When to plant a petunia in a permanent place. Universal garden decoration: petunia - planting and care

Petunia, in addition to its abundant colorful flowering, is also good because it can be transplanted into a pot in the fall. Houses, on the windowsill, it will continue to bloom throughout October.

Soil preparation

For planting petunias, you can use the soil bought in the store. It mainly consists of peat. You can improve its composition by adding humus and soil from the garden to the purchased soil. Then the soil will pass water and air well.

To improve the fertility of the soil, water it with water slightly acidified with lemon.

sowing time

Petunias are sown early, starting in January or February. Then in April, the seedlings will bloom and, it can be sold to those who wish. However, then the plant needs to do additional lighting. Having sown in the early stages, the seedlings will have to be continuously illuminated for three days. And then it is still necessary to add electric lighting to daylight. Without lighting, you can not grow good seedlings.

It is better to sow after March 15th. Then it will bloom in early summer. It's also good. Until the coldest weather, it will delight the eye. Seedlings should be planted after the last frost.. They are definitely not expected in mid-June. Then the plant should be planted in a flower bed.

Petunia does not tolerate frost. Elongated seedlings do not take root well.

Sowing seeds

For sowing, you can use transparent containers in which meat products or cake are sold. To avoid stagnant water, holes must be made at the bottom of the tank. Petunia does not like excess moisture. She can die from a black leg.

Then the soil is poured, slightly crushing it. Small seeds are more convenient to sow using a toothpick.

petunia seeds

The seed sticks to the wet tip of the toothpick. It remains only to put it in the soil. Seeds are sown in grooves, at a distance of 5 mm. Seeds should not be covered with earth, otherwise they will not have enough strength to germinate. The container is then covered with a lid. Instead, you can use a film or glass. The capacity is transferred to a warm place, but not to the battery. The seeds will dry up.

Petunia seeds germinate in a week. The lid is removed for a couple of hours in the first two days. Then they take it off completely. With the germination of 2 leaves, it is necessary to carry out a pick.

picking

For picking, you can use square cassettes with a side of 4 cm. Cups in which yogurt is sold will also come in handy.

To grow the roots, the flower is transplanted into a large container. As a rule, the plant takes root well. You need to transplant into moist soil, again using a toothpick. The plant is hooked with it and transferred to a pre-prepared hole. The soil around the seedling is slightly pressed. When picking, it is better to pinch the tip of the root of the seedling. However, it will still come off during transplantation. After picking, after half a month, the petunia grows well, and it must be transplanted into more spacious pots.

Watering and pinching

Watering should be under the root, preferably from a spoon. Excess water is harmful to the plant. The tip of the plant needs to be pinched, then instead of 2-3 branches, lush bush with many flowers. In addition to plucking, wilted flowers are removed from petunias for lush flowering.

It is convenient to grow petunias in pots.

They look good in pots on the balcony or on the site. They should not be planted frequently. 1-2 plants are planted in a 5 liter pot. For cascading or ampelous petunias, one plant is enough.

hardening

Before planting on the street, the flower should be hardened. In April, the plant should be taken out to the veranda or balcony for a day. At night they bring in heat. When will the temperature be above 5 at night? warm, then the petunia can be left on the veranda for the night. With a cold snap, they are again transferred to the room.

At temperatures below 0? the plant dies.

How to fertilize

Petunia can be fed with infusion of herbs. A bucket of grass is poured with water for half a month, and then the flower is watered with this infusion. Seedlings do not need fertilizer. At first it grows imperceptibly, but then its growth increases dramatically.

Diseases and pests

spider mite. Petunia disease is transmitted from neighboring flowers. The leaves of the plant turn yellow and are covered with a thin cobweb. The plant is treated with fitover or actofit, following the instructions. For prevention, it is necessary to spray all plants so that re-infection does not occur. Processing should be carried out 2 times in 4 days.
When hot, the leaves turn purple, then they turn yellow. For treatment, ammonia is diluted (1 ml per half a bucket of water) and the leaves are sprayed with the resulting solution. Then the petunia is transferred to a cool place.
Chlorosis in iron deficiency. Petunia poorly absorbs iron from the soil. For prevention, it is necessary to water the flower with water with lemon juice. 1 gram is enough for 1 liter. citric acid.

