Petunia and spring frosts: How big is the danger of plant death? Personal experience. Petunia, a favorite of summer residents - planting and care in the open field When to plant a petunia in February

Petunias are beautiful flowers that adorn not only gardens, but also terraces, balconies, loggias and windows of dwellings. In terms of splendor and duration of flowering, as well as the abundance of colors, varieties and hybrids, this perennial, grown in culture as an annual, surpasses many flowering plants. But there is one difficulty that confuses even experienced flower growers - not everyone manages to grow petunia seedlings.

And the secret to success in the first place is to know exactly when to plant a petunia for seedlings.

When to sow petunias for seedlings in 2019

Small petunia seeds germinate for a very long time, and in order for the plant to bloom in June, the cultivation of petunia seedlings from seeds begins in February or March. What days according to the lunar sowing calendar are the most favorable for sowing petunia seeds?

• January: 1, 19, 20, 26-29;
• February: 1-3, 20-26;
• March: 1, 3, 4, 20-23, 28-30.

How to grow petunia seedlings from seeds

Soil for seedlings of petunias

Petunia seedlings are grown in neutral or slightly acidic soil - it is desirable that it be a loose nutrient mixture that can retain moisture, but not freeze. In flower shops, you can buy a ready-made soil mixture, for example, the Stender universal substrate, but in 5 liters of such a mixture you need to add a half-liter jar of wood ash, 250 g of perlite, a tablespoon of potassium sulfate or the same amount of Kemira and mix everything well.

You can prepare soil mixing two parts of soddy land, humus and well-decomposed peat with one part of sand. Or make soil from garden soil, sand and peat in a ratio of 1: 1: 2. After you thoroughly mix the ingredients, sift the soil twice through a sieve: the first time through a large sieve, the second time through a smaller sieve. Then the soil composition is shed with a strong solution of potassium permanganate or Previkur's solutionprepared in accordance with the instructions.

Sowing petunias for seedlings at home

As for petunia seeds, you need to buy them from reliable manufacturers, otherwise you may have difficulty germinating them. Dried seeds do not need to be subjected to pre-sowing preparation, but it should be noted that they germinate poorly in dry soil due to the fact that their shell does not dissolve. If you are purchasing regular seeds, be sure to find out the terms and conditions of their storage. Seeds must be fresh as poor seed germination is a major problem in growing petunia seedlings.

How to plant a petunia for seedlings? At the bottom of the container treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, and then washed with clean water (it can be a wooden or plastic box at least 10 cm high with drainage holes), place fine expanded clay, and place a disinfected soil mixture on top of it in such an amount that from the surface of the soil to the edge of the dish 2 cm remained. If there is snow in the yard, lay it on the ground and lightly tamp - petunia seeds are best sown in the snow. Spread the seeds on top of the snow layer and cover the container with film or glass. When the snow melts, the seeds will be drawn into the ground.

To evenly distribute small petunia seeds over the surface of the soil, it is better to pre-mix them with sand.

If there is no snow, then the seeds are laid out on moist soil, and then they are lightly sprayed from a fine spray gun and covered with a transparent material that does not allow air to pass through. Don't plant seeds Petunias only grow in the light. Contain crops in a well-lit place at a temperature of 25 ºC.

How to grow petunia seedlings in tablets

Dragee seeds are best sown in peat tablets. Petunia seedlings are grown in medium-sized peat tablets - 3.5 or 4.5 cm in diameter. The tablets are soaked in water to swell, then the excess water is drained, the tablets are placed in a tall tray, one seed is placed in each tablet with a match or a toothpick, and then pour each seed with water with a pipette - the seed coat should get wet. After 3-5 minutes, carefully spread the sagging shells to make it easier for the seeds to germinate, cover the tray with a transparent lid and place the crops in the brightest place where the air temperature is kept within 25 ºC.

Growing petunia seedlings in tablets contributes to better seed germination and greatly facilitates the care of seedlings, since it eliminates the need to pick them, which injures the root system. And by the way, by the color of the tablets it is easy to determine whether the seedlings need watering.

Growing petunia seedlings in cassettes

The most convenient containers for growing petunias are cassettes with cells - they can be used repeatedly, they save space and avoid picking seedlings. Now on sale you can find cassettes with a different number of cells, and the more cells in the cassette, the smaller they are.

For petunia seedlings, it is better to use cassettes with large cells. The height of the cells must be at least 10 cm.

As a soil, you can use all those soil mixtures that we have already described in, or you can grow petunia seedlings in tablets by placing them in swollen form in the cells of the cassette. Otherwise, sowing seeds and growing seedlings in cassettes are carried out in the usual manner.

Buy petunia seedlings - is it worth it?

For beginner flower growers, the question of whether to buy petunia seedlings or grow them yourself is of particular importance, since not everyone can grow petunia seedlings from seeds at home. If you are determined to carry out the whole process from start to finish, then start by choosing quality seeds, but if you are not confident in your knowledge and do not have experience in growing seedlings, then you can simply purchase seedlings from well-established manufacturers, especially since in the spring it is no problem.

