Cultivation of petunia from seeds or seedlings

Petunia belongs to the family of Solanaceae. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with dense erect erect (bushy forms) or creeping stems (ampel forms). For the cultivation is usually used the so-called petunia garden (Petunia X hybrida), which is a hybrid form of petunia violet and petunia axillary, the birthplace of which is South America. In total, more than two dozen of its varieties are known. Some of them reproduce by cuttings, but more often the cultivation of petunia from seeds is practiced.

Perennial petunia in the middle belt is usually cultivated as an annual, but if desired, it can be excavated in the autumn and preserved until the next spring. It blossoms already in the year of sowing, colorfully and abundantly, that is why it is in great demand among the flower growers who practice the cultivation of petunia from seeds and in the open ground, and when planting balconies. Its flowers are funnel-shaped, about 5 cm in diameter. They can be both terry and simple, have a bright color: white, pink, purple, lilac, blue, yellow. Two-color varieties are also bred - with spots, borders, stripes.

Growing petunias from seeds is a fairly simple process. Sow it in pots or boxes with greenhouse land in February-March.

The optimum temperature for seed germination is about +22 degrees Celsius, however, if they have been stored for several years, it is better to increase it. The seeds are sown sparingly, so that the sprouts do not oppress each other. The container should be covered with a film. Seeds of petunia are very small, they are not embedded in the soil, but are planted on the surface of the earth. You can not wet the substrate, but at the same time, you should not allow it to dry out.

Shoots appear, on average, on the tenth day. When growing a mixture of different varieties, the first to germinate are petunia seeds that have a blue color of flowers, and the last to grow petunias with red and purple flowers. Sprouts dive and after the termination of frost is planted on beds or flower beds at a distance of 10-20 cm from each other. Pre-seedlings should be hardened for 10 days at a temperature of + 10-14 degrees Celsius.

The root system of the plant is quite branched and well restored after transplantation. An obligatory condition for the full development of petunias is sufficient light. Blossoms petunia 55-90 days after sowing (depending on the variety). It blooms from early summer to autumn frosts. When caring for the plant should shorten too long shoots - after that they become lush. It is also necessary to remove faded flowers in time: it is better to tie new buds.

One of the prerequisites for the successful cultivation of these plants is timely feeding. Seedlings of petunia should be fertilized weekly. It is also necessary to feed the plants in July-August. You can take any fertilizer suitable for flowering plants, but it is more convenient to use a special composition for petunias, which is sold in specialized stores. In regions with mild climates, it is possible to grow petunia from seeds directly in the open ground, bypassing the seedling stage.

The technology of seed propagation in many cases is not as effective as desired, and is not suitable for all garden plants. So, growing begonias from seeds does not justify itself by far not always: the majority prefers to still propagate them with cuttings or parts of leaves. In some crops the germination of seeds is generally low. For example, it is difficult to name the successful cultivation of cranberries from seeds - they usually grow only 60 with a small percentage, so for the cultivation of this culture, also mainly use cuttings. However, petunia is a grateful plant: its seeds peck out quickly and in a friendly manner, so in this case this method is the simplest and most rational (excluding varieties that lose their properties when multiplying by seeds).