Petunia varieties

Hybrids bloom well, but they do not produce seeds. When it is possible to collect they bloom weakly, not brightly.
It is better to plant large-flowered varieties such as Alba, Burgundy, Blue Bird.

Subject to the above conditions, the petunia will decorate your garden or balcony.

What we will talk about? And here's what... Main character- petunia plant, planting and care. Let's see the photo, admire it ... After all, this is the leader among the most popular garden flowers. How to grow a beautiful petunia? It is rich in its multicolor, harmoniously combined in plantings with other summer flowers. Petunia is a real decoration of our flower beds, balconies, summer cottages. The lush flowering of this bright plant lasts all season, but in addition to its beauty, it is famous for the fact that it is easy to plant and grow.

Photo of a petunia, it looks great, even if there are other flowers in the flower bed:

This beautiful garden flower has many varieties. Its color shades are diverse, and the shapes are bizarre. Most often, petunia is divided into two varieties - bush and ampelous. Bush we most often arrange flower beds or plant it in flower pots. This variety is unpretentious, sown in early spring- March, April.

Petunia photo in pots on the street, photo

Ampelnaya is a flower "waterfall". It is more suitable for hanging or shaping garden arrangements. Windows, balconies, pergolas are also suitable for decorating with such plants. These varieties should be sown earlier than bush species, around the beginning of February.

Proper seedlings of petunias, how to grow

Petunia seedling photo

Most varieties of petunias are quite unpretentious. Even if with the onset of heat (March-April) you sow seeds in open ground, provide regular watering, it will grow and bloom. But if you want to get lush, well-groomed bushes, then you have to try a little, “conjure” over a small seed.

How to plant petunia seeds:

The easiest option is to sow in a shallow container or box. Seeds fall asleep not dosed (by eye). The most important rule is not to deepen.
The use of peat tablets gives excellent results in growing seedlings - it is very convenient, practical. Pre-soak each tablet, place one coated seed or 2-3 regular seeds there. does not require a subsequent dive. With this method of planting, the bushes (along with the tablets) are subsequently transplanted.
Seedling cassettes are also convenient, growing with their help does not involve picking seedlings. Thus, each seed is placed in an individual cell (20 or 50 ml), and after 20-30 days it is transplanted into a pot, where the petunia can grow until the first flowers appear.
Sowing seeds in the snow is also practiced. A layer of ordinary clean street snow is laid on top of the soil, and seeds are poured on top. When the snow melts, it soaks in, automatically pulling the seeds to the ground (to the required depth).

Whatever method is used for sowing, seedlings need the right temperature regime(+23 ... - + 25 ° С), covering with a film, timely watering.

Usually, petunia seeds are sown taking into account the variety group (March 20th), in order to get flowering bushes. If you want to see flowering earlier, then it is better to start sowing work in late January - early February.

It is suitable for nutritious, loose soil, with good water-retaining properties. Strongly acidic or alkaline soil mixtures should be avoided.

Against the background of the story about the details of growing petunias, it is still worth mentioning the possibility of acquiring ready-made seedlings. The cases are different: someone simply does not have enough time to engage in this process, but they really want to have a fragrant flower.

For such cases, petunia seedlings are sold, which can be bought at the market, store, florist center, even an online store.

Petunia, care and cultivation

In the first time after sowing (the first 7-10 days), the seeds will not interfere with regular spraying with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate. After this period, with the advent of the first hatched sprouts, you can introduce top dressing. At the very beginning, it is advisable to use foliar means - irrigation mineral compositions. If the situation requires it, then 1 or 2 times you can apply a plant growth stimulator, such as "Epin-Extra".