When buying petunia seedlings, pay attention to the condition of the substrate in which the seedlings grow: it should not be wet. If the seedlings have shrunken tops and yellowing leaves, this may be a sign of chlorosis and evidence that the seedlings are dying off the roots. You should also not buy overgrown seedlings, since the seedlings already in the garden can stretch out a lot or, conversely, their growth will freeze - it all depends on how much the root system has suffered. Carefully inspect the leaves of the seedlings from the underside to make sure there are no insects, otherwise the time and effort that you saved will be spent on fighting.

petunia seedling care

Growing conditions for petunia seedlings

How to grow petunia seedlings at home? The optimum temperature for germination of petunia seeds is 24-25 ºC. Hybrid varieties are especially picky about temperature conditions - at a lower indicator, their seeds do not germinate, and at a higher indicator, the seedlings get sick and stretch. If you observe the necessary temperature conditions and provide the crops with good lighting, seedlings will appear in 5-7 days, and from that moment on, the crops need to be ventilated twice a day: the cover is removed, the condensate is removed from it and the crops are left uncovered for the first time for 20 minutes, next time for 40 minutes and so on. At the same time, the temperature in the room is gradually lowered during the day to 20 ºC, and at night to 16 ºC. At first, seedlings develop very slowly, since they first of all build up the root system. In addition, at the end of February and in March, they need additional lighting. If the shoots are too thick, thin them out with tweezers.

When the seedlings begin to touch the cover, remove it completely, but continue to maintain soil moisture at the same level.

Illumination of petunia seedlings

For normal development, seedlings in the first weeks of growth need light almost around the clock - with good lighting, seedlings develop faster, and flowering occurs earlier. In the future, the plant needs 11-12 hours of daylight at a maximum illumination of 50,000 lux, so the backlight is turned on at 7-8 in the morning and turned off at 21-22. After picking, the illumination level is raised to 55,000 lux. For artificial lighting, phytolamps, LED, gas-discharge or fluorescent lamps are used, installed above the seedlings at a height of 20 cm.

Watering petunia seedlings

It is very important to learn how to water petunia seedlings, because the plant needs a balance of moisture: waterlogging leads to fungal diseases, while drying out of the soil destroys seedlings. A syringe is used for irrigation: drip irrigation of seedlings is carried out from it under the root, trying to ensure that water does not fall on the leaves in any case, or pour water along the inner wall of the container, but it is best and easiest to use the bottom irrigation method - into the pan.

Water for moistening the soil needs soft, chlorine-free, that is, settled. The water temperature should be the same as in the room, or 1-2 degrees warmer. Just before watering, squeeze some lemon juice into the water.

In sunny weather, seedlings are watered in the evening, and in cloudy weather - in the morning.

Feeding petunia seedlings

Another feature of petunia seedlings is that they have a high need for fertilizers.

How to feed petunia seedlings? The first and second weeks of emerging shoots as the soil dries are sprayed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or Previkur. In the development phase of seedlings with 3-4 true leaves, a solution of yellow Crystal is added to the soil (one tablespoon per bucket of water).

It is advisable to fertilize the petunia not only under the root, but also along the leaves, especially if you have a lot of seedlings. For foliar top dressing, a solution of green Crystal or Uniflora micro is used. As the seedlings grow, feeding becomes more frequent - up to three times a week, and it is better to alternate root feeding with foliar feeding.

Two weeks after picking, the seedlings are sprayed with a solution of the root formation stimulator Radifarm. For top dressing, you can also use solutions of Kemira Lux, Mortar, Aquarin or Plantafol, prepared in accordance with the instructions.

In general, if you sowed seeds in nutrient soil, seedlings may not need to be fed, but fertilizers will have to be applied to a poor substrate.

If for some reason you did not sow petunia in cassettes or in tablets, but grow it in one common container, you will have to dive seedlings. The fact is that petunia seedlings at home will grow from two to three months, and the root system of the plant is very branched, so transplanting into a large container cannot be avoided. Well, if so, then it is better to dive the seedlings into individual cups with a volume of 200-250 ml. A pick is carried out in the development phase of seedlings with 2-3 pairs of true leaves - plants with a clod of earth are transferred to a separate pot with drainage holes and so much soil is added so that there are no voids in the container.

After transplanting, do not forget to water the seedlings so that the soil settles, and, if necessary, add more soil. So that the seedlings do not stretch, the first week after picking, the room temperature is lowered by 3-4 degrees. At the same time, seedlings require shading from direct sunlight. Sometimes the picking has to be done twice.

If you are growing seedlings in peat tablets and find that roots are already sticking out of the net, plant the seedlings in separate pots right in the tablets.

You can feed the pickled seedlings only 7-10 days after the procedure.

Pinching petunia seedlings

In order for the petunia to grow into a beautiful dense bush, the seedlings are pinched.

When to pinch petunia seedlings? Hybrids and varieties of petunias with strong growth of shoots are pinched over 4-5 leaves - they break out the top of the shoot with a growth point. Subsequently, a new shoot grows from the sinus of each leaf, which means that there will be more flowers on the bush.

After two weeks, the pinching is repeated, although it may take several pinches to make the bush the way you want.

Seedlings of an ampelous petunia do not need to be pinched - no matter how much you break it off, it will branch weakly.

Diseases and pests of petunia seedlings

Of the diseases, most often petunia seedlings are affected by the black leg - a fungal disease that occurs against the background of too high humidity. First, a dark area is formed at the base of the stem, the tissue on which softens and rots. Then a constriction appears at this place, and the stem, unable to withstand its own weight, lies down. Sick specimens must be removed immediately, and the soil should be shed with Maxim, a strong solution of potassium permanganate or a forty percent formalin solution.

