Reproduction of petunia by cuttings
Now let's talk about how to properly grow petunia seedlings from cuttings.
Cuttings are carried out in February - May, and when favorable conditions are created (temperature + 15 ... + 22 ° С and additional illumination) - all year round as the shoots grow back.
Petunia can be cut into seedling trays with soil mixture, 0.5 liter cups, peat tablets.
Apical cuttings are cut at an angle from healthy mother plants. The length of the cutting should be 5-10 cm, the number of leaves 4-6. Leaves are carefully cut on the handle, leaving only the top two. The resulting planting material is planted in the soil at ¼ of the length at a distance of 1.5-2 cm between cuttings. Planting of petunia cuttings is carried out immediately after cutting. Then the cuttings are watered, covered with glass or foil and grown in the light at a temperature of + 21 ... + 24 ° C.
Cuttings of petunias are rooted for 5-10 days. Care for cuttings is carried out in the same way as for seedlings. When the roots grow back, the cuttings are transplanted into individual containers.
Growing petunias from cuttings has its advantages, because when propagated by cuttings, young plants bloom in 20-35 days.
And here is a video on how to grow petunia seedlings from cuttings:
How to Save Your Favorite Flower for Cutting Petunia is a perennial herb, but we usually grow it as an annual. A favorite variety is easy to maintain and propagate using cuttings. Plants that are used to obtain planting material are called mother plants.
Healthy, well-developed plants are selected as mother plants. Before the onset of cold weather, the bushes are carefully transplanted into large pots (15-17 cm in diameter) so as not to disturb the root system, the old stems are trimmed and brought into the house.
To preserve mother liquors during the winter, they need to create the following conditions: good lighting, air temperature + 10 ° C ... + 12 ° C, moderate soil moisture, intensive ventilation, feeding once a month.
In the spring, as soon as the shoots grow, they begin to cuttings.
What plants to choose as mother plants?
For petunia to survive the long winter at home, the plant must be healthy. Bushes are selected that are not affected by the fungus and are free from pests.
The variety or hybrid is taken as a mother plant, it does not matter. During vegetative propagation, all the characteristics of the parent plant remain in the young flower.
- Petunia is dug out in late September-early October, after cutting off the stems (leaves 4-5 cm high).
- The flower is transplanted for the winter into a pot filled with a drainage layer and a nutrient mixture.
- For the prevention of diseases, before introducing petunias into the house, the bushes are sprayed with a solution of a fungicide and an insecticide. It can be: phytosporin, pink solution of potassium permanganate, Inta-Vir, Aktara.
- Indoors, the container is placed on a windowsill with moderate lighting.
- Keep flowers in cool rooms (constant temperature 10-15˚C).
How to propagate petunia by cuttings at home
Petunias are one of the most popular decorative flowers around the world. They can be found in city flower beds, personal plots, terraces and balconies. Some varieties of this amazing plant are also used to decorate rooms.
Despite the availability of seeds and seedlings, most flower growers prefer to propagate petunias by cuttings at home. In this article, we will look at the key points of this method.
Benefits of cuttings growing
Cutting is considered not only the simplest, but also a high-quality method of vegetative propagation of flowers.The following advantages of this method are distinguished:
- using cuttings, you can get an exact copy of the mother plant, including all its genetic and phenotypic characteristics;
- you can save on seedlings and seeds, which do not always show 100% germination;
- it is the fastest method of reproduction, rooting and the germination process takes significantly less time than planting seeds;
- the daughter plant is more hardy and strong than with the seedling or seed method of growing petunias.
It is possible to get a strong and healthy seedling by cuttings only if agricultural technology, planting time and proper preparation of the planting material are observed. It is believed that terry varieties of petunias are best only cut by cuttings, since seeds germinate extremely not in all cases.
How to propagate petunia by cuttings correctly
For the reproduction of a flower, it is necessary to take an outwardly healthy and strong stem of the mother plant, the optimal length is 7-10 cm.
The top must be pinched to stop the growth process, as well as to remove all buds and petals. Each cutting should have at least 4 leaves in pairs.
The faster you move the planting material into water or soil, the less chances it will die.
Cut the seedling from below at an oblique angle directly in front of the node, and the upper cut should be carried out straight, approximately 1-1.5 cm above the node. It is advisable to immediately treat the cut with a growth stimulant, for example, Kornevin - this will speed up the rooting process.
The soil in peat pots, a home greenhouse or water is used as a rooting substrate. The soil can be used for decorative flowers, or you can find special soil for petunias, which is sometimes sold in specialty stores. However, some growers use coarse sand or perlite.
How and when to cook cuttings
One of the main advantages of propagation by cuttings for petunias is the ability to propagate the bush all year round. The optimal time for the preparation of cuttings is the end of August or the beginning of September, when the flowering process of the mother plant stops.
If you plan to plant a seedling in May, then you need to cut the cuttings no later than the end of March. Both methods refer to the summer method of cuttings.
In addition, it is necessary to monitor the constant lighting that the plant requires for the formation of vegetative parts. The cuttings are prepared on the basis that the subsequent planting in the ground will occur in 1.5-2 months.
Cutting petunias in water
Rooting of cuttings can be carried out in a substrate or water. The use of liquid is recommended for all varieties, except for terry, whose fabrics do not react well to high humidity. In addition, the seedlings should be slightly larger, the optimal length is 10-12 cm. The grafting algorithm in the ground:
- Prepare petunia cuttings by cutting them from the mother plant and treating them in a growth stimulant solution.
- Place the scions in individual containers of water. For this purpose, it is recommended to use plastic or glass containers. The liquid is poured about 1/3 of the total volume.
- To speed up the rooting process, you need to cover the seedlings with a film or plastic bottle. Planting material should be stored in a dimly lit place at room temperature.
- The roots appear in 14-20 days, after which the seedlings can be transplanted into open ground, a flowerpot or a pot.
During the whole process, you need to add water, which will gradually evaporate. It is advisable to add an activated carbon tablet to the liquid to prevent decay of the appendix.
What to do after the procedure
Hybrid varieties of petunias are especially demanding for optimal rooting conditions. The temperature for germinating cuttings should not be lower than +16.
Covering the scions with plastic wrap to create a greenhouse effect becomes unnecessary for 5-7 days.
Daylight hours for petunias should be 11-12 hours, therefore, with a lack of natural light, it is added artificially. For this, photolamps are used: they are installed at a distance of 20 centimeters from the seedlings.
Morning or evening hours are suitable for watering. The settled water at room temperature is mixed with a few drops of lemon juice.
To grow cuttings, a feeding system is provided, this allows you to make the cuttings procedure more effective:
- The first 2 weeks, the shoots are sprayed from a spray bottle with water with the addition of a potassium manganese solution.
- When leaves appear in the soil, fertilizers for the soil begin to be applied.
- For water rooting, spraying with a growth stimulant is used.
Compliance with the rules and provision of conditions for development contributes to the rapid and effective breeding of petunias.
Basically, domestic amateur flower growers grow petunias from seeds. However, seed reproduction at home is complicated by a lack of light, therefore, for sowing, you need to buy seeds with a margin and organize additional lighting. To save the family budget and time spent on growing seedlings, many use the petunia cuttings method.
Self-propagation by cuttings is also carried out to obtain a full-fledged copy of the mother plant of large-flowered crops that you like, which, when grown in open ground, practically do not set seeds. Even with seeds from F1 hybrids, the grown flowers will not inherit exceptional parental qualities, so these varieties are grown only from purchased seed or vegetatively.
In the article, we will tell you step by step about the propagation of petunias by cuttings at home and the basic rules that must be followed when growing and caring for them.