Seedlings should be provided with a sufficient amount of moisture, but do not be too zealous, as excessive moisture provokes diseases. If the sprouts are oversaturated with moisture, it is necessary to stop irrigation with water. At the same time, it is necessary to moisten the soil only by watering along the walls of the containers so that the water has minimal contact with the plants.

Seedling after picking

When the sprouts get a couple of full-fledged sheets, start diving. To do this, the seedlings are planted one bush at a time in special containers or disposable 200 gram cups (very convenient). The cups are filled with the same nutrient soil that was used for sowing. After planting, the bushes are watered, covered for 1-2 days with some kind of non-woven material (for example, Spunbond).

For the first time after picking, moderate soil moisture and periodic loosening are important for petunias. If the seedlings need top dressing, then it can be done 7-10 days after picking (1 time per week).

Before planting petunia bushes on permanent place stay, take care of its hardening. To do this, pots with seedlings must be periodically taken out to the cold (but not to frost), providing an influx of fresh air.

Planting petunias in open ground

It's time to dive

This flower loves loamy fertile soils. If you add compost or humus before planting in place of the flower bed, then the petunia will bloom more actively and more magnificently. Make sure that the place for plants is well lit by the sun. Most often, the bushes are planted around the 20th of April (in the Kuban), after the frosts are left behind.

For planting, seedlings need to be well watered so that it is convenient to remove from the pot. Together with a lump of soil, land on a flower bed. The step between the bushes should be approximately 30-40 cm. Then the plants are watered again and mulched (the next day).

Planting seedlings

Petunia aftercare includes:

regular watering,
soil loosening,
getting rid of weeds.

However, the most important factor is top dressing with complex and organic fertilizers, which must be introduced on the 8th day after planting. Potassium supplements should be made every 10 days. We advise you to continue them until August inclusive. You can also use organic fertilizers, such as humus.

Registration of a summer cottage or courtyard of a house with the help of petunias, photo

Wealth colors and varieties allows you to create incredible combinations of shades, various designs. Multi-color flower beds, flower cascades, fragments of trees equipped for flower beds, even car tires- a field of activity, a source of inspiration for a summer resident.

Petunia goes well with flowers that complement each other in flowerbed arrangements (see first photo). For these purposes, you need to choose the same non-capricious, sun-loving plants (for example - Snapdragon, salvia, calendula, levkoy). When decorating a summer cottage with petunias, one should not forget about sunny places, since in shady areas it simply cannot gain strength and fully bloom. Well-lit, slightly shaded areas are ideal for this plant.

Some design options:

Already in itself, ampelous petunia is an ornament, how many pieces to plant in a flower pot - determines the size of the container, for example, 4-5 bushes with a diameter of 20-30 cm. With the onset of spring shopping centers start selling pots 22 cm in diameter, in which 3 bushes are comfortably located.

Flowerbed

Despite all the subtleties, nuances, it is not difficult to grow, plant a petunia - this is quite within the power of any novice grower. Attention to seedlings, appropriate care will bear fruit. If at least once you grow a lush, fragrant beauty from a small seed, then you will never refuse her presence in your dacha.

Where to plant a petunia in the garden, photo

Do not forget to feed fertilizers in time, water this amazing flower- it will delight you with its flowering until the cold weather.

Petunia - photo

home wall decoration

Multi-tiered flower bed

fence decoration

Petunia, photo of flowers as decoration of the porch of the house

Petunias in the garden

Petunias in flowerpots, photo

Even one pot will decorate your home

Petunia is the most common plant in household plots as well as on the balconies. Abundant flowering begins in early May and pleases with its beauty until the first serious frosts.

Petunia flowers, planting and caring for them is considered an easy task, as the plants are not whimsical. But for its successful cultivation, you need to know certain rules:

the plant loves sunlight;
prefers sandy or loamy soils;
does not tolerate prolonged stagnation of liquid;
requires constant feeding (1 time in 12 - 15 days).

