When and how to plant petunia correctly. How to grow petunias. Growing seedlings in glass jars

There are more than 25 species of petunias in the wild. Hybrids are the most popular among gardeners. They grow a bright flower in city parks, in the country, on a loggia or balcony. The flower is not picky and grows well both in a flower bed and as a potted plant.

Flower lovers appreciate petunias for abundant flowering, which continues from the beginning of summer and ends only after the first autumn frosts. These unpretentious plants are grown in any climate zone. They tolerate drought well, love light and can grow in poor soils.

Petunia is a genus that combines annual and perennial herbaceous plants from the nightshade family. The height of representatives of this genus can vary from 10 cm to 1 meter. The ornamental crop comes from South America, where it grows in the tropical regions of Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Uruguay.

Data on the number of petunia species existing in nature is ambiguous; according to some sources there are about 15, according to others – up to 40. The first cultivated plants from the genus petunias appeared in the 18th century. The main characteristics of these plants:

• stem erect or creeping with shoots of 2.3 orders;
• there is pubescence on the shoots;
• the color of the shoots is green, the shape is round;
• the leaves have different sizes and shapes, are alternate, and have pubescence;
• the flowers have a double perianth, which consists of a corolla and a calyx;
• flowers of two types: double and simple;
• the fruit has the shape of a bivalve capsule, which splits open when the seeds ripen;
• seed size is small.

There is no consensus among flower growers regarding the classification of petunias. Usually this type ornamental plants divided according to the following characteristics:

• bush shape;
• flower size and type of flowering.

According to the shape of the bush

Depending on the shape of the bush, there are varieties of petunias: bush, cascading, ampelous. Let's look at what bush types of petunias are. They are low-growing, compact, with erect shoots up to 30 cm long, and tall species with spreading shoots from 50 to 75 cm long. Bush-type varieties and hybrids do not need to be formed. To simulate the growth of side shoots, you just need to pinch the growing point.

The ampelous group of petunias unites plants with long shoots from 50 to 150 cm in length. They are characterized by:

• rapid growth of shoots;
• long and abundant flowering;
• resistance to adverse weather conditions.

Ampel varieties of petunias look good in hanging flowerpots. Landscape designers use this type of flower with thin, long vines for vertical gardening. They practice planting ampelous petunias in the ground to obtain bright flower carpets.

Cascading petunias have thicker shoots, the length of which is shorter than that of ampelous varieties. They grow upward and descend only when they reach a certain length. Varieties and hybrids of cascading petunias are used to decorate loggias and balconies. Their seedlings are planted in boxes, pots, and flowerpots.

By flower size and type of flowering

All petunias are divided into two groups according to flower size:

• P. small-flowered;
• P. grandiflora;
• P. blooms profusely;
• P. multiflorum.

The Milliflora group of small-flowered petunias includes plants with flower diameters from 2.5 to 3 cm. This species is characterized by abundant flowering; rain does not affect their decorative effect. The bushes are formed from numerous branched shoots up to 0.9 m long and erect stems not exceeding 25 cm in height.

Florists use the following varieties when creating flower arrangements:

Large-flowered

Large-flowered forms do not tolerate difficult weather conditions. Flowers of these forms are very decorative, but the number of flowers on the bushes is less than that of small-flowered species. The large-flowered group of petunias, Grandiflora, is popular among gardeners.

Reference! Large-flowered varieties do not tolerate bad weather, so they are used to decorate balconies, terraces, and verandas.

It combines low-growing varieties with a stem height of 25 to 35 cm and tall varieties with a shoot length of 50 to 70 cm. The flowers are large in different shapes: simple funnel-shaped, double. The diameter of the flowers can range from 8 to 13 cm. Flower petals have solid, wavy or corrugated edges.

Popular varieties of large-flowered petunias:

Blooming profusely

Floribunda is a group of hybrids and varieties that unites profusely flowering petunias. The height of erect, branched shoots is from 25 to 45 cm. The flowers are simple funnel-shaped or double with a diameter of 6 to 10 cm. This type of petunias is used for decorative design flower beds and borders. Popular varieties of petunia Floribunda:

Multifloral

The group of multi-flowered petunias Multiflora consists of low-growing, compact plants, abundantly strewn with flowers. The height of the bushes does not exceed 25 cm. The shape of the flowers varies - from simple to double, the diameter of which does not exceed 5 cm. The flowering of multi-flowered petunias is early and long-lasting. Plants of this group are used to decorate flower beds, balconies, and are grown in room conditions on the windowsills.

Varieties common among gardeners:

When to plant petunia seeds for seedlings

Depends on when they plan to bloom. If you need to get a flowering plant in late spring, then you need to sow the seeds for seedlings in January. For summer flowering, sowing begins in mid-February and continues until the third decade of March.

To get full-fledged seedlings, you need at least 3 months. they begin to sow earlier than other varieties, since it takes longer to form long shoots.

Beginning gardeners may be puzzled by the very small size of the seeds. You need certain skills to work with them. Dried seeds are available for sale. They are easier to sow and the shell protects the seeds from various types of infections, in addition, it contains nutrients. Petunia seeds remain viable for 4 years.

Experienced gardeners have long determined the soil composition most suitable for growing petunia seedlings. Suitable soils for it:

• sandy loam;
• loamy;
• clayey-sandy.

Many gardeners practice mixing several types of purchased soil. Because they believe that one type of soil may not be suitable for petunias, but a mixture of soils from 2-3 manufacturers will be optimal in structure and fertility.

