Growing petunia from seeds at home - planting, care

Versatile in color, garden beauty petunia is able to decorate any place. On the balcony, windowsill, on the bed of your summer cottage or garden, at the entrance of the house - petunia will look elegant everywhere, to the place. On top of that, this one-year-old is very unpretentious, and even a beginner amateur gardener can master the cultivation of petunia from seeds at home.

Varieties, varieties of this flower are great, however, all of them( bushy or cascading cascade) are distinguished by an indescribable delicate aroma, which by evening becomes even stronger. If you decide to decorate your garden with petunias, then you need to take care of the seedlings in advance.

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Petunia - growing and care at home

If you can provide seedlings with additional highlighting, you can sow the seeds already in early February. Since the winter day is very short, it adversely affects the germination of the shoots. But if you have fluorescent lamps( for example, tubular fluorescent lamps LD-60), then you can safely get down to business. It should be noted that conventional lamps are not suitable for seedlings - they provoke overheating of the shoots, contribute to the stretching of the stems.

Before growing petunia from seeds, take care of the presence of light, loose soil, rich in micronutrients. You can use ready-made purchased soil, or you can mix the most turfy land, mature( rotten) manure, peat( equal parts) by adding a little sand to the mixture.

The upper part of the soil on which the seeds will be sown must be sifted. The primer itself must be shed well just before the landing. Petunia seeds are mixed with sand, evenly sprinkled over the soil, irrigated with a spray bottle, covered with plastic wrap to create a mini-greenhouse. The temperature for seedlings should be at least 20-25ºC, otherwise the seeds simply will not sprout.

The first shoots appear in a week. This is the period when they need to be surrounded by increased attention. Daily irrigation( preferably twice a day), airing required. It is important for fragile sprouts to provide full hydration, but it should be carefully monitored so that there is no excessive moisture. In order for the seedlings not to get sick with “black leg”( a common disease of seedlings), daily remove the accumulated condensate on the protective coating of the mini-greenhouse.

If you periodically arrange sprouting irrigation "baths" from a weakly colored solution of potassium permanganate, then provide additional protection for your petunia. When the seedlings please you with the first pair of cotyledon leaves, you can remove the protective film, add some sand on top of the soil, and water less often.

When the seeds are of high quality, they are properly collected and stored, then the seedlings are thick, amicable. However, there are situations when the planting stock can fail: if after two weeks there are no results, then you should not expect the appearance of good seedlings. This factor must be considered in order not to waste time and energy.

Petunia seedlings two weeks after the picking.

Growing petunias from seeds at home requires picking. An exception is the method when peat tablets are used in growing seedlings. After the sprouts gain strength, acquire five or six full-fledged leaves, they can be seated in separate containers. This process is called picking, it must be done very carefully, so as not to damage the fragile root system.

From now on, seedlings need to be taught to periodical hardening. At first, it will be enough for 10-15 minutes for plants to stay where it is cool — 10-15ºC — with a subsequent increase in time.

If you want future petunia bushes to be lush, densely branched, be sure to pinch( more than once).To do this, cut off the point of growth of the stem at the level of about the 5th leaf - this technique provokes the growth of new shoots from the axils of the remaining leaves.

When the seedlings gain strength, maybe.even give the first flowers, petunia can be planted in a flower bed.

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Cutting of petunias

Cutting is an excellent, cost-free way to propagate this flower. A high percentage of rooting, simple care for the bushes - the advantages of this method.

To do this, cut the upper cuttings, approximately 10-12 cm long, from a full-fledged, strong plant. It is worth mentioning that on this occasion the opinions of experienced gardeners are divided, as some advise to select side shoots for cutting, which are located at the root of the plant. It is worth noting that both options work well, give a positive result later.

Reproduction by cuttings of petunias is produced closer to autumn( end of August-September).The lower leaves are removed from the stem segments, and they themselves are briefly immersed in a container with a solution of a biostimulating drug, for example, Kornevin. After that, the cuttings are seated in cups, pritenyut them. The soil( or sand) where the cuttings are placed should always be hydrated. You can also use pure vermiculite.

The roots of the shoots are formed already on the 7th or 10th day. After rooting, the cuttings can be replanted - small pots with a diameter of 12-15 cm will work. Here the petunia can survive the winter. Fertilizing complex fertilizers rooted cuttings is very important.

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How to save petunias until next year?

You can save petunia for the winter in two ways - a shrub or cuttings.
Mature plants will feel comfortable where light is enough. The level of humidity for them is also important. The ideal temperature for wintering is 10-15 ° C, if it is less - not scary, the main thing is not lower than 0 ° С.For this plant you need to dig, put in pots before the onset of the first cold weather( September-November), the best time for this is mid-August. All dried, tainted leaves must be removed. You can do more radical - cut all the branches up to 10-12 cm. To comfortably survive the winter, it is enough to water the petunia 2 or 3 times a month.

If you do everything correctly, then, starting from mid-February, you will be able to admire the colors. With the advent of color, you can introduce mineral dressing, more frequent watering. In the spring bushes land on the street. They delight you again with their beauty and aroma.

Petunia can also be saved for the winter by grafting - reproduction and growing new young plants. According to reviews of experienced gardeners, young petunias produce more abundant flowering than second-year bushes.

Cherenkovat plant for the winter period is better towards the end of the summer / beginning of autumn, while the activity of petunia has not yet slowed down. The process of cutting cuttings, their rooting is already described above. Care for cuttings can be corrected by some additions: pruning leaves, installing a vapor barrier.

For better development, trimmed stems are covered with a plastic cup with holes made from above( for ventilation).Leaves can be cut with scissors by half - this will reduce moisture loss. Do not forget to air mini-greenhouses every day.

After about two weeks, new shoots will appear from the puffs of the cubs - this is a signal that the rooting was successful. After this, the steam barriers are removed, and the subsequent actions with the cuttings are no different from the standard care of the seedlings.

These cuttings begin to bloom closer to the end of winter or the beginning of the calendar spring. When the onset of stable heat( + 10-12 ° C) plants are planted in areas.

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Ampel petunia

Any variety of petunia is beautiful in its own way, but it is ampelous varieties that are considered the most luxurious, the most popular. They differ from bush-like species in that ampelous petunias have long stems, which, when hanging down, form “waterfalls” of flowers. Such plants are planted in hanging pots, pots or fixed on metal nets, inventing a variety of floral designs.

If you provide an ampelous petunia with appropriate care, then the length of its branches can reach 2 meters. However, the meter shoot is the norm for the plants of the middle band.

Amppelle varieties care - regular watering, feeding. If there are very hot days, it is recommended two times watering. There is one moment here - when watering suspended flowers, the earth coma is not always fully impregnated with moisture. This happens because novice gardeners want to avoid unattractive puddles on the floor under the pots. Such partial watering leads to drying of the lower layer( while the upper one remains moistened), which is why the roots do not receive proper saturation with water. This nuance leads to inhibition of plant development, loss of decoration.

Petunia - photo of

colors For best results, it is advisable to completely immerse the tanks with petunia in water once every 7 days, so the soil will be completely soaked. Also, as with the bush varieties, it is necessary to avoid excessive waterlogging, to keep a middle ground - the soil should be moistened, but not very. However, if you initially add a hydrogel to the soil for ampelous petunias, you will be able to significantly reduce the frequency of irrigation.

It is recommended to feed ampule petunia with phosphate or potassium fertilizers( once every 7 days).This process can not be combined with the main irrigation - it can lead to burns, even the death of the plant. Better in the morning to pour petunia, and closer to the dinner to make dressing on wet soil.

Pinching is a prerequisite for ampel varieties, it must be made at least once every 7 days. Faded flowers, ovaries with seed bolls need to be removed so that the forces of the plant go to the laying of new inflorescences, and not to form seeds.

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Petunia is ampelous and cascade - the difference between

Amppelnaya petunia is also called cascade, but sometimes there is a controversial situation with the definition of this variety group. Some gardeners claim that when a cascade petunia grows, its branches are directed upwards, and only then they go downward. And in the ampelous plant, the shoots fall down, the flowers are slightly smaller.

Therefore, this factor can be considered as an intermediate stage of plant development - as long as the branches have not gained strength, weight, they stand upright. The size of the flower can also be determined by the variety, the form - petunias can have both small flowers and large ones. Looking at multiple photos, videos, it is impossible to distinguish ampelous petunia from cascade, so it is permissible to apply both names to the same sort.

Whether you choose an ampelous petunia or prefer a bush petunia, you should treat all the stages of breeding responsibly.

Growing petunias from seeds at home is only the first step of this informative, beautiful hobby that can make your dacha a subject of pride and admiration.