Planting petunia seeds for seedlings

Planting petunias with seeds early flowering should start in mid-February. A prerequisite for growing seedlings is the presence required amount Sveta. If this component is not enough in the room where it is planned to grow, then it is advisable to use.

The plant begins to bloom 65 - 92 days after sowing the seeds. It depends on the variety of petunia. The larger the flowers of the plant, the longer it takes for it to bloom.

Before planting petunia seeds, prepare:

planting containers with drainage holes;
expanded clay;
sprayer with water;
covering material (it is desirable to use nonwoven fabric, for example, spunbond, allowing the plant to breathe);
selected seeds.

At the first stage, we prepare containers for seedlings:

at the bottom of the cup, with drainage holes prepared in advance, we pour a layer of expanded clay about 1 cm high;
spread and lightly tamp the soil mixture. It is necessary to leave a distance of 3 - 3.5 cm to the edge of the container.
we moisten the soil.

Let's start planting petunias. Since the seeds of the plant are quite small, when planting, you can use a mixture of seeds with sand. This will allow the most even distribution of the seeds in the pot. You can use coated petunia seeds, but their cost is much higher than that of ordinary ones. Sprinkling petunia seeds with soil is not recommended. It is best to lightly press them until they are in full contact with the soil.

After planting the petunias, the boxes should be covered with covering material. Instead of matter, you can use glass or polyethylene. In this case, the plants will have to be forced to ventilate.

Under favorable conditions (temperature environment 24ºС and humidity 98%) the seeds germinate on the 7th - 9th day.

There is a simpler, but more costly method of obtaining plant seedlings - planting petunias in peat tablets. For this:

purchased pour warm water and wait for it to swell and cool;
with tweezers, place petunia seeds in the central hole;
water moderately.

Plants dive into pots or into the ground along with tablets. Damage to the root system is completely excluded. For beginner flower growers, this method of growing flower seedlings is most preferable.

Landing ampelous petunias produced in the same way as the bush.

Growing seedlings of petunias

When the seeds germinate and the first leaves appear, the covering material from the box must be removed. Water the plants gently and lower the ambient temperature to 18ºC.

At the first stage, petunia develops very slowly. Initially, the root system of plants is strengthened, and only after that the stems and leaves become stronger. This stage lasts about 4-5 weeks.

During this period, you need to monitor:

soil moisture. It should not be dry or waterlogged.
timely application of fertilizers. For petunias, complex fertilizers or preparations with a high content of potassium are suitable.
sufficient lighting. In the daytime, the lamp should work at full power, and at night it is advisable to dim the light, but not turn it off completely.

To develop strong and abundantly flowering plants after the appearance of several leaves, the top of the flower must be pinched. Strengthened plants are transplanted into separate, more spacious containers and continue to care for seedlings according to all of the above rules.

A month before planting petunias in the ground, the plants are hardened for 10 days. In the first half of the term, the daytime temperature near the seedlings should be 18ºС - 20ºС, and at night 16ºС. In the next five days, these figures are reduced by 2ºС - 3ºС. After carrying out such a procedure, the stronger flowers will transfer the pick to the least painfully. open ground.

Video: how to plant petunia seedlings

Planting petunias in the ground

Let's move on to the question of how to properly plant a petunia in a permanent place:

it is best to plant a plant in cloudy weather or after sunset;
it is desirable to dive a seedling together with a clod of earth from a pot;
the hole for the seedling must be at least 10 cm deep and wide;
the distance between plantings depends on the variety of the flower. For large-flowered petunias, it is necessary to withstand 23 cm - 25 cm. For small-flowered petunias, 18 cm - 20 cm is enough. Ampelous petunia bushes are planted at a distance of 28 cm - 30 cm;
after transplantation, the flowers are watered;
for better rooting of petunia, the ground around the transplanted plant can be covered with humus or peat. Such a shelter for a longer period to retain moisture and protect the flower from possible frosts.

petunia care

Petunia care consists in watering plants, timely and constant feeding, and removing wilted flowers.