Another trouble with petunia seedlings can be chlorosis, which occurs due to a lack of iron. The reason for such a failure in the nutrition of seedlings is usually alkalization of the soil as a result of excessive watering. The situation can be corrected by introducing iron into the soil in a chelated form available to plants. Contains iron chelate in Ferovit.

Damages tender leaves of seedlings and spider mite, which appears in conditions of increased dryness. The tick is a sucking pest that feeds on plant cell sap, but the danger of its presence is not only this - ticks, like other sucking insects, can be carriers of viral infections. The best remedy for ticks are acaricides - Aktellik, Neoron, Fitoverm and other drugs of similar action.

Preparing petunia seedlings for planting in open ground

After picking, when the seedlings take root and grow, you can begin to prepare them for planting in a permanent place. Seedlings are hardened for two weeks, gradually accustoming seedlings to open air. First, the seedlings are taken out to the balcony or into the garden for 10-15 minutes, but the duration of the hardening sessions increases daily. Before landing in the ground, which is carried out from mid-May to mid-June, seedlings should be outdoors around the clock.

Petunia will grow and bloom in any area, but if you want the flowering to be plentiful and long, allocate a sunny place for it with fertile loamy soil. Clear the area of ​​weeds, dig, add compost or humus to the soil.

After this article, they usually read

Petunia is a very common flower. No wonder the petunia is called the queen of flower beds. This wonderful plant is distinguished by its versatility. It is grown in flowerbeds, in city gardens and in private courtyards, on the balconies of city apartments and in summer cottages. During cultivation, petunia is quite unpretentious, only minimal care is required from flower growers.

Thanks to breeders, there are a huge number of varieties, hybrids, species and varieties of petunias. Petunia is grown by planting seedlings (When to plant petunia seedlings?).

In this article we will talk about planting petunias in open ground in a permanent place.

When to plant a petunia in open ground?

Planting petunias in open ground
There are two ways to get petunia seedlings. Growing it yourself on the balcony and buying it in the store. Some novice gardeners often ask the question - When to plant a petunia in open ground? Let's figure it out.

Petunia is a heat-loving and light-loving plant. Therefore, it should be planted in open ground then, when the threat of frost has completely passed and stable warm and sunny weather is established. In central Russia, such weather usually sets in the second half of May.

Agricultural technology.

Agrotechnics for planting petunias in the ground is quite simple. The first step is to fertilize the site or flower bed. The soil must be fertile and saturated with all the necessary elements for growth.

The earth needs to be dug up, peat and humus should be added. In this way, you will provide the petunia with organic matter for the entire growing period. Petunia loves soil with neutral acidity. Therefore, if your soil is acidic, lime must be added to it. When choosing a site, priority should be given to sandy or loamy soils.

The planting pattern for a petunia depends on its variety. If a variety with large flowers, then plants are planted at a distance of at least 25 centimeters from each other. If the variety blooms with small flowers, then you can plant at a distance of 15-20 centimeters from each other.

The transplant process itself is very simple. First, dig small holes at the right distance, carefully remove the plant from the cup, place it in the hole and bury it. Be extremely careful not to damage the roots.

Growing petunias in the ground.

Photo: Petunia
Let's move on to growing petunias in the open field and care measures. The main care comes down to timely watering and top dressing. Plants should be watered at least once a week with warm water, strong drying of the soil should not be allowed. You can't overflow flowers either. Long stagnation of moisture can lead to the development of many unpleasant diseases.

Varieties with large buds are more demanding on growing conditions than those with small ones.

Approximately once every 2-3 weeks, the petunia should be fed. It is best to use special complex fertilizers for flowers. You can easily buy them in the store.

In order for the flowering to be the most lush, and the plants themselves to look more aesthetically pleasing, it is necessary to prune and pluck the plants. Constantly remove flowers that have already faded. Remove withering branches on each stem in the same way.

Video - Planting petunias in open ground.

Video of planting petunias in open ground and creating a flower bed:

The beautiful petunia has long become one of the most popular and beloved flowers, with which they decorate flower beds in the garden, balconies and loggias, city parks and flower beds. It is distinguished by a variety of species, lush flowering, various colors, brightness of the petals, large flowers and a pleasant aroma. Growing and caring for an adult plant is not difficult. But in order to get seedlings, you should know the rules for growing it from seeds.

Growing petunia seedlings - preparatory work

To the beginning of June get a good seedling and all summer until late autumn to admire the flowering of beautiful flowers, you need to know the timing of sowing seeds. To do this, you should deal with the species, since each group of plants has its own planting time.

Varieties of petunias

All petunias differ in varieties, hybrids, subspecies. But first of all, they are divided into three main groups.

Bush are low, medium or high bushes and have several types:

Another group includes ampelous, having the following types:

1. Classic ampelous plants are a bush forming a dense "wall" with strong and long shoots.
2. Miniature petunias are bushes with long shoots and buds of various colors with a diameter of 3 cm. This species is particularly sensitive.
3. The semi-ampel type of the plant is a lush flowering shrub of a spherical shape.

Cascading has two main types:

1. The classic form is a plant with long stems directed downwards and buds of various colors with a diameter of 6–8 cm.
2. The giant cascading petunia is a shrub with long, upright shoots that grow up to 150 cm in length. Numerous beautiful flowers have a diameter of 5 cm.

When to plant?

Sowing times depend on what group of plants was chosen, and when the flower will land in open ground. The main types of seedlings are planted in March.