The pH level of the soil is important; the decorativeness of the flower depends on it. Neutral (pH from 5.5 to 7.0) or slightly acidic (pH from 5.5 to 6.5) soil is suitable for petunias. Determining the pH level is not difficult; litmus paper is sold for this purpose.

If the soil in the garden is acidic, it is limed or humic fertilizers, organic matter or nitrates are added. You can reduce acidity by adding sandy loam or turf soil. Peat is added to highly alkaline soil, and compost or sphagnum is added to moderately alkaline soil. The structure is heavy, clay soil corrected by adding peat and sand.

As for the soil for seedlings, many gardeners prefer to germinate seeds in peat tablets. Those who use land for sowing carry out a number of measures to disinfect it:

• to protect against diseases, they are spilled with a pink solution of potassium permanganate; watering must be done at least a week before planting;
• the second disinfection option is 1 hour in the oven preheated to 150 °C.

For those who want to make their own soil, the advice of flower growers can help, who recommend the following options for soil mixtures for seedlings:

• clay 30% and 70% peat;
• peat 1 part, sand 1 part, loam 2 parts;
• peat 1 part, loam 1 part.

For petunias, you can use both high-moor and low-lying peat. Instead of loam, you can add perlite or spruce bark. For 1 liter of soil it is worth adding 1 teaspoon of dolomite flour to normalize the acidity.

Not everyone knows how to sow small petunia seeds correctly. The main thing to remember is that the seeds are sown on the surface and not covered with earth or humus. Small seeds are not visible on the surface of the earth and are difficult to sow.

The process will be much easier if you pour a layer of snow on top of the ground. On a white background, the seeds are easy to distribute at the required distance from each other. You can grab them with a toothpick. After all the seeds have been spread out, the planting containers need to be covered with cling film and placed in a warm place.

Lighting should be diffused, as direct sunlight can destroy tender seedlings. Before the shoots appear, you can forget about petunia, since the moisture supply from the melted snow is quite enough to germinate the seeds.

Seedling care

It's hard to imagine how to care for her. Any misstep can destroy delicate plants. Failures occur among beginning gardeners; experienced florists rarely fail, since they know exactly what petunias need at each stage of development.

But it is necessary and often enough. Drying out the top layer of soil leads to its death. To carefully water the roots, gardeners use various devices:

• syringes;
• small enemas;
• screwed into the tire plastic bottle ballpoint pen detail.

At first, water frequently and little by little so that the surface of the soil is constantly moist. As the seedlings grow, the frequency of watering decreases, but the volume increases.

Light is needed for the normal development of seedlings. For the first two weeks, it can be illuminated for almost 24 hours. When sowing seeds in March, such long illumination is not needed. It is enough to provide the seedlings with 12 hours of daylight.

To illuminate petunia seedlings, use the following lamps:

• gas discharge;
• luminescent;
• LED

You can turn on the lamp in the morning at 7 o'clock, and turn it off in the evening at 9 o'clock. This lighting will be enough to grow strong seedlings.

Temperature

From the moment the seeds are sown until the first shoots of petunias appear, the room temperature is maintained at around 25 °C. As the seedlings grow, after picking them into separate cups, you need to gradually reduce the air temperature in the room to 18 °C, or even better, to 16 °C.

This is not a necessary procedure if the plants are planted in separate cups. When sowing in a common container, picking is necessary, as it contributes to the formation of first the root system, and then the above-ground part of the flower.

Transplantation (picking) of petunia seedlings can be carried out several times. The first time in the phase of 3-4 true leaves. In time, this is approximately 2 weeks after germination. With the help of picking, the density of planting of seedlings is regulated. You can dive into a larger box or into individual cups with a diameter of 6 to 8 cm.

To avoid damaging the delicate roots of small seedlings, the soil should be well watered before picking. When transplanting seedlings, some gardeners disinfect the roots by dipping them for a few seconds in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After transplanting, the seedlings need to be watered; after watering, the soil will tightly adhere to the roots.

After which the plant appears new growth points, the active formation of new shoots begins. The flowering period is delayed, but the largest flowers are formed on the side stems.

Pinching is carried out in several stages. The crown of the seedling is pinched for the first time after the 5th leaf appears. This procedure is called pinching and is carried out using nail scissors.

After a month, you can pinch off the already formed side shoots. It is allowed to form bushes throughout the season if this is necessary to maintain the decorative appearance of the plant. Elite varieties rarely need to be shaped. Simple varieties of petunias require pinching and pinching of side shoots.

In order for the seedlings to develop well, you can add to the soil:

• Epin;
• Uniflor;
• Powder;
• Perlite;
• Hydrogel.

Epin stimulates growth. Perlite loosens the soil. Uniflor supplies plants with microelements. It is difficult to purchase powder; it is silt, which increases the germination of seeds. The hydrogel helps control soil moisture levels and improves seed germination.

The supply of nutrients in the soil will be enough for the first time. Growing seedlings need to be fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizer; the time for the first feeding occurs 2-3 weeks after emergence. The next feeding should be done in 2 weeks. Potassium and phosphorus should predominate in the fertilizer.

Different growing methods

To grow full-fledged petunia seedlings, it will take 90 days. Each gardener has his own proven method of growing:

• sowing in a box (pot) filled with soil;
• using peat tablets;
• on toilet paper.

You can buy peat tablets at any supermarket. The sowing procedure is simple:

• The tablets are first soaked in water;
• after they increase in size, they are placed in a box (container) with sides of at least 4 cm;
• the seeds are placed in the recesses on the tablet;
• The box is covered with film.

