Features of growing ampelous petunia

Step-by-step instruction

Pinching petunia is required correctly if you want this plant to look lush, healthy and blooming in the end. It is quite possible to do this with your own hands. The main thing is to rely on step-by-step instructions, if you have not done this before. We will analyze in detail how to pinch this petunia according to all the rules.

By the time of the first pinching, the length of the shoots usually reaches 7-10 cm.At this time, 2-3 pairs of leaves are already present on them. To make the correct pinching, it is permissible to use small nail scissors, or even to do everything with marigolds. It will be necessary to remove the top of the shoot, coupled with the immediate growth point above the topmost leaf.

New varieties, as a rule, do not need to be pinched, let's see why.

• In today's varietal flowers, branching is at the genetic level. They can be immediately distinguished from the old type plantings.
• Already at the stage of formation of the second pair of leaves, it will be possible to see the manifestation of small lateral shoots emerging from the axils of the foliage.
• This is especially true for ampelous petunias, as well as for cascading novelties. With such cultures, no procedures need to be carried out, since the formation of the necessary elements occurs by itself.

The second pinching is most often done about a month after the first. This procedure is especially active in the abundant flowering of petunias. At this time, the side shoots are noticeably lengthened, so it will be necessary to cut them already so that branches of the next order can form. Pinching here must be done on the upper part of the shoots so as not to hurt the already formed buds.

Further pinching will take place during the period in which the flower will be transplanted directly into the flower bed (if it is planned to grow it there). Disembarkation should be carried out towards the end of May. It will take a little time for the flower to take root. As soon as the bushes get used to the new place, pinching can be done.

Each of the shoots should be shortened over 5-6 leaves. The apical buds are removed with a secateurs or simply with your fingers. It is advisable to treat the sections with wood ash or powdered activated carbon. This is necessary so that a dangerous infection does not penetrate the tissue. As a result of the next pinching, the growth of the petunia will slow down, but the plant will not become weak, on the contrary, it will only be stronger and stronger.

As you can see, the scheme for pinching a petunia is quite simple and straightforward.

Do I need to pinch an ampelous petunia?

Petunia is a perennial mountain plant from Eastern Europe; in the early 80s, the ampelous petunia variety Avalina and Lobelia was brought to Russia. But no one knew how to properly care for her and whether it was necessary to pinch the ampelous petunia.
Over the years, gardeners have become convinced that she loves water, warmth and can not tolerate severe frosts, and also reacts positively to pruning.

What does a flower look like

Pinching is the process of trimming the outermost petals of a flower to branch out a shoot. Several leaves remain at the top of the ampelous petunia. The main stem inhibits the growth of the bush, the buds cannot germinate.

If you do not pinch, then the bush:

• Will weaken.
• Doesn't grow further.
• Strongly stretched.
• Flowers do not grow.

After pruning, the bush needs to be taken care of, it is fertilized with mineral additives (Agricola, Flower Garden), and growth stimulants (Kornevin) are also added. They contain everything you need for recovery and flowering. The bush needs a very large amount of dressing. Otherwise, new shoots will be weak. After pinching off, some material remains, it does not have to be thrown away.You can propagate it by grafting.
How to pinch an ampelous petunia

Before the pinching process, flower growers recommend following the rules:

• Use sterile scissors.
• Try not to damage the sprout.
• Weak shoots should not be cut sharply.
• Spraying is allowed either in the early morning or after sunset.
• You can pinch petunia several times for more abundant flowering.
• Fertilizers can only be purchased at gardening stores.
• All decayed flowers and stems must be cut off.
• Petunia species with large buds are more resistant to climate change.
• You cannot mix different varieties.
• The soil must be cleared of weeds and pests.

Note! The plant must be pinched. If this process is carried out correctly, the bush forms a larger number of branches, the flowering period will increase, the buds themselves will be very lush

It should be noted that pruning increases the plant's immunity, making it more resistant to pests. It is impossible to delay, it is worth carrying it out as quickly as possible. You need to leave a few petals, and cut off the shoot above them. The time for this procedure is once every two weeks. The first pruning is done when the culture is completely strong.

Important! It is necessary to prune so that there are 5 petals on the upper shoot. In a few cases, flowering is not abundant after pruning.

There is no need to worry, because after a certain time, the side shoots will begin to grow again, and the flowers will become very large.

Pinching the plant step by step at different stages:

Conditions for petunias

Lighting: Petunia is light-requiring and thermophilic. Grows well in open, sunny places. Large-flowered petunias are more thermophilic than small-flowered ones; in damp cold weather they stop blooming.

