Petunia - care and growing at home, simple rules

Ornament of a garden, a veranda, a balcony and a window sill can become petunja, leaving and cultivation in house conditions of which requires observance of a number of rules. There are many varieties with different color colors, so you can create original compositions.

Petunia flowers - description

Many people know this plant, because it is decorated with different clubs, parks and even buildings. Petunia description includes the following information:

1. Has a bushy fort with creeping or erect stalks. The height varies from 15 to 70 cm.
2. The leaves are oval in shape and reach a length of 5-12 cm. They can be painted in different shades of green. Edge is present both on leaves and on the stem.
3. Flowers are funnel-shaped and single. They can be simple, terry and fringed. Coloring is diverse and depends on the variety, so there are red, pink, purple and other varieties.
4. The fruit is represented by a two-folded box with small seeds.
5. Many people are interested in the fact that he loves petunia when growing, and since she originally lived in hot and humid countries, it is important for her to be warm, abundant watering and a long light day.

Planting petunias at home

For reproduction, seeds and cuttings can be used. The first option is the most common. It is important not to miss the moment of harvesting the seeds, otherwise the box will burst and they will crumble. It is better to remove them from the shell and pour into a bag. Seeds will be within 4 months. ripen at room temperature. Cultivation of house petunia from seeds has a number of features:

1. You can not collect seed from growing or biodegradable plants. The landing should be conducted in March.
2. Soil for seedlings should include 2 parts of peat and 1 part of garden land and peat. It is important to sift and steal the mixture for an hour to get rid of debris and microbes.
3. To grow petunia, care and cultivation at home are carried out with some features, so the seeds simply scatter on the surface of the earth, not deepening and nothing pouring. Top the pot with a film or glass to create greenhouse conditions.
4. For normal seedling ripening, the temperature should be maintained at 22-24 ° C, and the humidity should be 95%. If this is observed, the shoots can be seen after 14 days.
5. After this, it is necessary to carry out daily spraying and gradually reduce the temperature to 20 ° C. When full-length leaves appear, the film or glass should be removed.
6. In a month, when the seedlings are strong, a picking in pots is carried out. After forming 4-5 leaves, the seedlings are plucked.

To get petunia, care and growing at home for which practically does not differ from garden varieties, you can use cuttings. The procedure is carried out from February to May. Prepare the prepared soil in the seedling container, and plant the cuttings, which must be cut from the plant at an angle. Their length should be 5-10 cm with 4-6 leaves, of which only the top two should be left. Insert the shank into the ground for 1/4 of its length. Cover it with a film and maintain the temperature, as well as for the seeds. Rooting will occur in 5-10 days.

Petunia flowers and their cultivation

Thanks to the work of breeders, in addition to classic varieties, a huge number of hybrids have appeared. Different species differ in their structure, and in quantity, in size and color of flowers, and in other parameters. As for the care and cultivation of petunia, almost all varieties are no different in this respect. They can be planted in pots, different flowerpots, flowerbeds and other places, because for almost every territory you can choose your own version.

Growing Terry Petunia

The beauty of this species can not be overestimated, since the buds have corrugated petals, which can be painted in different shades. Such colors can decorate as home interior, and any flowerbed. The care and cultivation of terry petunia is no different from the rules for ordinary varieties, except that it does not give seeds, so you will have to use cuttings for reproduction. Note that a terry variety does not tolerate winds and rain.

Growing cascade petunia

This species is similar to ampel Petunia, but it is distinguished by the nature of shoot growth. Stems can reach a length of up to 1.5 m. They are powerful and elastic, and can grow not only down, but also in the sides. Care and cultivation of petunia from seeds include rules that are relevant for other species. You can use poles in the form of poles or fences to get a wattle fence that will decorate the balcony. It is necessary to direct the whips in the chosen direction. It is important - cascade Petunia can not pinch.