After a week, shoots appear. Before they appear, the tablets must be moistened.

To decorate a balcony or loggia, petunias are sown directly into a pot or flowerpot. The success of lush flowering will depend on the correct soil mixture. For decoration, petunias are planted in one container. different types(bush, ampelous) and complement them with other flowers: alyssum, lobelia. To keep the soil in the pots moist, hydrogel or vermiculite is added to the soil.

Transplanting petunia seedlings to a permanent place is not difficult. The soil needs to be prepared and treated with a fungicide in advance, preferably in the fall. A good time for transplantation would be a cloudy day or a cool evening.

Transshipment of plants must be carried out carefully, without damaging root system. Straighten the roots, avoiding bends. Water the soil well after transplanting. Water should not get on the leaves. To maintain constant soil moisture, use mulch:

• decorative bark;
• sawdust;
• peat;
• humus.

Caring for petunias in summer

Petunia is grown in pots or in soil. Summer care depends on the growing method. Petunia growing in the ground does not require frequent watering; it is enough to water the flowers well once a week. Petunias growing in pots require frequent watering. On hot days, you can water potted flowers twice a day, morning and evening.

Feeding begins a week after transplanting the flower to a permanent place. Use standard complex fertilizers for flowering plants. Flowers in the ground are fed once every two weeks, potted petunias are fertilized once every 7 days.

Petunias respond well to fertilizers with a high potassium content. Feeding can be carried out throughout the summer season until the end of flowering. It is recommended to alternate mineral fertilizers with organic ones. Faded flowers should be removed, especially hanging varieties and petunias grown in pots and containers.

Experienced flower growers achieve lush flowering from their pets. Novice florists can do this too. The techniques are simple:

• pinching the central stem of seedlings;
• pinching the tops of side shoots;
• regular watering;
• removing faded flowers;
• fertilizing

Fertilizing is a key condition for lush flowering; without fertilizers, the shoots will be thin and the flowering will not be abundant.

Petunia may suffer from viral diseases. Cucumber and tobacco mosaic viruses are dangerous for her. Symptoms of cucumber mosaic:

• stunted appearance;
• small flowers;
• yellow spots on leaves;
• the leaves take on an irregular shape.

When infected with the tobacco mosaic virus, the plant becomes smaller, the edges of the leaf blades turn up and become covered with necrotic spots. Flower petals show dots or streaks of white or gray. Plants infected with viruses are destroyed.

Among insects, petunia is attacked by aphids. Symptoms:

• young shoots turn yellow and become deformed;
• It is easy to see adult aphids on the leaves;
• Ants scurry around the infected bush.

There is no point in delaying treatment of an infected flower. Any gardener should have insecticides: Aktara, Fufanon, Karate. Several treatments and the bush will look healthy.

Problems of growing petunia

Beginners when growing petunias encounter many problems, both serious and not so serious. All errors are associated with incorrect selection of the soil mixture and violations of the conditions for keeping the seedlings.

Yellow leaves on petunia seedlings may indicate iron deficiency. You can rid a flower of chlorosis using iron chelate. Flower growers prefer to use Ferovit, a liquid form of iron chelate. To restore the plants to a healthy appearance, 4 treatments are enough.

Fertilize once every 5 days. Fertilizers are applied both at the root and by spraying on the leaves. A greater effect is achieved by alternating root and foliar feeding. Petunia responds well to the addition of potassium monophosphate.

Curled petunia leaves are a sign of poor care for a young plant. The reasons may be different:

• waterlogging of the soil;
• overdrying of the soil;
• dry air;
• increased soil acidity;
• excess nitrogen;
• lack of phosphorus;
• lack of sunlight;
• viral disease or pest infestation.

To eliminate the cause of poor growth, you can change the place of residence of the seedlings, move them to a south or south-west window. As an option, install a lamp to illuminate the seedlings.

Another reason for plant growth to stop is insufficient pot volume. The roots have filled the entire volume and have nowhere else to develop. This reason can be eliminated by transferring the plant to a new container of larger volume. After transplantation, the flower can be treated with a growth stimulator.

How to grow petunia seedlings at home: video

How to form petunias? Do I need to pinch? Which petunia to choose when buying? video

Petunia will not require much effort from you during cultivation. Any novice gardener can carry out all the steps to take care of it. This beautiful flower need: systematic watering, timely application of fertilizers and good lighting throughout the day.

The herbaceous perennial petunia is grown in culture as an annual. This flower is famous for its beautiful varied shades, long flowering, splendor and unpretentiousness. But if the plant itself is unpretentious and caring for it is not difficult, then you will have to tinker with growing seedlings. To grow beautiful flower, which will begin to bloom at the beginning of summer, you need to know all the secrets of planting petunia seedlings.

Small petunia seeds take a long time to germinate, and seedlings do not grow very quickly, so sowing seeds should be done from mid-January to early March. In this case, when proper care and location, flowering will begin in June.

The best time for sowing is the waxing moon. Therefore, to the question of when to plant petunia in 2020, you can answer:

• in January - 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 28 and 29;
• in February it is the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 24th and 25th;
• in March, it is recommended to sow seeds on the 2nd, 3rd, 27th, 28th, 30th and 31st;
• On April 1, 2, 6, 7, 24, 28 and 29, sow the seeds of petunia, which is grown for late flowering.

• January 10, 25 and 26;
• February 9, 10, 22 and 23;
• March 8, 9, 24 and 25;
• April 8, 22 and 23.

How to grow petunia seedlings from seeds

Planting material must be fresh, since old seeds do not germinate well. Therefore, when purchasing, pay attention to their shelf life. It is best to choose drained seeds, which are easier to sow and do not require pre-treatment.

Soil for seedlings

The soil for sowing petunia should be nutritious, loose, slightly acidic or neutral. You can buy soil mixture for seedlings at a specialty store or prepare it yourself from the following components:

• well decomposed peat – 2 parts;
• humus - 2 parts;
• turf soil - 2 parts;
• sand - 1 part.

Can also be used to prepare soil garden soil, peat and sand (1:2:1).

The prepared mixture is disinfected before use strong solution potassium permanganate and placed in seedling containers.

How to plant petunia seedlings

Before planting, the soil must be moistened using a spray bottle.

The sowing method depends on what planting material was chosen:

1. Small seeds are distributed over the soil surface. There is no need to deepen them. To make the process easier, you can use a toothpick or tweezers.
2. Experienced gardeners recommend sowing in the snow, for which the snow is placed on the surface of the soil, compacted, and the seeds are laid out on its surface.
3. Drained seeds are easier to sow, but for them to hatch, the soil must be moist all the time. They can be sown immediately in separate small containers or peat tablets. Each seed is placed in a separate small hole.

It is best to grow petunia seedlings in containers with cells (see photo). This will help avoid picking seedlings and make it easier to grow.

After the seeds are sown, the surface of the soil is sprayed with a spray bottle. warm water

, and the containers are covered with film on top. The crops are placed in a warm, bright place, since petunia seeds need light. The temperature should be within +24…+25 degrees. You can place the seedling containers on a bright window sill, under which heating radiators operate.

In order for the seeds to hatch, you need to monitor the soil moisture, which is moistened with a spray bottle as it dries. Be sure to ventilate the soil every day by lifting the cellophane for a few minutes.

The first shoots may begin to appear within a week.

Petunia: growing seedlings at home

In order for petunia seedlings to grow healthy, strong and not stretch out, they need proper care.

Temperature

As soon as the seedlings appear, they are ventilated twice a day, gradually accustoming them to the open air. It is also necessary to gradually lower the temperature, which should be about +20 degrees during the day, and within +16 degrees at night. As soon as the seedlings grow to the shelter, the film is completely removed.

If the crops are dense and the seedlings grow too often, they need to be thinned out using tweezers.

Lighting

In February and March, the days are short, so petunia seedlings need additional lighting. To do this, lamps or phytolamps are installed at a height of approximately 20 cm above the seedling containers. If there is insufficient lighting, the plants will begin to stretch out and grow poorly.

In cloudy weather additional lighting included for the whole day. On sunny days, the backlight can only be turned on in the evening. In the first weeks, seedlings need about 16 hours of daylight, and later – a 12-hour day.

Watering seedlings

Petunias should grow in moist soil, too dry of which can destroy the seedlings. At the same time, the soil should not be soggy.

Low air temperature, high soil moisture and poor lighting are the main causes of fungal diseases.

Watering is done so that water does not fall on the leaves. If the bushes grow in separate cassettes, then they can be carefully watered at the root using a spray bottle. Plantings located in one container are watered using a syringe.

Water should be used room temperature, well defended. You can add a little lemon juice to it.

Monitor the condition of the soil daily, and as soon as its top layer dries, carefully moisten it.

Picking

If petunia grows in peat tablets, individual cassettes or pots, then picking is not necessary. Densely planted plants are planted immediately after two or three true leaves appear on them. The branched root system of petunia needs space, for which the bushes are transplanted into disposable containers with a volume of approximately 200 ml (disposable cups can be used).

During picking, each plant is taken out with a fork or small spatula along with a lump of earth and moved into a cup filled with moist soil. The roots are covered with soil and watered well. After the soil settles, add more soil if necessary.

The transplanted plants are placed in a bright place and shaded from direct sunlight.

IN good conditions Petunia seedlings begin to grow quickly, so in some cases picking has to be done twice. If the flower will decorate a balcony or loggia, then during the second picking the bushes can be immediately transplanted into a flowerpot or flowerpot (see photo).

Also keep an eye on plants that were sown in peat pots or cassettes. If the roots in them have grown and started to come out, then it is recommended to transplant the bushes into larger containers. Seedlings growing in tablets can be placed in pots directly with the tablets, covered with soil and watered.

When and how to pinch petunia?

To get a lush, branched bush on which many flowers will bloom, petunias must be pinched. To do this, break out the top along with the growing point above the fourth or fifth leaf. After some time, a new shoot will appear in the axils of each leaf and begin to grow. For even greater tillering, pinching can be repeated after about two weeks.

Only seedlings of ampelous petunia do not need pinching.

Hardening

Before planting in flower beds open ground or balcony flowerpots and boxes accustom plants to the open air. To do this, a week before planting on warm days, the seedlings are taken out to the site or open balcony. The first day, hardening is carried out for an hour. Every day the hardening time increases. The day before planting, plants should be outdoors for the whole day.

Flowers should not be exposed to the sun, which can burn them. It is also necessary to ensure that the air temperature is positive.

Petunias are planted in open ground after warm weather has settled and the threat of frost has passed. Flowerbeds with petunias should be in a sunny area, as flowering in the shade will be poor.

Now you know when and how to plant petunia seedlings. Only at first glance, growing seedlings seems labor-intensive. But if you follow all the recommendations, you can decorate a flower garden or plot or balcony with lush bushes with bright colors petunias.

What are we going to talk about? But what about... Main character- petunia plant, planting and care. Let's look at the photos and admire them... After all, this is the leader among the most popular garden flowers. It is rich in its variety of colors and combines harmoniously in plantings with other summer flowers. Petunia is a real decoration of our flower beds, balconies, and summer cottages. The lush flowering of this bright plant continues throughout the season, but in addition to its beauty, it is famous for the fact that it is easy to plant and grow.

Photo of petunia, it looks great even if there are other flowers in the flowerbed:

This one is beautiful garden flower has many varieties. Its color shades are varied and its shapes are bizarre. Most often, petunia is divided into two varieties - bush and hanging. We most often design flower beds or plant them in flower pots. This variety is unpretentious and is sown in early spring - March-April.

Ampelnaya is a flower “waterfall”. It is more suitable for hanging or forming garden compositions. Windows, balconies, and pergolas are also suitable for decorating with such plants. These varieties need to be sown earlier than bush varieties, around the beginning of February.

Proper petunia seedlings - how to grow

Most varieties of petunias are quite unpretentious. Even if, with the onset of warm weather (March-April), you sow the seeds in open ground and provide regular watering, it will grow and bloom. But if you want to get lush, well-groomed bushes, then you will have to try a little, “conjure” a small seed.

Methods for planting petunia seeds:

1. The simplest option is sowing in a shallow container or box. The seeds are not poured in doses (by eye). The most important rule is not to deepen it.
2. The use of peat tablets gives excellent results in growing seedlings - it is very convenient and practical. Pre-soak each tablet, place one pelleted seed or 2-3 regular ones there. does not require subsequent diving. With this method of planting, the bushes (along with the tablets) are subsequently replanted.
3. Cassettes for seedlings are also convenient; growing with their help does not involve picking seedlings. Thus, each seed is placed in an individual cell (20 or 50 ml), and after 20-30 days it is transplanted into a pot, where the petunia can grow until the first flowers appear.
4. It is also practiced to sow seeds in the snow. A layer of ordinary clean street snow is laid on top of the soil, and seeds are poured on top. When the snow melts, it is absorbed, automatically attracting the seeds to the ground (to the required depth).

Whatever method of sowing is used, seedlings need the right temperature regime(+23... - +25°C), covering with film, timely watering.

Typically, petunia seeds are sown taking into account the variety group (March 20th) in order to obtain flowering bushes by the beginning of summer. If you want to see flowering earlier, it is better to start sowing in late January - early February.

Nutritious, loose soil with good moisture-retaining properties is suitable for it. Strongly acidic or alkaline soil mixtures should be avoided.

Against the background of the story about the details of growing petunia, it is still worth mentioning the possibility of purchasing ready-made seedlings. There are different cases: someone simply does not have enough time to engage in this process, but they really want to have a fragrant flower.

For such cases, petunia seedlings are sold, which can be bought at the market, store, florist center, even online store.

Petunia, care and cultivation

In the first time after sowing (the first 7-10 days), the seeds will not be hindered by regular spraying with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate. After this period, with the appearance of the first sprouts that hatch, fertilizing can be introduced. At the very beginning, it is advisable to use foliar means - irrigation with mineral compounds. If the situation requires it, then a plant growth stimulator, such as Epin-Extra, can be used 1 or 2 times.

Seedlings should be provided with a sufficient amount of moisture, but you should not be too zealous, as excessive moisture provokes disease. If the sprouts are oversaturated with moisture, it is necessary to stop irrigating with water. In this case, it is necessary to moisten the soil only by watering along the walls of the containers so that the water has minimal contact with the plants.

When the sprouts acquire a couple of full-fledged leaves, start picking. To do this, seedlings are planted one bush at a time in special containers or disposable 200 gram cups (very convenient). The cups are filled with the same nutrient soil that was used for sowing. After planting, the bushes are watered and covered for 1-2 days with some non-woven material (for example, Spunbond).

In the first time after pruning, moderate soil moisture and periodic loosening are important for petunia. If seedlings require feeding, then it can be done 7-10 days after picking (once a week).

Before planting petunia bushes in a permanent location, take care of its hardening. To do this, pots with seedlings must be periodically taken out into the cold (but not into the frost), providing an influx of fresh air.

Planting petunia in open ground

This flower loves loamy fertile soils. If you add compost or humus to the flowerbed before planting, the petunia will bloom more actively and more luxuriantly. Make sure that the place for the plants is well lit by the sun. Most often, bushes are planted around the 20th of April (in Kuban), after the frosts are left behind.

To plant, seedlings need to be well watered so that they can be easily removed from the pot. Plant it in a flowerbed together with a lump of soil. The step between the bushes should be approximately 30-40 cm. Then the plants are watered and mulched again (the next day).

Aftercare for petunia includes:

• regular watering,
• loosening the soil,
• getting rid of weeds.

However, the most important factor is fertilizing with complex and organic fertilizers, which must be introduced on the 8th day after planting. Potassium supplements need to be done every 10 days. We advise you to continue them until August inclusive. You can also use organic fertilizers, such as humus.

Decorating a summer cottage or house yard using petunia, photo

Wealth color range and varieties allows you to create incredible combinations of shades, various designs. Multi-colored flower beds, flower cascades, fragments of trees equipped for flower beds, even car tires are a field of activity and a source of inspiration for the summer resident.