Watering: Drought-resistant, however, in the absence of moisture for a long time requires watering. It tolerates strong soil moisture, but suffers from stagnant water.

Soil: Petunia prefers loamy or sandy loam soils, but can grow on any sufficiently fertile soil. It responds well to the introduction of humus or compost into the soil, but not fresh manure, since it contributes to the defeat of plants by fungal diseases. When preparing the soil for petunia in areas with acidic soils (pH less than 5.5), lime must be added. When digging the soil in spring, complex fertilizer is added to it.

Top dressing: 1 time in 2 weeks with mineral and organic fertilizers in spring and summer.

How to pinch an ampelous petunia

So, the question as to whether it is necessary to pinch your favorite ampel petunia has been resolved positively. What do you need to remember about this procedure? The rules here are simple - you can cut the plant only with sterile scissors so as not to introduce a fungal infection. In this case, you should act carefully so as not to damage the sprout.

In addition, experienced florists believe that it is better to pinch the flower in several passes than to sharply prune it. The fact is that even a carefully performed procedure for a plant can be stressful. So it is better to wait until the petunia blooms profusely and pruning. And after some time, this procedure can be repeated.

Important! Do not pinch the plant with nails. In this case, it will not be possible to provide an even cut, which affects the structure of the shoots.

In addition, it will not work to sterilize the nails, so there is a risk of infecting through the stems.

There is one more important point - those flowers that have already bloomed must be pinched off. Decaying stems are also cut off immediately, without waiting for a suitable opportunity, since they make the bush especially vulnerable to various aggressive influences, especially to fungal infections, which can ultimately destroy the plant.

The step-by-step process looks like this:

• pinching at the seedling stage;
• pruning after transplanting the bush to a permanent place of residence, that is, in a hanging pot or on a flat surface (in the latter case, it will form a beautiful carpet);
• regular pinching, when an already formed plant begins to actively bloom.

Each of these stages has its own characteristics, which will be discussed below.

Pruning at the seedling stage

When to pinch ampelous petunia after germination

Growing begins with seedlings, but at some stage the flower will need to be transplanted into open ground for permanent residence. 10-15 days after that, the first pruning can be carried out. Some growers believe that this can be done earlier, already 5 days after transplanting, but only if the young sprout as a whole develops well. In this case, you only need to pinch off the side shoots, without touching the top.

When to pinch petunia seedlings

If there are ampelous petunias in the garden, when and how to pinch them is a matter of principle. This procedure is carried out in accordance with the stages of plant development. When after the appearance of the first shoots 30-40 days pass and real leaves (the fourth and fifth) are formed on them, the right moment comes for this. At this time, you should completely pinch off the stems about the fifth true leaf. This will help stimulate the growth of side shoots. And if you provide the plant with proper care, then it will actively bush.

Pruning young bushes

How to pinch an ampelous petunia when it is already in bloom

If the bush has already begun to bloom, this does not mean that it no longer needs this kind of care. In this case, pinching is carried out on a regular basis every month. Only in this case, abundant flowering is possible.

Pinching is generally corrective. It allows you to form a beautiful bush due to the fact that excess areas of lateral shoots and tops are cut off in a timely manner.

Important! The gardener should trim the top carefully, no more than 3-4 cm.The recommended proportion is 1: 3, that is, 1 cm of the top for every 3 cm of the height of the bush

Interestingly, the cascading variety needs such pruning even more than the ampelous varieties. It is believed that during one growing season it is necessary to carry out at least triple pinching of this variety. True, its shoots in their natural form always grow upwards, and downwards fall under their own weight, so that it is more difficult to form it. But such a bush can ideally be shaped like a ball.

Peculiarities

Petunia is a perennial herbaceous or semi-shrub crop from the Solanaceae family. The homeland of the plant is South America. In the wild, petunia prefers moist forests. Some representatives of this genus are capable of reaching a meter height. Petunia has approximately 30 species. During cold wintering, petunia is grown as an annual crop. It is also popular as an indoor flower. All parts of the plant, with the exception of the buds, are covered with fluff. In the axils of leaves, which are round or oblong in shape, stepchildren grow, used for reproduction of petunias or increasing the splendor of the bush.

The flowers of the culture are large, simple in shape or double, some varieties have corrugated petals. Corolla in diameter reaches 7 cm, in large-flowered plants - 15 cm.The color of the buds is represented by the entire color spectrum, from white to deep purple, similar to a black shade. There are hybrid varieties with bicolor buds, various spots, stripes and other patterns. The flowering of petunia is long. After the end of the flowering period, a seed pod is formed on the plant, which looks like a bulb. The seeds of petunia are colored brown, small, their germination is maintained for a long period.