Water the plant only in dry weather. It is advisable to carry out this procedure after sunset. When watering, the water should not stagnate. It is enough just to moisten the earth around the root system of the flower.

The first top dressing is carried out 9 - 11 days after transplanting the plant to a permanent place. It is best to start feeding plants with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. You can use nitroammofosk.

For abundant flowering, during the period of bud formation, it is preferable to use fertilizers containing a large number of phosphorus and potassium, such as superphosphate and potassium salt.

petunias can be fed wood ash. This fertilizer contains all the components necessary for the plant. Moreover, you can use both purchased fertilizer and made yourself, after a fire or from a stove.

An important component for proper plant nutrition is iron. In the absence of sufficient iron, petunias can develop chlorosis. The first signs of the disease appear on the leaves: they begin to turn yellow and fall off. Ferovit will come to the rescue, with which the plants are sprayed 3-5 times with an interval between sprayings of 2-3 days.

Wilted flowers should be removed from the plant. This leads to the formation of new buds and a long duration of flowering. Petunia flowers, which are properly planted and cared for, will be even more delightful if they are formed in time beautiful crown plants. For this, young shoots striving for high growth are pinched. The procedure is considered correct if pinching is carried out after 4 - 5 leaves. After the operation, the plant produces abundant multidirectional shoots, which are necessary for the formation of a beautiful "hat".

Proper planting and care of a petunia will lead to long and rich flowering. Planting petunia seeds in the video will help novice gardeners become more familiar with the procedure.

- read here!

Video: sowing and picking petunias

Petunia represents beautiful flower exuding a delicate honey aroma. Very often they are used in the design of decorative landscapes in gardens, on summer cottages and in city parks. With this option, there are a large number due to huge number petunia varieties.

Today we will tell you how you can use it to decorate a flower bed in the garden and not only, as well as what other plants petunia can be combined with. Some examples include photos so you can see the examples first hand.

Petunia Features

Few people know that petunia belongs to the category of nightshade plants, and potatoes also belong to them. long time petunia grew as a wild plant and did not have decorative effect , and only in the 19th century it was noticed by breeders who made hybrid decorative varieties based on it.

There are more and more of them every year, gardeners love both old and new types of petunias. The most popular for growing in gardens are petunias of ampelous varieties. In the photo you can see how they look, their description is as follows:

The color range of petunias is striking in its diversity. So, their flowers are:

white;
red;
purple;
cream;
coral.

Due to the presence of a huge number of varieties, many lovers often use them to decorate the garden. For example, arrange beautiful flower beds based on them. In the photo you can see examples of creating such compositions.

How to choose planting material?

The flower bed in the garden is a well-thought-out composition, where each plant has its place. It is best to plant in a flower bed ready seedlings according to the planned project. But we do not always sow seeds in a flower bed good decision, since many may not ascend and disappear when grown, respectively, the design of the garden according to the plan may not work.

Petunia seedlings can be grown on their own or purchased from ready-made. If there are difficulties with the purchase, then it will not be easy to grow it with your own hands:

strictly observe the temperature;
the level of humidity must also be maintained;
carry out picks and pinching in time.

When growing seedlings of petunias on your own, the process should begin in early spring. In this case seedlings will be ready for transplanting into the ground in early summer. Also, a flower bed in the garden with the help of petunias can be arranged faster, but it is very expensive: buy large bushes and plant them where you need them.

Site and soil selection

Petunia loves the sun very much and treats the heat well. Therefore, in the garden for her, you need to choose places in open sunny areas, which are darkened at noon with the help of young tree, picket fence or something else. The plant will feel somewhat worse in places with great blackout., where the sun breaks through only for half a day, or under the crowns of trees. But a deep shadow for a petunia is completely contraindicated, the branches will stretch out, and the flowering will be very weak, as a result of which the flowers will turn pale.