Petunia goes well with flowers that complement each other in flowerbed arrangements (see first photo). For these purposes, you need to choose the same non-capricious, sun-loving plants (for example - snapdragon, salvia, calendula, gillyflower). Upon registration summer cottage petunias, we should not forget about sunny places, since in shady areas it simply will not be able to gain strength and bloom fully. Well-lit, slightly shaded areas are ideal for this plant.

Some design options:

Ampelous petunia itself is a decoration; how many pieces to plant in a pot determines the size of the container, for example, 4-5 bushes with a diameter of 20-30 cm. With the onset of spring, shopping centers begin to sell pots 22 cm in diameter, in which 3 bushes are comfortably located .

Despite all the subtleties and nuances, growing and planting petunia is not difficult - any novice gardener can do it. Attention to seedlings and proper care will bear fruit. If you grow a lush, fragrant beauty from a small seed at least once, you will never refuse its presence at your dacha.

Don’t forget to fertilize and water this amazing flower on time - it will delight you with its flowering until the cold weather.

Recently, the popularity of petunia has been exceptionally high: this flower has become the informal leader among annual flowers; it is planted in almost every area, creating entire flower beds of multi-colored plants. However, its seedlings are very expensive because they are very difficult to grow. Small seeds and fragile seedlings require extremely careful handling, and the capriciousness of seedlings makes it necessary to follow all the rules of growing very, very precisely, especially at home.

Is it necessary to plant petunia through seedlings?

Garden petunias are members of the nightshade family. There are a huge number of species and varieties of petunias; they differ both in the size of the plants and in the size and shape of the flowers, not to mention their color. Blooming at the very beginning of summer and continuing to bloom until frost arrives, petunia is of great interest in this sense: there are literally only a few annuals that bloom for such a long time, and it is also unusually beautiful.

The variety of classes, groups, varieties, etc. of this flower is so vast that it is very difficult to understand them. But the agricultural technology of all petunias is almost the same. All of them reproduce by seeds, and flower growers try to grow all petunias through seedlings.

Sometimes in the southern regions they use sowing seeds in a garden bed immediately in a permanent place. Sowing in mid-spring results in petunias beginning to bloom in mid-summer. This technique is used for low varieties with small flowers, which are usually used as borders or “cover” plants. Large-flowered varieties are grown only through the seedling stage.

Petunias amaze with a variety of colors, which is why they have earned popularity among flower growers.

When to plant petunia seedlings according to the lunar calendar in 2019

The best time to plant petunias in the garden is early summer. And since seedlings grow slowly and are ready for planting only three months after sowing the seeds, you need to start seedlings with the very arrival of spring. In warm regions, where it is possible to plant flowers in a flowerbed earlier, sowing begins no later than February. However, petunia seedlings require good lighting, and additional lighting will be required during winter sowing. If it is difficult to provide it, it is better not to rush with sowing. True, you shouldn’t delay it too much, otherwise flowering will begin only in mid-summer.

Many gardeners now track planting progress by lunar calendar. The need to strictly follow it seems controversial, especially since in different sources one can find a wide variety of days named as favorable dates for sowing or transplanting garden and vegetable plants. Therefore, dates on the calendar must be approached carefully.

In 2019, the following dates are considered favorable for planting petunias:

• January 10, 15 and 16;
• February 6–8, 12, 13, 17.

You should not plant petunia seedlings on the following days:

• January 5, 6, 12, 21;
• February 3, 4, 20.

Preliminary preparation

Growing petunias is difficult, but fortunately, this does not require unique equipment: the simplest boxes or pots will do. Peat tablets are also used for growing seedlings, but this is not particularly necessary: ​​this flower, after the critical period of maturation has passed, is not at all afraid of transplants. Therefore, initially the seeds are sown in any containers with a soil thickness of about 6 cm, and as they grow, they are planted in suitable pots or cups with a diameter of up to 8 cm. But all planting containers must first be washed and disinfected. But right choice and seed preparation is much more important.

Seed preparation

Petunia seeds are by no means cheap, so you need to approach their purchase and preparation for sowing very responsibly. The seeds remain viable for up to 4 years, so if you come across good and reliable ones, you can buy them for future use. When purchasing seeds, you should always mentally increase the need for them several times, especially with early sowings. In the case of petunias, there is always a risk that no more than half of the seeds will germinate, although germination is close to 100%. The seeds are small, therefore, in addition to the usual form, they are also sold in granular form. Both have their pros and cons.

Petunia seeds are very small, and you can work with them with good eyesight and patience.

Granulated seeds are expensive not only because they are pre-prepared, but they are usually hybrid seeds of the most interesting, beautiful petunias. As a result, there are no more than a dozen seeds in a bag, and in order to plant a flowerbed, you need to spend a lot of money. But the granules are easy to handle and you won’t lose them when sowing. They can be easily sown immediately, one at a time, in each pot or placed individually in a box at the required distance. They have better germination, but they must be sown exactly on time: once the “process has begun,” you can no longer hold it back, and all growing conditions must be strictly observed.

Pelleting encapsulates the seeds and makes them easier to handle

Seeds sold in bulk are much cheaper, but they are difficult to sow individually and there will be a lot of waste. Such seeds in a bag are most often a mixture of several varieties and are more difficult to handle. In principle, they do not require any tricky preparation such as pickling or soaking, but they must be somehow prepared for sowing so that it can be carried out rationally. Common techniques for sowing small seeds are:

preliminary mixing in the required proportion with clean fine sand, taken in dry form;

accurate sowing on light sand or snow, allowing you to monitor the quality of sowing;

individually laying out seeds using a toothpick (an option for the most patient gardeners).