Growing

Considering the exclusively decorative properties of surfinia, its cultivation at home is becoming more and more popular, but in order for it to bring the expected results, some subtleties of caring for this flower should be taken into account.

The soil should be loose and very light, it will be useful to add compost or humus to it shortly before planting

Special attention should be paid to the arrangement of drainage, since the stagnation of water in a flowerpot has the most destructive effect on surfinia, most often expanded clay or large pebbles are used, covered with a layer, the size of which is about a quarter of the total volume of the pot

Irrigation of plants must be treated with the utmost responsibility, especially when the plant is grown in flowerpots and pots.

It is important not to allow the upper layers of the substrate to dry out, but stagnant water should also be excluded. Surfinia roots are rather thin and long, therefore prolonged drought leads to their withering away and the rapid withering of the entire bush

Surfinia does not need to be molded, but if desired, you can pinch its apical shoots, after such a procedure, the plant stops flowering for about a month, but then blooms with the same vigor. To maintain the decorative effect of the bush, you should promptly remove dried leaves and gramophone flowers.

Weekly surfinia requires fertilizers, ready-made complex preparations with a minimum nitrogen content are used for feeding - if there is too much, then the plant will use all its strength to build up green mass. Flowering in this case will be rare. In addition to root dressing, it will be useful to carry out external spraying.

Planting petunias in open ground

What time to plant

Loamy or sandy loamy fertile soil is suitable for growing petunias, and it will be very good if humus or compost is introduced into it before planting the plants. It is not recommended to fertilize the soil with manure, because fungal diseases can develop due to it. For planting, you should choose a well-lit open area. It is necessary to plant seedlings in the spring when there is no threat of recurrent frosts (as a rule, from mid to late May). Disembarkation should be done in the evening or on a rainy day.

Landing features

When planting flowering seedlings, the flowering of such a petunia will last until November. Since these flowers are most often low, they are planted along the edge of the flower bed. For a start, flowers in pots need to be watered very abundantly, then they are pulled out along with a lump of earth and planted in a previously prepared hole. Leave 0.3 to 0.4 m of free space between the plants. The planted flowers need to be watered. A day later, the surface of the site is covered with a layer of mulch.

Planting petunias in a vertical flower bed

Answers to frequently asked questions

It would seem that the cultivation and maintenance of a rather unpretentious flower is not difficult, but flower growers still have questions regarding the pinching procedure.

How many times to pinch petunia

The first and obligatory pinching procedure was mentioned above. The next pruning of the flower is carried out after planting in a permanent place and its adaptation to external factors, but not earlier than 3-4 weeks after the first pinching.

The exception is new hybrid varieties, in which compactness, bushiness and abundance of flowering are laid down by breeders at the genetic level.

Subsequent molding pruning is carried out on flowering petunias in order to rejuvenate the plant and to enjoy the charm of the bright colors of petunias for as long as possible.

In addition, the obligatory work of the florist includes the removal of wilted flowers along with the peduncle, because their presence, especially in pots and pots, violates the overall picture of harmony and charm.

On which sheet to pinch

This question can only arise for those florists who first started growing a charming flower called petunia. The first, and playing a major role in the future development of the plant, pinching is carried out at the stage of growing seedlings.

The minimum that is left on a young bush is 4 leaves. Further shortening of axillary shoots depends on the preferences of the grower and his vision of the future flower.

How to pinch a blooming petunia

Carrying out competent care for flowers, regularly watering and feeding, petunias are able to increase the length of the shoots. But soon the leaves will begin to fall on the lower part, which will lead to a loss of decorativeness. It is because to prevent this from happening, they pinch a blooming petunia.

It happens that in flowering plants grown in pots, there is an uneven growth of shoots. Some become much longer, which violates the boundaries of the intended shape. The pinching procedure will help restore proportions, bring harmony and preserve the decorative effect of the flower.

The only thing that needs to be taken into account when pruning a blooming petunia is that you should not pinch all the shoots at once, but do it in 2-3 steps.

Which petunia should be pinched and which should not

Old varieties of petunias cannot boast of the compactness of the bush and the splendor of the growing shoots. It is advisable to pinch such plants 3-4 times per season in order to achieve decorativeness and extend the flowering period.

Breeders place higher demands on the newly bred hybrid varieties, and already at the genetic level they have the ability to increase the formation of side shoots. If the flower is grown in strict accordance with agrotechnical rules, then the plant will not need to pinch.