For petunias, you need to choose a neutral or fertile soil. Best of all - sandy or loamy. But if the soil is heavy and clayey, this will not be very good for the plant: growth and flowering will slow down. The soil can be improved by loosening. To do this, it is dug up and fertile soil is added to it from another site or peat. Also, when planting in the hole, you can add a little baking powder, for example:

perlite;
vermiculite.

How to plant petunias in the garden

Remember that petunias, especially ampelous ones, tend to grow. They have developed root system, that's why for creating beautiful flowerbed no need to make plantings dense. This can lead to the struggle of plants for space, as a result of which some will begin to oppress others. In addition, such planting density can provoke the appearance powdery mildew and other fungal diseases.

To avoid this, it is necessary to observe the following distances in the collective plantings of petunias:

bush small-flowered specimens should be planted at a distance of about 15–20 cm from each other;
large-flowered - 20–25 cm, respectively;
ampelous - by 25–30 cm, respectively.

In some cases, ampel varieties require even greater distance from each other. For example, variety "Typhoon" should be planted 40–70 cm apart for a beautiful bloom.

What plants can be combined planting petunias

To get a beautiful and attractive garden composition, petunias can be combined with each other by variety, or with other plants.

When planting flower beds in gardens, you need to choose samples that throughout the summer they are able to maintain an attractive appearance and tolerate heat well. An excellent choice would be flowers such as:

And the background of the composition can be low-growing deciduous plants:

cineraria;
coleus;
chlorophytum;
irezine and others.

AT spring period petunias can be combined with bulbous flowers, which dry the leaves for the summer:

narcissus;
tulip;
crocus;
muscar;
grouse;
hyacinth and others.

In case of drought, they should be dug up and replaced with other flowers, or these areas should be temporarily covered with decorative leaves or ground cover plants.

A flowerbed with petunias under a tree will look even better if it is decorated with plants such as:

hosts;
begonias;
daylilies;
decorative cereals.

Petunia beds can be planted in containers, then plants can be combined with lobelia, balsam, verbena, viola, pelargonium and other flowers.

Petunias in the garden: flowerbed design options

Design options for flower beds

We present to your attention several examples of the design of compositions in gardens based on petunias. You can see some samples in the photo.

Monolumba

Monoklumba is the simplest composition, while very attractive. In its most rigorous version, it means planting petunias of the same variety, such a flower bed will look like a monochrome spot. But if you place petunias on it different forms and shades, it, despite its name, will look varied.

Composition with coniferous center

The mono-flower can be supplemented with such an element as conifer tree in the center, characterized by a clear geometry. As options:

juniper;
cypress.

Flowerbed raised

Such a composition gets its appearance due to the vertical walls. She does not have a bottom, but petunias are able to develop, as well as on open ground. Ampelous plants planted inside. The soil for a raised flower bed can be made better depending on the flower variety. To do this, it can be fertilized with components such as:

baking powder;
hydrogel;
peat;
biohumus.

Planting pocket or mini-flower bed

Such solutions are suitable for paved courtyards, where there are small landing pockets between the plates. A large-flowered bush petunia is planted in them, which over time completely covers the earth gaps. Instead, you can take seedlings of ampels and surfinias, which grow much faster than bush plants and create ground cover color compositions. Small flower beds will decorate the paved area and give new shades to the garden composition as a whole.

Round flower bed

For a round flower bed, two varieties of purple and dark pink petunias are taken. It turns out bright and lands in a circle. In the center, you need to place a bush of orange marigolds. As a border, we plant undersized coleus bushes, which will help keep the shape of the composition.

The height of the flowerbed plants decreases from the center to the periphery, the composition itself has the shape of a dome and looks slightly raised above the ground.

Vertical flower bed based on petunias

Petunia is a culture that grows well not only in open, but also in closed ground, so they can be grown in pots and containers. Due to this, they can be used to create vertical multi-tiered compositions that are assembled on the basis of different elements.

A vertical flower bed is made of a wooden screen, containers with flowers are attached vertically to it. Another variant - creation of a flower tower, which is a planting sections piled on top of each other. And the third way is to create an arched metal frame, which serves as the basis for attaching several large planters with petunias.

For ampelous flower varieties, containers should be as spacious as possible and have drainage holes.

Growing petunias in this way is much more difficult than in open soil. One of the problems is the limited amount of soil, which is not very good for the plant. For the normal development of a flower, at least 2 liters of soil mixture are needed, and for ampelous plants - up to 4 liters, respectively.

How to properly care for the composition

Of course, a beautifully designed composition in the garden based on petunias is far from the end of work on it. Naturally, she requires personal care in order to delight you with her flowering and beauty.

The first thing flowers need is regular watering and feeding. In summer, in the heat, you need to water the flower bed at least once a day. Better either in the morning or in the evening when the sun is still not too scorching. At noon, watering is also possible, but only if the composition is shaded.. When watering, it is very important that the sun does not scorch the bushes, otherwise the burns will be too noticeable.

Fertilizers for petunias are needed for lush flowering. Here you can use both mullein, ash solution and other organics, and mineral fertilizers. But remember that at the seedling stage, petunias need more nitrogen, and during flowering - phosphorus and potassium. If you plan to use purchased fertilizers, pay attention to the packaging, which indicates the ratio of all macronutrients.

Petunias will become a worthy decoration of a garden or plot, not only as part of a composition, but also individually. And if you follow simple rules care, they will certainly delight you all summer.

Elegant petunia is quite deservedly a favorite of summer residents and flower growers. 'Cause she needs a little care and she's different abundant flowering. The plant festively stands out in the flower beds thanks to bright flowers. Petunia bushes exquisitely decorate garden plots, lawns in city squares. In apartments, the plant decorates balconies. Growing petunias at home or outdoors does not require much time.

Types of petunias

Several types of plants are considered popular:

The most important thing when growing flowers is to find high-quality seed. Therefore, it is better to purchase it from trusted manufacturers.

Landing and care

The best option to avoid the risk when sowing seeds in open ground - growing seedlings of flowers.

Seed selection

Most right time for sowing - the beginning or middle of February. On average, flower seeds are planted 14-15 weeks before planting in open ground. A more specific date for sowing flower seeds depends on the climatic features of the region. Petunia bushes do not tolerate frost well, so it is better to plant them after the threat of spring frosts has passed.

Important! Flower seeds in stores are sold in their natural form (small grains) or in granular form (seeds are enclosed in shells of nutrients).

By purchasing planting material flowers in granular form, it must be borne in mind that these are artificially bred petunia seeds. However, it is worth recognizing that petunia bushes grow quite resistant to diseases and are characterized by dynamic growth and high survival rate.

How to plant a petunia

It is necessary to prepare a soil consisting of garden soil, sand, decomposed peat (in a ratio of 1: 1: 2). To eliminate the presence of worms and loosen the soil mixture, it is sieved through a sieve. If such preparatory process seems long, worth buying special composition in the store (universal primer Stender). To increase the fertility of the purchased soil, it is advisable to add fertilizers (for 5 liters of soil, put 1 tablespoon of potassium sulfate, 0.5 liters of wood ash, 250 g of perlite).

Advice! Garden land is pre-treated - neutralized from the possible presence of pests. It is steamed in the oven, and then fertilized with biohumus or supercompost.

Boxes for seedlings of petunia bushes must have drainage holes. The container is filled with soil, not filling up to the edge of about 6-20 mm. This is necessary to ensure that the flowers are protected from drafts. The best option is a box with a lid that has several holes for ventilation.

Landing stages

Attention! Flower shoots, even with good care, will not develop rapidly, since the petunia first of all begins to build up the root mass.

As soon as the first two leaves appear on the sprouts, the seedlings can be planted in separate containers. If the planting of flowers has become very thick, you need to thin it out. To do this, carefully pull out individual petunia sprouts with tweezers. If the leaves begin to touch the polyethylene, then the covering material is completely removed.

Seedling picking

For planting and caring for petunias, it is better to use separate containers or plastic cups. For drainage, the bottom of the cups is perforated. Immediately after transplanting flowers, the soil is watered and, if necessary, topped up with soil.

The box with flowers should be placed in a place where direct sunlight does not fall. This can lead to stretching of petunia seedlings. To prevent this, the temperature in the room is lowered by a couple of degrees.

After transplanting flowers, the first top dressing is carried out after a week and a half. As nutrient mixtures, solutions of Kemira Plus, Aquarin, Plantofol can be used. Foliar top dressing of petunias is also welcome - pollination of planting with a solution of "Crystal". With further cultivation of flower seedlings, top dressing is applied more often - about twice a week. The best option is to alternate root and foliar application of fertilizers.

How to grow a beautiful bush petunia

Flower seedlings. To do this, the top of the shoot (with a growth point) is broken off from the seedlings above the 4-5th leaf. Then the plants begin to throw out new shoots from the sinuses near the leaves. After two weeks, you can repeat the pinching of flowers. To form rounded petunia bushes, you need to make a few pinches.

Two weeks before planting seedlings in open ground, hardening of seedlings begins. To do this, containers with flowers are taken out into the open air. For the first time, for about 20 minutes, and then every day the time the petunia stays outside is increased. By the time of transplanting into open ground, the flowers should be outside all day.

Planting petunias in the garden

Landing is carried out from mid-May to mid-June, which is determined by the climatic features of the area.

Growing features

Petunia bushes are unpretentious and can grow in almost any conditions. However, for abundant long flowering it is recommended to plant seedlings of flowers on well-lit loamy soils.

Before planting a petunia, a place for a flower bed is prepared. To do this, the soil is dug up, cleared of weeds and fertilized. In order for flowers to take root faster, it is advisable to adhere to the following rules:

Watering and feeding

Flowers are watered under the root as the earth dries. The next day it is necessary to loosen the soil. Weeding is carried out constantly.

Advice! For watering and caring for the plant, it is better to allocate time in the evening or on cloudy days. You need to use distilled water.

Fertilize the soil on a weekly basis. How to care for a petunia and feed? It is necessary to alternate the introduction of organic and inorganic additives, and this can be done in different ways:

dry fertilizers are poured into the soil;
in liquid form, additives are introduced into the soil when watering petunia bushes. Considered the most the best way plant nutrition;
at foliar top dressing flowers sprayed bushes.

When caring for a petunia during flowering, it must be borne in mind that the plant needs enhanced nutrition. Therefore, fertilizers are applied at least twice a week.

Chicken manure has many trace elements that provide good growth and flowering petunia bushes. It is necessary to introduce a weak solution into the soil so as not to burn the root system of flowers.

When growing and caring for adult petunia bushes, you can use granular fertilizers. Suitable Options: ammophoska, ammonium nitrate, calcium nitrate (10 g of fertilizer is diluted in 10 liters of water).

Growing petunias on the balcony

On the balcony we also grow petunia without errors and therefore fulfill the following requirements:

In order for the plant to bloom profusely, dried flowers must be removed. Such actions will stimulate the formation of new ovaries on the bushes.

You can not miss the appearance of pests. Upon detection dangerous symptoms, petunia bushes are sprayed with special preparations. It is necessary to process the stems both from above and from below, lifting the shoots of flowers.

How to care for a petunia

If in the middle of the season the bushes began to bloom less, the stems are too long, they carry out rejuvenating pruning. To do this, the stems of bush petunias are cut at a height of 13-16 cm, and the ampelous forms of flowers can be safely shortened by half. The plant will quickly release fresh shoots and restore abundant flowering.

If you pay a little attention to the petunia bushes, then it will lush flowers decorate a garden or balcony until the coldest weather. On winter time flowerpots can be brought into the rooms and then all the cold season you can admire the elegant plants.