Ornamental beans (Phaseolus coccineus) - home care

Latin name: (Phaseolus coccineus)

Category: annual climbing plants

Origin: South America

Climbing decorative bean is practical and undemanding

Decorative bean is an annual climbing plant, belonging to the legume family. This flowering beauty can be either a bush or a climbing vine.

The native land of this unique crop is considered to be America, both South and Central. It was here that the decorative bean became known in ancient times. The ancient Romans used beans for food and in cosmetics. Europeans learned about the existence of beans only in the fifteenth century when sailors from Spain and the Netherlands brought it across the ocean. Its use was focused only on decoration. It was the decoration of gardens, flowerbeds, and verandas.

Over this time, the decorative bean has become very popular. Gardeners became fascinated with the unpretentious decorative bean in terms of care and cultivation. And there is a reason for it, because it can not only be a decoration of various buildings, reaching a height of five meters, but also a pleasant food in the form of useful low-calorie beans. The edible decorative bean includes:

• plant protein,
• zinc,
• vitamins A, B, C, E,
• iron,
• calcium.

The plant enriches the soil with nitrogen, which is formed by its roots, prevents the appearance of phytophthora, and the tops are used as compost and fertilizer. Beans planted next to potatoes increase its yield by more than 50% and have a negative effect on the Colorado potato beetle.

Urban residents who do not have a garden also want to be closer to nature. Decorative beans on the balcony will be the best option for decorating the area, because abundant flowering of various shades will delight and lift the mood, and in hot weather, the plant will provide pleasant shade and coolness.

Popular varieties of decorative beans

Decorative purple bean

Purple decorative bean is a charming annual vine. This plant is called by different peoples in different ways: Hyacinth beans, Egyptian beans, climbing lilac.

In most cases, this inedible bean is used as a decorative decoration. And it is a vine that grows up to four meters, with a unique multi-colored foliage - purple, green, red. Even more beauty comes from the numerous delicate flowers with a pleasant aroma of various colors. They delight the eye with white, pink, purple, crimson, and even two-color flowers, which turn into green, burgundy, dark purple pods with sizes of 8-15 cm.

And the question arises, is it necessary to pinch the hyacinth beans? As soon as the fourth leaf appears on the young plant, the top should be pinched. As a result, the lateral shoots begin to grow abundantly, forming a luxurious green carpet. Hyacinth beans will look especially good on the balcony.

Fire-red bean, multi-flowered or Turkish beans

It is characterized by its unpretentiousness and decorativeness. In a short time, it reaches a size of three to five meters. Turkish beans on the balcony will delight the eye with bright red-orange flowers, bright green foliage, and no less decorative white, light purple beans with black patterns.

Decorative bean care and planting

Growing beans in a home environment: this heat-loving plant needs a warm, sunny place, fertile, loose soil, the preparation of which should begin in the fall. Dig up the soil, add fertilizers: potash, phosphate, humus, before planting - lime.

For quick germination, the seeds need to be sprouted.

How to sprout beans at home?

We take a shallow, wide container, put a cloth soaked in warm water on it, or a simple cloth. We spread out high-quality, healthy, selected bean seeds and cover them with a wet cloth, keeping it constantly moist, without excess water. The ambient temperature should not be lower than 25 ° C. To prevent the formation of mold, carefully rinse the seeds twice a day. If the procedure is performed correctly, after thirty-six hours, beautiful sprouts will appear.

Decorative bean how to plant?

We plant in the already prepared warm soil, the main thing is that nothing foreshadows frosts. Before planting, the beans should be soaked for 24 hours in warm water with the addition of a growth stimulator. With a shovel, we make shallow holes at a distance of about half a meter, keeping an even row. We fill the holes with water, in each we put 2-3 beans. The planting depth should not exceed one centimeter.

Young shoots of decorative beans must be hilled and directed in the desired direction. Moderate watering and mandatory loosening of the soil after rain will be beneficial for the plant. Beans are fed with superphosphate or organic matter at the beginning and in the middle of the growing season.

How to grow beans in a pot at home?

It is quite easy to grow unpretentious self-pollinating beans on your own windowsill. Plant in a voluminous pot of at least two liters. South and southeast windows will be more suitable for the plant. We water regularly, loosen the soil and periodically feed it. The beans will begin to bloom in about forty days, and young pods will appear in two months. And a dietary meal in the form of a vegetable stew, a delicious soup, and even stewed beans will only benefit the body.

When to harvest decorative bean seeds?

The crop is harvested as the pods ripen. You can get a good and high-quality seed from the first lower pods. It should ripen well on the bush. Bean seeds are stored for up to ten years, and this does not affect the germination of plants.

Diseases and pests

Sometimes decorative beans can be visited by unwanted guests:

• aphids,
• whiteflies,
• seedling flies.

How to get rid of beetles in beans?

It is desirable to regularly harvest the crop, not leaving it for pests. If beetles appear during storage, the beans should be placed in the refrigerator for a day or treated with steam. But such fruits are not suitable for planting.