Petunia: growing from seeds at home

The color of the petunia is extremely varied, and the flowers are stunningly beautiful. Petunia looks great on a flower bed, on a balcony, in flowerpots and hanging pots. In addition, it does not require special care, is not capricious and even a novice florist can easily grow it.

Petunia: sowing seeds for seedlings

It is possible to sow seeds for seedlings already in February, although then additional illumination with special phyto-lamps or fluorescent lamps will be required to increase daylight hours for plants. Conventional table lamps will not help here - they will not have the positive impact that we need. Prepare the soil, regular flower soil will do. Be sure to disinfect it: either steam it in a double boiler, or spill it with potassium permanganate solution. Growing any seedlings, we are primarily afraid of the "black leg" - germ disease, so any prevention will only benefit. Sift the top of the soil so that it is loose and airy, this will greatly facilitate the germination of seeds. The seeds are small, you can mix them with sand and spread evenly over the soil surface, moisten with a spray bottle and cover with glass or film. Place the resulting greenhouse in a warm, bright place (do not forget to water and ventilate daily), the first shoots should appear in 7-8 days. Perhaps not all seeds will sprout together, and the sprouts will appear with a difference of 1-2 days. But if within two weeks the seedlings did not appear, then you should not wait, most likely, the matter is in low-quality seeds or violation of storage rules. When seedlings appear, remove the film, add soil if necessary (we sowed seeds on the surface). Make sure that there are no temperature differences and drafts in the room where the seedlings are located. When the petunias already have 4-5 true leaves, we proceed to the pick. When planting plants in separate pots, be very careful not to damage the root system. Give the bushes a few days to recover after transplanting and start hardening - take them out daily to the balcony or to the garden. The first days are enough for 10-15 minutes, then gradually increase the time spent on the street. In order for the petunia bushes to be more lush, pinch the growing point, this stimulates the development of lateral shoots and makes the bush more voluminous. When the threat of frost passes on the street, and the seedlings get strong enough, you can transplant it to a permanent place, and most likely by this time the first flowers will already appear.

Petunia: care

When choosing a permanent place for a petunia, remember that she loves the sun very much, a short-term drought is not terrible for her, stagnation of water is much more dangerous. Therefore, when planting it in balcony boxes, flowerpots and hanging pots, be sure to make sure that there are drainage holes and lay a layer of expanded clay on the bottom. To keep blooming lush throughout the season, feed your petunias with liquid flowering fertilizer once a week. When planting petunia in flower beds, place it along the edges, since the plant is undersized and in the center it may not have enough light, taller flowers will shade it. The distance between the bushes should be 15-30 cm, depending on the variety and the degree of growth. Petunias have very delicate flowers and can be damaged by heavy rain. If possible, flowerpots and pots can be hidden under a canopy. But if such a situation does arise, do not worry. Remove the flowers spoiled by the bad weather and after a couple of days you will see new buds in their place.Also remove the fading inflorescences in a timely manner so that the plant directs its forces not to the ripening of seeds (there can be more than a hundred seeds in one box), but to the formation of new buds.

How to keep plants

If you fell in love with petunia so much over the summer that you are not ready to part with it, then you can try to save the plants until next year. This can be done in two ways: with a bush or cuttings. Before the onset of cold days, dig out the plants you like and transplant them into pots, remove all dried or damaged leaves, you can even cut off the branches, leaving 12-15 cm.Water the plants 2-3 times a month and ensure the temperature is around +15 degrees - in such petunia will comfortably overwinter and will begin to bloom by February. With the beginning of flowering, you can increase watering and start feeding with mineral fertilizers, and in the spring, plant it again in the ground. But the best way would be cuttings, experienced flower growers say that young plants bloom more abundantly than "repeaters". Cuttings about 12 cm in size should be cut in the second half of August, and then everything, as with any other plant (for example, geranium). Remove the lower leaves, dip in Kornevin for the fastest achievement, and plant in a container with moist soil. You can cover it with a bag on top to create a greenhouse, just do not forget about daily airing and moistening the soil. Petunia usually tolerates this procedure well, roots appear within 1 to 2 weeks. The emergence of new shoots from the leaf axils is a signal that the plant is rooted and fully viable. By the beginning of spring, flowering can be expected, and with the onset of warmth, transplant to a new place.

Varieties of petunias

There are many varieties of petunias. If we talk about the shape of the bush, then they are simple, ampelous and cascading. By the type of flowering, they are divided into large-flowered and small-flowered, profusely flowering, simple and double. There are petunias with corrugated petals, one-color and two-color. When choosing seeds in a store, it is sometimes very difficult to control yourself and not buy everything at once. Simple bush petunias are suitable for a flower bed, but for a balcony box or hanging planter it is better to choose cascading or ampelous varieties - they beautifully flow over the edge with a wave decorated with many bright colors.

As you can see, growing petunias requires little effort. The main thing is to plant seeds on time and grow healthy seedlings, and in a few months your balcony or garden area will become a source of pride and admiration.