Characteristics of the lupine plant, planting and caring for a wolf bean in the garden, advice on breeding, combating possible diseases and pests, interesting notes and applications, species and varieties.
Lupine (Lupinus) is often found under the name Wolf Bean. The plant belongs to the legume family (Fabaceae). The genus unites about two hundred species, the territory of natural distribution of which falls on the North American lands and the Mediterranean. These representatives of the flora can have not only a herbaceous form of growth, they are found in the form of dwarf shrubs or shrubs.
| Family name | Legumes |
| Growing period | Perennials or annuals |
| Vegetation form | Herbaceous, semi-shrub and shrub |
| Breeding method | Seminal |
| Landing period | When a pair of true leaves unfolds on the seedling (approximately the end of May) |
| Landing rules | The distance between seedlings is about 20-30 cm, if the plants are tall - 30-50 cm |
| Priming | Any, but well-drained, better - loam |
| Soil acidity values, pH | 6, 5-7 - neutral or 7-7, 5 - slightly alkaline |
| Lighting degree | Open sunny location |
| Humidity parameters | In the spring, abundant, then moderate |
| Special care rules | Unpretentious, tall views require a garter |
| Height values | 0.5-1.5 m |
| Inflorescences or type of flowers | Apical brush |
| Flower color | Snow white, yellow, cream, pink, red lilac, various tones of purple are also present |
| Flowering period | From the end of May or from the beginning of summer for 20 days |
| Decorative time | Spring-summer |
| Application in landscape design | Group planting in flower beds, landscaping borders or mixborders |
| USDA zone | 4 and up |
The plant got its name in Latin because of the term "lupus", which translates as "wolf", since it had the property of continuing its vegetative activity in the worst and most unsuitable growing conditions. But there are other versions about the origin of the name of this flower. So, according to one of them, lupine was a means from which it was possible to prepare a drug that would allow a person to turn into a wolf. According to another explanation, the word "lupinus", which translates as "wolf", is used due to the fact that some varieties of lupine (both foliage and seeds) contain poisonous substances. Therefore, the people called the plant wolf grass or wolf grass. Well, it's clear where the nickname wolf bean came from.
Among the varieties of lupine, there are both annual and biennial plants, and perennials. Although the form of growth they have is varied, in gardening they mainly use species with herbaceous outlines. The root system has the shape of a rod that goes deep into the soil layers (often up to two meters), which allows the plant to extract nutrients and moisture during bad weather periods. The entire surface of the root system is covered with small tubercles, which serve as absorbers of nitrogen from the air and at the same time help to enrich the substrate under the bush with it. The height that the stems reach varies from half a meter to one and a half meter. Shoots of a wolf bean can be both grassy and woody. The branches grow upright, bulge out or bend to the surface of the soil and spread over it. Their color is greenish with an admixture of a reddish tint.
Lupine's leaf plates are arranged in a regular sequence, while they are characterized by elongated petioles, which are connected to the stem by means of a deciduous pillow with a long stipule. Basically, they are collected in a root leaf rosette. The leaf shape is finger-complex. The color of the deciduous mass of a rich herbaceous or emerald color.
When flowering, which occurs during the spring-summer period (namely, from the end of May or the first days of June) and lasts for three weeks, the buds begin to bloom, of which the apical racemose inflorescences are composed. Flowers in this inflorescence are multiple and can be arranged either alternately or combined in whorls or half-whorls.
Interesting
There are types of lupine, in which the length of the inflorescences-brushes can reach a meter.
The color of the flowers that make up the inflorescence is very diverse: snow-white and yellow in different shades (from pale lemon to canary), cream and pink, red and purple, there are also various tones of purple color scheme.
After the flowers are pollinated, seed-filled pods (beans) begin to ripen. Lupine seeds take on a wide variety of color variations, sizes and shapes. At the same time, it is curious that the fruits of the wolf bean species from the Mediterranean are larger in size than their American varieties. When the beans are fully ripe, they dry out and begin to crack. Moreover, the fruits crack so rapidly that the seeds are scattered around the mother lupine bush. The seed is very fine.
