Planting petunias for seedlings - taming the shrew

Petunia is perhaps one of the most favorite ornamental plants among flower growers. Its bright flowers, like a scattering of precious stones, can decorate any flower bed. Petunia is also used as a pot culture for decorating balconies, outdoor terraces and loggias.

There are several varieties of petunias that differ in size and flower shape.

But beauty, as you know, requires sacrifice. Therefore, in order to enjoy the abundant flowering and cheerful colors of the petals, you need to make a lot of effort. The fact is that growing petunia seedlings is a real art, without mastering which it is difficult to get the desired result.

Let's take a look at how to plant petunia seedlings with you in such a way that every year you get the desired result, and not disappointment.

Sowing dates of petunias for seedlings

Any florist who decides to plant petunia seedlings must first decide on the type of flower and type of seeds. If the first completely depends on personal preferences and the characteristics of the future flower bed or hanging box, then the second is limited to the 2 most common forms of selling seeds:

• in bulk;
• in granules.

The advantages of the placer form are their price and the ability to assess the quality of the seed by eye, and the advantages of the granules are convenience when sowing and slightly better germination, but they cost a little more.

After the variety is selected and the seeds are purchased, it remains only to decide when to plant petunias for seedlings. This is a very important point that novice growers forget about. On average, it takes about 2 months from the moment of sowing seeds in greenhouses to the beginning of the appearance of the first flowers. Therefore, if you want to enjoy the bright colors of petunias already from spring, then you need to take care of this in advance. However, the sprouts of this flower are sensitive to spring frosts, therefore planting too early in open ground can lead to the death of the plant.

There are recommended dates for sowing petunias for seedlings:

• if it is possible to organize daytime lighting of your mini-greenhouse, then planting seeds should be carried out at the end of February;
• if it is difficult to do technically, it is better to postpone sowing until mid-March. The fact is that petunia sprouts are very fond of daylight with a special wavelength, which is lacking in the February sun.

In order for petunia seedlings to grow healthy and strong at home, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to the choice of boxes and soil for sowing seeds. Since their germination occurs best with the greenhouse effect, it is better for planting to choose wide medium-deep boxes with lids that let in daylight. You can use plastic food storage containers with transparent lids.

In order for the seedlings to be friendly, it is important to monitor the quality of the earthen mixture. This can be packaged soil for indoor plants, which is sold in flower shops, or peat tablets.

A layer of broken brick, expanded clay or pebbles must be poured onto the bottom of the box or container, this will provide good air access to the roots and prevent waterlogging.

Agrotechnics

After the seeds are selected, the boxes with the soil are prepared and the timing of when to sow petunias for seedlings is determined, you can proceed directly to planting.

The seeds of this flower are very small - no more than 0.5 mm, so it can be difficult to plant them at a certain distance from each other. Granular forms of seeds cope with this task better; they can be taken with tweezers to pluck out eyebrows and sowed strictly in rows. This method will provide the same conditions for all seedlings and facilitate further picking of seedlings.

Due to their size, petunia seeds are not embedded in the soil, but are sown on the surface and sprinkled on top with a layer of earth of 1-2 mm.

When the planting of petunias for seedlings is completed, the boxes are closed with lids and placed in a room with an air temperature of 20-22 C⁰. It is important to ensure that the soil is always slightly damp, but does not turn into a swamp. Condensation that accumulates on the lid must be wiped off daily, and the boxes with seedlings must be ventilated for 10 minutes.

If the agricultural technique is followed correctly, then the first shoots appear in about a week.

Kindergarten: caring for petunia sprouts

After we have learned how to plant petunias for seedlings, it's time to proceed to the next stage - caring for the sprouts.

After the emergence of seedlings, flower growers can be congratulated, since the most difficult and exciting stage is left behind. Now it's up to nature itself, which only needs a little help.

It is necessary to harden seedlings. To do this, as soon as the first cotyledonous leaves of the flower appear from the ground, ventilation must be increased. In this case, you need to start with 5-10 minutes several times a day. After the first true leaves of most sprouts appear, the box lid is completely removed.

When the seedlings reach a growth of 4-5 cm, they need to be dived. This is done as follows: using a thin garden knife, each seedling dives to a depth of 3-4 cm, while the direction of the blade should be at an angle of 45⁰ to the soil surface. Thus, the tip of the main root is pinched off and an incentive for the formation of a branched root system is given.

The dived plants are transplanted to the "kindergarten":

• in a separate container (which is preferable);
• in a common container, but large.

To obtain strong healthy seedlings, the seedling is slightly deepened when planting, leaving a trunk no more than 3.5 cm above the ground. This prevents the plant from stretching and lodging.

It is best if the picking is done in individual containers, as this facilitates planting in open ground and does not cause additional stress to the plants, because their root system remains completely intact.

Disposable plastic cups are most commonly used for this purpose. However, it is necessary to make drainage holes in their bottom and pour a layer of expanded clay on the bottom to improve air access and the outflow of excess moisture.

After picking and the appearance of new leaves, the plants continue to harden. The best way to do this is to ventilate the room. Make sure that the containers with the seedlings do not stand directly on the windowsill, this can cause frostbite on the leaves. You need to start with 10 minutes of airing every day, gradually bringing it to half an hour.

After the appearance of 3-4 main leaves, the seedlings are fed. It is important to remember that the first feeding should not be root. It is best to spray the plants with a specially designed fertilizer. Growth stimulants have a good effect on the strengthening of stems and leaves, they allow you to get a strong plant by the time of planting in the ground.

Transplanting a petunia to a permanent place

Petunia seedlings are planted in open ground after the spring frost has receded. The distance between plants depends on the variety. For small-flowered varieties it is 10-15 cm, and for double varieties with large flowers - 20-25 cm.

In order for petunias to please with a violent color, it is necessary to pinch off too long shoots and tear off drooping flowers.

By about mid-July, the plant must be cut, leaving the trunk 10-12 cm above the ground.This stimulates the growth of side shoots and ensures the flowering of the plant until late autumn.

Floriculture requires a lot of patience and love for plants. This is especially true for such capricious beauties as petunia. But knowing how to grow petunias for seedlings will undoubtedly help you tame this obstinate and get the desired result.

Video: we grow petunia seedlings