But flowers grown by amateurs at home often face the problem of a lack of light and excessively warm air, which leads to stretching of seedlings of hybrid varieties. The plant often falls on its side and breaks at the base.

In this case, you can use the drug "Athlete", the action of which is aimed at restraining growth. Or you can just pinch the top of the main stem and form a compact bush.

Care for shoots of ampelous petunia

The most important part of caring for ampelous petunia seedlings is the timely airing of the mini - greenhouse. High humidity not only helps young plants to develop fully, but can also cause a "black leg"

As a prophylaxis against this disease, it is necessary to lift glass or film daily to combat condensation and to accustom plants to non-greenhouse living conditions. You need to start with three to five minutes a day, gradually adding five to ten minutes. When the seedlings are able to fully grow and develop without "shelter" for several hours, the cover can be removed permanently.

Temperature control and lighting

Petunia does not tolerate sudden temperature jumps, but copes with small temperature changes. A favorable regime for plants is twenty-three to twenty-five degrees Celsius.

In the first days and weeks after the emergence of seedlings, still immature plants will need a lot of light. For their normal development and strengthening of immunity, light is needed almost around the clock.In the future, cultures should be in the light for at least twelve hours a day. Seedlings grown in such conditions are guaranteed to give abundant and lush flowering. With a lack of light, petunia will give all its strength not for future flowering, but for building foliage.

Watering and feeding

Experienced gardeners recommend using drip or bottom (into the pan) watering. These methods maintain a certain moisture balance in the soil. Excess moisture is dangerous by the appearance of fungal diseases (for example, root rot), and its lack will lead to the appearance of sluggish and dry leaves and buds, and in the future - to the death of plants.

For watering ampel petunia, you can use soft, settled water with a small amount of lemon juice or citric acid. The water temperature is about twenty - twenty three degrees Celsius.

Petunias respond gratefully to top dressing and fertilization under the root and on the leaves, they can be alternated at intervals of seven to ten days.

• In the first and second week, the seedlings are sprayed with a pink manganese solution.
• After the appearance of the second and third leaves - watering at the root with a solution of ten liters of water and one tablespoon of "Kristalon".
• Fifteen days after the pick - spraying with stimulating solutions (for example, Radifarm).

When to dive

Diving of ampel petunia seedlings is carried out after the appearance of two to three pairs of true leaves on the seedlings

Fragile young crops must be carefully removed from the soil after moistening it. Together with the soil on the root of the plant, they are transplanted into small individual containers (for example, into plastic cups with a volume of about one hundred and fifty milliliters)

How to pinch correctly

Pinching ampel petunia seedlings is no less important procedure than picking. The appearance of the flowering bush, its attractiveness, its splendor and the number of flower buds will depend on it in the future.

The central shoot should be shortened by about 60 to 70 percent of its total length. At the level of the fourth - fifth leaf, it is recommended to pinch off (or cut off) the growth point. Experienced flower growers advise this procedure to be carried out two or three times so that the flowering bush is compact and densely branched.

Disease prevention

Timely and regular prevention will help protect flowering plants from possible diseases, which consists in strict adherence to the rules of care:

watering ampelous petunias should be moderate, but daily;
petunia should receive quality lighting throughout the day and in sufficient quantities;
thickening in plantings should not be allowed;
it is important to apply fertilizers and fertilizing on time;
with the onset of cold periods, petunias should not be overexposed in the open air;
faded buds are recommended to be removed immediately;
bare shoots (without foliage and flowers) must be removed or pinched.

Pests and diseases

Speaking of surfinia, it should be noted that it is practically not susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections, however, non-observance of the basic rules of care and uncomfortable conditions of detention often lead to the formation of a black leg or gray rot. Unfortunately, today there are no effective ways to deal with such problems, because the bush is dying. If you notice the appearance of symptoms of the disease, you need to remove it from the garden to prevent infection of the rest of the seedlings.

Among insect pests, whiteflies and thrips are the most dangerous for surfinia. To combat these parasites, it is necessary to treat the leaves and green shoots twice with a concentrated solution of laundry soap with an interval of 4-5 days, if the procedure does not give a positive effect, it is worth using an insecticide.

A spider mite also often attacks surfinia, while it is almost impossible to remove it with a soapy solution - when a whitish thin web appears on the leaves, it is better to immediately treat them with Nero or Apollo preparations, all other broad-spectrum insecticides in this case will be simply powerless ...

For information on how to grow surfinia from cuttings, see the next video.