Terry petunias - plants belonging to the nightshade family, completely unpretentious. Ideal for beginner gardeners, look great in ampel plantings. Bloom throughout the summer.
The birthplace of petunias is Argentina. Plants have the most diverse color. The flowers are very unpretentious to the conditions of care and soils, the only “but” - terry petunias do not like acidic soils, under such conditions they grow slowly and bloom poorly. Terry species reach a height of about 1 meter.
Terry petunia. Seed cultivation
Almost all petunias are grown by seed. Sowing begins in early March, given that the seed material is very small, it is germinated in a superficial way, without being buried in the ground.
Plants can be propagated by collecting dried flowers that remain after flowering. They are carefully cut, laid out on paper and dried, after complete drying, they take out the seeds, which are recommended to be stored in the refrigerator until sowing. (True, this option is only suitable for the most common species.)
You can still propagate petunias by cuttings, but this method is used very rarely, because the seeds of this plant have a very high germination.
One caveat should be made here: terry petunias have seeds in the form of dragees. It is advisable to sow them in a soil mixture watered with a stimulant. Seeds are slightly pressed into the ground and covered with glass, carefully monitor the moisture of the soil. After about a month, seedlings are dived into separate containers.
Many gardeners are asking: “Is it possible to grow petunia at home?”
Of course, you can grow, but you can’t wait for flowers from it. The fact is that flowers require a fairly long daylight hours, but even providing the plant with additional illumination, you will not achieve good results. Petunias need access to fresh air. At home, they stretch out and practically do not bloom.
Even on poorly ventilated loggias or balconies, flowers do not grow at full strength.
The only thing that can be done by growing petunia at home is to cut it into cuttings in early spring and then in May, your balcony will be decorated with blooming petunia.
Terry petunias : problems when growing
Perhaps the only problem that can occur with this flower is the lack of flowering. This may be due to adverse growing conditions.
A garden flower must necessarily receive bright light, moderate watering (too plentiful affects the plant negatively) and top dressing. When everything is in moderation, abundant and long flowering is provided (for a photo of terry petunia during the flowering period, see the article).
Useful advice
When you plant plants in a permanent place, be sure to leave enough space for each flower (about 20 cm), otherwise the flowers will interfere with each other and will not be able to fully develop.
Seeds of hybrid species of petunia (these include terry) to breed at home will not work. That is, the seed material collected from hybrids for the next year will please you with the most ordinary petunias. Unfortunately, seeds cannot inherit parental traits.