How to grow a petunia to enjoy lush blooms all summer long

Petunia is an unpretentious and spectacular annual. It is rarely used as a room: the apartment is often too dry and hot air, as well as little sunlight. But on the balcony and on the street it is easier to create favorable conditions for the growth and development of the plant. With regular watering and top dressing, it will bloom until the very frost.

Choose a petunia

There are several groups of petunias. They differ in the shape of the bush, the length of the shoots, the size, number and type of flowers.

First of all, you need to decide where you will grow plants: in hanging pots, potted or in the flower beds. For example, for vertical gardening, a cascade form with 50–150 cm long shoots sliding down or an ampelous form is suitable - its shoots are thicker and reach 2 m. Bush petunias form compact balls no more than 40–50 cm high, so they are best planted in small pots or outdoor flowerpots.

All forms of petunias can have simple or double flowers of different diameters: small-flowered - 5-7 cm, large-flowered - 10-12 cm.

Usually information about the variety is indicated on the package with seeds. When buying ready seedlings you can check with the seller the variety of petunias.

Prepare seedlings

There are three ways to get petunia seedlings, each of which is considered effective. Which one to choose is up to you.

How to grow petunias from seeds

From seedlings to the beginning of flowering, petunias take an average of 3 months. Experienced gardeners are in a hurry to sow it from the beginning of February to the end of March in order to plant bright bushes on their plots as early as possible. If you are willing to wait to enjoy the petunia flowers only in the second half summer, try to germinate the seeds in April.

1. Prepare containers for seedlings

For sowing, take small containers and fill them with soil so that there is free space on top - 0.5 cm is enough. It is best to choose a peat substrate - it is loose and light, but a universal soil for flower seedlings is also suitable.

Compact the soil well. If it is too dry, lightly dampen it with a spray bottle. Make grooves on the surface with a depth of 2-3 mm. The distance between rows is 1 cm.

And do not forget to write on the container the variety of flowers you are going to plant.

2. Sow a petunia

Petunia seeds are very small and are usually sold as granules. Lay them in grooves at a distance of 1–1.5 cm from each other, but do not deepen. A very thin layer of dry river sand can be poured on top: it will absorb excess moisture and protect future shoots from rotting.

Gently spray the seeds with water from a spray bottle, cover the container with a transparent lid or film and send it to a warm sunny place, and preferably under phytolamp.

3. Wait for shoots

Every day you need to remove the lid of the container and wipe the condensate from it. If it has stopped gathering, it's time to moisten the seeds again with a spray bottle. To speed up the germination process, you can gently break up the granules with a toothpick.

As a rule, seedlings appear after 5 days, but it all depends on the quality of the seeds, so be patient.

4. Take care of seedlings

As soon as sprouts appear from the ground, remove the lid from the container and place it in a lighted cool place: at 18-20 ° C, the seedlings will not stretch. At this stage, petunias need to be backlit - at least 14-16 hours. Suitable as a special phytolamp for plants, and conventional fluorescent. One 36 W lamp is enough for 1 m².

Make sure that the soil does not dry out, but do not flood it: waterlogging is also detrimental to sprouts. Carefully and little by little water them as needed. It is convenient to do this with a syringe or syringe. You can also loosen the ground around the sprouts with a toothpick so that the soil does not become covered with a crust, and the roots of the plant can breathe.

5. Pick up the plants

This is necessary for proper development. As soon as the petunias have two pairs of true leaves, you need to plant the plants in separate cups with a volume of 100–200 ml or in seedling cassettes.

Fill the containers with potting soil and make a small indentation in the center of each. Moisten the soil in the container, carefully remove the sprouts from the ground by prying them with a spoon or fork, and move them one by one to the prepared pots. Petunias can be buried in the soil to the cotyledon leaves.

After picks do not forget to carefully water the seedlings with water or a solution of any rooting agent at the rate of 0.5 g of the product per 1 liter of water. For two days, do not turn on the fitolamps and protect the petunias from direct sunlight. This will help the seedlings recover.

6. Grow and feed petunias

7-10 days after picking feed seedlings with calcium nitrate: it contains nitrogen, which will help small petunias get stronger faster. To prepare the solution, mix 1 g of the product with 1 liter of water and water the plants under the root. Subsequent top dressing is carried out weekly, using complex mineral fertilizers with a uniform distribution of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium - for example, 20: 20: 20. The required dosage is indicated on the package.

How to choose ready-made petunia seedlings

This method is suitable for those who did not have time to sow petunias on time or simply do not want to do this. And this option also saves in cases where your seedlings have died for some reason.

For flowering bushes, go to garden centers: they have just started selling petunia seedlings. When buying, pay attention to the quality:

• The bush should be squat and shaped like a crab.
• The petunia should have powerful multiple shoots. Thin and elongated peduncles indicate the wrong development of the plant.
• Foliage of high-quality seedlings of saturated green color. Light coloring, spots and yellow streaks can be the result of malnutrition and even disease.

Buy now blooming seedlings: so you will definitely be sure of the color and appearance of the petunia.

How to grow petunias from cuttings

This method will appeal to those who want to save on seedlings, because many new ones can be obtained from one plant. In addition, there are vegetative petunias that reproduce exclusively by cuttings.

1. Prepare the cuttings

Cut off the side shoots of the petunia, stepping back from the top at least 5 cm. On the handle, you need to remove all the lower leaves and leave literally two pairs of the upper ones.

