Petunia is one of the most popular flowering garden crops. Flowerbeds or wooden tubs with lush bouquets of bright "gramophone" will be an excellent decoration of the garden, and a cache-pot with luxurious ampelous plants perfectly complement the interior of the balcony, porch, terrace. Among the many varieties of this culture, Petunia Grandiflora occupies a special place. Despite the fact that gardeners speak of them as very picky individuals, it is quite possible to grow large-flowered varieties on their site or in a mini-garden on the windowsill. Next, let's talk about how it is grown from the seeds of Petunia Grandiflora. The photos posted in the article demonstrate its amazing beauty.
What is Petunia Grandiflora?
Grandiflora Petunias are flowering annuals. These are representatives of the nightshade family. Unlike ordinary petunias, Grandiflora varieties cannot boast a large number of flowers on a bush, but the size of the buds is really impressive. Plants are relatively undersized: the height of the bushes rarely exceeds 25-50 cm. The Grandiflora petunias have a flower diameter of 9-12 cm. Gramophone finishes of various shades can be simple or double. In terry inflorescences seeds are tied very rarely.
Petunia is generally considered a very sophisticated plant, demanding care, and Grandiflora's petunias can be called sisses at all, they are so sensitive to lack or excess of moisture, temperature changes and windy weather. In this regard, the cultivation of seedlings from seeds, and then to the care of "adolescents" and adult plants should be approached with all care and care. It usually takes 85-95 days after sowing the seeds before Grandiflora will delight you with luxurious flowering.
Petunia Grandiflora: photos and descriptions of the most popular varieties
1. Petunia Grandiflora Prism Sunshine is a large-flowered variety with inflorescences of a bright lemon-yellow hue. The height of the bushes is up to 25 cm.
2. Petunia Grandiflora Dreams (Dreams) - a series of hybrids created in the United States. Plants are resistant to difficult weather conditions. The bushes are lush, compact, stunted. Inflorescences can have the following color:
- white;
- red;
- light purple;
- salmon with white throat;
- pink with yellow throat.
3. Petunia Grandiflora Burgundy (Burgundy) - the bushes are quite large, reach 35 cm in height, bloom from early summer to the first frost, “gramophone” velvet, rich dark cherry shade.
4. Petunia Grandiflora Limbo (Limbo) - a variety characterized by compact size of bushes, excellent branching and abundant flowering. Limbo is a whole group of hybrids, including petunias with white, red, soft and saturated pink, blue and light lilac, bright cherry flowers. There are also combined inflorescences: white-pink, white-lilac, etc. Limbous petunia blooms quite early, for which gardeners are especially appreciated.
5. Petunia Grandiflora Aladdin (Aladdin) - plants with a height of 25-40 cm with amazingly beautiful flowers with lace edges. Unlike other hybrids of the Grandiflora series, Aladdin petunias are drought tolerant. Among the colors, the most popular are lavender, raspberry, blue-violet, red with white throat, etc.
How to choose the right seeds?
Good seeds are the key to your success in growing petunias. Today in flower shops you can find planting material from a variety of manufacturers, but the main reference point for you should be the F1 mark on the package. We recommend purchasing several small packages from different manufacturers in different places. You should not collect the seeds yourself, as it is not a fact that next year petunias will grow from them with the same color, shape and size of the inflorescences. As practice shows, weaker plants grow from self-collected seeds, with less decorative and brightly colored flowers.
Petunia seeds are very small, so sowing them is time-consuming. It is important that they are evenly distributed over the surface of the soil. Manufacturers who carry out special processing of seeds and supply them in the form of granules or dragees help to solve this problem. Such a coarse fraction makes it easier to decompose them in the tank for sowing. And do not worry about the fact that light will not enter the seed through the shell (petunia seeds germinate only in the light), because such pre-treatment significantly increases germination, which means that the first sprouts will come out of the dragee very soon.