The plant is unpretentious and even a novice gardener can cope with its cultivation. Since the inflorescences are large and bright, wolf grass will successfully decorate any flower bed, only you should not violate the rules of agricultural technology.
Curious
Lupine grass serves not only to decorate garden beds, but when autumn comes, the stems are mowed and used as green manure - green fertilizer. When stems with foliage rot in the soil, they can be perfectly used to enrich the soil with nitrogen.
Planting lupines and gardening
- Landing place wolf grass is selected based on the natural preferences of the plant - an open and sunny location.
- Soil for lupine. This representative of the flora is not at all picky about the substrate and will grow well on any garden soil. However, it was noticed that the best growth and flowering of wolf grass will show on loams with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction (pH 6, 5-7 or 7-7, 5, respectively). If the pH of the soil becomes more than 7.5 units, then the bushes may undergo chlorosis - when the leaf plates become pale green or yellowish in color, but the veins on them are brightly colored green. If the soil is too acidic on the site, it is subjected to liming. To understand that the soil is too acidic can be the next indirect indicator - horsetail and coltsfoot grow well there. For liming, lime or dolomite, finely ground flour is used. For 1 m2, up to 5 kg of funds are required. But such a procedure should be performed only once every 3-4 years in the autumn, when the fallen leaves and dried stems have been cleaned, in summer and with the arrival of spring, when digging is to be done or in winter on snow. If the substrate in the area is alkaline, then about 5 kg of peat chips are introduced into it per 1 m2. Wolf beans can also grow on sandy soil, since there are nodules on their root processes, in which specific bacteria contribute to the accumulation of nitrogen (they are also called nitrogen-fixing bacteria). Because of this, lupine does well without nitrogen fertilization.
- Fertilizers. The next year after planting, with the arrival of spring, it is necessary to feed the lupine using full mineral complexes (for example, Kemiroi-Universal). Also, 10–20 g of superphosphate and only 5 g of potassium chloride should be used per 1 m2.
- General advice on care. In the first year after moving the lupine to the flower bed, it is recommended to carry out periodic loosening of the soil, especially after precipitation or rains. It is also necessary to carry out robots to remove weeds, which can drown out still immature plants. Since in old wolf bean bushes, the root collar begins to rise above the soil surface (up to several centimeters), the central part of the bush gradually undergoes withering away, while the side rosettes seem to grow apart. In order to preserve the decorativeness of lupine plantings, it is recommended to systematically hilling bushes, which will lead to stimulation of the development of lateral roots. However, it has been noticed that specimens that have crossed the 4-year mark do not bloom so luxuriantly. Lupine reacts very negatively to the frequent sharp change in temperature indicators in the spring-autumn period, although the plants can successfully tolerate frosts at 8 degrees below zero. To extend the flowering period, it is recommended to regularly and promptly remove discolored inflorescences so that the setting of seeds does not occur, which will consume the forces of lupine. In this case, the wolf pod will have a regrowth of young shoots and the formation of inflorescences, the flowering wave of which will fall at the end of summer. Old bushes should be transplanted regularly. If tall varieties of lupine are being grown in areas with strong winds, then it is recommended to install supports nearby when planting. As they grow, they should be tied to the shoots of the plant so that they are not damaged. The same supports are essential when the blooming period of the wolf pod begins. At the same time, the flowering stems are tied with cords or soft ropes, or a wire structure is made, which is a series of loops that will support the flower stalks. When cultivating the tree-like form of lupine, it is necessary to provide shelter for the winter period using non-woven material, for example, spunbond or lutrasil.
