Petunia is a flower of magnificent beauty that attracts gardeners with a variety of its varieties. It can be planted not only in the summer cottage, but also on your balcony. In order to achieve such an impressive effect, you need to know how to sow a petunia. Then bright shades will not only decorate, but also create a great mood.
General information: when is the best time to sow petunia
There are a lot of varieties of petunias. They need to be sown no earlier than mid-March. It is this period of time that is considered the most optimal: the day is longer and the weather is good. It is very important to know when to sow petunias for he althy seedlings.
Helpful Tips:
- purchase a special lamp for illumination, so the seedlings will germinate better;
- if you want to diversify the varieties in order to achieve a brighter result, the first thing you need to plant is ampelous forms, they need a little more time to take root;
- the temperature should be at least 20 degrees, then the hybrids will germinate properly.
Modern selection of hybrid seeds is simply huge. You can even find thosesold in a special shell. They are quite rare and are more expensive. Be sure to check how to sow petunia in tablets - there are some features that you may not know about.
Own varieties
Petunia is much easier to grow than any other flower. With seeds from several varieties, time and desire, you can try to create your own species that will take pride of place in the landscape. Don't forget to use a special lamp to enhance the effect.
Preparing the ground
As mentioned above, petunia is very popular with summer residents due to its bright appearance and ease of cultivation. You just need to take into account a few rules when landing, then everything will definitely work out.
To understand how to sow a petunia, special attention must be paid to the soil. It should be moisture-absorbing and loose. In order to achieve the desired consistency, mix sand, humus, earth from the garden in equal proportions.
Even if you suddenly decide to buy ready-made land in a specialized store, it is still desirable to improve it a little. For a flower, a poor base is very bad.
Recipe for 5 liters of soil:
- perlite, approximately 250 grams;
- can of ash with a volume of 0.5 liters;
- potassium sulfate - tablespoon.
After you combine all the ingredients, mix them well in a separate container. When you prepare the container, you must definitely put expanded clay on the bottom, and then addthe soil itself. Petunia seeds are very small in size, so the ground must be prepared in this way. Due to the fact that there will be lumps, the flower will be able to sprout and breathe. When you watch how to sow a petunia, be sure to pay attention to the fact that the acid-base balance of the soil should be medium.
What to grow seedlings in
Growing seedlings is recommended in a plastic container at least 10 cm high. This is the best option for beneficial seed growth. When you fill the boxes, leave a free space on the edge, about 2 cm. This way you can protect the petunia from drafts. And do not forget that there must be drainage holes at the bottom, otherwise the flower will simply start to rot.
If you take seeds in a special shell, everything will be much easier to do. They are less damaged and germinate better.
It is very important to know how to sow a petunia in order to make the flowers bright and he althy. Seedlings can get sick with a "black leg", but this can be avoided even at the initial stage. Just work the soil with a medium solution of potassium permanganate.
Fit details
You have learned how to sow a petunia and are ready to get to work. First of all, you need to start with the container. Be sure to treat it with an antiseptic. It can be a regular potassium permanganate solution, just don't make it too strong.
Very often snow is used during sowing, if you have the opportunityno, then the seeds will first need to be mixed with sand. This will allow you to distribute them evenly.
If you have coated seeds, then peat tablets will be the best type of planting for them. They have their own advantages:
- quickly saturated with water;
- do not get moldy;
- do not injure the roots of seedlings.
The most convenient thing about tablets is that by their color you can easily understand whether you need to water the petunia now or not. The ideal condition for seed germination will be a temperature of 20-25 degrees. Make sure that the room does not overheat or overcool, otherwise the seedlings will become susceptible to disease.
Watering petunias
It is very important not to water the flower right after you have planted it. Petunia directs all her strength to strengthening her root system, and with abundant watering she will not be able to do this. It is best to spray it lightly for a few days.
Helpful Tips:
- you can not water the leaves of petunia, the water must fall exactly under the root;
- constantly slightly loosen the soil so that a crust does not form on top;
- if suddenly a crust appears, then you need to carefully get rid of it as soon as possible, otherwise the flower will not receive the proper amount of oxygen.
Sunshine
Sunlight is very important for seed germination. When planting seeds, do not allow them to penetrate deep into the ground. Press them down lightlyabove, that will be enough. So the plant will gain the right amount of light for itself, strengthen the root system faster, and the seeds will begin to germinate.
Dive seedlings
When the seedlings grow up, it is very important to start careful picking. The soil must be loosened very carefully so as not to harm the flowers, for this you can use an ordinary toothpick.
Pinch the stem at the top, above the leaves. However, this should be done only with those varieties in which the shoots grow quickly. For example, if your shoot is now 6-7 cm, then pinching is needed. Try to do this carefully so that your bush becomes wider as it grows.
After transplanting, make sure that the petunias have enough land. Water gently, making sure the soil does not settle.
It is very important that the plant diverges in width, not in height. After pinching and transplanting, this process must be constantly monitored. The best option at this stage is to move the container to a cooler place.
In about a month, your petunia will be ready to move into a greenhouse, flower bed or decorate your balcony.
In conclusion
To understand when and how best to sow petunia, you should definitely try to do it once with your own hands. The process is simple, it is just important to follow the main rules. If you do everything according to the established plan, you will be able to enjoy the beauty of this amazing flower by the summer.
Shortplan:
- purchase seeds;
- prepare the ground (preferably follow the recipe);
- we process the soil with potassium permanganate to avoid flower diseases;
- preparing seeds and planting them;
- spraying the flower (not watering, but spraying);
- dive and loosen the soil;
- clean in a cool place;
- transplanted to a flower bed.
And don't forget that you can always afford to experiment a little and create your own variety. It's interesting and inspiring. There is nothing more pleasant than looking at a petunia flower grown by one's own hands.
