Beautiful petunia is the best decoration of numerous flower beds and balconies. She gives bright cascades of flowers from the beginning of summer to the very frosts, generously sharing beauty and sophistication. Her flowers delight the eye with a variety of colors. Petunia can be called one of the most popular flower plants.
Seeds and cuttings
Petunia is a perennial herb from South America, in the genus of which there are more than 25 species. In our climate, petunias are used as annuals, so every year they have to be planted again. Petunia loves loamy and sandy loamy soils, but it can grow in any soil that is quite fertile.
Petunias are most often planted with seeds. The seeds of the plant are very small - from 0.5 mm in diameter. The seedlings are also miniature, so you have to pay a lot of attention to the seedlings and ensure proper care so that they do not die.
Seeds can be sown on seedlings from late February to mid-March. The sowing process takes place on the surface, without seeding the seeds into the ground. If they are repaired, even not deeply, they will not sprout. It is advisable to sow rarely so that the seedlings do not oppress each other. Before the sowing, the soil is disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate. A container of seeded seeds is placed under a film or bag.
There is a way to sow petunia seeds in the snow. Snow is collected on the street and laid on the surface of a substrate prepared in a pot. Spread the seeds on top. When the snow melts, it draws the seeds into the soil, while moistening it.
For seed germination, the temperature is needed above room temperature. Shoots usually begin to appear after 7-10 days. Petunia seedlings grown in the ground are planted after the end of spring and return frosts. When planting on a flower bed, immediately leave a distance between plants of 20-40 cm.
You can plant petunia by the method of cuttings. It is better to use not the tops of the shoots, but the lateral branches with a length of 7-10 cm. They are not cut, but as if twisted at the base. Cuttings are good for planting petunias in summer - cuttings easily form roots. But planted cuttings should be protected with a film even in summer.
Conditions of detention
The optimum temperature for petunias is +22 … 25 ° C. They well tolerate direct sunlight, but at the same time you need to carefully monitor the level of humidity. In a dry, hot season, flowers need more moisture. Watering is done as the soil dries only under the root (not on the leaves).
For proper metabolism and comfortable growth conditions, plants need good lighting. With a lack of light of abundant flowering, you will not wait, and the bushes will be dull and sluggish.
Petunia loves fertilizing with nitrogen and a complex of fertilizers, which must be done at least three times a season. In order for your petunias to bloom to the coldest, in addition to top dressing, water and lighting, you must constantly loosen and weed the soil.
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