When should this be done? For petunias, very early sowing dates are traditionally used, since flower growers want to get elegant flower beds at the very beginning of summer. IN middle lane and northern regions, sowing is carried out in mid-March, but many try to do it even earlier, sometimes a month or more, then by the May holidays you can expect powerful flowering.

Soil preparation

Growing petunia seedlings does not require any extremely complex and scarce soil, although it does impose certain requirements on the soil. The soil should be light, loose, breathable, moisture-absorbing and nutritious. In terms of acidity - slightly acidic or close to neutral (pH from 5.5 to 7.0). You can buy it at the store or prepare it yourself. The same soil is used for sowing seeds and planting seedlings.

Store-bought mixtures are most often reliable (if purchased in a specialized store and not the cheapest), clean, free of pathogens and foreign objects. As a rule, they have a homogeneous and fractional composition, which is important for sowing small seeds. It is better that this is soil specifically for flower seedlings. Ground from famous manufacturers There is no need to pre-prepare it; you can use it right away.

Nowadays you can find everything in the store: if only you had the money

When preparing the soil mixture yourself, you must use optimal proportions components. It is best to take equal amounts of humus, turf soil, peat and add a little river sand. If you have a choice, you should choose non-high peat (it is too acidic). The sand is white or grayish, but not yellow or orange. All components must first be sifted to remove large inclusions.

Disinfection of self-prepared soil for petunias is absolutely mandatory. This can be done in different ways: from calcination in the oven to treatment with fungicides. But in most cases, a good soaking with boiling water a few days before use is sufficient.

How to grow good petunia seedlings at home: planting and care tips

When sowing petunias at home, you can immediately use individual pots or cups, but to save space, at least for the first time, it is convenient to sow seeds in a common box. Once you have grown a dozen plants, there is no point in doing subsequent replanting: in this case, it is better to immediately sow the flowers in peat tablets. You need to pour drainage at the bottom of the box (you can just use coarse sand or what was left when sifting the soil), and on top - the soil itself, in a layer of 5–6 cm.

The soil must be well moistened, and then carefully, slowly, spread the seeds over it in even rows. A distance of 4–5 cm is left between the rows, and sowing in the rows depends on the type of seeds:

the coated seeds are laid out at distances of 2.5–3 cm from each other and lightly pressed into the soil;

simple seeds, if your eyesight is good, are laid out in the same way using two toothpicks, but not pressed into the ground (a seed is “sticked” onto a damp toothpick, and shaken off onto the soil with the help of a second one). If the option is not suitable, seeds mixed with sand are used to “salt” the intended rows.

The sown seeds are sprayed with water from a spray bottle, the box is covered with glass and placed on a lighted windowsill. Unlike many other crops, petunias need good light for seed germination.

Video: sowing petunia seeds for seedlings

Growing on a windowsill

Growing petunia seedlings in a city apartment is very convenient: it does not need low temperatures, like, for example, cabbage seedlings. The room temperature should be 20–23 degrees. But you need good lighting, so a south-facing window sill is best. Otherwise, additional lighting is required fluorescent lamps or diode lamps: incandescent lamps heat the air too much.

The best option for illuminating seedlings is special phytolamps.

It is especially difficult for seedlings before the first true leaves appear. Petunia seedlings are very miniature and capricious.

It takes 5–7 days for seedlings to appear: if they have not appeared after 2 weeks, they will no longer exist. When the first sprouts appear on the surface (at first not even sprouts, but so-called loops), the box should be placed on a cooler windowsill: for the first few days the temperature should be 18 ° C, which prevents the seedlings from stretching, then the temperature should be returned to the original values. But daylight should last at least 12 hours.

Petunia seedlings are miniature, and at first they grow very slowly

All the time until the real leaves appear, the seedlings must be in a greenhouse state: the glass cannot be removed from the box, but the soil must be moist, but condensation from the glass must be periodically removed. Watering is carried out only by spraying from a spray bottle; during watering, ventilation must also be carried out, leaving the seedlings without glass for 10–15 minutes. Gradually this interval should be increased. You can remove the lid only after a couple of true leaves appear.

Small plants are prone to bending, so they need to be turned towards the light source several times a day to ensure they grow evenly (unless the lamp is placed above a box).

As petunia grows, you can switch from watering by spraying to drip irrigation from a medical syringe or pipette under the root, and only for established plants it will be possible to use conventional equipment: from a teapot or ladle. Stagnation of water is categorically unacceptable, as well as drying out of the surface layer of soil. You can periodically add a pink solution of potassium permanganate to the water for irrigation.

You can water young seedlings from a pear, but very carefully

Petunia should be picked at a seedling height of 4–5 cm. For a new place of residence, individual containers of sufficient size are needed (diameter and depth about 8 cm). Picking is carried out approximately as in the case of tomato seedlings: with pinching the central root by a third and burying the seedlings in pots into the soil up to the cotyledon leaves. By this time, the plants are already quite viable and can easily tolerate picking.

Watering in pots can be done more boldly, but under no circumstances should you overwater: the risk of blackleg disease remains the entire time the seedlings are at home.

Petunias are one of the annual flowers most prone to blackleg disease. To reduce the risk of disease, carefully sprinkle a layer of dry, clean sand on the seedlings.

