Petunia grows and blooms everywhere on our windowsills, in gardens, and in household plots. It is attractive for its large colorful flowers, easy care, a beautiful combination with other plants and the possibility of perennial growth in one place. For indoor breeding, it is also tempting because petunias in pots occupy a relatively small place, do not grow much and leave room for “neighbors”.
What breeding begins with
In order for the plant to grow, and even more so to begin to bloom, it must first be planted. Petunia - in open ground it will be grown or in a pot - is sown by seeds. It is advisable to prepare soil for it in the fall, which will include humus, earth and sand in the proportions of 1: 1: 2. The day before planting, the soil mixture must be shed abundantly with water so that it deeply soaks the soil. The seeds of the flower are microscopic, so you have to use a thin stick or tweezers. If it is supposed to keep petunia at home, they take much more source material - the plant likes good lighting, which is not enough in the apartment, so many seeds will not sprout. After planting, the earth's surface is sprayed with warm water, and the boxes are closed with glass or thick polyethylene.
Alternative method
Gardeners greatly praise the “snowy” way of planting. It consists in the fact that in the yard they collect pure snow (not marked by dogs, away from the roads, preferably freshly fallen) and put it in pots-boxes on top of the ground. Seeds are placed on it. Tanks are again covered with glass. Advantages: seed is clearly visible - you can adjust the density of sowing; snow smoothly “absorbs” seeds into the soil; watering the soil with such a planting is not necessary.
But no matter what method you use, you need to sow petunias in February-March and maintain the temperature not lower than 23 degrees Celsius. Watering should be regular, but not excessive. When the leaves hatch, the shelter must be removed, and the crops sprayed with a pale solution of potassium permanganate.
Why do I need a pick
Many beginner gardeners often ask: "Why, when and how to dive petunias?" Let's start with its first part. No matter how careful you are when planting, no matter how carefully you monitor your crops, they are most often obtained either thickened or too rare. Too thick shoots must definitely be planted, otherwise the plants will turn out stunted and may not bloom. And those between whom there is sufficient distance feel better in separate containers, form powerful roots and strengthen their trunk. The answer to the second question - about the timing - different gardeners give different. Some tend to dive after the appearance of the 5-6th leaf. Others call earlier dates - 2-3 leaves.
Before diving petunias, they need to be shed well. Transplanting sprouts is cheaper and more convenient in disposable cups filled with appropriate soil, with holes in the bottom. But if financial circumstances allow, buy special peat, as diving petunias and transplanting them to a permanent place in such tanks is much more convenient. When using a simpler container in a poured earth, a shallow hole is made and irrigated with water. With a spatula or knife, one plantlet is carefully removed and moved into a glass. On top, the roots are sprinkled with soil.
Early and re-dive
There are times when you can’t wait for the right amount of leaves to appear. Most often you have to worry about how to dive petunias ahead of time if the plantings are infected with a “black leg”, and it is rapidly spreading. We have to try to save at least some of the crops. The second reason to worry about an early dive is too thick shoots. If you do not settle the petunias in separate jars, some of them will die, and the rest will not go into full force.
Since the period from planting to transplanting to a permanent place is quite long, then about a month after the first transplantation, it is necessary to conduct a second, in more spacious container, so that the roots grow more.
Useful subtleties
There are not all known tricks that will help seedlings grow stronger faster. So, in the ground for a dive, it is advised to add husk from buckwheat. It makes the soil less dense and more accessible to air. The second nuance: for transplanted petunias, a lower temperature is needed than for seedling - 18 degrees is enough. The third thing you should pay attention to: it’s better to water it in a pan (this way you can avoid overfilling). Fourth: the day on the tenth of the burdened plants must be fed with mineral fertilizers. This should not be done before. And the last: if the roots of the seedlings are too long, they must be cut, otherwise they will bend during transplantation, break down and may begin to rot.
Transplant Rules
It remains only to transfer the plants to the place where they will live permanently. You can transplant them into the garden as soon as the frost ends. Choose a well-lit place, mark the holes after 15-20 cm (if the variety is with small flowers) or 20-25 (if the blossom is large).
Before transplanting, petunias should be well watered - so there will be less risk of damaging the roots when pulled out. Work is carried out either in the evening, when the sun sets, or when it is cloudy. The plant is carefully removed from the temporary container with a small, non-sharp spatula and, together with the soil remaining on the roots, is transferred to the hole. Free space is filled up with soil and slightly tamped. The space around the flower is mulched by peat.
How to ensure lush and long flowering
If you want the bush to please you as long as possible, do not stop caring for it.
Plant care, first of all, is to remove the growing and excess shoots. Pinching the petunia is no less important : the first is worth holding, as soon as it takes root in a new place. Determining the right moment is simple: you will notice the rapid growth of the flower. The process is simple, but it must be done correctly, that is, skip the bottom 4 or 5 leaves and pinch off the shoot already above them. Petunia will cease to grow upward, at the same time it will begin to cluster, and it will have enough forces for flowering.
If you follow all these simple rules and be attentive to your plantings, a petunia flower (photo) will decorate your garden or window sill for a long time.