Petunias terry - plants belonging to the Solanaceae family, completely unpretentious. Ideal for beginner gardeners, look great in ampelous plantings. Bloom throughout the summer.
The birthplace of petunias is Argentina. Plants have a wide variety of colors. The flowers are very unpretentious to the conditions of care and soil, the only “but” is that terry petunias do not like acidic soils, in such conditions they grow slowly and bloom poorly. Terry species reach a height of about 1 meter.
Petunia terry. Growing from seeds
Almost all petunias are grown by seed. Sowing begins in early March, given that the seed material is very small, it is germinated in a superficial way, without deepening into the ground.
You can propagate plants by collecting dried flowers that are left after flowering. They are carefully cut, laid out on paper and dried, after complete drying, the seeds are taken out, which are recommended to be stored in the refrigerator before sowing. (However, this option is only suitable for the most common species.)
You can still propagate petunias by cuttings, but this method is used very rarely, becausethe seeds of this plant have a very high germination rate.
Here one caveat should be made: terry petunias have seeds in the form of dragees. It is advisable to sow them in a soil mixture watered with a stimulant. Seeds are slightly pressed into the ground and covered with glass, closely monitoring soil moisture. After about a month, the seedlings dive into separate containers.
Many flower growers are wondering: "Is it possible to grow a petunia at home?"
Grow, of course, you can, but that's just the flowers you will not wait for her. The fact is that flowers require a fairly long daylight hours, but even providing the plant with additional illumination, you will not achieve good results. Petunias need access to fresh air. At home, they stretch and practically do not bloom.
Even on poorly ventilated loggias or balconies, flowers do not grow at full strength.
The only thing you can do when growing a petunia at home is to cut it into cuttings in early spring and then in May, your balcony will be decorated with blooming petunias.
Terry petunias: growing problems
Perhaps the only problem that may arise with this flower is the lack of flowering. This may be due to unfavorable growing conditions.
A garden flower must definitely receive bright light, moderate watering (too plentiful affects the plant negatively) and top dressing. When everything is in moderation, abundant and long flowering is ensured (for a photo of a terry petunia during the flowering period, seearticle).
Helpful advice
When planting plants in a permanent place, be sure to leave enough space for each flower (about 20 cm.), otherwise the flowers will interfere with each other and will not be able to fully develop.
Seeds of hybrid petunia species (terry ones also belong to them) cannot be bred at home. That is, the seed material collected from hybrids for the next year will delight you with the most common petunias. Unfortunately, seeds cannot inherit parent traits.
