupin. Many Hakka people regard lupine as the “Hakka mother flower”, representing ordinary beauty and sorrow.
Where is lupine suitable for planting?
Lupine is distributed in Mediterranean region countries such as Italy and Spain, where there is an annual wild type. It is cultivated more extensively in the Soviet Union, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States, New Zealand, and other countries. It prefers cool conditions and full sunlight, dislikes heat, and is slightly tolerant of shade. It has a deep root system and few root nodules. It grows in sandy soil and requires deep, fertile, loose, well-drained acidic sandy loam (pH 5.5); plants grow poorly in neutral and slightly alkaline soil.
When does lupine bloom?
Under natural conditions, lupine is best sown in autumn, that is, sown from September to mid-October, and the blooming period is April to June of the following year.
How is lupine planted?
To plant lupine, generally you can sow seeds or take cuttings. The specific planting methods are as follows:
Seed propagation
Under natural conditions, lupine sown in autumn blooms earlier and grows better than when sown in spring, so it is best to choose autumn for sowing. Lupine seeds germinate uniformly at high temperatures of 21-30°C. Of course, sowing in spring is also possible, but after spring sowing in March, the growing period coincides with summer. Affected by high temperature and heat, some varieties may fail to bloom, or the proportion of flowering plants may be low and the flower spikes short, resulting in poor ornamental effect. Therefore, unless there is no other choice, it is best to sow from September to mid-October, so that it can bloom from April to June of the following year.
When sowing, use 72-cell or 128-cell plug trays for spot sowing and covering. The seedling-raising soil should be loose, uniform, breathable, and water-retentive; it is best to use special seedling-raising soil or a mix of peat soil and perlite. The seeds are relatively large, plain or coated, about 40 seeds/gram. The suitable germination temperature is about 25°C. Keep the medium moist; the seeds will emerge and germinate in 7-10 days, with a high germination rate.
2. Cutting propagation
For cutting propagation, in spring cut shoots sprouting from the rhizome into 8-10 cm lengths, preferably with a little rhizome attached, and insert them in a cold frame. In hot, rainy summer regions, lupine often cannot survive the summer and dies, so it can be grown as a biennial. It should be planted in the cultivation site in early spring, with a plant spacing of 40 cm. Early planting leads to early bush growth, and earlier flowering and seed setting. After setting seed before summer, the aboveground part withers, and new plants sprout again in autumn, or seeds can be harvested before withering. In North China, protection is needed for overwintering.
[Tips]
Lupine prefers cool conditions and full sunlight, dislikes heat, and is slightly tolerant of shade. It has a deep root system and few root nodules. It requires deep, fertile, loose, well-drained, acidic sandy loam (pH 5.5); plants grow poorly in neutral and slightly alkaline soil. Lupine seedlings take 30 to 35 days; after the true leaves have fully unfolded, transplant the seedlings and plant them separately. Lupine has a well-developed root system, so retain the original soil when transplanting to help the seedlings recover.