Petunia is one of the most popular flowering garden crops. Flowerbeds or wooden tubs with lush bouquets of bright "gramophones" will be an excellent decoration for the backyard, and planters with luxurious ampelous plants will perfectly complement the interior of a balcony, veranda, terrace. Among the many varieties of this culture, Grandiflora petunias (Petunia Grandiflora) occupy a special place. Despite the fact that gardeners speak of them as very picky people, it is quite possible to grow large-flowered varieties on your site or in a mini-garden on the windowsill. Next, let's talk about how Grandiflora petunia is grown from seeds. The photos posted in the article demonstrate her amazing beauty.
What is Petunia Grandiflora?
Petunias Grandiflora are flowering annuals. These are members of the Solanaceae family. Unlike common petunias, Grandiflora varieties cannotboast a large number of flowers on the bush, but the size of the buds is really impressive. Plants are relatively stunted: the height of the bushes rarely exceeds 25-50 cm. Grandiflora petunias have a flower diameter of 9-12 cm. "Gramophones" of various shades can be simple or terry. In terry inflorescences, seeds are tied very rarely.
Petunia is generally considered a very sophisticated plant, demanding to care for, and Grandiflora petunias can be called sissies at all, they are so sensitive to lack or excess of moisture, temperature changes and windy weather. In this regard, the cultivation of seedlings from seeds, and then the care of "teenagers" and adult plants should be approached with all care and concern. It usually takes 85-95 days after sowing the seeds before Grandiflora will please you with luxurious flowering.
Petunia Grandiflora: photos and descriptions of the most popular varieties
1. Petunia Grandiflora Prism Sunshine (Prism Sunshine) - large-flowered variety with inflorescences of a bright lemon yellow hue. The height of the bushes is up to 25 cm.
2. Petunia Grandiflora Dreams (Dreams) is a series of hybrids created in the USA. Plants are resistant to difficult weather conditions. The bushes are lush, compact, undersized. Inflorescences may have the following color:
- white;
- red;
- light purple;
- salmon with white throat;
- pink with a yellow throat.
3. Petunia Grandiflora Burgundy (Burgundy) - pretty busheslarge, reach 35 cm in height, bloom from early summer until the first frost, "gramophone" velvet, rich dark cherry hue.
4. Petunia Grandiflora Limbo (Limbo) - a variety characterized by compact bush sizes, excellent branching and abundant flowering. Limbo is a whole group of hybrids, including petunias with white, red, soft and rich pink, blue and light lilac, bright cherry flowers. There are also combined inflorescences: white-pink, white-lilac, etc. Petunia Limbo blooms quite early, for which it is especially appreciated by gardeners.
5. Petunia Grandiflora Aladdin (Aladdin) - plants 25-40 cm high with stunningly beautiful flowers with lacy edges. Unlike other hybrids of the Grandiflora series, Aladdin petunias are drought-resistant. Among the colors, the most popular are lavender, raspberry, blue-violet, red with a white throat, etc.
How to choose the right seeds?
Good seeds are the key to your success in growing petunias. Today in flower shops you can find planting material from a variety of manufacturers, but the F1 mark on the package should be your main guideline. We recommend purchasing several small packages from different manufacturers in different places. You should not collect the seeds yourself, since it is not a fact that next year petunias will grow from them with the same color, shape and size of inflorescences. As practice shows, plants grow from self-collected seedsweaker, with less decorative and brightly colored flowers.
Petunia seeds are very small, so their sowing is laborious. It is important that they are evenly distributed over the surface of the soil. Manufacturers who carry out special seed treatment and supply them in the form of granules or dragees help to solve this problem. Such an enlarged fraction makes it easier to decompose them into containers for sowing. And do not worry about the fact that light will not enter the seed through the shell (petunia seeds germinate only in the light), because such pre-treatment significantly increases germination, which means that the first sprouts will hatch from the dragee very soon.
Soil preparation and sowing
The soil for sowing Grandiflora petunias should be selected light, loose, nutritious. This recipe has proven itself well:
- peat - 2 parts;
- humus - 2 parts;
- turf land - 1 part.