To get big ampelous vegetative mass, its seeds are sown in January. The plant must have time to grow long shoots on which numerous buds will form. Small-flowered varieties are sown last, as they bloom the very first. Seeds of dwarf petunias are sown in February-March.

Poor-quality seeds may simply not sprout, so their choice must be approached responsibly. Following the recommendations of experienced gardeners, you can choose high-quality seeds:

1. Cheap seeds are most likely a fake. High-quality planting material should cost no less than 20 rubles per package.
2. High-quality ones are packed in 5-10 pieces in one bag. It is not necessary to purchase packages with planting material, in which there are 100 or more pieces of granules.
3. It is not recommended to purchase future flowers in the supermarket. Granules must be of good quality, so it is best to buy them in specialized stores.
4. One hundred percent similarity and excellent quality are seeds packed in a flask.

To get a good result, you should pay attention to each of the above points.

Tank and soil preparation

Growing seedlings requires a certain capacity. She doesn't need big boxes. It is best to use special cassettes various heights, plastic cups or peat tablets. The height of the selected seedling container should be at least 10 cm. Seeds of ampelous petunias can be sown immediately in special hanging pots.

Soil for sowing seedlings is best prepared in the fall.. The quality of seedlings depends on the composition and quality of the soil. Sufficiently loose and moisture-intensive soil is needed, which can be of the following composition:

• garden land;
• sand;
• peat;
• humus.

Everything is mixed in equal parts and distributed in pots for seedlings. A special potting mix can be bought at a flower shop. It is desirable to feed it with fertilizer with potassium, ash (0.5 l per 5 kg of soil), and add perlite to it. Before filling the seedling container with earth, the bottom must be laid out with fine drainage.

How to plant a flower for seedlings?

Here are some rules:

Until the first seedlings sprout, care should consist in daily airing the soil and spraying it with a spray bottle. Seedling containers are placed in a warm place. The first shoots should appear after 5 days. Since the plantings are likely to be dense, they need to be thinned out, leaving the strongest specimens of the seedlings.

Features of seedling care

When the sprouts come up and the first true leaf will appear, you need to remove the glass from the container and transfer it to a well-lit place with an air temperature of 16 degrees.

Seedling care requires care. Young plants need to be watered regularly, directing a jet of water strictly under the root. If drops fall on the leaves, then they need to be shaken off. It is recommended to loosen the soil from time to time so that a crust does not form on it. It is impossible to water the petunia excessively, otherwise the plant may get sick with a “black leg”.

When the third real leaf appears on the young plant, you can start picking seedlings. Dive and grow seedlings need in separate containers, where it will be convenient for her to develop. Plants already in separate containers or peat pots do not need to dive.

With a small spatula, each the sprout is carefully dug out of the ground and placed in a separate container with soil. The plant is recommended to deepen to the first true leaves. Such a planting will contribute to the growth of additional roots, due to which the bushes will develop better and bloom more magnificently. From above, the planted plant is watered.

Behind the young bushes special care required and meticulous care. They can not be flooded and overdried, it is necessary to feed and pinch. The first time seedlings are fertilized 2.5 weeks after planting with special liquid fertilizers for flowering plants. In order for the bushes to branch, the grown plants are pinched.

Planting seedlings in open ground

In mid-May, petunia can be planted in open ground. Before within two weeks, seedlings must be hardened off. Since the plant loves good lighting, sunny, wind-protected areas are selected for it.

The soil should be non-clay and loose. P Before landing, it is added potassium sulfate, ash, humus. If the bushes are planted in pots, then the soil mixture must be carefully selected. It should contain the following ingredients:

• leaf land;
• sand;
• peat;
• turf.

Adding perlite to the soil will help to give the soil friability.

Before planting in a flower bed, it is recommended to spray the plant with a solution of epin. Such a procedure will allow him to endure the transplant less painfully and strengthen his immunity to various diseases.

The soil around the seedlings planted in the ground should be mulched with humus. A week after planting, the plants are fed with mullein infusion (1:10). It is necessary to water the petunia under the root with such frequency as to prevent stagnation of water and drying out of the soil. You need to feed the bushes twice a month with Kemira-Lux or nitrofoska.

Growing requires not only compliance with all the rules, but also has its own specific tricks:

1. So that the seedlings do not stretch, it needs good lighting. You can provide it with the help of additional lighting with fluorescent lamps in the winter season, when there is not enough sunlight.
2. The sprouts at the beginning of growth are very small, so they can dry out quickly. Seedlings should be observed daily and watered on time.
3. It is impossible to allow the appearance of a crust on the ground, otherwise young plants may suffocate.
4. If the seedlings are stretched, they can be additionally sprinkled with soil mixture.
5. Growing in pots, planters or other containers, petunias should be fed more often than those planted in open ground.
6. To repeat the wave of flowering, faded bushes need to be cut.
7. Flowers should not be left in the pouring rain. This may interfere with lush flowering.

Knowing all the rules and strictly following the recommendations of experienced gardeners, getting high-quality seedlings will not be difficult. Having planted a petunia just once in your area or balcony, you will forever love this flower and grow it every year, admiring the flowering until the frost.

