Petunias. short explanatory dictionary

Possible growing problems

Various problems can arise when growing a ground cover plant. Bush petunia can be affected by diseases of the type:

• Black leg, affecting the stem part, which is covered with a black bloom. This disease often damages the seedlings. Sick bushes cannot be cured.
• Brown spot that occurs against the background of an increased level of air humidity. The causative agent of the disease is a fungus. To cope with brown spot, it is recommended to use preparations that include copper. Processing is carried out every 7 days for a month.
• Powdery mildew, which occurs against the background of waterlogging of the soil and sudden changes in temperature. Leaf plates and stems of diseased bushes are covered with a bloom of white. To cope with the disease, it is advised to use drugs like "Fundazol" and "Topaz".

In addition to diseases, insects can harm petunias. Below you can find the most common pests of bush annuals:

Whitefly, the body of which is covered with powdery pollen. Insects drink the sap of the plant, which can lead to the death of the bushes. To cope with an insect, you will need to use "Confidor" and "Aktelit".
Aphids, covering the stems of flowers with a dense layer, leads to wilting and twisting of leaf plates, the death of bushes. In order to combat insects, it is advised to use "Decis" and "Confidor".
Spider mites destroy annuals in a short period of time. You can detect pests by a thin cobweb that forms on flowers.

It is important to treat ground cover plants with "Demitan", "Neoron" as soon as possible.

In cases of improper care, disruptions in the development of decorative culture may occur:

stretching of the stems and slight flowering indicate inadequate lighting or inappropriate temperature;
loss of decorative qualities can occur against the background of disheveled inflorescences, which are important to remove from the bush if damaged;
the defeat of petunia with a fungal disease indicates a lack of useful elements that can be replenished by systematic introduction of humus into the soil.

Different types of petunias in landscape design

New items among petunias

Breeders periodically develop new varieties of petunias, each of which deserves close attention. One of these plants is the Pupa flower. This variety is considered ampelous. The bud is composed of rich and sophisticated pink petals. They have original white blotches resembling stars.

Many gardeners have already appreciated the novelty of Nuvolari Tenderness, which belongs to the category of elite semi-ample crops. The shoots of this plant are completely hidden. Flowers are delicate, fragile, translucent with a pale pinkish tint. Inflorescences are formed in the form of volumetric balls, which can reach 40 cm in diameter.

The original petunia Sophistika Lime Bicolor is also one of the new varieties. This is a luxurious chameleon that is considered very fashionable. The play of shades and tones creates a whimsical look that will be remembered by all guests of the garden and the flower growers themselves. This plant forms spherical bushes, which are literally completely covered with buds. Such a culture looks luxurious in hanging pots and in flower beds.

There are new types and better varieties of petunias - the reviews about these plants are the most positive. The flower growers liked the luxurious and unusual cultures:

• Night sky;
• Rococo Bordeaux;
• Champagne;
• Diamond Pink Pearl.

Planting and caring for the mesembriantemum in the open field

What time to plant

In open soil, seedlings of mesembryanthemum should be planted only after the return spring frosts are left behind, and warm weather sets in, while the ground should be well warmed up, as a rule, this time falls on the second half of May or the first days of June.

To grow such a crop, it is recommended to choose a ventilated area that has reliable protection from drafts and is illuminated by the sun throughout almost the whole day. These flowers will grow best in an area located in the southern part of the garden. The soil should be well-drained, rocky or sandy. Before you start planting, you should dig up the soil, while you need to add expanded clay, as well as sand. This plant is not recommended to be planted near moisture-loving crops, the fact is that the bushes rot in excessively moist soil.

Landing rules

It is very easy to grow a mesembriantemum in your garden. Before proceeding with planting, it is necessary to make planting holes in the prepared area, while their depth should be such that the plant can fit in them along with a lump of earth and roots. A distance of at least 15–20 centimeters should be kept between the pits. After planting seedlings, the free space in the planting pits must be covered with moisture-permeable loose soil. When the plants are planted, the soil needs to be watered and tamped a little.

How to care for the garden

Watering such flowers is necessary in moderation and in a timely manner. Watering is carried out only when the soil dries well and it will be seen that the bushes are suffering from a lack of water. If it often rains in the summer, then such a culture can be very badly damaged, in this regard, experts recommend covering the site with a film in wet weather, as a result, the soil will not sour from water. The plots are fertilized once every 15–20 days. For feeding, a solution of complex fertilizers for succulent plants is used.

