Few plants can boast such a lush and long flowering as a petunia.
The variety of varieties with flowers of various shades make this plant one of the most popular annuals.
We will talk about growing petunias - from sowing seeds for seedlings to care throughout the growing season.
Petunia is a compact herbaceous plant with a height of 20-70 cm, which belongs to the Solanaceae family. The genus name Petunia comes from the French word petun, tobacco.
The homeland of petunia is the tropics of South America, where it grows in natural conditions. In culture, this plant has been grown since the 18th century.
In Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia and Paraguay, petunia grows as a perennial plant, but in our latitudes it is cultivated as an annual.
Petunia stems creeping or erect, strongly branched. The oval leaves are pubescent.
Single funnel-shaped flowers amaze with a wide variety of colors. Some cultivars have bicolor flowers with stripes, specks or contrasting borders around the edge of the petals.
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A Brief Description of Growing Petunias
- illumination. Need good lighting in open sunny areas
- Temperature mode. For seed germination - 20-25 °C, for seedling growth - 18-20 °C. For mature plants, the optimum temperature should not be below 10 ° C
- Watering. Regular moderate watering in hot weather. Let the soil dry out between waterings and avoid moisture stagnation.
- top dressing. Fertilize with liquid mineral fertilizers 1 time in 10-20 days
- Priming. Fertile clay soil
- reproduction. Seedlings in a seedling way. Large-flowered terry forms can be propagated by cuttings
- Bloom. The first flowers appear no earlier than 70-75 days after sowing the seeds. The timing of the flowering of petunias is different. Different varieties can bloom from June until frost
- Pests. Green aphid, whitefly, spider mite
- Diseases. Tobacco mosaic, powdery mildew, blackleg, fungal diseases (late blight), chlorosis
- Appearance care. Depending on the variety, wilted flowers fall off by themselves, or they need to be removed in a timely manner.
- Use in landscape design. In open ground, petunias are planted in flower beds, flower borders and flower beds. On balconies and terraces they are placed in containers, flowerpots and planters.
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Flowering Petunia Grandiflora
Mostly in culture, forms and varieties of large-flowered hybrids are used. Large flowers of various shades with even, slightly wavy or jagged fringed edges look very impressive. They can be simple and terry. Petunias are represented by numerous varieties: undersized, which have a height of 20-30 cm and tall, reaching 70-75 cm.
In the classification of petunias, 7 groups are distinguished:
Petunia Grandiflora superbissima
Group 1. Grandiflora (Grandiflora).
The height of these plants is up to 60 cm, the bushes are sprawling, with long stems. Flowers up to 9 centimeters in diameter, with wavy petal edges.
Group 2. Grandiflora superbissima (Grandiflora superbissima).
Plant height up to 75 cm, sprawling bushes, slightly branched. Flowers up to 12 cm in diameter, with smooth wavy edges.
Petunia Grandiflora fimbriata
Group 3. Grandiflora fimbriata (Grandiflora fimbriata).
These plants are compact, branched, up to 60 cm high. Flowers with wavy serrated edges of the petals or with a fringed limb, reach 8 cm in diameter.
GGroup 4. Grandiflora captivity (Grandiflora plena).
Plant height up to 40 cm, width - up to 65 cm, sprawling bushes. Flowers up to 10 cm in diameter, with wavy, corrugated, serrated or fringed edges of the petals.
Petunia Multiflora
Group 5. Multiflora (multiflora).
The height of these plants is up to 40 cm, the bushes are sprawling, strongly branched. The flowers are smaller and more numerous, up to 6 cm in diameter, the edges of the petals are slightly wavy.
Group 6. Multiflora captivity (Multiflora plena).
These plants are up to 40 cm high, sprawling bushes, strongly branched. Flowers up to 7 cm in diameter, the edges of the petals are fringed or wavy.
Group 7. Nana compacta (Nana compacta).
Plant height up to 45 cm, bushes are compact, branched. Flowers up to 6 cm in diameter, with smooth edges.
Petunia Nana compacta
Grandiflora - groups of petunias with a small number of large flowers. In multi-flowered petunias Multiflora, the flowers are smaller, but they cover the plants with a continuous carpet. Petunia floribunda (Floribunda) occupies an intermediate position between these two groups. On such plants, flowers of medium size are formed in an average amount.
In shape, bush and ampelous petunias are distinguished, which are called . Cascading petunias outwardly represent an average variant between the bush and ampel form.
ampelous petunia
Hybrid or garden petunias (Petunia) with large flowers have played a leading role in landscaping flower beds and balconies for many years. Therefore, small-flowered varieties could not seriously compete with them. They got the nickname "mini-petunias", although from the point of view of botany, these plants are isolated in an independent genus, which is called Calibrachoa (Calibrachoa).
Calibrachoa (Calibrachoa)
They are more weather resistant than their large-flowered counterparts. In addition, the flowers of many varieties of caliberchoa are decorated with filigree drawings. The spectrum of their color is much wider than that of large-flowered petunias, since it even includes an orange color, which is still missing from large "brothers".