You should start feeding the seedlings 10–15 days after picking. At first, you should foliar feeding: spraying the leaves twice a week from a spray bottle with weak solutions of complex fertilizers and growth stimulants (you can just use a solution of agave juice). Subsequently, you can switch to watering with fertilizer solutions at the root. But the concentration of solutions cannot be exceeded compared to the recommended instructions on the packaging.

Growing on a windowsill is more convenient than growing in a greenhouse, since petunia seedlings need constant care; even a day’s absence of a working person from home can sometimes lead to an irreparable outcome. Therefore, if seedlings are prepared for personal use and not for sale, it is better to do this in the apartment.

How to properly grow in a greenhouse

Growing petunia in a greenhouse is not difficult, but this only applies to that period of time when the plants are already strong, have 4-6 true leaves and are picked into separate pots. Therefore, you still need to plant it at home first, unless constant supervision is possible for the greenhouse. After picking, after 2-3 weeks, petunia seedlings become so strong that caring for them differs little from caring for, for example, tomato seedlings.

Adult seedlings no longer need tropical conditions; strong plants grow normally even at 16–18 o C. Periodic decreases in temperature even to 10 o C do not harm the seedlings, but in colder conditions growth almost stops, and flowering is significantly delayed.

Caring for grown seedlings in a greenhouse is no different from caring for them at home, but monitoring must be constant. The soil must be kept moist, fertilized periodically, and the greenhouse must be ventilated daily to prevent excessive condensation on windows and other surfaces: excess moisture quickly causes blackleg disease.

Two weeks before planting in open ground, seedlings must be accustomed to fresh air by opening the windows and doors of the greenhouse for increasingly longer periods of time, as well as periodically allowing the soil to dry out slightly.

Greenhouse cultivation is, of course, suitable for mass production of seedlings

Growing seedlings in a greenhouse is mainly carried out for commercial purposes: due to the extraordinary popularity of the flower and its high cost, this activity has recently turned into a very profitable business. The advantages of a greenhouse are revealed only in this case: when growing a small number of seedlings for your dacha, it is easier to carry out the whole process on the windowsill of a city apartment.

Sowing in the snow

When petunia seeds are sown for seedlings, there is still snow outside the window, and it is this that can help in the difficult task of sowing small seeds of this flower. It simultaneously serves as a white screen, allowing you to see the small black seeds, and as the substance that, when melted, will draw the seeds into the soil as required for ideal germination.

The prepared soil is poured into the box, as usual, but it is compacted a little stronger. To do this, it is convenient to use a small board. Clean snow is laid out on top as evenly as possible in a layer of 1–1.5 cm and also compacted slightly. And now - rather, it will quickly melt!

Small seeds are laid out or scattered on the snow, but not as carefully as on the soil. They are very visible in the snow, and with a little skill, using a pair of toothpicks or small tweezers, the seeds can be transferred to the desired place. The snow will begin to melt and pull the seeds along with it exactly to the depth required for successful seedling pipping; This cannot be done on dry or wet soil. There is no need to water it. Be sure to close the box with glass or film and continue as usual.

Every grain is clearly visible in the snow, you just have to catch it before it melts

The use of snow allows for more efficient use of expensive seed material, does not require watering the crops, which usually leads to the seeds moving from their original place, but still requires maximum concentration and speed when sowing.

Sowing in peat tablets

Peat tablets are a very successful invention that makes it very easy to grow seedlings of many types of vegetable or flower crops. They can be made from various peat by pressing it with the addition of microfertilizers and growth stimulants, so they rarely require additional feeding. The tablets are released packaged in a light mesh that prevents the destruction of the material. Before use, the tablets are placed in a tray (or better yet, in a transparent lockable box) and gradually watered until completely swollen. At the same time, they increase in height several times. Excess water is drained. At one end of the tablet there is a recess for sowing seeds.

Tablets are available in various sizes; For petunia seedlings, those with a diameter of 40 mm or more are suitable.

If you have peat tablets, you can do without boxes and picks and sow the seeds directly into the tablets. But, of course, this is possible when growing only a small number of seedlings: they take up a lot of space and cost a lot of money. It is especially convenient to sow granulated seeds in tablets, but there are not too many problems with ordinary ones, you just need to arm yourself with toothpicks and, possibly, glasses or a magnifying glass.

Place one seed into the recess of each soaked tablet, and then moisten it with water from a spray bottle or eye dropper. If these were pelleted seeds, their shell will become soaked after a few minutes, and it can be slightly smeared on the peat. Ordinary seeds are simply drawn with a drop of water from a pipette into the peat to the desired shallow depth.

Wet tablets make an excellent individual home for seedlings

If a large plastic grocery container is found as a container for pills, this is the most suitable option. It is covered with a lid and transferred to a warm place (20–25 o C). Most likely, you won’t need to water at first. In general, tablets are usually watered “through the bottom”: water poured into the bottom of the container is itself absorbed into the peat in the required quantities.

Further care is normal. When seedlings appear, lower the temperature by 3–4 degrees for several days, then return it to the required values. Monitor the humidity, periodically adding water and ventilating the plantings. No diving is required: the seedlings are transferred to the garden bed for the summer along with the tablet, however, the mesh is usually removed from it. However, if the tablets were small and the roots grew through the peat ahead of time, you will have to transplant the tablet, as is, into a larger pot with soil mixture. The pot may also require feeding.

Thus, the use of tablets has only one drawback: extra money spent, but in the case of growing a small amount of petunias, all the convenience more than covers it.