Florist Svetlana Shcherbak from Krasnoyarsk shares her personal experience of growing seedlings of petunias in Siberia:

Bright, playful petunia bushes adorn Siberian gardens and front gardens. So I, living in the country from spring to autumn, paid attention to neighboring plots: in pots on open terraces, in flower beds and in flowerpots - always attractive (and so diverse!) Petunia reigned. Surprisingly, at that time I did not "understand" her. For the first time I planted petunias several years ago at the request of my beloved husband, he really liked them on the "green" market. Sowed, grown and ... fell in love! Now this is one of the main flyers on our new large site!

When to sow petunia in Siberia for seedlings?

In Siberia, petunias are grown through seedlings, so they increase the period of its flowering in our short summer.

Terms from personal experience: when is it better to sow

I tried to sow petunia at different times, December to March.

In December, ampelous ones were a good success. The first flowers appeared in the second half of March, and by the end of May they were already quite decorative bushes with lush "lashes". True, I had to dive first, later transfer to more spacious containers, and only then, closer to summer, plant them in a permanent place. But ampelous ones grow well even with later sowing, only bloom a little later, in April-May, which is also quite good.

Shrub and cascading shoyu petunias in the second half of January. This year, at the end of the month, I sowed 51 varieties (different), all sprouted. Can be sown later, it’s just that I’m already selling flowering seedlings in the second half of May, so I sow early. Once a friend gave me “favorite” seeds on March 15, I sowed the numbers 16-17, in early June there were already pretty flowering plants.

What did you like about later crops?

In the short December-January daylight hours (we have less than 7 hours), both crops and seedlings need to be illuminated, and the temperature should be carefully monitored. And in March already “everything grows by itself”, the raspberries are stronger and get sick less. Well, they will bloom a little later, anyway, already at the beginning of summer - these are pretty bushes with several flowers.

On the street, in permanent pots or in flower beds, in our area, petunia seedlings are planted no earlier than the second half of May, when the frosts go away. Year after year is not necessary, sometimes you have to wait until June.

Favorable dates according to the lunar calendar 2019

The 2019 lunar calendar for the center of Siberia (MSK +4) recommends sowing annuals in February from the 11th to the 17th. Auspicious days for sowing petunias in early spring are March 10th and from the 11th to the 16th of the month. The next "correct" dates start from April 6, but it's too late for planting petunias in Siberia.

Table 1: When to sow petunias in Siberia in 2019

Unfavorable dates for planting all plants are the same. As a rule, these are the days of the Full Moon, New Moon and the entry of the Moon into the sign of Aquarius.

Table 2:Calendar of unfavorable days for planting all plants for 2019

My mother and I (a summer resident, what to look for - for more than 50 years with a passion for “flowering”) do not look at the Lunar calendar at all. We just try not to plant on the new moon and full moon, and on traditional Christian holidays too.

Planting petunias in Siberia: personal experience

When I first planted petunias for seedlings, I followed generally accepted recommendations. Then I was convinced: as with other crops, you need to watch the melts every day, adapt to the existing conditions.

Indeed, in different areas, the composition of the soil, the properties of water are different, in the apartments the windows face different directions, which means that the illumination is different! For example, I have a winter greenhouse (it is heated with firewood, which means that the temperature is not constant), the soil is dense loam, the plot is “on seven winds”. Everything grows in a completely different way than in my mother's dacha, and the distance is only 30 km. I had to adapt to new conditions, and now I am convinced: attention, observation, love for flowers - and everything will work out!

The soil

I try to follow my grandmother's advice. She said that the best land for seedlings (and for indoor flowers, by the way) is from last year's cucumber bed or from under bird cherry. It is not always possible to collect just such land, then I take simple garden soil, it is very fertile with us.

I have been preparing the land since autumn. A few days before sowing, I add sand (1/4 or 1/3 part - as much as I have, “by eye”), and spill it with this composition: a bucket of water + 0.5 cups of Fitosporin solution + a little potassium permanganate + 1 liter of drug solution "Aktara" (1.2 ml ampoule per bucket).

Seeding tanks

I sow in plastic containers (300 ml) with tight lids, having previously made holes in the bottoms (I use a screwdriver). I tried to sow in peat tablets, for some reason it didn’t work. And in containers it is convenient:

• in each place 1 grade, stick a sticker with the name;
• a tight lid provides the necessary microclimate, because according to the traditional technology, it is necessary to cover containers with crops with glass or film.

How do I care for seedlings?

I maintain the temperature at 20-25 degrees, at least 15 at night. If you need to warm it up, I turn on a simple incandescent lamp.

Be sure to light it up with a fluorescent lamp, but if there are few blooms, even an ordinary energy-saving light bulb (for example, a table lamp) will do.

I spray with warm water. If necessary, I add “medicines” to the water if the seedlings do not feel well.

Every day I start with an inspection and end with it (at the same time I ventilate the "greenhouses"). This is a very important point, because if there are problems with the health of petuniks, rescue measures must be taken immediately!

"First Aid Kit" for petunias

I am preparing a “first aid kit” for flowers in advance:

Bordeaux mixture,
iodine,
Boric acid,
"Fitosporin",
"Aktara",
any product containing chelated iron,
lemon acid,
milk.

I use one or more tools, as needed.

picking

I'm not in a hurry to dive. My seedlings sit for a long time in the same greenhouse containers. I dive strong, with 6-8 real leaves, plants. I have them take root better than little ones. Although all sources recommend diving when there are 2-3 true leaves on the seedlings.

I usually dive in March, the latest dive was in mid-April.

