It is unlikely that there will be a person who would pass by this wonderful plant indifferently, without stopping at least for a moment, to admire its beautiful flowering. Due to the simplicity of cultivation and care, it has become a welcome guest in almost every house, in every garden plot or cottage. This magnificent living decoration is a bright, impressive petunia of the Mona Lisa multicolor creeping cascading.
Reviews
Flower enthusiasts generously share their experiences in breeding petunias in the nets, emphasize their unpretentiousness and subtle grace. In their opinion, everyone, observing simple rules, can grow this wonderful flower that will delight with its unique beauty throughout the whole summer.
A truly unique plant that can adapt to a wide variety of climates and any soil - the Gioconda petunia is a multi-flowered creeping cascade. Reviews are full of praises for her unpretentious care and the unusual flowering time. Petunia lovers recommend that everyone who wants to decorate a terrace, a balcony or a flower bed, pay attention to this beautiful flower.
Origin
Petunia Gioconda is a multi-flowered cascading cascade (reviews say this) the beginning of its history is due to South America. The perennial herb belongs to the Solanaceae family and is a relative of potato and tomato. The name of the plant dates back to the Portuguese petun ("tobacco").
Petunia is loved and popular all over the world. But few people know that to its popularity, it has come a long and difficult path 200 years long.
Description
This flower is not grown as an indoor, but it is believed that the best plants for decorating windows and balconies cannot be found.
The leaves of the petunia are whole, sessile or on short petioles, have a different size and shape, are arranged alternately on the stems. The stems are branched, green, creeping, drooping or erect, depending on the variety.
Flowers in their shape resemble a funnel. They are terry and simple, large and small. The coloring is famous for a variety of spectra - from pure white, light pink and yellow to bright, saturated blue, violet, red. There are varieties with a colorful pattern of flowers combining various shades. The pattern of the edges of the petal can be smooth or fringed.
The fruit of a petunia is a box filled with the smallest seeds (up to 10 thousand pieces per 1 g), which retain their germination for 2-3 years.
Petunia Gioconda cascading multiflorum (reviews contain extensive information about the flower) is one of the many hybrids that are used as annuals in floriculture.
Varieties
Hybrids are all cultivated varieties of petunias. It is known that the first of them appeared in the middle of the 19th century. There are 4 types of petunias:
- large-flowered (with a flower size in diameter up to 10 cm);
- multi-flowered with small (about 3-5 cm in diameter) flowers;
- undersized, dwarf (up to 15-30 cm);
- ampelous - these include the now popular surfinia and Gioconda petunia, a multi-flowered cascading cascading.
Most Popular
A great number of hybrids and varieties of petunias have won the favor and true love of connoisseurs. Among them, the most popular are:
- Double Cascade.
- Gioconda.
- Ramblin (refers to the surfins).
Petunia Gioconda multi-flowering cascading: reviews, photos
According to reviews, this hybrid is one of the most attractive varieties. A low, chic bush with highly branched shoots that are densely covered with flowers (diameter about 5-6 cm) is a real pearl of the garden. It has an excellent view when landing in hanging planters with a capacity of up to 10 liters. A huge plus of the plant, which the authors of the reviews emphasize, is its ability to adapt to a wide range of temperatures, which allows you to grow this variety in various climatic zones, as well as save it during the winter period.
Quite a great variety of coloring flower buds. Mona Lisa happens:
- magenta;
- pink;
- Violet
- scarlet;
- bright scarlet;
- orange
- neon;
- salmon;
- white.
Of particular interest to lovers is the Gioconda petunia, a purple multi-flowering cascading cascading. In the presented photo you can admire the extraordinary beauty of the flower.
User reviews indicate that it turns out that growing petunias in your garden is not so simple. It is not always possible to match the images on the advertising leaflets of the Petunia Gioconda with a multi-flowered cascading cascading.
Planting and caring for the plant, according to experienced flower growers, differ in some features. Experts recommend that everyone who wants to grow Gioconda in their garden or on the balcony follow a number of simple recommendations.
How is petunia grown?
