When to sow petunias for seedlings
They say that flowers are traces left by the light touch of the earth by the angels of heaven. Otherwise, how can one explain this miracle of nature, pleasing the eyes with the splendor of a rainbow that has spilled onto the earth, enchanting with a divine aroma, delighting with its fragile, sophisticated appearance, striking with its defenselessness and selflessness.
Content:
The rational thinking of a down-to-earth person is not given to understand the true purpose of flowers, from which there is no practical benefit, but there is something more that is accessible to perception only at the spiritual and spiritual level.
Strokes for the portrait
A popular flowering plant that adorns our flower gardens is called petunia. The wild ancestors of the modern, well-known petunias live in America. More than 30 varieties are known, as well as hybrid variants, of this perennial herb from the Solanaceae family. Due to active flowering in the year of sowing, it is used as an annual, but with possible transplantation and subsequent storage in room conditions and propagation by cuttings.
The variety of shapes, colors and shades of petunias, which cannot be enumerated, are striking. The plant can be erect and creeping, as well as growing in the form miniature bushes compact spherical shape - from 20 cm in height or spreading shoots spreading up to 2 meters. Densely branching strong stems lining at the base with fleshy, slightly drooping, oval-shaped leaves, which are sometimes not visible behind the magnificently blossoming flowers.
Petunia flowers
Each of the fragrant funnel-shaped flowers, about 5 cm in diameter, is attached to the leaf axil by a strong pedicel. In place of fading distant buds, new ones soon form, not stopping flowering until the very frost. In case of unfavorable conditions of temporary cold snap or insufficient moisture, petunia can slow down flowering, so that later it can actively resume.
The color of the flowers is varied: from white and cream through all the colors of the rainbow to multi-colored with borders, stars or stripes and exquisite corrugation or thick fringes. The multi-flowered terry varieties are a bit like a carnation, while the large-flowered ones are very showy and look like a rose. The so-called excellent petunia flowers reach a diameter of about 12 cm, have wavy edges and dark-colored veins in the back of the throat.
Growing petunias
It is possible to collect the seeds of the plant by marking a few lower buds at the beginning of flowering. Petunia fruits are capsules with small grains. It will take at least 2-3 months to keep them fully ripe. But it should be borne in mind that hybrid plants are prone to surprises, producing flowers of unpredictable color and size in their offspring. It is best to buy hybrid flower seeds from leading florists.
The plant is widely used for seasonal decoration of windows, balconies, retaining walls, terraces and fences. With sufficient lighting, petunias can also be grown in the house, but gardens, parks, squares, courtyards and gazebos are considered its traditional place. It is impossible to imagine a beautiful flower garden without petunias, characterized by a cascading arrangement of flowers that completely cover the shoots and foliage. In this case, the color of flowers can be very diverse.The advantage of petunias is their long flowering from June until the first frost.
Seedling seeds
Petunia breeds seeds, however, to get a good flower garden in open ground, it is best to plant ready-made seedlings... Therefore, all novice gardeners are interested in the question of when to sow petunias for seedlings. Despite the fact that quite a lot of petunia species are known, it is recommended to sow petunia seeds for seedlings during February - March.
To obtain good seedlings, it is necessary to provide appropriate growing conditions. First of all, you should provide good lighting. In this case, the temperature in the room should be at least 23 degrees. Petunia seeds are very small, so shallow sowing is recommended.
Plant care
With proper observance of the light and temperature conditions, the first shoots can be expected in 7-10 days. It is also necessary to ensure moderate watering, avoiding waterlogging and drying out of the soil. After the emergence of seedlings, the temperature regime for growing seedlings should be about 20 degrees.
After the seedlings develop 3 true leaves, it is necessary to perform pick seedlings for better growth of seedlings. Timely planting of seeds, as well as correct care are prerequisites for the successful cultivation of petunias. Therefore, when sowing petunia for seedlings, each amateur florist must decide individually.
It will take approximately 75 to 90 days for the seeds to germinate, grow stronger and bloom. An original method of sowing seeds on the snow has been proposed, so that they can be seen better, and the melted snow, absorbing into the soil, will pull the seeds along. The plant as a whole is unpretentious, feels good in sunlit places and, with sufficient watering, will delight the eye with long, abundant flowering.