When the petunias “take over” after picking, I pinch the tops, so the bushes branch better. In the future, I do this periodically, when I notice that some branch does not give lateral processes.

top dressing

About two weeks after picking, I start feeding. I use only nitroammofoska ("Azofoska" - sodium, phosphorus, potassium). I breed 30-40 g of fertilizer in a bucket of water, this is about one matchbox. I water under the root on moist soil.

Beginning of flowering

Seedlings begin to bloom in mid-April. By the time of disembarkation, these are already stocky fluffy bushes with dark green foliage and several flowers.

I record all observations, stages of plant development, each care action in the journal of work and observations. It helps a lot to draw the right conclusions))

Svetlana Shcherbak, Krasnoyarsk

Recently, the popularity of petunia is extremely high: this flower has become an informal leader among annual flowers, it is planted in almost every area, creating entire flower beds of colorful plants. However, its seedlings are very expensive, because it is very difficult to grow. Small seeds and fragile seedlings require extra careful handling, and the capriciousness of seedlings makes you follow all the rules of growing very, very accurately, especially at home.

Is it necessary to plant a petunia through seedlings

Garden petunias are members of the nightshade family. There are a huge number of species and varieties of petunias, they differ both in the size of plants and in the size and shape of flowers, not to mention their color. Blooming at the very beginning of summer and continuing to bloom until frost arrives, petunia is of great interest in this sense: there are literally a few annuals that bloom for such a long time, and it is also unusually beautiful.

The variety of classes, groups, varieties, etc. of this flower is so vast that it is very difficult to understand them. But the agricultural technology of all petunias is almost the same. All of them reproduce by seeds, and flower growers try to grow all petunias through seedlings.

Sometimes in the southern regions, sowing seeds in a garden bed immediately to a permanent place is used. Sowing in mid-spring causes the petunia to bloom in mid-summer. This technique is used for low varieties with small flowers, which are usually used as borders or "cover" plants. Large-flowered varieties are grown only through the seedling stage.

Petunias amaze with a variety of colors, which have earned them popularity among flower growers.

When to plant petunias for seedlings according to the lunar calendar in 2019

The best time for planting petunias in the garden is the beginning of summer. And since seedlings grow slowly and are ready for planting only three months after sowing the seeds, it is necessary to start seedlings with the very arrival of spring. In warm regions, where it is possible to plant flowers in a flower bed earlier, sowing begins no later than February. However, petunia seedlings require good lighting, and additional lighting will be required during winter sowing. If it is difficult to provide it, it is better not to rush with sowing. True, it should not be particularly delayed, otherwise flowering will begin only from mid-summer.

Many gardeners are now tracking planting cases according to the lunar calendar. The need for strict adherence to it seems debatable, especially since in different sources you can find a wide variety of days called as favorable dates for sowing or transplanting garden and garden plants. Therefore, the dates on the calendar must be approached carefully.

In 2019, the following dates are considered favorable for planting petunias:

• January 10, 15 and 16;
• 6–8, 12, 13, 17 February.

Do not plant petunia seedlings on the following days:

• 5, 6, 12, 21 January;
• 3, 4, 20 February.

Preliminary preparation

It is difficult to grow petunias, but fortunately, this does not require unique equipment: the simplest boxes or pots will do. Peat tablets are also used for growing seedlings, but this is not particularly necessary: ​​this flower, after a critical period of growing up, is not at all afraid of transplants. Therefore, initially, the seeds are sown in any containers with a soil thickness of about 6 cm, and as they grow, they dive into suitable pots or cups with a diameter of up to 8 cm. But all planting containers must first be washed and disinfected. But the right choice and preparation of seeds is much more important.

Seed preparation

Petunia seeds are by no means cheap, so it is necessary to approach their purchase and preparation for sowing very responsibly. Seeds remain viable for up to 4 years, so if you get good and reliable ones, you can buy them for future use. When purchasing seeds, it is always necessary in the mind to increase the need for them several times, especially with early sowing. In the case of petunias, there is always a risk that no more than half of the seeds will sprout, although germination is sometimes close to 100%. The seeds are small, therefore, in addition to the usual form, they are also sold in a granulated state. Both of them have their pros and cons.

Petunia seeds are very small, and you can work with them with good eyesight and patience.

Granulated seeds are expensive not only because they are pre-prepared, they are usually hybrid seeds of the most interesting, beautiful petunias. As a result, there are no more than a dozen seeds in a bag, and in order to plant a flower bed, you need to spend a lot. But with granules it is easy to handle, you will not lose them when sowing. They can be easily sown at once, one in each pot, or placed individually in a box at the right distance. They have better germination, but it is necessary to sow just in time: as soon as the “process has started”, you can’t keep it, and all growing conditions must be strictly observed.

In granulation, the seeds are placed in a shell, and they become more convenient to handle.

Seeds sold in bulk are much cheaper, but they are also difficult to sow individually, there will be a lot of waste. Such seeds in a bag are most often a mixture of several varieties, they are more difficult to handle. In principle, they do not require any tricky preparation, such as pickling or soaking, but they must somehow be prepared for sowing so that it can be rationally carried out. The usual methods for sowing small seeds are as follows:

pre-mixing in the right proportion with clean fine sand, taken in a dry form;

accurate sowing on light sand or snow, allowing you to monitor the quality of sowing;

piece-wise unfolding of seeds with a toothpick (an option for the most patient flower growers).