Soil preparation and sowing
The soil for sowing Grandiflora petunias should be selected light, loose, nutritious. This recipe has proven itself well:
- peat - 2 parts;
- humus - 2 parts;
- turf land - 1 part.
You can also add some wood ash.
Before laying out the seeds, moisten the soil with a spray gun. If you purchased unprocessed seeds, then for convenience we recommend mixing them with fine sand and just scattering them on the soil surface. In no case do not sprinkle them on top of the ground! At a minimum, you will increase the period until the first shoots appear, but at the maximum, you will not wait for them at all. The seeds placed in the container are sprayed again. This time, instead of usually water, it is better to take a pink solution of potassium permanganate. After that, cover the container with glass or film and place in a bright place with a temperature of 22-24 ° C.
If your choice is seeds in the form of dragees, then spread them on the surface of the soil with tweezers, just do not part so that the shoots do not interfere with each other's development in the future. When working with granular seeds, a good choice is seedling cups or mini-hotbeds with insulated containers. Feel free to sow one seed in each such cup, and after 7-10 days the first seedlings will appear.
Peat tablets with a diameter of 3.5-4.5 cm are also a good option for sowing Grandiflora petunias. Each tablet is pre-immersed in water for 5-10 minutes to form the necessary moisture reserve. One seed is sown in each peat keg, they are all placed in a suitable container, covered with glass or film.
First shoots
So, the seeds of petunias have sprouted. However, this does not mean that you can immediately remove the film, glass or lid of the finished greenhouse. Two to three times a day, shoots are allowed to breathe fresh air, and then sheltered again. So they continue to do until the first real leaf appears. Only then can the film or glass be removed completely.
Be careful when watering fragile sprouts of petunias. With a lack of moisture, they immediately die. Waterlogging is no less destructive: sprouts can become ill with a black leg. As a prevention of this disease, regular spraying of seedlings with a weak solution of potassium permanganate appears. Watering itself is best done using a spray gun, or from below - through a tray.
In addition, at least once a week it is necessary to feed the "kids".
Pick
When the seedlings appear 2-4 true leaves, you can proceed to picking young plants in separate cups. If you initially sowed one seed in separate containers, you can skip this step.
New soil should be equally loose and nutritious. When moving from one container to another, try to maintain maximum soil on the roots of seedlings: this way it will survive stress more easily. Make sure that the seedling growth point is not buried in the soil. After diving for several days, place the seedlings in a bright place, but so that direct sunlight does not fall on it. Next, select the most illuminated area for petunia seedlings, otherwise the rapidly developing shoots will stretch out very much.
Permanent landing
First of all, let's talk about where the Grandiflora petunias grow well. As already mentioned at the beginning of the article, this is a rather finicky plant, so the place should be protected from the winds, well lit, moderately moist. In the case of growing petunias in flowerpots or tubs, the problem is easily solved by transferring containers from one place to another. But with the placement of petunias on the beds you need to be more careful.
Bushes are planted in open ground when spring frosts finally recede. On the eve of the transplant, it is recommended that the seedlings be quenched in the open air for 4-5 days. Place the bushes at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other, as they grow very well. Before and after transplantation, the kidney must be well moistened. To prevent the quick drying of the earthen coma, mulching is used. Even if the aerial part of the plant dies in extreme heat, the mulch will keep its roots in moist soil, which means that your petunia can still recover and turn back into a lush flowering bush.
Some useful tips for beginners
If you want to please yourself with the flowering of Grandiflora petunias in May or early June, then you should start sowing seeds in late January - early February. Since at this time the daylight is still not so long, do not forget about the additional illumination of seedlings.
If you grow seedlings of petunias in peat tablets, then you should plant young plants on a flower bed or in a tub directly with this, the very first, pot. So you can avoid injury to the root system of the seedling, which means that petunia will take faster.
If, as a result of waterlogging of the soil, the sprouts become ill with a black leg, immediately remove all damaged seedlings together with the soil adjacent to them. After that, treat all healthy petunias with Fitosporin or another suitable fungicide.