You can also add some wood ash.
Before laying out the seeds, the soil is moistened with a spray gun. If you purchased raw seeds, then for convenience we advise you to mix them with fine sand and simply scatter them on the surface of the soil. In no case do not sprinkle them on top of the earth! At a minimum, you will increase the period until the first shoots appear, and as a maximum, you will not wait for them at all. The seeds placed in the container are sprayed again. This time, instead of the usual water, it is better to take a pink solution of potassium permanganate. After that, cover the container with glass or film andput in a bright place with a temperature of 22-24 ˚С.
If your choice is seeds in the form of dragees, then spread them on the surface of the soil with tweezers, just do not part so that the seedlings do not interfere with each other in the future. When working with granulated seeds, a good choice is seeding cups or mini-greenhouses with insulated containers. Feel free to sow one seed in each such cup, and in 7-10 days the first shoots will appear.
Peat tablets with a diameter of 3.5-4.5 cm are also a good option for sowing Grandiflora petunias. Beforehand, each tablet is immersed in water for 5-10 minutes to form the necessary supply of moisture. One seed is sown in each peat barrel, all of them are placed in a suitable container, covered with glass or film.
First shoots
So, the petunia seeds have sprouted. However, this does not mean at all that you can immediately remove the film, glass or cover of the finished greenhouse. Two or three times a day, the seedlings are allowed to breathe fresh air, and then covered again. Continue doing this until the first true leaf appears. Only then can the film or glass be removed completely.
Be careful when watering fragile petunia sprouts. With a lack of moisture, they immediately die. Waterlogging is no less destructive: sprouts can get sick with a black leg. Regular spraying of seedlings with a weak solution of potassium permanganate acts as a prevention of this disease. Irrigation is bettercarry out also with a spray gun or from below - through a pallet.
In addition, at least once a week it is necessary to feed the "kids".
Picking
When the seedlings have 2-4 true leaves, you can move on to picking young plants into separate cups. If you originally planted one seed at a time in separate containers, you can skip this step.
The new soil should be just as loose and nutritious. When moving from one container to another, try to keep as much soil as possible on the roots of the seedlings: this way it will more easily survive stress. Make sure that the growing point of the seedling is not buried in the soil. After picking for a few days, place the seedlings in a bright place, but so that direct sunlight does not fall on it. Next, choose the most illuminated area for the petunia seedlings, otherwise the rapidly developing shoots will stretch out strongly.
Landing at a permanent location
First of all, let's talk about where Grandiflora petunias grow well. As already mentioned at the beginning of the article, this is a rather picky plant, so the place should be protected from the winds, well lit, moderately moistened. In the case of growing petunias in flowerpots or tubs, the problem is easily solved by transferring containers from one place to another. But with the placement of petunias in the flower beds you need to be more careful.
Bushes are planted in open ground when the spring frosts finally recede. On the eve of transplantation, it is recommended to harden seedlings outdoors for 4-5 days. Place bushes ona distance of 20-25 cm from each other, as they grow very well. Before and after transplantation, the kidney must be well moistened. Mulching is used to prevent the earthen clod from drying out quickly. Even if the above-ground part of the plant dies in extreme heat, the mulch will keep the roots in moist soil, which means that your petunia can still recover and turn into a lush flowering bush again.
Some useful tips for beginners
If you want to please yourself with the flowering of Petunia Grandiflora already in May or early June, then you should start sowing seeds in late January - early February. Since at this time the daylight hours are not so long yet, do not forget about additional illumination of the seedlings.
If you grow seedlings of petunias in peat tablets, then plant young plants in a flower bed or in a tub right with this very first pot. So you can avoid injury to the root system of the seedling, which means that the petunia will be accepted faster.
If as a result of waterlogging the soil, the sprouts get sick with a black leg, immediately remove all damaged seedlings along with the soil adjacent to them. After that, treat all he althy petunias with Fitosporin or other suitable fungicide.