When should this be done? For petunias, very early sowing dates are traditionally used, since flower growers want to get elegant flower beds at the very beginning of summer. In the middle lane and northern regions, sowing is carried out in mid-March, but many try to do it even earlier, sometimes for a month or more, then powerful flowering can be expected by the May holidays.

Soil preparation

For growing seedlings of petunia, some kind of archaic and scarce soil is not required, although it imposes certain requirements on the soil. The soil should be light, loose, breathable, moisture-absorbing and nutritious. By acidity - slightly acidic or close to neutral (pH from 5.5 to 7.0). You can buy it at the store or make your own. For sowing seeds and diving seedlings use the same soil.

Purchased mixtures are most often reliable (if purchased in a specialized store and not the cheapest), clean, without pathogens and foreign objects. As a rule, they have a homogeneous and fractional composition, which is important for sowing small seeds. It is better that this is the soil for flower seedlings. Soil from well-known manufacturers does not need to be pre-prepared, it can be used immediately.

Nowadays, you can find everything in the store: if only there was money

With self-preparation of the soil mixture, it is necessary to use the optimal proportions of the components. It is best to take equally humus, soddy soil, peat and add a little river sand. Peat, if there is a choice, it is necessary to take not riding (it is too sour). The sand is white or greyish, but not yellow or orange. All components must first be sieved to remove large inclusions.

Disinfection of self-prepared soil for petunias is absolutely mandatory. This can be done in many ways: from calcining in the oven to treating with fungicides. But in most cases, a good drenching with boiling water a few days before use is sufficient.

How to grow good petunia seedlings at home: planting and care tips

When sowing petunias at home, you can immediately use individual pots or cups, but to save space, at least for the first time, it is convenient to sow seeds in a common box. Only when growing a dozen plants does it make no sense to engage in a subsequent transplant: in this case, it is better to immediately sow flowers in peat tablets. Drainage should be poured at the bottom of the box (you can just coarse sand or what is left when sifting the soil), and on top - the soil itself, with a layer of 5–6 cm.

The soil must be well moistened, and then carefully, slowly, spread the seeds over it in even rows. A distance of 4-5 cm is left between rows, and sowing in rows depends on the type of seed:

coated seeds are laid out at distances of 2.5–3 cm from each other and slightly pressed into the soil;

simple seeds, if vision is good, are laid out in the same way with the help of two toothpicks, but they are not pressed into the ground (a seed is “glued” onto a wet toothpick, and with the help of the second one shake it off onto the soil). If the option is not suitable, the seeds mixed with sand seem to “salt” the intended rows.

The sown seeds are sprayed with water from a spray bottle, the box is covered with glass and placed on a lighted windowsill. Unlike many other crops, a good petunia light is needed already for spitting seeds.

Video: sowing petunia seeds for seedlings

Growing on a windowsill

It is very convenient to grow petunia seedlings in a city apartment: it does not need a low temperature, like, for example, cabbage seedlings. The air temperature in the room should be 20-23 degrees. But you need good lighting, so a window sill on the south side is best suited. Otherwise, additional lighting with fluorescent lamps or diode lamps is required: incandescent lamps heat the air too much.

The best option for highlighting seedlings is special fitolamps.

It is especially difficult for seedlings before the first true leaves appear. Petunia shoots are very tiny and capricious.

It takes 5-7 days for seedlings to appear: if they do not appear after 2 weeks, they will no longer be. When the first sprouts appear on the surface (at first, not even sprouts, but the so-called loops), the box must be placed on a colder windowsill: for the first few days, the temperature should be 18 ° C, which prevents the seedlings from stretching, then the temperature must be returned to the original values. But daylight hours should last at least 12 hours.

Petunia seedlings are miniature, and at first they grow very tight.

All the time until the appearance of true leaves, the seedlings should be in a greenhouse state: the glass cannot be removed from the box, but the soil must be moist, but the condensate from the glass must be periodically removed. Watering is carried out only by spraying from a spray bottle; during irrigation, airing should also be carried out, leaving seedlings without glass for 10–15 minutes. Gradually, this interval should be increased. You can remove the lid only after the appearance of a pair of true leaves.

Small plants are prone to warping, so they need to be turned towards the light source several times a day to keep them growing evenly (unless the lamp is placed over a box).

As petunias grow from irrigation by spraying, you can switch to drip irrigation from a medical syringe or pipette under the root, and only for solid plants can you use the usual technique: from a kettle or a ladle. Stagnation of water is categorically unacceptable, as well as the drying of the surface layer of the soil. You can periodically add a pink solution of potassium permanganate to the water for irrigation.

You can also water young seedlings from a pear, but very carefully

It is necessary to dive a petunia at a seedling height of 4–5 cm. For a new place of residence, individual containers of sufficient size are needed (diameter and depth of about 8 cm). The picking is carried out approximately as in the case of tomato seedlings: with pinching the central root by a third and deepening the seedlings in pots into the soil to the cotyledon leaves. By this time, the plants are already quite viable and the pick is easily tolerated.

Watering in pots can be carried out more boldly, but in no case should it be overfilled: the risk of blackleg disease persists all the time the seedlings are at home.

Petunias are one of the most prone to blackleg annuals. To reduce the risk of disease, a layer of dry, clean sand should be carefully sprinkled on the seedlings.

Feeding seedlings should begin 10-15 days after picking. At first, foliar top dressing should be carried out: spraying twice a week over the leaves from a spray bottle with weak solutions of complex fertilizers and growth stimulants (you can simply use a solution of agave juice). Subsequently, you can switch to watering with fertilizer solutions under the root. But the concentration of solutions in comparison with the recommended instructions on the package cannot be exceeded.

Growing on a windowsill is more convenient than a greenhouse one, since petunia seedlings need constant care, even a daily absence of a working person at home can sometimes lead to an irreparable outcome. Therefore, if seedlings are prepared for personal use, and not for sale, it is better to do this in an apartment.

How to grow in a greenhouse

It is not difficult to grow a petunia in a greenhouse, but this only applies to the period of time when the plants are already strong, have 4-6 true leaves and are picked in separate pots. Therefore, you must first plant it at home anyway, unless constant supervision is not possible for the greenhouse. After picking, after 2–3 weeks, petunia seedlings become so strong that caring for it differs little from caring for, for example, tomato seedlings.

Adult seedlings no longer need tropical conditions, mature plants grow normally even at 16–18 ° C. Periodic temperature drops even to 10 ° C do not harm seedlings, but in colder conditions, growth almost stops, and flowering is significantly postponed.

Care for grown seedlings in a greenhouse is no different from care at home, but monitoring should be constant. The soil must be kept moist, fertilized periodically, and the greenhouse ventilated daily to prevent heavy condensation on windows and other surfaces: excess moisture quickly causes blackleg disease.

Two weeks before planting in open ground, seedlings should be accustomed to fresh air by opening the windows and doors of the greenhouse for an increasingly long time, and periodically allowing the soil to dry slightly.

Greenhouse cultivation is suitable, of course, for the mass production of seedlings

Growing seedlings in a greenhouse is mainly carried out for commercial purposes: due to the extraordinary popularity of the flower and its high cost, this activity has recently turned into a very profitable business. The advantages of a greenhouse are revealed only in this case: when growing a small amount of seedlings for your summer cottage, it is easier to carry out the whole process on the windowsill in a city apartment.

Seeding in the snow

When petunia seeds are sown for seedlings, there is still snow outside the window, and it is he who can help in the difficult task of sowing small seeds of this flower. It simultaneously serves as a white screen that allows you to see small black seeds, and the substance that, when melted, will draw the seeds into the soil in the way that is required for perfect germination.

Prepared soil is poured into the box, as usual, but it is rammed a little harder. To do this, it is convenient to use a small board. Pure snow is laid out on top as evenly as possible with a layer of 1–1.5 cm and also slightly compacted. And now - rather, it will quickly melt!

Small seeds are laid out or scattered over the snow, but not as carefully as over the soil. They are very visible in the snow, and with a little dexterity, with a pair of toothpicks or small tweezers, the seeds can be shifted to the right place. The snow will begin to melt and drag the seeds behind it exactly to the depth required for the successful pecking of seedlings; on dry or wet soil, this cannot be done. It does not need to be watered. Be sure to close the box with glass or film and proceed as usual.

In the snow, every grain is perfectly visible, you just have to be in time until it melts.

The use of snow makes it possible to use expensive seed material more rationally, does not require irrigation of crops, which usually leads to a shift in seeds from their original place, but still requires maximum concentration and speed when sowing.

Sowing in peat tablets

Peat tablets are a very successful invention that makes it very easy to grow seedlings of many types of vegetable or flower crops. They can be made from various peat by pressing it with the addition of microfertilizers and growth stimulants, so they rarely require additional feeding. Tablets are released packed in a light mesh that prevents the destruction of the material. Before use, the tablets are placed in a tray (or better - in a transparent lockable box) and gradually poured with water until completely swollen. At the same time, they increase in height several times. Excess water is drained. One of the ends of the tablet has a recess for sowing seeds.

Tablets are available in various sizes; for seedlings of petunias, those with a diameter of 40 mm or more are suitable.

In the presence of peat tablets, you can do without boxes and picks, sow the seeds immediately into tablets. But, of course, this is possible when growing only a small amount of seedlings: they take up a lot of space and cost decent money. It is especially convenient to sow granular seeds in tablets, but there are not very many problems with the usual problems, you just need to arm yourself with toothpicks and, possibly, glasses or a magnifying glass.

One seed is placed in the recess of each soaked tablet, after which it is moistened with water from a spray bottle or eye dropper. If these were coated seeds, their shell will soak after a few minutes, and it can be spread a little on peat. Ordinary seeds of a drop of water from a pipette are simply slightly pulled into peat to the desired shallow depth.

Soaked tablets are an excellent individual seedling habitat.

If a large plastic food container is found as a vessel for tablets, this is the most suitable option. It is closed with a lid and transferred to a warm place (20-25 o C). You probably won't need to water at first. In general, tablets are usually poured “through the bottom”: water poured onto the bottom of the container itself is absorbed into the peat in the right quantities.

Further care is normal. When shoots appear for several days, the temperature is lowered by 3–4 degrees, then it is returned to the desired values. They monitor the humidity by periodically adding water and airing the plantings. Dive is not required: the seedlings are transferred to the garden by the summer along with the tablet, however, the mesh is usually removed from it. However, if the tablets were small and the roots sprouted through the peat ahead of time, you will have to transplant the tablet, as it is, into a larger pot with soil mixture. In a pot, you may need to feed.

Thus, the use of tablets has only one drawback: extra cash, but in the case of growing a small number of petunias, all the conveniences more than cover it.