- The use of lupine in landscape design. A plant with such bright inflorescences is perfect for planting both solo and in group plantings. Along with other perennial representatives of the flora, wolf beans will be an excellent decoration for mixborders or lawns. Lupine inflorescences also look spectacular when cut. However, such bouquets are not very durable. After blooming, wolf grass bushes already lose their spectacular decorative effect, so they should not be planted in the first row or in large groups. It is good to place these plants in the distant areas of the flower bed, for example, behind perennial representatives of the flower garden, which have a lush deciduous mass and bright inflorescences that can hide the plantations of wolf beans that have lost their beauty. The best neighbors for wolf grass will be tall irises and hosts, magnificent lilies, nivyaniki and delphiniums, astilbe will make a good company.
See also how to plant gladioli bulbs.
Lupine breeding tips
To get a new bush of wolf beans, it is recommended to use both seed and vegetative propagation methods.
Reproduction of lupine by seeds
In order to grow wolf grass, you can sow seed for seedlings. With the arrival of spring, seeds are sown in seedling boxes or any suitable container (some growers even use empty milk bags filled with soil). The substrate can be a soil mixture composed of river sand, soddy soil and peat in a ratio of 0.5: 1: 1. It is important that the soil is so loose that moisture does not stagnate during watering. The substrate is moderately moistened before sowing.
Before sowing, it is recommended to mix lupine seeds with the material obtained by grinding nodules taken from the roots of old plants into powder. This will stimulate the germination of seeds and the development of bacteria that fix nitrogen in the soil. After 1-2 weeks, the first shoots can be seen, but they will appear unevenly. If you want germination to be friendly, then before sowing, the seed is placed in wet gauze and kept at room temperature (about 20-24 degrees) until sprouts emerge from the seeds.
In a month or a little less, 5-6 true leaves will unfold on the lupine seedlings and this will be a signal for transplanting the plants into the flower garden. The distance between the seedlings should be at least 20 cm. Some growers recommend keeping 30-50 cm.
Important
The main thing is not to be late with the transplantation of lupine seedlings into open ground, since while the plants are young, the transplantation by them is not so critical.
If there is no desire to tinker with seedlings, then the seeds of wolf beans are sown in mid-spring (approximately in April) in the beds, when the soil is free of snow, but the place for sowing must be prepared in the autumn period. On the flower bed, the seeds are distributed into grooves at a distance of 10-15 cm (the depth of the seed is only 2 cm), slightly sprinkled with soil and moistened. When seedlings appear, the weakest are removed, leaving at least 20 cm between them. Such lupins will please with flowering only for the next growing season, when May comes.
For flowering to come faster, sowing lupine seeds is performed before winter, in mid-autumn (around the end of October or the beginning of November, as soon as the first frost hits). The place where the seeds were sown is mulched with a peat layer. When the snow melts in the spring, friendly seedlings of wolf grass will appear, flowering can be expected at the end of summer.
Important
During seed propagation, it happens that the characteristics of the parent plant (flower color) may be lost, which does not happen during vegetative propagation.
Reproduction of lupine by division
Old bushes of perennial varieties of wolf grass are divided in very rare cases, since the root system of plants is rod-shaped and it is deeply immersed in the substrate. When the lupine bush reaches 3-4 years of age, then next to it there is the formation of lateral leaf rosettes, which can be separated in the summer months. But it should be remembered that only young specimens of lupine can easily transfer the transplant.
Propagation of lupine by cuttings
This operation is recommended when the flowering of wolf grass is over. In this case, the cuttings will be the renewal buds formed at the base of the stems. This is the place where the basal rosettes originate, and with the arrival of summer, lateral stems begin to grow from the leaf sinuses. With the help of a sharpened knife, the renewal bud is cut out, while a particle of the root collar is necessarily captured. After that, the cutting is planted in a sandy substrate and shaded. After 20-30 days, the cuttings will develop root processes and then you can transplant to a permanent place of growth. Such plants will begin to bloom in this growing season.
When planting cuttings in the spring, root rosettes are used, and in the summer you can take side stems, which originate in the leaf axils.
