When to plant petunias for seedlings and how to grow it
Petunia is the favorite of many gardeners. These funnel-shaped flowers, which can be of different sizes and degrees of doubleness, are used to create flower bed, rockeries, mixborders, decoration of balconies and terraces.
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Cultivation is carried out in seedlings, and it presents some difficulties, since petunia seeds small, tightly similar and light-sensitive. That is why flower growers often ask the question of when to plant petunias for seedlings, the answer to which depends on when it is necessary for the plant to bloom. As a rule, flowering begins on average two months after planting.
So if you want the plant to bloom in May, you need to sow at the end of February, maximum at the beginning of March. If flowering is required in June, then you need to sow a month later.
Sowing petunia
For sowing, you will need seed boxes or disposable containers with holes made for water drainage. The soil for planting must be sifted, shed well and compacted a little. The seeds should be mixed with dry sand and spread evenly over the soil surface.
You can also use snow. Place it on the surface of the soil and spread the seeds over it with a toothpick. The snow will melt and they will be on the surface of the substrate. Many gardeners use peat tablets for growing seedlings.
With any method of sowing petunia, its seeds are not embedded in the substrate, since they need light for germination. After sowing, a container with soil or peat tablets is covered with glass or wrapped in polyethylene and placed in a bright place. Also for sowing, you can use food containers that are equipped with lids, as they ideally fulfill the function of a greenhouse. Grow petunia for seedlings follows at a temperature of + 20-22 degrees.
When sowing in January-February, there is not enough sunlight, additional lighting is required, for which it is better to use a fluorescent lamp. Therefore, if you do not need petunia flowers to appear as early as possible, then it is better to sow seeds for seedlings in March to eliminate the need for using backlighting.
It is best to plant granular seeds because they can be planted with tweezers to create even rows. This contributes to the healthy development of plants. To ensure healthy plant growth, it is best not to soak the seeds in any growth promoter, otherwise the chances are high that the flowers grow from complementary foods.
The substrate is moistened by spraying. After the emergence of seedlings (5-7 days from the moment of planting), the film or glass is not removed, only the plants are ventilated daily, gradually increasing the interval, and the condensate is removed. When the seedlings get stronger and have several real leaves, the lid can be removed and a dive can be made.
Further care of seedlings
Dive plants need either in an individual or in a more voluminous common container. At the same time, the seedling is deepened so that a good root system develops, and it gets stronger, in addition, this will prevent the development of the so-called "black leg", in which the sprout stretches and then lays down.It is better to make a pick into hotel containers, it is enough to use small plastic cups (200 ml). This will allow the plant to develop freely and grow stronger, and with further planting it increases the survival rate, because better development of the root system is ensured than when grown in a common container.
After the pick, the time comes to harden the plants, for which once a day you should open the windows for 10 minutes, thereby reducing the temperature in the room. However, plants should not be frostbitten under the influence of the cold wind, therefore, plants should be removed from the windowsill during airing. The airing time should also be gradually increased. This allows not only the development of plant roots, but also strengthens the aerial part of the flower.
After 4 leaves appear, you need to start non-root top dressing, for which it is necessary to spray with fertilizer and growth stimulant (alternately) every two days. Thus, by the time of planting, the plant already has a well-developed central trunk.
Planting plants
Planting petunias should be carried out after the frosts recede. The plant is pinched after planting, as this allows the petunia to acclimate and grow intensively with renewed vigor.
You need to plant plants at a certain distance:
- multi-flowered varieties - 10-15 cm;
- large-flowered varieties - 20-25 cm.
Overgrown shoots should be tucked in, which will give the bushes more splendor. Faded flowers must be removed so that new buds appear in their place.
Petunia is one of the fastidious plants, so you need to monitor soil moisture. After watering, you need to loosen the soil, and also the plant should be fed with fertilizers twice a month so that the petunia will delight everyone with a riot of color.