Selecting a landing site
Petunia is a photophilous plant. Mature bushes grow well in open sunny areas, and stretch out in the shade and may not bloom. The soil in which petunias grow should always be slightly moist and not too alkaline. Petunia is unpretentious to soils, but on soil abundantly filled with humus or manure it will “fatten”.
Petunias can be planted outdoors or in containers. These flowers grow well in containers with a limited amount of soil. Plants in pots, vases and hanging baskets can decorate loggias, balconies and open verandas.
In flowerbeds, flowerbeds and mixborders, petunias look great in combination with flowering plants: verbena, snapdragons, marigolds, ageratum or rudbeckia. In carpet plantings, they can be planted next to various decorative leafy plants, for example, coleus or cineraria.
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Growing petunia: sowing seeds for seedlings
The first success factor is the choice of quality seeds
It is worth buying only fresh seeds offered by reliable manufacturers. When sowing seeds of dubious quality, their germination cannot be guaranteed.
The sooner the seeds are sown, the sooner the plants will bloom. If it is possible to extend daylight hours by providing seedlings with artificial lighting, then the seeds can be sown as early as February. Under normal home conditions, the optimal time is the second half of March.
The soil for the plant should be light and loose.
For sowing seeds, loose, light and nutritious soil is needed. This substrate can be prepared independently in several ways:
- Take the finished soil, adding a little sand to it in a ratio of 5: 1
- Make up a soil mixture taken in equal parts of sod land, peat, humus and sand
- Another composition: peat, fertile land and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1
Seeds are laid out on the substrate, but do not sprinkle with earth on top. A thin stick or toothpick can be used to spread the seeds over the soil surface. You can also mix the seeds with dry sand and pour this mixture onto the surface of the soil, which must be well moistened the day before sowing.
Sowing petunia seeds in the snow
Container with soil and snow for sowing seeds
Petunia seeds are very small, which often makes it difficult to sow them. Many gardeners advise sowing petunias in the snow. To do this, the container is filled with a soil mixture, snow is poured on top, distributed over the surface in an even layer about 1 cm thick and compacted.
Petunia seeds should be spread on the surface of the snow. You can use a sheet of paper for this, gently shaking off the seeds from it. Dark seeds are clearly visible on the snow, and it will be easier to spread them evenly over the surface.
Care after sowing
If sowing is carried out in a plastic container, it can be covered with a transparent lid.
After sowing, the seeds are sprayed with settled water using a spray gun, covered with glass or film and left at a temperature of 20-25 degrees.
Lighting should be good, but direct sunlight should not be allowed. Containers and boxes are placed in a greenhouse or on a windowsill, providing the temperature necessary for seed germination. Seedlings usually appear on the 5-8th day.
It is better to reduce the air temperature with the emergence of shoots to 18-20 ° C. This technique will avoid stretching the sprouts. It is also recommended to illuminate with fitolamps within 1-2 weeks after emergence.
Sprouts should be moistened daily with water at room temperature, preventing the soil from drying out and waterlogging it. Humidity should be moderate. The glass with which the seedlings are covered should be turned over at least 2 times a day: in the morning and in the evening. It is also necessary to remove the condensate.
At the same time, it is desirable to ventilate tender sprouts, carry out loosening and hardening, gradually accustoming them to being outdoors. After the appearance of the first true leaves, the glass is removed.
Seedling picking
Petunia after the first pick
When the seedlings grow so much that they begin to shade each other, they dive into boxes, greenhouses, greenhouses, or immediately into small pots. Usually petunia is transplanted after the appearance of 3-4 true leaves. At the same time, plants are planted at a distance of 5 cm from each other - both in a row and between rows.
After the first picking, watering should be carried out and the seedlings should be fed with a complex mineral fertilizer. Microelements should be present in its composition and phosphorus should prevail, stimulating the development of a strong root system. In boxes, petunia seedlings can grow and develop until the planted plants begin to interfere with each other.
In order to avoid stretching the seedlings and a possible loss of their quality, it is important not to overexpose the plants in cramped quarters and to carry out a second pick in a timely manner - transplant them into seedlings. When picking into glasses, seedlings can be deepened to cotyledon leaves. Many flower growers determine the optimal picking time according to the lunar calendar.
Care after picks
Young plants in pots
After transplantation, top dressing should be carried out, this time using a rooter. The soil in the cups should be kept moderately moist. When watering the pickled seedlings, water should not flow out of the drainage holes. If this happens, this indicates a mistake - the overflow of plants. The surface of the soil in the cups should be periodically loosened.
During this period, the optimum temperature for young plants is about 20 °C during the day and about 16 °C at night. As petunias grow and develop, fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizers should be carried out once every 10-14 days. In addition to standard dressings, foliar dressings must also be produced.
Petunia is a rather cold-resistant plant, and can withstand a drop in temperature. However, planting a petunia in a permanent place in open ground is started only after the threat of spring frosts has passed. Petunia seedlings are planted necessarily with a clod of earth, since it does not take root quite well.