Fight against possible diseases and pests when growing a wolf bean in the garden
It is clear that if the rules of cultivation are violated, wolf grass can be affected by both pests and diseases. The latter are often:
- Rot, which appears with constant waterlogging of the soil and low temperatures.
- Fusarium wilting affecting roots, fruits and seeds in them.
- Spots and mosaics, clearly distinguishable due to the appearance on the foliage of marks of various shades.
- Rust, in which a reddish-brown spotting is first formed on the leaves, and then these places die off.
- Phomopsis or gray spot of the stem.
If any sign of disease occurs, it is recommended to remove the parts that have become stained or plaque, and then the remaining parts need to be treated with fungicidal preparations, such as Fundazol. Also, for prevention, it is recommended to carry out crop rotation of plants on the site. That is, in the same place in front of the lupine, cereal representatives of the flora are grown for at least three years in a row.
When wolf beans are in the budding process, aphid attacks can be a problem. These small green bugs suck up nutritious juices and spread rather quickly. For the fight, it is recommended to use broad-spectrum insecticides. These can be Aktara, Fitoverm or Aktellik and many others with a similar composition and spectrum of action.
Read also about the fight against diseases and pests that infest dahlias
Interesting notes about lupine and its uses
Since ancient times, wolf bean has been known in folk medicine, and since scientists have confirmed its medicinal properties, the plant was included in the pharmacopoeial lists of some countries (for example, it is available in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation). This is due to the fact that Lupinus in its composition has an alkaloid called lupine, which helps to relieve pain spasms and has a cardiotonic effect (stimulating the activity of the heart muscle). Even in ancient times, the indigenous population of the North American territories, tinctures and decoctions based on lupine were used to tone the body. However, due to toxicity, these representatives of the flora have become less common.
Lupine extract is also used in pharmaceuticals, which is indispensable for the production of antiseptic plasters. It should be noted that there are a number of contraindications and side effects that arise when taking drugs based on wolf bean, namely:
- pregnancy;
- lactation;
- childhood;
- individual intolerance to members of the legume family;
- tendency to allergic reactions.
Some varieties of lupine have edible seeds that are used as food. Seed material contains proteins that are easily absorbed by the human body, fiber and a large amount of vitamins and minerals. Because of this, the seeds are used in dietetics, when prescribed to patients suffering from anorexia, as well as people leading a sports lifestyle or having suffered a serious illness. With the regular use of wolf grass seeds, the digestive tract normalizes, the body successfully resists infectious diseases, and the level of the cardiovascular system increases.
In addition, lupine also possesses tannins characterized by an astringent effect, which is indispensable for skin problems, especially if they are of an inflammatory nature, which contributes to the formation of a purulent mass. Also, after conducting research by scientists, the reaction of the seeds of wolf beans was revealed, to reduce the proportion of cholesterol in the blood and at the same time to reduce the likelihood of diabetes mellitus. This is due to the fact that lupine seeds, characterized by a yellow color, carry a protein in their composition, which can successfully serve as a substitute for insulin. This protein is called a glycoprotein. Because of this effect, the substance can be used in the treatment of patients suffering from non-insulin-dependent diabetes (2nd degree diabetes).
Types and varieties of lupine
Lupine multifoliate (Lupinus polyphyllus)
In nature, it is found in the northwestern regions of the New World. This variety is characterized by the qualities of high winter hardiness and unpretentiousness. Because of this, it can grow even in the taiga regions of the European part of Russia, where it prefers to settle on roadsides and forest edges. Herbaceous perennial, the height of the stems of which varies in the range of 0.8–1, 2 m. The stems grow straight, their surface is practically bare. The leaf blades are palmate, divided into 9-15 lobes. On the reverse side, they have pubescence. The leaves are attached to the stems by means of elongated petioles.
