How to care for petunia: we grow a "princess of the garden" in the apartment

A tropical plant native to South America conquers with beauty and abundant flowering. One of the varieties is found in the northern states. According to various sources, from 15 to 40 species are included in the genus of petunias.

Botanical Description

Petunia is a bushy plant with erect or creeping stems. The height of different species varies from 20 to 70 cm. The stems are highly branched. The pubescent sessile oval leaves are saturated green.

Funnel-shaped single flowers sit on short pedicels. Depending on the species, they bloom in the axils of the leaves or on the crown. In standard varieties, flowers are simple, in hybrid varieties, terry and fringed. The colors are different, some with interesting patterns, veins, a border of contrasting shades.

Popular types and varieties

Growing petunias at home begins with choosing the right variety. For apartments, miniature and ampelous views are more suitable. Each variety has several interesting hybrid varieties. Five main ones can be distinguished.

1. Multi-flowered. The bushes are small, compact. The flowering is plentiful - the leaves are almost hidden under the buds. A simple, unpretentious culture, the best option for growing in a pot.
2. Large flowered. It features beautiful colors up to 16 cm in diameter. The bush is quite large, it looks beautiful in a flowerpot mounted on a hill. This species is more common as a balcony plant. More than 100 hybrid varieties of large-flowered petunia are known.
3. Ampelic. The stems are long, sprouting, highly branched. Differ in fast growth, plentiful and long flowering.
4. Floribunda. An intermediate variety between multi-flowered and large-flowered petunia. Easy to care, hardy.
5. Cascading. A common variety for home growing. From the long shoots a voluminous spherical bush is formed, densely covered with buds. With good care, hanging branches reach a meter long.

Seed breeding

Growing petunias from seeds is the easiest way to replenish your collection of indoor flowers. Adult plants are unpretentious, but you will have to tinker fairly well with seedlings. The process of growing seedlings consists of several stages.

Germination

Sowing of seeds begins around February. Sown them on the soil surface without embedding. Germination needs sunlight. Top seeds are sprayed with water from a spray bottle. Granular seeds are wetted more - the shell should get wet.

The container with crops is covered with glass or film, put in a bright, warm place. Maintain a stable temperature: 22–25 ˚С. Shoots appear after about a week. From this moment, they begin to air the greenhouse daily. The first time the film is removed for ten minutes. Gradually increase the airing duration. When the sprouts get stronger, the shelter is removed.

Small seedlings are very weak, prone to black leg disease. To obtain healthy seedlings, observe the irrigation regime, provide full lighting. If there is little natural light, install artificial lighting. Between watering, the earth is slightly dried, but does not allow its complete drying out.

Pick

After the formation of two or three true leaves, the first pick is carried out. Seedlings are planted in a more spacious box with loose soil. Between sprouts maintain a distance of 3-4 cm.

The second pick is carried out in a month. Seedlings are planted in separate pots, pinch the tip of the main root for the development of a complete root system. The first time after transplanting, the seedlings are kept in a slightly shaded place, carefully monitoring the soil moisture.

Topping

To form a lush, dense bush with an abundance of side shoots, the first pinching is performed early - after the appearance of the third or fourth pair of true leaves.

Removal of the growth point in young plants stimulates the active formation of lateral shoots. In this case, the flowering is slightly moved away. After pinching, the petunia is treated with growth stimulants.

Petunia care and creation of conditions for magnificent blossoming

When the seedlings get stronger, it becomes much easier to take care of them. Petunia is an unpretentious plant that requires a minimum of attention. How to care for a petunia so that its flowering continues until the fall? It is enough to create favorable conditions for her, adhering to several rules.

• Lighting. Petunia is a photophilous culture. During the period of active vegetation, it is placed on the western and eastern windows. On the south side they are always shaded. On the northern windows can only be kept with additional artificial lighting. Signs of a lack of light - the shoots are stretched out, thin out, the leaves turn pale.
• Temperature. He likes moderate heat of 20–25 ˚С. It easily withstands heat up to 30 ° C. At home, petunia does not bloom at temperatures below 19 ° C. In winter, a rest period at a temperature of 10–18 ˚С is desirable.
• Humidity. Petunia is neutral in air humidity, but gratefully responds to spraying. In winter, additional moisture is not needed - they are sprayed mainly in the summer.
• Watering. It is important to properly water the petunia, as it is susceptible to the development of rot and fungal diseases. It is undesirable to fill or dry the soil - you need to try to find a middle ground.
• Top dressing. Petunia begins to be fed two weeks after the last dive. With a frequency of ten days, potash fertilizers are applied. Sometimes you can feed organic, humic mixtures.

Propagation by cuttings

Ampel species, terry and mini-petunia can be propagated by cuttings. Rooting cuttings of petunias is simple.Ampel species can be propagated all year round, terry varieties - only in early spring.

For propagation of petunia cuttings take the tops of shoots with four to six leaves. The upper two are left, the lower ones are cleaned, the middle ones are cut off by half. Cuttings are planted in a loose, fertile substrate. After planting, the soil surface is sprinkled with a thin layer of sand.

The container with the cuttings is covered with a film, sprayed with a fungicide solution. The use of growth stimulants is usually not required - fresh cuttings take root easily. Until the roots appear, the container is kept in a well-lit, warm place, the soil is sprayed daily with warm, clean water.

In about two to three weeks it will be possible to plant the cuttings in small pots. As in the case of seedlings, young plants pinch over the fourth leaf to enhance branching.

Difficulties in sowing seedlings

An adult plant is unpretentious, but at the stage of growing seedlings, beginners often encounter problems. The most common situations, causes and solutions to the problem are shown in the table.

Table - Difficulties in growing petunia from seeds

Common diseases

The main problem of petunia is fungal diseases. They develop as a result of systematic waterlogging of the soil, poor ventilation. Treatment is always carried out using fungicides. Information on the most common diseases is given in the table.

Table - Petunia Diseases

Typical pests

Quite often, gardeners have to deal with pests. They are especially active in low humidity. The most common pests, external signs of their appearance and methods of control are described in the table.

Table - Petunia Pests

Care for petunia consists of regular watering, providing good lighting, systematic dressing. Subject to the basic rules for growing petunias, it will quickly form a lush, abundantly flowering bush.