You do not need to cut the bushes, on the contrary, the flowering shoots creeping along the site turn the flower bed into a motley spectacular carpet. If you take care of the bushes correctly, then their flowering can last until the second half of the autumn period.

Wintering

Bushes for the winter must be removed from the soil, while all excess soil must be removed from the root system. For storage, they are removed in a cool place (from 10 to 12 degrees), while in the spring, when the growing season begins, the bushes must be cuttings. Rooting of cuttings should be carried out with poor watering and under diffused bright light, and when frost passes, they should be planted in open soil.

Growing petunias from seeds

Sowing

When you decide to sow garden petunia in winter, for example, the month of February, then they need to provide backlighting. Most of those who are engaged in gardening do this kind of work in March. From the second to the fourth week of this month. But since there is not so much sun at this time, it is necessary to sow with a margin, because much less can rise. The substrate must be chosen with the following composition: 2 parts of rotted humus, 2 - peat, 1 - sand and 2 - turf or soil. It should be light, loose, and high in nutrients.

Red petunia bud

The container must be filled with such a mixture. And on top of it, it is necessary to lay out a layer one centimeter thick, consisting of a sifted substrate. One day before planting perennial or annual petunias, this soil should be watered abundantly. This can distribute the seeds evenly. They must also be mixed with sand before planting.

The next step is to distribute the resulting sand over the surface of the substrate, as well as moisten it with a spray bottle. Then the container is covered with a film or closed with glass on top.After it is moved to a place whose temperature remains within 20-23 degrees above zero.

After about 7 days, the first shoots will already be visible. Every day, two times they should be ventilated, moistened with a spray bottle. During such a period, it is extremely necessary to maintain a high humidity indicator inside such a small greenhouse. But this, on the other hand, can lead to the defeat of the "black leg". To avoid such a problem, remove the collected condensation from the surface of the film every day, and also turn the glass over to the other side.

Petunia bud

In addition to these precautions, sprouts should be treated with a solution with a low content of potassium manganese, using a spray bottle. When you see the first plate, which was able to fully form, the cover can be removed from the vessel, the substrate can be covered with a small layer of sand, and the amount and frequency of watering can be reduced.

Seedling care

If you notice that three or four leaves have already formed well, then you need to pick them up. But first, the substrate in the pot should be moistened. With a small stick we gently pry a young plant and remove it from the soil, holding it by the leaves

During this procedure, it is important to ensure that the substrate is not shaken off from the roots.

To make a pick, you should prepare a plastic pot for each sprout. You can also use peat, which must be filled with the same substrate. When small plants are planted, they should be watered abundantly and covered with sheets of paper or lutrasil for 2-3 days.

Photo of terry petunia

At this stage, you should take a responsible approach to caring for the flower. The soil mixture must be constantly moisturized. It is impossible to say exactly how many times you need to water, because many factors affect this. Circumstances can be so different that some need to be watered once or twice a week, while others need to be watered twice a day. It will sometimes be necessary to loosen the soil around the seedlings.

A week after planting, the sprouts need to be fertilized regularly. This must be done in turn - the root method and not. For such purposes, Kemira, Solution, Nitrofoska, as well as other complex dressings are suitable. It should be possible to dissolve them in water. Dilute them using proportions of 25-30 grams per bucket.

Flowering starts differently for different species. Those that belong to grandiflora can present flowers after 3 months from planting the seed. Types of multiflora - after 2.5 months. Before moving the seedlings to an open space, they need to be hardened. To achieve the desired result, the seedlings need to be taken out into the fresh air during the day. You can also do this by moving the seedlings to a cooler place.

Peculiarities

Petunia flowers have a branched root system with shallow laying. Thanks to her, the plant grows quickly and in a few weeks is able to fill all the free space. Stems are undersized, no more than 30 cm high, creeping.

When blooming, single flowers appear no more than 15 cm in diameter, resembling a bell in shape. Depending on the variety, the edges of the flowers can be smooth or wavy. When the petunia fades, a box of seeds appears in place of the flower. They are very small, one such box can contain up to 300 seeds.

The Typhoon variety is characterized by increased endurance compared to other varieties due to the denser texture of the petals. The plant has a delicate pleasant scent that will spread its fragrance over several meters. Moreover, this variety is not susceptible to powdery mildew disease, which is a real disaster for many garden plants.

One of the advantages of the Typhoon variety is its fast germination. It begins to bloom about 2 weeks earlier than other varieties. Flowers appear evenly and at once throughout the bush.

Petunia "Typhoon" is more demanding on the conditions of its keeping than other varieties. For example, a flower does not like excessive moisture and does not tolerate winds at all. The stems and leaves of the plant break from strong impulses, so the flower feels more comfortable in a hanging flowerpot under a canopy, where there is a lot of sun, but there is no direct effect on the plant. Sandy or clayey soil is suitable for petunias.

Petunia ampelous and cascading: difference

In appearance, the ampelous variety has a number of features:

• inflorescences resemble bells in shape. Dozens of flowers are located along each shoot, in the axils of the plant;
• the palette includes colors from white to purple. Typically, the insides are darker than the petals;
• stems of various lengths, about 30-100 cm. During the growth period, the shoots fall to the ground, and do not fall apart on the sides. Thanks to this, you can grow in hanging flowerpots and form the crown at the discretion of the gardener;
• some varieties have large buds up to 10 cm in diameter. In such cases, you do not have to wait for a large number of flowers. Other varieties are distinguished by buds from 3 to 7 cm, arranged in 3 or 10 pieces. on the sprout.

For your information! To decorate the wall with flowing lashes, do not pinch petunia shoots.

One planter can contain flowers of different shapes and shades.

How does a cascade petunia differ from an ampelous one:

• the plant has strong elastic shoots that do not break under gusts of wind. The length of each of them reaches 1.5 m. A solid mass of greenery grows from the sinuses. The stems begin to grow upward, but upon reaching a certain height, they tend to the ground;
• in appearance, the crown looks like a ball framed by a cascade of flowers;
• buds reach a diameter of 5 cm. At the same time, on one plant, all flowers are of the same size.

Important! During flowering and bud formation, you should water more often, fertilize the flower and do not forget about careful care. Petunia ampelous and cascading - the difference:

Petunia ampelous and cascading - the difference:

• ampelous has thin stems up to 1.5 m in length. The cascading plant is distinguished by thick lashes of about 2 m;
• the direction of growth in ampelous petunia is down;
• the buds of ampelous varieties have different shades and numbers, while the parameters of the cascade are stricter: all flowers are of the same color and size;
• the best option for ampelous planting are hanging containers. Ball-shaped varieties prefer floor vases, pots, flower beds, and other common planting methods.

Cascading petunia

Main varieties

All varieties of petunias can be roughly divided into 3 classes. Moreover, most botanists adhere to this classification. For example:

1. Grandiflora, which includes all bush representatives. Such petunias are often found in flower beds, pots, along the paths of private plots.
2. Ampel flowers. This type is considered the most sophisticated. They plant it in pots and baskets, from which bushes of ampelous petunias fall beautifully down, and their shoots reach one and a half meters in length.
3. Cascading plants. Their main property is the rapid growth of shoots to the sides. They reach a height of 40-50 cm.

All classes are still divided into varieties. They depend on the shape of the plant and other indicators. For example:

1. With smooth and double flowers.
2. With large and small peduncles.
3. Having flowers in the same color and in different colors.
4. With and without fringe on the flowers.
5. Low-growing plants and creeping on the ground.

The Grandiflora group includes undersized (25-35 cm) and tall (50-70 cm) petunias with even compact or spreading bushes with a small number of large simple or double flowers. Their edges can be either smooth or wavy. Petunia Grandiflora is rarely planted in open ground, more often it is planted in containers and pots on window sills, terraces and balconies, since they are less resistant to weather conditions.In the event of a downpour or a sharp cold snap, the pots with plants can be protected by simply removing them for a while in the house.

Granidiflora has about 30 types of cultivars and several hybrid units. The main types of petunia Grandiflora include:

1. Grandiflora Prism Sunshine. Has bright yellow flowers. Plant height up to 25 centimeters.
2. Grandiflora Dreams. A more weather-resistant plant, it has lush, undersized bushes. Flower colors: yellow-white, pink, light purple, red.
3. Grandiflora Burgundy. This is a plant with large bushes, the height of which reaches 35 centimeters. It blooms from June to late autumn. The flowers are velvety, have a dark cherry color.
4. Grandiflora Limbo (Limbo). A compact, branchy plant with abundant flowering. The color scheme is varied: the flowers are pink, white, lilac, cherry and other shades.
5. Grandiflora Aladdin. The plant has a height of up to 40 centimeters. Drought resistant. Flowers with wavy edges, having blue, purple, crimson shades.