Petunia Gioconda is a multi-flowering cascading cascade, the cultivation of which is described in the reviews, requires the following:
- In the garden, she should set aside a place well lit by the sun.
- Despite the thermophilicity and drought tolerance, petunia hardly tolerates excessively high temperatures and, as a result, is susceptible to damage by a spider mite. Prevention - fine spraying.
- The plant requires regular watering; in hot weather, petunias should be watered in the morning and evening.
- Excessive moisture in the soil and stagnation of water in it should not be allowed.
- The plant should be placed in places protected from the wind, which can break long shoots.
- Any relatively fertile soil is suitable for flowers, but loamy and sandy loam is most of all. On the balcony for petunias, the composition should be used: deciduous and sod land, peat, coarse river sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1: 1.
- Once every two weeks during the entire flowering time, fertilizing with complex fertilizer should be carried out for flowers with a high content of potassium.
- It is necessary to prevent ovaries from forming, timely removing faded flowers, thereby stimulating the laying of new buds.
- In order to grow a beautiful plant, it is necessary to carry out the formation of a bush. To do this, pinch the shoots, which stimulates the formation of new branches and flowers, the plant becomes more magnificent.
Seed cultivation
Today, throughout the entire spring / summer season, in flower shops and in the market, you can freely buy ready-made seedlings of petunias. Some people prefer to grow seedlings on their own. At the same time, experts recommend purchasing quality seeds from trusted suppliers.
Many varieties of petunias propagate by seeds, including hybrids, which include the Gioconda petunia, a multi-flowering cascading cascade.
Growing from seedlings is carried out in March. Timing is dictated by the desired time for planting flowers on the balcony or in the garden. Growing from seeds of developed seedlings lasts about three months.
The soil is pre-prepared for planting, sifted and watered abundantly. Seeds are recommended to be mixed with sand in order to ensure a more uniform distribution over the soil, then they are sown without seeding, irrigated with a spray gun. After that they should be covered with a film or glass.
Optimal for seed germination is a temperature of 20-23 degrees. Higher temperatures or lack of light leads to stretching, lodging and damage to the plant with fungal diseases.
Usually the seeds germinate for 5-7 days. Then the film or glass is removed. Watering young seedlings, observing moderation and caution. Air temperature gradually drops to plus 18 degrees.
After the appearance of real leaves, seedlings must be dived in boxes, and after a month - in pots. To ensure compactness, the shoots pinch, which in the future is an incentive for branching the plant.
In April, seedlings are recommended to be tempered, and at the end of the frosts, planted in a permanent place at a distance between sprouts of 25-30 cm.
If petunia is planted on the balcony, one should proceed from the calculation: no more than 3 plants are planted in a 10-liter container. A denser planting leads to the fact that the plants are stretched, their decorative effect is lost.
Propagation by cuttings
When propagating by cuttings, the uterine plants must be dug in the fall, transplanted into pots, cut old shoots and placed for the winter in a bright and cool, well-ventilated room.
Optimum storage temperature - plus 10-12 degrees with moderate watering.
With the onset of spring, young apical cuttings with a length of about 10 cm should be cut from the plant. All leaves, with the exception of the top two, must be removed from them. In order to improve root formation, the lower part of the shank should be immersed in a solution of phytohormones, then the shanks are planted in loose soil with sufficient breathability or in wet sand, they should be poured and covered with glass or film.
After cutting, cuttings are recommended to be planted as soon as possible. When grafting, this rule is common to all plants. The exception is succulents, which must be dried before planting.
The optimum temperature for rooting is plus 20-23 degrees in the presence of good lighting.
In conditions of short daylight hours , additional illumination with the use of fluorescent lamps is recommended, prolonging daylight hours up to 10 hours.
Care must be taken to maintain a constant soil moisture. The roots of the cuttings form in about a week. After the appearance of leaves, plants are planted in small pots, with the growth of petunias, the volume of pots should be increased. Further, the plants are provided with care, as grown from seeds.
How to deal with diseases?
Petunias are quite hardy plants, but the presence of adverse conditions can still cause them to have diseases or pests.
1. Fungal diseases. Appear with thick crops, excessive watering, improper soil selection (too heavy). Seedlings can die from the development of basal rot. It is recommended that:
- remove the diseased plant with a part of the land adjacent to it;
- treat all remaining flowers with fungicides;
- when watering, do not overmoisten the soil and prevent moisture stagnation in it.
Powdery mildew (white bloom on leaves and flowers) is also referred to fungal diseases. The cause of the occurrence is sharp changes in temperature and humidity. Measures to combat it include: removal of the affected fragments of the plant, its treatment with sulfur.
For the prevention of fungal diseases should:
- choose light land for sowing (PH <6);
- steam before sowing;
- to sow and plant plants is not too thick;
- adhere to the temperature regime;
- avoid excess nitrogen fertilizer content, as well as stagnation of water in the soil.
2. Yellowing of the leaves. Causes:
- violation of the temperature regime, as well as the irrigation regime;
- pest damage (spider mite, aphid, whitefly);
- development of true chlorosis (iron deficiency).
Pest control methods include:
- spraying and washing the leaves with water or a weak tobacco infusion, pollination with ground sulfur (in air), treatment with ready-made systemic insecticides (from spider mites);
- treatment with a solution (1: 1) of nicotine sulfate in soapy water (from aphids);
- treatment with permethrin preparations (2%) every three days (from whiteflies);
- the introduction of preparations containing iron (from true chlorosis).
New Champion
The Petunia F1 Gioconda, a multi-flowering cascading cascade - a recently bred hybrid, according to reviews, is a serious competitor to surfinias - recognized champions for the abundance of flowering. Propagated exclusively vegetatively.
Breeding this variety is considered a revolutionary breakthrough in breeding. This is the first petunia in the world to give a staggering amount of flowers.
It is a plant with well-branched, powerful shoots 20 cm high, which are able to cover the soil when grown in open ground up to 1 m in diameter.
Variety F1 - Gioconda petunia stellate multiflorum creeping cascading (reviews confirm this) - adapts to the widest temperature range: plus 8-40 degrees Celsius.
If grown in containers, the volume of the latter should be sufficient, and top dressing should be carried out weekly to maintain the beauty of the plant.
You can carefully consider the hybrid F1 in the photo (the Gioconda petunia is a stellate multi-flowering cascading cascading).
Reviews contain information about the optimal conditions for growing the plant. These include providing an 11-hour daylight and maintaining a temperature of 20-22 degrees. Subject to these conditions, as the authors of the reviews indicate, the plants remain flowering throughout the year. According to reviews, the variety is great for seedling production.
The plant is very strong, flowering begins at the initial stage of its development. The diameter of the inflorescence reaches 100 cm, the flower in diameter is 6 cm.
You can sow seedlings from February to April. It must be superficial. Seed growth occurs in the light. February crops need additional illumination. Shoots usually appear on the 5-6th day. With the appearance of 1-2 true leaves, it is necessary to pick. At the end of May, seedlings are hardened and planted in the ground.
To ensure abundant and prolonged flowering of the plant, it is necessary to water the soil in a timely manner, regularly weed, loosen and feed with mineral fertilizers.
Users recommend
One of the phenomenal features of the Mona Lisa F1, announced by the manufacturer, is its ability to adapt to lower temperatures. The hybrid is positioned as an extremely hardy variety: with minus indicators of air temperature, the plant does not die, but only slows down its growth.
Users confirm the phenomenal resistance of the Mona Lisa F1 to the aggressive effects of adverse conditions. So, one of the most popular varieties - Gioconda F1 petunia, a multi-flowering cascading salmon cascade - has earned many rave reviews. According to amateur gardeners, the plant not only looks advantageous next to other varieties in the flower bed, but also during autumn frosts to minus 3 degrees does not lose its decorative qualities. Users strongly recommend this variety for decorating flower beds, gardens, balconies.
The Gioconda petunia hybrid is a confident competitor to the best ampel varieties. When growing it in pots and hanging baskets, everyone notes the uniform distribution of flowers on its branches, forming lush beautiful garlands. The phenomenal features of the new varieties of Gioconda - frost resistance, year-round flowering and others - are invaluable qualities that open up new interesting opportunities for gardeners.