Petunia: growing from seeds at home, features of plant propagation, when to plant and how to plant

Petunia is a representative of nightshade. The tropics of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Uruguay are considered her homeland. But thanks to cultivation, which became active in the 18th century, this flower visited the territory of Europe.

You can grow petunia from seeds at home on the balcony or loggia and in the country. All that is required is seedlings. There are two options here - purchased or grown independently.

Plant features

The decorative culture in question is in the form of a compact bush. Its height depends on the variety. If we consider a stunted petunia, then it grows to 20-30 cm, and larger specimens reach a height of 60 cm.

Distinguish petunia by the location of the stem erect and creeping. Although breeders are constantly expanding the assortment of petunias, they are all divided into two types: bush and ampelous. The color of the flowers can be very different. The most common are:

lilac;
reds;
pink;
blue ones.

Breeding methods

Petunia propagation occurs by cuttings and seeds.. Two methods are popular, and each of them is characterized by its advantages and disadvantages. If these are petunia seeds, then they should be planted in late February to grow them for seedlings at home. The second method of reproduction is carried out at the end of winter or at the beginning of spring. To do this, cut a suitable stalk and plant in a mini greenhouse. There, maintain a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, and the earthen mixture should consist of peat, sand and sod land.

If there is excessive dampness, then it will destroy the cuttings until they root. Watering young sprouts is not worth it, it is better to moisten them from a spray bottle. After 3-4 weeks, the cuttings are already rooted, so that they can be transplanted.

Next, a visual video with an example of the propagation of petunias by cuttings:

Breeding

Sowing dates

When is it better to plant and properly sow petunia when growing it from seeds at home? The beginning of flowering is due to the time at which the seeds were planted for seedlings. To get early flowering, then planting material deepen into the ground at the end of February. But the decisive factor in choosing a landing time is the location of the apartment and the presence of additional lighting:

If the windows face south, then land in early March.
When the windows are facing north, planting work should be carried out in late March or early April.
If there are fluorescent lamps, then you can sow and plant petunia at the end of February.

Training

Choose the "right" pot

You can plant petunia seeds in a homemade greenhouse. For this, containers from biscuits, biscuits or ice cream are suitable. You can buy a plastic container at a hardware store.

The most budgetary and convenient option is a 5-liter water bottle. Using a sharp knife along the long side, make an incision from 3 sides and slightly bend the plastic up. Thus, a greenhouse with a lid is obtained. At home, you can make drainage holes at the bottom of the tank with a hot nail. Due to this, the water will not stagnate in the soil, and the roots will not rot.

What soil is needed?

For petunia, neutral or slightly acidic soil is suitable. It must be nutritious and loose in order to retain moisture, while not locking. An excellent option would be self-preparation of the soil mixture. To do this, mix the following components:

turf land - 2 parts;
humus - 2 parts;
sand - 1 part.

After combining all the components, prepare the finished soil mixture through a large sieve, and then through a fine sieve. Conduct soil treatment with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Landing

Petunia is a plant for which light and warmth are important.. For successful germination, these conditions have to be created.

Reference! So, in order to plant the seeds of a plant correctly, planting material should be laid out on the surface of moistened soil, but not sprinkled with earth.

The procedure is as follows:

Using a toothpick soaked in water, pick up each seed and lay it on the soil mixture. The gaps between them should be equal, at least 10-15 cm.
Press the seeds to the ground. To improve tenacity. Cover the greenhouse with a lid or polyethylene.
Install the container in a warm place (it is possible to the room battery).
At this stage, additional illumination is not required, but heat for the sprouts is vital. For successful germination of petunia seeds, the temperature regime should be 25 degrees heat.
Open the lid once a day for ventilation.
The first shoots appear in 3-4 days. But, if the seeds are expired, then they will begin to germinate in 10 days.

More detailed information about the rules for planting petunias and further care for seedlings can be found here, and from this material you will learn how to collect petunia seeds at home.

Next, a visual video on how to properly sow petunia:

Care

Watering

When moisturizing petunias, it is important to feel the edge. If the soil is too thick, this will destroy the seedlings, but waterlogging will cause the development of fungal diseases. Watering should be done as the topsoil dries. For irrigation use settled and slightly warm water. Petunia prefers an acidic liquid, so add a little lemon juice before moisturizing.

Petunia seedlings can be watered in two ways.:

Watering in the pan.
Drip. To do this, use a syringe with a needle removed. With this moistening, deepen the syringe with water into the ground near the seedling and squeeze out the liquid. Instead of a syringe, a small enema will do.

Top dressing

It is impossible to grow healthy and high-quality seedlings of petunias without fertilizing. This plant is demanding on top dressing and in their absence begins to hurt.

The processing and application of fertilizing for seedlings of petunia depends on its age:

In the first 2 weeks young seedlings need treatment with a pale pink potassium permanganate solution or Previkur's solution.
As soon as 3-4 leaves are formed, then pour the soil with seedlings with a solution of yellow Crystal.
After the formation of the 5th leaf Sprinkle seedlings under the root and spray. For foliar top dressing, use Uniflora solution or from green Crystal.

Attention! Crystal is a unique preparation for seedlings of petunia. But if you can’t find it, you can replace it with such means: Kemira Lux, Rastvorin, Aquarin and Plantafol.

Pick

Picking seedlings of petunias is necessary only if it was planted in a large container. When landing in cassettes with divided cells or in peat tablets, picking is not required.

Pickling seedlings is performed no earlier than 4-5 leaves appear. To do this, you need to prepare containers with a volume of 200-250 ml. An excellent option would be plastic cups with drainage holes. Fill them with drainage and earth. Given the size of the measles system, 1-2 seedlings can fit in one glass.

For petunia, picking is a lot of stress. So after a dive, some seedlings begin to stretch and hurt. This can be prevented if seedlings are placed in a room with a temperature of 17-20 degrees Celsius. you also need to shade them from the sun.

Pinch

A pinch is required so that the petunia grows in the form of a bush, and does not stretch into one stem. For vigorous varieties and hybrids, pinch after 4-5 leaves. Shorten hotel varieties after 6-7 sheets. In this case, cut off the upper part of the stem along with the growth point.

After pinching from the sinuses of the remaining leaves, new shoots will begin to form. They will form a new bush. To get a beautiful rounded shape, pinch the seedlings 2-3 times. The interval between procedures is 2 weeks.

The seed method of breeding petunias is the simplest and most common. But this is provided that the planting material is of high quality. Although there are some disadvantages here. The most important thing is that the petunia flowers obtained from the seeds do not convey all the varietal characters of their “parents”.

Next, a visual video on how to properly pinch a petunia: