Purple wolf(Ipomea purpurea) is one of the most popular annual climbing plants used in our gardens. In summer, the wolf generates beautiful, trumpet-shaped flowers, most often purple or blue in color. For people looking for an easy-to-grow creeper, we advise whatgrowing a purple wolf looksin the garden, and when to carry outsowing wolf seedsso that it adorns our garden for as long as possible !
Purple wolf - Ipomea purpurea
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Purple wolf flowersresemble flowers of native morning glory. They appear from July to September. Characteristically, they close around noon every day. Commercially available are red, blue and whitepurple wolf varietiesAlthough you can also come across colored varieties with stripes on a white background. These plants reach a height of up to 3 m, and their shoots branch at the base.Purple wolf leavesare heart-shaped, slightly hairy. Purple wolf seeds are poisonous!
Due to the lush mass of green leaves,the purple wolf was used as a cover plantYou can plant it on pergolas, fences, low walls or trunks of old trees. If we have a place in the garden that we want to quickly green and shade, the purple wolf will be the perfect plant.
Purple wolf will also work great when planted in boxes on balconies or terraces You just need to remember that immediately after planting the plant, install the support for the vines, on which the wolf will easily climb up. The plant covers the balcony railings very nicely, allowing you to shade the balcony from the street side.
Purple wolf is grown from sowing seedsdirectly into a permanent place or from seedlings. Growing from seedlings allows you to get plants with an earlier flowering date.
Purple wolf - Ipomea purpurea
Fig. pixabay.com
We start producing wolf seedlings in MarchWe then sow 2-3 seeds in 10 cm pots filled with a mixture of compost soil, sand and peat. Pots placed in a warm greenhouse or on a window sill at home. During the growth of seedlings, we ensure that the substrate remains moist. From mid-May, when the risk of frosts is over, we plant the seedlings after hardening them. Growing purple wolf from seedlingsallows you to get plants that grow faster and bloom earlier.
However, many people choose the simpler solution, which is to sow the seeds straight to their destination.Sowing purple wolf seeds directly into the ground is carried out in AprilSow 2-3 seeds into the well and water them regularly. After the seedlings emerge, leave the strongest ones. When the plants reach 15 cm in height, we remove their shoots in order to spread them better.
Purple wolf likes sunny, warm and sheltered placesIt hates drought, so remember to water the creeper regularly and to provide the plant with constant moisture in the substrate. Wilec also does not like cool and wet periods in the summer. Then it develops badly and blooms poorly.
For this reason, it is worth adding TerraCottem to the soil before planting seedlings or sowing wolf seeds.It is a fertilizer with a plant conditioner and contains a hydrogel. Hydrogel are small granules which swell after watering plants or rain, collecting excess water. They give up this water when the soil dries out. In this waythe addition of TerraCottem helps to keep the soil constantly moist in the purple wolf cultivationbut also prevents the plants from becoming too wet.
During vegetationpurple wolf should be fertilized regularly , which promotes long-term flowering. We can use fertilizers for liquid flowering plants or longer-lasting granular fertilizers. It's also a good idea to fertilize the purple wolf with compost.
MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs