Petunias belong to perennial plants of the nightshade family, but in the open ground of the CIS countries they are grown mainly as annual flowers, since they do not tolerate harsh winters - it is not possible to preserve them at this time in a country with a cold climate.
The birthplace of these beautiful plants is South America, which is the reason for their thermophilicity. They arrived in Europe at the beginning of the 19th century.
Description of petunia as an ornamental plant
Petunias grow in the form of small low bushes. Their height is from 15 to 30 cm. These plants have green or dark green oval leaves. Their length is from 5 to 12 cm. The flowers of petunias are varied in color: white, blue, red, purple and pink. Petunia flowers are quite large (5-13 cm in diameter) and expressive, which allows these plants to be very popular among gardeners. For many people, the favorite garden flower is petunia. Care and growing this plant does not require too much effort, which allows gardeners to admire the beauty of flowers in their area, without spending too much time and effort on caring for the plants. Also, these flowers can grow in pots. Many people buy beautiful indoor flowers near their holidays, and petunias with their large bright flowers will certainly not leave anyone indifferent, so it is possible to grow petunias for sale. To do this, it is better to equip a special greenhouse.
Varieties of Petunias
Depending on the size of the flower, petunias are divided into two main groups: large-flowered and multi-flowered.
Large-flowered varieties of petunias, as the name implies, have large flowers - up to 13 cm in diameter. Such plants are called the Petunia grandiflora hybrid. If you can grow petunias in a greenhouse, then for large-flowered petunias this will be ideal, as they are afraid of heavy rain and harsh wind.
The second group is Petunia, a hybrid of multiflora, that is, multi-flowered petunia. Such varieties have smaller flowers (5-6 cm in diameter), but they, unlike large-flowered ones, can bloom several times a year. If you want to plant a petunia in a place that is unprotected from wind and rain, then it’s multi-flowered that suits you petunia. Care and cultivation of such varieties require less time, as they are less capricious, resistant to adverse weather conditions and not as susceptible to diseases as large-flowered.
Cascading and ampelous petunias
Varieties of cascade and ampelous petunias can be distinguished as a separate group. Their main characteristic difference is the flexible stem. Such varieties of plants are grown in special pots or in hanging pots. These varieties of petunias grow in such a way that their stems begin to hang beautifully. A pot or planter with such a plant can be placed in the loggia, then it will become a wonderful decoration of the interior.
If the plant has very long stems and small flowers, this is ampelous petunia. Care for such a petunia is needed the same as for cascading. The differences between these two varieties of plants are only in the thickness of the stem and the size of the flowers.
Cascading Petunia. Cultivation and care
The most common way to grow petunia is to germinate its seeds.
Seeds of any varieties of this plant can be bought in specialized stores for gardeners or marketers, or you can collect them yourself if you already have these flowers. Every year, after flowering, box fruits appear on the plant, each of which contains about a hundred small seeds. However, petunia seeds are not so expensive to collect by hand.
To grow petunias, you need special soil. Specialty stores sell primers specifically designed for petunias. You can also prepare the soil for this flower yourself. To do this, you will need sand, humus, turf land and peat. You need to take them in equal proportions.
When a suitable soil for the flower has already been prepared, you can start sowing the seeds of petunias. The best time to plant is February and March.
To begin with, lay out a thin layer of expanded clay at the bottom of the container for planting. Then we fill the soil, pour over the seeds and cover them with a small layer of soil - only 1-3 mm. The container must be covered with a film or glass so that the seeds are not cold. Contain a container with planted seeds in a room with room temperature (+ 20-25 degrees Celsius). The first half a month after sowing seeds, you need to daily carry out the procedure of watering them from the spray gun, then you need to water less often. The addition of potassium permanganate to the water is encouraged - it contributes to faster germination of seeds. Also, for faster growth, you can fertilize the soil with seeds using mineral fertilizers.
When the plant has the first leaves, it is already possible to transplant it. To obtain a lush bush of cascading petunia, you need to plant several sprouts in one pot or pot.
As you can see, if you know some of the secrets of growing petunias, to grow such beautiful flowers will not be difficult. And they will long delight the eye with their beauty.
Growing petunias in tablets
In tablets, growing petunias is faster than in ordinary soil. The tablet provides the plant with the necessary nutrients for it. And if the petunias were planted in peat tablets, they will not need to be fertilized even the first time after transplanting into open ground or in a pot. Another advantage is that the sprout is planted in the soil or pot with a tablet, which later breaks down in the ground by itself. Therefore, it is impossible to damage the fragile root system during transplantation.
But planting petunias in peat tablets requires special granular seeds, which are more expensive than usual. Putting petunias in tablets is very simple. For this, you will not need any special skills and extensive experience in gardening.
Petunia Growing Technology using peat tablets the following. First of all, you need to soak the tablet in warm water, this will take no more than 4 minutes. When the tablet increases approximately 3 times, you need to put it on a pallet. Then lightly moisten the granular seeds and sow them gently on a tablet. After the appearance of about three leaflets in the plant, it is necessary to thin out. Watering the sprouts should be done regularly, but be sure to try to do it carefully so as not to damage them.
When two or three leaflets are already fully formed on the young plant, you need to plant it with the tablet in a small container with soil. So you increase the living space of the plant, it will not be crowded, so it can fully develop.
That's all the secrets of growing petunias in tablets.
We grow petunias in the garden
In order to grow this plant in open ground, you need to sow the seeds of petunias in the same way as for growing cascading petunias in a pot. Only in this case, instead of transplanting several sprouts into one flowerpot, it is necessary to plant them in the ground.
For growing in the garden, multi-flowered petunia is more suitable. The planting dates are late May – early June. However, it is best to plant the plant in the ground in May. You can also sow seeds directly into the open ground. This is recommended in the first half of March. But it is better, of course, to germinate the seeds of the house in a small container - this way you can increase the percentage of germination.
A flower bed with petunias will definitely become a decoration of your site, however growing petunias in the garden has its own nuances.
Firstly, you need to be able to choose the right place for this plant. Since this flower came to Europe from countries with a subtropical climate, it does not tolerate bad weather conditions. When choosing a place for the location of the petunia, you need to pay attention to the fact that it is well protected from the wind.
Diseases and Pests
Another unpleasant factor when growing petunias is the disease that these flowers are prone to if they grow in the garden. Most often, diseases caused by fungi occur on petunias. In this case, you need to treat the plant with special antifungal agents.
The most common disease affecting petunia is late blight. As a result of this disease, the stems of the bush become brown in color, then they decay, as a result of which both the leaves and flowers. Petunia, the sowing and care of which you so carefully performed, may completely wither. The best prevention of this disease is thinning plants during seedling cultivation.
Aphids can also attack petunias, especially in early summer. Aphid dwells on the back of the leaves. She eats the juice of leaves, from this the leaves curl up and dry. If you do not get rid of these insects in time, they can hit all or most of the leaves of the bush, then the petunia, which was once beautiful and luxurious, will turn into a miserable sight or completely dry out. Therefore, it is better to pre-treat the plant with insecticides in order to prevent such an unpleasant phenomenon. If you have already found aphids on the leaves, do not hesitate to destroy it, as it multiplies very quickly. It is quite possible to get rid of it with the help of nicotine sulfate dissolved in soap and water. To prepare a solution for 1 g of this substance, you need to take a liter of soapy water.
In addition, petunia may lose its beauty due to the so-called brown spotting. This is a very common disease that can affect so many plants. You need to deal with it immediately, as soon as you notice the first signs, otherwise it can quickly spread to other plants in the flower bed. Signs of this disease, as its name implies, are large spots, similar in color to rust. They appear on the upper surface of the sheet, leading to its wilting. The treatment is carried out using preparations containing copper.
Another factor that makes a petunia die can be a tiny butterfly called whitefly. She lays its larvae on the lower surface of the leaves, and then they quickly devour the leaves. These larvae can be destroyed by preparations that contain permethrin.
Also, when growing these beautiful plants, a problem such as a black leg can occur. Part of the stem, located close to the root, becomes soft, blackens and begins to decay. This quickly leads to the drying of the plant, since the rotten base is not able to carry substances from the roots to the leaves and flowers. This problem appears in most cases due to high humidity and soil with high acidity. The causative agent of this disease is extremely difficult to eliminate, therefore, the affected plant can no longer be treated. It needs to be dug from the ground, even nearby land needs to be removed. All other plants that have been planted near a diseased bush must be carefully treated with fungicides. In the future, in order to avoid the occurrence of this problem, excessive soil moisture should not be allowed again.
For your eyes to be delighted for a long time with luxurious petunia, care and rearing it was not in vain, you need to carefully monitor the condition of its leaves and stems, then you can eliminate any diseases in time and do not let them spread to all other flowers.
The most beautiful varieties of petunia
When you already know what kind of flower is this - petunia, the care and cultivation of which has its own nuances, you can safely go to the nearest store for seeds. Now it remains only to choose which varieties are most liked.
Terry petunias can be considered the most beautiful and magnificent. The most popular varieties of terry petunias are Duo Mixd and Delight, they are multi-flowered. The flowers of the Duo Mixd petunias are double-colored, that is, in addition to the main color, white spots are still present in the flower. The main colors can be pink, burgundy, purple, red and others.
Petunias with terry corrugated flowers also look very exquisite. Most varieties with such flowers are also multiflorous. For example, “Harmony”, “Bouquet”, “Pirouette” and others.
In addition, there are varieties of petunias whose petals are decorated with a white border. They also look very impressive and expressive. Among these petunias, the Serenade variety stands out with its special beauty.
Cascading Petunias
The most common varieties of ampelous petunias that are grown in hanging pots or pots are Classic Hot Red, Cascadis White, Classic Hot Pink. As is clear from the names of these varieties of petunias, their flowers have red, white and pink colors, respectively.
Also popular among cascading petunias are the Superbells and Million Belz varieties. They have smaller flowers than the varieties listed above. In the assortment of this series of varieties there is a wide variety of colors.
Conclusion How to choose the right seeds?
When you already know how to care for a petunia, and even decide which variety you want to grow in your garden or on your balcony, you just need to clarify how to choose the right seeds so that they will definitely sprout and beautiful healthy plants that grow from them will please you for a long time.
Since seeds are usually sold packaged, it is visually impossible to look at them and determine their quality. Then it remains to rely only on what is written on the package, but you need to read carefully.
Firstly, the label should contain comprehensive information about the seeds that it contains: from the name of the variety and the time of flowering of the plant to information about the manufacturer. In no case should you buy seeds on the packaging of which the producer is not indicated, since they are most likely poor-quality.
In addition, you still need to pay attention to the date of manufacture. Seeds, as well as products, should not be expired, otherwise they simply will not sprout or the percentage of germination will be extremely low. If the seeds are packed in paper packaging, the period for their sale is 12 months. If the packaging for seeds is made of foil or polyethylene, then their shelf life increases by another year and in this case is 24 months. That's all you need to know to make the right seed selection. These rules apply not only in the case of petunias, but also for seeds of other plants.