How to plant petunias correctly?

Petunia is the most common plant, both in backyards and on balconies. Abundant flowering begins in early May and pleases with its beauty until the first severe frost.

Petunia flowers, planting and caring for them is considered an easy task, since the plants are not whimsical. But for its successful cultivation, you need to know certain rules:

• the plant loves sunlight;
• prefers sandy or loamy soils;
• does not tolerate prolonged stagnation of fluid;
• requires constant feeding (1 time in 12 - 15 days).

Planting petunia seeds for seedlings

Planting petunias with seeds for early flowering should begin in mid-February. A prerequisite for growing seedlings is the presence of the required amount of light. If in the room where you plan to grow petunia this component is not enough, then it is advisable to use special lamps.

The plant begins to bloom 65 - 92 days after sowing the seeds. It depends on the type of petunia. The larger the flowers of a plant, the longer it takes for it to bloom.

Before planting petunia seeds, you should prepare:

• containers for planting with drainage holes;
• soil;
• expanded clay;
• sprayer with water;
• covering material (it is advisable to use non-woven material, for example, spunbond, which allows the plant to breathe);
• selected seeds.

At the first stage, we prepare containers for seedlings:

• on the bottom of the glass, with prepared in advance drainage holes, pour a layer of expanded clay approximately 1 cm high;
• We spread and lightly tamp the soil mixture. A distance of 3 - 3.5 cm must be left to the edge of the container.
• we moisten the soil.

We start planting petunias. Since the seeds of the plant are quite small, a mixture of seeds and sand can be used when planting. This will allow for the most even placement of the seeds in the pot. You can use pelleted petunia seeds, but their cost is much higher than that of conventional ones. It is not recommended to sprinkle petunia seeds with soil. It is best to lightly press them until they are in full contact with the soil.

After planting the petunia, the boxes should be covered with covering material. Glass or polyethylene can be used instead of fabric. In this case, the plants will have to be forcibly ventilated.

Under favorable conditions (ambient temperature 24 ° C and humidity 98%), the seeds germinate in 7-9 days.

There is a simpler, but more costly method of obtaining plant seedlings - planting petunias in peat tablets. For this:

• acquired peat tablets
  pour warm water and wait for it to swell and cool;
• with tweezers, place petunia seeds in the central hole;
• watered moderately.

Plants dive into pots or into the ground along with tablets. In this case, damage to the root system is completely excluded. For novice florists, this method of growing flower seedlings is most preferable.

Planting ampelous petunias is done in the same ways as bush.

Growing seedlings of petunias

When the seeds germinate and the first leaves appear, the covering material must be removed from the box. Water the plants carefully and reduce the ambient temperature to 18 ° C.

At the first stage, petunia develops very slowly. Initially, the root system of plants is strengthened and only after that the stems and leaves become stronger. This stage lasts about 4 - 5 weeks.

During this period, you need to monitor:

• soil moisture. It should not be dry or waterlogged.
• timely fertilization. For petunias, complex fertilizers or preparations with a high potassium content are suitable.
• sufficient lighting. In the daytime, the lamp should work at full power, and at night it is advisable to dim the light, but not turn it off completely.

For the development of strong and abundantly flowering plants, after the appearance of several leaves, the top of the flower must be pinched. Fortified plants are transplanted into separate, more spacious containers and continue to care for the seedlings according to all of the above rules.

A month before planting petunias in the ground, the plants are hardened for 10 days. In the first half of the term, the daytime temperature near the seedlings should be 18 ° C - 20 ° C, and the nighttime temperature 16 ° C. In the next five days, these indicators are reduced by 2 ° C - 3 ° C. After carrying out such a procedure, the strengthened flowers will least painfully transfer the dive into the open ground.

Video: how to plant petunia seedlings

Planting petunias in the ground

Let's move on to the question of how to properly plant a petunia in a permanent place:

• planting a plant is best in cloudy weather or after sunset;
• it is desirable to dive the seedling together with a lump of earth from the pot;
• the hole for the seedling should be at least 10 cm in depth and width;
• the distance between plantings depends on the type of flower. For large-flowered petunias, it is necessary to maintain 23 cm - 25 cm. For small-flowered petunias, 18 cm - 20 cm are enough. Ampel petunia bushes are planted at a distance of 28 cm - 30 cm;
• after transplanting, the flowers are watered;
• for better rooting of petunias, the ground around the transplanted plant can be covered with humus or peat. Such a shelter will retain moisture for a longer period and protect the flower from possible frost.

Petunia care

Petunia care consists in watering the plants, timely and constant feeding, and removing wilted flowers.

It is necessary to water the plant only in dry weather. It is advisable to carry out this procedure after sunset. When watering, the water should not stagnate. Simply moisten the soil around the flower's root system.

The first feeding is carried out 9-11 days after the plant is transplanted to a permanent place. It is best to start feeding the plants with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. You can use nitroammophoska.

For abundant flowering, during the budding period, it is preferable to use fertilizers containing a large amount of phosphorus and potassium, for example, superphosphate and potassium salt.

Petunia can be fed with wood ash. This fertilizer contains all the components necessary for the plant. Moreover, you can use both purchased fertilizer and made yourself, after a fire or from a stove.

Iron is an important component for proper plant nutrition. In the absence of sufficient iron, petunias can develop chlorosis. The first signs of the disease appear on the leaves: they begin to turn yellow and fall off. "Ferovit" will come to the rescue, which is sprayed with plants 3 - 5 times with an interval between spraying of 2 - 3 days.

Withered flowers should be removed from the plant. This results in new bud formation and long flowering times. Petunia flowers, which are properly planted and cared for, will delight even more if you form a beautiful crown of the plant in time. To do this, pinch young shoots, striving for high growth. The procedure is considered correct if pinching is carried out after 4 - 5 leaves. After the operation, the plant produces abundant multidirectional shoots, which are necessary for the formation of a beautiful "cap".

Proper planting and caring for petunias results in long and rich flowering. Planting petunia seeds in the video will help novice gardeners become more familiar with the procedure.

When to plant petunias for seedlings - read here!

Video: sowing and picking petunias