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rooted cuttings
This method is usually used to propagate terry large-flowered varieties. Cuttings are taken from healthy, developed mother plants, which are kept in a bright, well-ventilated, cool room at a temperature of 10-12 ° C in winter. Cut cuttings 6-8 cm long, leaving 2 to 4 leaves.
Cuttings are planted in December-January in pots or pick boxes, which must be filled with sand or a mixture of sand and peat. They take root at a temperature of 18-20 ° C. Rooted cuttings are transferred to larger pots as they grow. Such plants bloom in 4-5 months.
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Petunia care after planting in the ground
Large-flowered varieties, as a rule, are less resistant to weather changes and more demanding on the conditions of detention.
However, there are no special differences in the care of small-flowered and large-flowered petunias.
Temperature regime
Mature plants can tolerate light frosts but thrive best at temperatures above 10°C.
Watering
Petunias have slightly pubescent foliage that evaporates a lot of moisture in the sun. Therefore, in hot weather, it is necessary to take care of regular watering. The soil should dry out between waterings. Petunia can tolerate both dry and rainy weather, however, with an abundance of rainfall, the plants stop flowering.
Mineral fertilizers are easy to use, you just need to strictly follow the instructions.
top dressing
6 weeks after planting, liquid mineral fertilizers are applied to the soil. During the growing season, top dressing is carried out 1 time in 10-20 days. Instead of regular fertilizer, you can use a special fertilizer for rhododendrons. It is slightly "sour" and significantly reduces the pH level of the soil.
Bloom
petunia bloom
Many varieties of petunias bloom from June until the first frost. Large-flowered plants like warmth more than small-flowered ones, so in cold, damp and cloudy weather they can stop flowering.
How to take care of your appearance
In many varieties, faded flowers fall off on their own. In the event that they remain on the pedicels, they must be removed.Otherwise, they will block the sunlight from the foliage, and the bushes will not look very attractive. Petunia flowers may lose their decorative appearance after rain, but usually the plant recovers quickly.
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healthy plants
We have compiled a number of recommendations how to solve the problems that arise with petunias.
Young plants do not develop well
This is possible at temperatures below the recommended. Petunia is a cold hardy plant and can survive even light frosts, however the optimum temperature for its normal growth and development should not be below 10°C.
The plant turns yellow from the base, the leaves wither
Yellowing can happen if the roots rot from excess moisture. Before watering the petunia, be sure to dry the soil. If the petunia is growing in a container, drainage should be provided using perlite or expanded clay.
White bloom on petunia leaves or powdery mildew
Petunia leaves have a gray coating
This plaque is powdery mildew. In order to avoid infection, plants should be treated with preparations for this disease from the beginning of June to the end of August 1 time in 2 weeks. When spraying with drugs, you need to try to get inside the bush - it is there, from the lower leaves, that powdery mildew begins to develop.
Leaves grow well, but flowers are very few
This situation is a consequence of excess fertilizer. To solve the problem, it is recommended not to feed the plant for a month and a half.
Green insects are visible on the leaves and inside the flowers, the leaves have become sticky
These insects are green aphids. It is necessary to treat the plants with an insecticide, diluting it according to the instructions. You need to repeat the treatment 1 time in 2 weeks until the pests completely disappear.
Petunia wilted and wilted
This situation is possible if it is too hot and dry. It is recommended to water the plant abundantly, but allow the soil to dry thoroughly before the next watering.
Petunia drooped
Young plants are thin and elongated
The sprouts stretch out if it's too dark. It is necessary to provide petunias with full sunlight.
Attack Petunia that looks like Tobacco Mosaic
Yellow spots appeared on the leaves, and dark spots appeared on the peduncles
This is the tobacco mosaic virus. To avoid infection, you need to disinfect the container before planting petunias in it.
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petunia fambriata
We present the recommendations of experienced flower growers on growing petunias from seeds and proper plant care:
- Small seeds should be spread over the surface of the soil, but not covered with earth. Deep planting of seeds prevents their germination.
- Granular seeds can be sown directly in peat tablets, cups or cassettes.
- Pelleted seeds are easy to sow, but if not moist enough, the shell may not dissolve and they will not germinate. In addition, seeds in granules are more demanding on storage conditions and deadlines.
- Seeds of small-flowered varieties can be sown immediately in open ground.
- For germination, seeds need to be provided with a temperature of 20-25 ° C. At temperatures below 18 ° C, petunia seeds will not germinate.
- When planting petunias in the ground, do not allow too dense planting. The optimal number of plants is up to 10 pieces per 1 sq. m.
- Ampel varieties, unlike bush petunias, usually branch weakly even with regular pinching. Therefore, they need to be planted in a pot thicker - so they will look more magnificent.
Hybrid varieties of petunias, which are characterized by powerful growth of stems, also need to pinch the tops.
When young plants reach a height of 5-7 cm, shoots should be pinched over 4-5 leaves. This procedure will provide better tillering and help give the plants an attractive shape.
After pinching, new side shoots grow from the axil of each leaf. Buds will form on them, and the petunia will bloom profusely. It is better not to pinch the central stem.
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