2. Send the petunia to root

Pour 5 cm of peat substrate into a container or seedling cassettes and moisten it well. Stick the cuttings into the soil to a depth of 1.5–2 cm. The distance between them should be 2-3 cm. For best results, you can pre-dust the base of the stems with rooting powder.

Peat tablets are an alternative to soil. Fill them with hot water, wait for them to swell and cool, and dip one cutting into each tablet.

To root future seedlings, you need to create greenhouse conditions. Cover the container with a lid or place in a transparent bag and tie off the top. Place mini-greenhouses under phytolamps or on a warm, sunny windowsill. It is good if the temperature does not fall below 25 ° C.

Every day open containers for 15-30 minutes: ventilation will reduce the risk of fungal diseases. If the soil or peat tablets are dry, lightly moisten them with water.

After 7-10 days, the petunia cuttings will take root and will be ready for picking or transplanting, if we are talking about peat tablets.

Create the right conditions for seedlings

Petunia loves water, but watering should be moderate. When waterlogged, the root system stops breathing and fully receives nutrients, which can lead to improper development or even death flower. Focus on the surface of the soil: if it is dry, you can water it.

Petunias need good lighting to grow. If it is not possible to place seedlings on a sunny windowsill, put it under a phytolamp and illuminate it for at least 12 hours a day. It is also important that the room temperature is between 20-23 °C. In too warm conditions, petunia shoots begin to stretch.

It is also important to properly arrange the plants. There should be such a distance between them that they do not touch the leaves. So your petunias will develop evenly, acquiring many shoots in a circle and taking on the shape of a ball.

Transplant plants early

This flower quickly builds up the root system. And when the petunia becomes crowded in a glass of 100–200 ml, it stops its development.

So, as soon as the leaves and shoots begin to actively go beyond the pots, and the roots completely braid the earthen clod, transplant seedlings. Feel free to double the capacity. For example, a glass of 100–200 ml can be replaced with a 500 ml glass. Petunia is very fond of transplants, and a slight injury to the roots makes her grow even more actively.

Petunias like light and loose soils. Peat substrates or flower soils with a neutral level of acidity are suitable for its cultivation. You can add agroperlite to them for breathability or vermiculite, which will absorb moisture and save you from overflow and drought. These components are mixed with the earth in a ratio of 1: 10.

How to plant a petunia in a pot

The timing of the "relocation" of the flower to the open air will be different for each region, so be guided by the air temperature - 18-20 ° C during the day and 5-10 ° C at night.

For ampelous and cascading petunias, there is a rule: the larger the pot, the more magnificent the bush and the brighter the flowering. It makes sense to plant such species in a pot with a volume of at least 5 liters for one plant. Usually seedlings are sold in cups of 500 ml. In the same way, many gardeners grow it at home to save valuable space. on the windowsill. But if you transfer the petunia immediately into a 5-liter container, the roots will begin to develop a new space, the bush will grow more slowly, and flowering will be delayed. Therefore, make an intermediate transshipment into a 2-liter planter, and only then “relocate” the petunia into a large pot.

Bush varieties require less space. Seedlings can be sent to a pot in several pieces. For example, in a pot with a diameter of 21 cm, three petunias will develop harmoniously.

Also, they coexist well. balcony boxes: just plant them 20-30 cm apart.

How to plant a petunia in open ground

Find the sunniest spot in your area for your petunia and prepare a flower bed. The soil should be loose, light and literally crumble in your hands. If the bed has heavy soil, you can add peat and river sand to it. And a few days before planting the plants, add compost at the rate of 30 liters per 1 m² and dig the bed onto a shovel bayonet. This will provide the plants with long-term nutrition.

Spill the soil well with water and make holes according to the size of the seedling container. Bush petunias should be planted at a distance of 30-35 cm, but ampel and cascade petunias can be placed even a meter apart - then they will cover flower bed dense flowering carpet.

Carefully remove the petunia from the pot and, together with an earthy clod, put it in the hole, sprinkle the voids and slightly compact the soil around the plant. In this case, the root neck should remain at the same level with the soil. A small layer of peat can be poured onto the surface of the earth - it will retain moisture. Pour plenty of water over the petunia and provide it with subsequent care.

Feed your petunias regularly

Petunia is quite voracious and responds well to the introduction fertilizer. Without regular top dressing, it will be difficult to achieve abundant flowering and splendor of the bush. The best option is to feed the petunia every week with a complex mineral fertilizer with an even distribution of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium - for example, 20: 20: 20.

You can alternate root and foliar top dressing. Fertilize for one week in moist soil so as not to burn the roots. And after 7 days, spray on the leaf in the evening so that the sunlight does not provoke a burn of the leaves.

Take good care of your flowers

Watering an adult petunia is necessary in the same way as seedlings - as the soil dries up. When growing in hanging pots in the heat, this will most likely have to be done daily. By the way, try to place them in the sun to provide the plants with sufficient lighting.

But you don’t have to worry about weed control: lush petunia bushes simply do not give them a chance to fully develop.

trim your petunia

With the help of a haircut, you can give the plant the desired shape if you shorten too long shoots. From this procedure, the petunia will bush and produce more buds. Also try to remove fading flowersso that the plant does not waste energy on seed maturation. And if in the middle of summer all the old shoots are cut off along the contour of the pot, the petunia will quickly grow a fresh green mass and will delight with bright flowering until the autumn frosts.