Growing ampelian petunia

This species is very popular in the formation of landscape design , but they can also decorate the home interior. Stems that grow upward, reaching a certain height, fall down, forming hanging whips, strewn with flowers. In most cases, the length of the stem does not exceed 1 m. The care and growth of ampel Petunia is similar to other species, but it is worth considering that the plant is demanding for irrigation and top dressing, especially during the formation of buds and flowering.

Petunia - care

Like other flower crops, petunia needs proper watering, feeding and pinching. In addition, it is important to consider that she loves light, so the pot is best placed on the south or south-west window. Remember that direct sunlight can cause burns. If the house has a petunia flower, information - how to look after the plant at home, will be useful, since it says that if the bush starts to stretch, then you need to increase the lighting and reduce the temperature by several degrees.

Cultivation of petunia - soil

Neutral or slightly acidic soil is suitable for these flowers. It is better to give preference to a loose and nutritious mixture that will retain moisture well and not become wet. To grow a beautiful petunia, planting and care can be carried out in such soils:

1. In flower shops, you can buy special soil mixtures, for example, the universal substrate "Stender" and for 5 liters of this product you need to take 0.5 liters of ash, 250 g of perlite and a large spoon of potassium sulfate.
2. Many gardeners prefer to prepare the soil themselves, then the petunia will develop well, leaving and growing at home will not cause any special difficulties. It is necessary to mix 2 parts of turf ground, peat and humus, and add 1 part of sand. You can mix 1 part of the garden land and sand and 2 parts of peat. Soil mixture must be sieved twice and spilled with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.

Growing petunia - watering

The plant can be attributed to hygrophilous crops, so watering is carried out as needed. To check whether the land needs irrigation it is necessary to take it in hand and squeeze, if it does not stick and just spills out, then it's time to take a watering can. Use water for better water. It should be brought under the root, so that moisture does not fall on delicate flowers. Growing petunia at home means loosening the soil the next day after watering.

Top dressing for petunias at home

At the initial stage of growing seedlings, you do not need to use fertilizers, but when the transplant is performed, the fertilizing is recommended.

1. You can take universal supplements, whose action is directed to the formation of a strong root.
2. Suitable fertilizers for petunias at home: urea and potassium. For good growth and flowering it is better to give preference to complex additives.
3. Apply fertilizer at least 1-2 times a week.
4. If flowers do not appear for a long time, then it is necessary to create a "stressful situation", for example, stop using fertilizing and minimize watering.

Growing petunias - pinching

That the flower grew up by a bush, without carrying out прищипывания not to manage. If a strongly grown variety or a hybrid is chosen, then this procedure should be followed after the formation of a 5-6 sheet. Other species are plucked after a 6-7 leaflet. Remove the upper part of the stem together with the growth point. Necessarily includes in the care and cultivation of petunia the procedure of pinching, since then in the leaf axils new shoots will form. To eventually get a beautiful rounded bush shape, you may need 2-3 pinches, between which it should take two weeks.

Care of flowering petunia

There are no significant changes concerning care during the flowering period, but some recommendations should be taken into account:

1. To beautifully bloom petunia, care and growing at home includes fertilizing with a complex fertilizer for flowering plants , which is carried out, starting in July. This will increase the abundance of flowering and the intensity of color.
2. The next day after watering it is necessary to loosen the soil around the bush. Make sure that the earth is wet.
3. In order to have many petunia flowers, care involves the permanent removal of long shoots and faded buds.

How to accelerate the growth of petunias at home?

Experienced gardeners give many recommendations for growing and caring for such flowers. Not all the secrets of growing petunias are revealed, as varieties are regularly improved, but there are a number of effective tips that can be used:

1. First, it is necessary to check the quality of the soil, it may be acidic, which is completely undesirable.
2. A common cause is that the roots have filled the entire container, and to stimulate growth, you just need to transplant the bush.
3. Petunia grows poorly if care and growing at home do not include top dressing.
4. You can use vitamins B1, B6 and B12 to stimulate growth. It is necessary to dissolve the ampule of vitamins in 250 ml of warm water. The solution is introduced into the soil or sprayed. To do such procedures costs once a week. It is better to alternate the vitamins used.