One of the most charming annual flowers for balconies and open ground is petunia. Undemanding to conditions, it blooms profusely all summer and autumn, right down to frost. Do not be afraid of its windows with access to the north, shady balconies, as well as front gardens, sheltered from the sun. Therefore, petunia is readily taken to decorate any gardens and grounds. But seedlings in the spring are very expensive, so growing petunias from seeds becomes especially important.
Varieties
This flower has a large number of varieties. You can choose from different varieties to get a motley flower bed.
- There are ampelous varieties that fall from a waterfall with a flower from hanging planters and baskets.
- Compact, plentifully flowering shrubs with large inflorescences are widely used.
There is a rule that must be followed. Growing petunias from seeds is carried out in the early stages. By the time of planting seedlings in the flower garden or on the balcony, the plant is already a lush bush. It is advisable that he manage to pick up the buds.
Pick the seeds
There are many hybrid varieties on the market today. Collecting seeds from them, you will not be able to grow new flowers. Therefore, it is necessary to stock up on material in advance. Better to start in the winter. Buying quality seeds is the key to getting beautiful plants. Therefore, you should not pay attention to the ads of the first online store. Read reviews and try to choose a reliable supplier.
Growing petunias from seeds is a challenge. Seeds are very small, similar to dust. Distributing them evenly in the ground is almost impossible. Some gardeners prefer to buy seeds on tape or in dragees. But they are even more expensive and often linger on the shelves. Therefore, germination can also leave much to be desired. In addition, if there is a risk that the shell will dissolve poorly and interfere with seedlings. There is no definite answer here, everyone makes a choice for himself.
When to start sowing
Growing petunias from seeds involves the advent of spring planting bushes in the ground, ready for flowering. You need to focus on the features of this plant. A healthy bush should release buds 10-12 weeks after sowing. It is guided by the moment when you want to see blooming seedlings.
Growing petunia from seeds at home is complicated by the fact that the seedlings do not have enough light. Sowing is carried out in the winter, when there is little sun even in the brightest apartments. Petunia is unpretentious, but right now the lack of light leads to the fact that the seedlings are stretched. Therefore, landing in the middle of winter can only be done if you have special phytolamps. With a deficit of light, plants will be thin and weak, they will not be able to fight diseases.
If there is no special equipment and you rely only on natural light, you will have to postpone the sowing until the beginning, if not until mid-spring. Of course, in this case you can enjoy flowering no earlier than mid-summer. But the daylight is increasing enough to help seedlings gain strength. It is important not to delay too much, otherwise the flowering will begin by autumn, and the flowerbed will be devoid of bright colors all summer.
Moon calendar
Since growing petunias from seeds at home seems difficult and troublesome, many flower growers try to find landmarks, clues from nature to predict good growth and development of seedlings. Often such an assistant selects the lunar calendar. It describes favorable days for planting, as well as those that should be avoided. Every year, the dates change, but today the lunar sowing calendar can be downloaded free of charge on the Web.
Soil preparation
In most cases, the very need for early sowing scares. From mid-January you will have to "babysit" with tender sprouts. With improper lighting and too high a temperature, they inevitably begin to reach out and die. And when sprouts appear, then each newcomer comes in real horror. They are thin and weak. But today we are considering the basic secrets of growing petunias from seeds, which will avoid difficulties.
Last preparations
Before doing the sowing directly, you need:
- choose the right soil;
- prepare suitable containers;
- choose a location for the nursery.
The easiest option is to pick up wooden or plastic boxes with a depth of about 10 cm. They must be disinfected with any antiseptic. It can be Biotex, Antizhuk, Biosept. This is an important point, as young seedlings are susceptible to fungal and bacterial diseases.
A prerequisite is the presence of a drainage layer. Expanded clay is best suited for this purpose. And sifted soil is poured on top. The nutrient mixture may be different for each grower, but there are several universal options:
- if you were first engaged in floriculture, then you can buy the mixture just in the store;
- a mixture of fertile soil and hydrogel, which is soaked in a special solution;
- a mixture of humus, peat, turf and sand.
Sowing time
Once again, back to the question of when to plant. Growing petunias from seeds can be not only a way to decorate your balcony or garden, but also a good side job. In the spring, strong bushes go at a good price. At spring fairs, ampelous and bush petunias are popular.
Such beautiful bushes can be grown quite easily at home. If by the beginning of June you want to get excellent seedlings, then sowing should be carried out in January - February. But many gardeners are embarrassed that on the packages with seeds other terms may be indicated. Moreover, they often differ from each other. What is the secret? The fact is that different varieties and groups of petunias have their own vegetation period.
- Ampel plants form a continuous waterfall of flowers. But in order for them to gain a large vegetative mass, they need to be planted in early January. Otherwise, long, luxurious shoots just do not have time to grow and release buds.
- Dwarf bush petunia can be planted a little later, in early March. Therefore, most often it is her and beginner growers who choose. With the beginning of March, the sun is already looking into the room, in connection with which the seedlings are growing very actively.
Sowing seeds
When you open the pack, you may be slightly perplexed by how small they are. In fact, the technology of growing petunias from seeds requires a mandatory pick, so there is nothing wrong with the fact that at the first stage they will grow somewhat crowded.
- Before planting, it is recommended to spill the soil with boiling water or calcine in the oven. This is especially important if you prepared the mixture yourself. This will destroy the pests that can live in it. It is additionally desirable to spill the soil with a pink solution of potassium permanganate.
- When the soil has cooled, you can get down to business. With this procedure, the cultivation of petunia from seeds begins. A step-by-step guide allows beginners to avoid basic mistakes. Do not try to sprinkle seeds with a pinch; they are too small. To do this, use thin tweezers or a toothpick.
- Seeds must be carefully laid out on the surface, without sprinkling anything.
- Be sure to cover the container with glass or film. It should not be removed before emergence. This will save you from the need for regular watering, which only harms sapling seedlings. To prevent condensation on the glass in excess, the glass must be constantly turned over.
- After the first shoots appear, begin to air the shoots. First, the box is opened for 10 minutes a day, gradually the time increases. This is an important point, as it provides hardening of seedlings.
Growing petunia seedlings from seeds is a rather interesting activity. Shoots appear quickly. Already on the 3-4th day, you can wait for the appearance of the first sprouts above the surface of the earth, if the seeds were fresh. If they are on the store counter, then the waiting period will stretch for 10 days. But if on the 14th day you do not see any signs of life in the pot, then you can safely change the soil and sow something else into it. Even if some seeds sprout, they will make stunted and weak bushes.
Seedling Care
Sometimes beginners ask a question, how to understand that it is not weed that has come up? This will help determine the photo. Growing petunias from seeds is most difficult in the first month after germination, when the seedlings are still very weak. They need careful care, so that they turn into strong bushes. There are three pillars on which success is based.
- Light mode. The location of containers with future seedlings should be very bright. Otherwise, you will not receive seedlings. Moreover, in the first days of growth, it is desirable that the greenhouse is lit 24 hours a day. After that, 12 hours will be enough to form a strong petunia. Growing seedlings from seeds at home requires adjusting the lighting mode. If it is not enough, then additional lamps are installed, and with an excessive amount of sunlight, gentle seedlings must be shaded.
- Temperature condition. While the seeds germinate, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of at least +22 ° C, permissible up to +25 ° C. Hybrid petunias are especially demanding on heat. If the temperature is lower, the seedlings will not sprout, but are likely to die. As soon as the sprouts appear, it is necessary to lower the temperature to +18 ° C during the day and to +14 ° C at night. Move the seedling box away from the battery.
- Watering. This is the last moment, which is important to study in advance. Excess moisture leads to decay or infection by the fungus. And with a lack of moisture, weak seedlings quickly dry out and die. In the first week of life, you need to spray the earth once a day with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Water for irrigation must be soft, settled, without chlorine. You can take melt water. In this case, watering is recommended in the lower way, that is, through a pallet. The second option is a syringe, directly under the root of each plant. When the first true leaves appear, you can remove the protective glass.
Top dressing
In order for the plants to grow well and quickly, it is necessary to provide them with a sufficient amount of nutrients. Very weak seedlings can be sprayed with a growth stimulator a couple of times over the entire period. It can be "Epin", "Bud", "Ovary". After the sprouts appeared, you need to wait a week and feed the sprouts with mineral fertilizers. Repeat this procedure with an interval of 10 days.
Pick
The most painstaking, but very important point. When the real 2-3 leaves appear, the time comes for a dive. That is, each plant must be moved to a separate pot, where it will develop. With a dessert spoon, you need to pick up the sprouts and transfer them to his new home. And if you sowed seeds in peat cups, then you can omit this moment. Seedlings are placed in new pots right in the parent cups. Be sure to take seedlings to fresh air every day for hardening. Gradually, the time should be increased starting from 15 minutes.
At the stage of the appearance of 3-4 real pairs of leaves, pinching will be required. That is, you need to break off the top of the central shoot with your fingers. Repeat this procedure after a couple of weeks. Then the bush will be lush.
Transplant to the ground
By this time, the plants should already be sufficiently hardened to spend days outdoors. Growing petunia from a balcony mixture of seeds allows you to get a bright decoration for hanging structures and flowerpots for very modest money. Landing is usually carried out in late May - early July.
If this is not a flowerpot that can be filled with a nutrient mixture similar to the one in which the seedlings grew, then you need to choose a place with fertile loamy soil. Landing must be done in the evening. The next day, the bushes should be shaded from sunlight. Such a measure will be required in the first few days. The ground between plants is important to mulch. Peat or humus is ideal for this.
Instead of a conclusion
Using the above recommendations, you can grow enough seedlings to decorate your balcony or gazebo. Petunia looks great in the garden, on the flower beds. She will colorize a shadow corner where other flowers grow reluctantly. Having become acquainted with this plant closer, you will plant it every year. The plant blooms very brightly, and caring for it is not at all complicated.