Petunia is widely spread and loved by gardeners for its unpretentiousness, beauty and variety of colors. It was first discovered in 1793 in South America, and in 1834 in England, its hybrid species were first introduced. Terry petunia is also the result of the research of breeders and today it is difficult to imagine that these lush flowers, reminiscent of carnations, have something in common with the American "ancestors". It reaches 30 cm in length, regularly blossoms from the very beginning of summer, the flowers of petunia terry have a color from snow-white to saturated burgundy.
Petunia Terry: Seed Cultivation
You can collect the petunia seeds yourself. Sow them in the beginning of spring in a mixture of earth, sand and humus. To do this, first lay the fertilizer on the bottom of the box, then a layer of sand in 1 cm and then lay the ground. Seeds are mixed with sand and scattered on wet ground, mute it sprinkled. Then the box should be covered with glass and left at a temperature of 18-22 ° C. Seedlings will appear somewhere in 12 days.
After two weeks, transplanting petunia seedlings are transplanted into soddy land, also mixed with sand and humus. The seedlings are placed 2.5 cm apart. Many beginning flower growers are interested in whether it is necessary to pinch the macronous petunia? The answer is unequivocally yes, and repeatedly - the first time at the seedling planting stage the roots are plucked by two-thirds of the length. And after 2-3 weeks the seedlings are again dived - now with a distance of 6-7 cm and again do a pinching, this time over the third knot. When new shoots appear on the seedlings, they should be transplanted into small pots that are placed in moist sand. Watering growing plants should be moderate, on particularly hot days they should also be sprayed. Once a week they need additional fertilizing - for this purpose, you can alternate a special flower mixture with the infusion of chicken manure. After 3-3.5 months after seeding, terry petunia blooms and you can take the plants to the garden.
When growing, it should be remembered that the seeds of petunia are double-large-flowered give as a result only 25% of terry plants. Also, in the process of planting and picking, weak and sparse seedlings should not be rejected, and the most noteworthy specimens are subsequently obtained from them.
Flower Terry Petunia: Reproduction
Adult houseplants are propagated by means of cuttings. As the cuttings take the upper shoots, which have at least two knots, and the length of them - at least 6 cm. Young shoots, most suitable for this purpose begin to germinate in January, and in March they can be cut, after marking in the settled water of room temperature. Approximately on the 17th day the cuttings start up roots. To grow cuttings it is necessary in a well-lit room at a temperature of 12 ° C. Three times a day they need to be sprayed. When plants take root, they should be transplanted into pots with turf ground, sand and nitrogen fertilizers.
Care for terry petunia
Flower growers-lovers who decided to grow petunia with terry are unlikely to encounter global problems. In order to petunia grows well and pleased its owners, and also looked beautiful in the flower beds , you need to remember and observe several rules for care:
- Petunia is photophilic, therefore pots should be placed only in well-lit areas of the room;
- It is inadmissible to get direct sunlight on flowers and leaves - they can cause burns;
- The room where petunia is located should be regularly ventilated, but at the same time avoiding drafts. The optimum temperature should be 18 ° C;
- in summer, pots with petunias should be taken to the yard or balcony;
- water in the summer should be abundant, in the winter on the contrary - very rarely, only to ensure that the earth layer is not too dry.