During flowering, inflorescences are formed in the form of brushes, on the tops of the stems, made up of a large number of buds. The length of the inflorescences is 30–35 cm. The duration of flowering takes about 20–30 days. Flowers are painted in a rich blue color scheme. If you remove the faded buds in a timely manner, then at the end of summer you can expect a second wave of flowering. After pollination, the fruits ripen in the form of beans filled with seeds. The outlines of the seeds are irregular, their diameter reaches about 0.6 cm. The germination capacity of the seed material is not lost for 3-4 years. The seeds are small and there are about 45 units in 1 g. Cultivation in culture has been going on since 1826.
This variety is basic for breeding a large number of garden forms and hybrids, characterized by flowers of both one tone and two-tone. Among the most popular are:
- Abendlut can be extended by stems up to a height of 1 m. The cluster inflorescence is composed of burgundy flowers. The length of the inflorescence is measured at 0.4 m. The flowering process takes 30–35 days and falls at the beginning of summer. Fruit beans ripen.
- Albus - the stems of which grow to a height of 1, 1 m. The length of racemose inflorescences does not exceed 0.3 m, composed of snow-white flowers. Flowering is long and can vary from a month to one and a half, begins in June.
- Apricot pleasing to the eye with inflorescences-tassels of a rich orange color. The length of the inflorescences is 0.4 m, and the height of the stems reaches 0.9 m. Flowering can take a month or a little more, the buds bloom from mid-June.
- Carmineus also blooms no longer than 30–35 days with the arrival of summer. The length of the stems on which the inflorescences are formed reaches a meter. The inflorescence does not exceed 0.4 m in length. Consists of flowers with red petals.
- Neue Spielarten will grow in height up to 1, 1 m. Inflorescences-brushes are measured 0, 4 m, the color of flowers in them is pinkish-orange. The flowering process takes 30 to 35 days and starts from the first summer month.
- Princess Juliana has a similar height of 1.1 m. From whitish-pink flowers, terminal clusters are collected, not exceeding 0.4 m in length. Flowering does not last more than 30–35 days and begins with the arrival of summer.
- Roseus. If we measure together the height of the stems with peduncles, then it does not exceed 1, 1 m. The color of flowers in the inflorescences is pink. The length of the cluster-inflorescence reaches 0.4 m. The variety blooms from the beginning of summer and its duration is 35–40 days.
- Rubinkenig (Rubinkonig). The stems are approaching the meter mark in height. The racemose inflorescence is final, its parameters are about 0.4 m long, a cluster of ruby-purple flowers is made up. Flowering lasts 30–35 days, starting in June.
- Minaret a low-growing variety, reaching only 0.5 m. If sowing was carried out in March, then flowering can be expected in the same growing season in July-August. The length of the inflorescence-brush is not more than 0.3 m, its shape is in the form of a large cylinder. The flowers are brightly colored.
Lupine narrow-leaved (Lupinus angustifolius)
also referred to as Lupine blue … The herbaceous representative of the flora can have stems 0, 8–1, 5 m high. The surface of erect shoots is characterized by sparse pubescence. The foliage is finger-split, and the lobes are also covered with hairs on the back. There is no smell during flowering. Inflorescence-racemes are formed by flowers with a snow-white, pinkish or purple tint. Although for some reason the color was always considered blue, which is why the variety got its specific name.
Lupine yellow (Lupinus luteus)
can vary in height in front of 0, 2–0, 8 m. A leaf rosette is formed from the sheet plates. The stems are characterized by pubescence of short hairs, with strong branching in the lower part. The length of the leaf is 7–9 cm. The shape of the leaf plate consists of elongated ovate or lanceolate lobes. The leaflets are elongated at the base, both sides are densely covered with pubescence. The length of the leaf lobes ranges from 30-60 cm with 8-15 cm in width. The cluster inflorescence that forms during flowering reaches 5–25 cm. It crowns a 5–12 cm flower-bearing stem. The flowers in the inflorescence are collected in whorls, over time the buds stretch out and begin to exude a fragrant aroma. The corolla has a bright golden color, its length reaches 14-16 mm. The fruits are flattened beans.
Video about the cultivation and use of lupine:
