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Flowers of different shape and color are fascinating, and many growers tend to grow this plant on their own.
When to sow petunias for seedlings?
For an inexperienced gardener, it is important to correctly determine the timing of sowing a flower on seedlings. The time of the desired flowering of the plant determines when to plant the seeds of petunia. To get a rich flowering plant in May-June, the seeds for seedlings need to be sown in late February - the first decade of March. If the sowing dates are earlier, the seedlings will need to be illuminated.
For sowing, use the soil prepared since autumn. Soil mixture consists of humus, garden soil and sand, taken in a ratio of 1: 1: 2.It is poured into containers in which the petunia will grow, and left to freeze. A few days before sowing petunias, containers are brought into the house for thawing. Before sowing, the soil is additionally decontaminated from pests and pathogenic flora.
Selecting seeds
Good seedlings will only work if you use high quality seeds. An adult plant must meet all the characteristics of a particular variety. That is, the flower must have the size and color characteristic of this variety, to be to some extent resistant to growing conditions, etc.
You can plant petunia with two types of seeds:
- coated;
- clean.
The shell provides a number of advantages: the seeds are protected from damage and disease, they are easier to sow into the soil. Clean seeds, devoid of the shell, cost much less, and if you sow petunia correctly, germination will be high. Marking allows you to recognize the variety of colors.
Proper sowing of petunias - from “A” to “Z”.
The prepared soil should be moistened, after which petunia seeds are sown on it. It is not necessary to sprinkle the sown material with soil, just lightly press it down.
The question may arise: how to sow petunia evenly, because the seeds are very small? The task is simplified if you mix the seeds with sand in a 1: 5 ratio. Immediately after sowing, the soil is shed with a solution of a previquor( 0.1%) to protect the seedlings from the fungus. In order not to wash up small seeds, it is necessary to disinfect the soil by irrigating through a small strainer.
Until the emergence of shoots, the containers with plantings are covered with glass or a piece of polycarbonate. It is necessary to water the soil if necessary, using a spray.
The first shoots appear on day 5.Thick plantings need to be thinned out, for which extra seedlings are plucked.
For normal growth of seedlings of petunia, a temperature of 20-22 degrees is necessary. With the appearance of petunia shoots, the shelter is removed and the containers are transferred to a room where the temperature does not exceed 18 degrees.
If the petunia is properly sown and optimal conditions are created for the growth of seedlings, after 3 weeks the grown up seedlings can swoop down.
Sowing seedlings in flower pots dives 3 weeks after the first transplant. The diameter of the pot should be 8-10 cm; a substrate rich in micro and macro elements is used as soil. Transplanted plants are taken to a room with a temperature of 20 degrees during the day and 18 at night, then the temperature needs to be lowered by another 4 degrees.
Sowing in granules?
Many expensive varieties of petunia are sold in pellets. How to sow petunia in this case?
In the box with the soil, you need to cut shallow grooves, shed them well and put strips cut from paper napkins. Seeds in granules neatly spread on wet strips. They will not be lost, as they are securely attached to wet paper. As when sowing with clean seeds, it is not necessary to sprinkle the granules with soil. Crops must be spilled through a spray bottle, boxes covered with foil and left in a warm place until germination.
The period of petunia sprouting in granules is somewhat longer - 10–20 days with the additional lighting of the fluorescent lamp. It is important that the emerged shoots immediately receive enough light, which will prevent them from pulling out.
With the formation of the first true leaf, the crops of petunias are aired, the film is removed and the temperature is reduced to 16 degrees. When the third leaf appears, the seedlings are thinned, setting aside extra plants. You need to know how to plant a petunia and care for it. It is not allowed to overmoisten the soil in plantings - watering is carried out every 3 days, as the soil dries out slightly. This mode stimulates the development of the root system, and the seedlings are more viable. Grown plants pinch, which is why petunia begins to branch. If petunia is sown early, the apical portion can be rooted.
Abundant petunia blooms can be achieved under certain conditions: the pot must be the right size, timeliness of watering and dressings, removal of withered flowers.
When to sow pepper?- read our next article!
When planting petunia seedlings?- here!
