Preface
Do petunia seedlings have a long, fragile stem and droop towards the ground? This problem is not uncommon, but it is quite easy to solve if you follow the right conditions cultivation from the beginning to the end of growth.
You can grow a healthy seedling and get high-quality petunia seedlings if you follow the rules of care and the optimal microclimate.
- At the stage of seed germination we create high level humidity, while keeping the temperature between 22–24 °C. When sowing seeds, slightly deepen them into the soil without covering them with soil.
- When the first roots and cotyledons (embryo leaves) appear, we lower the humidity level and temperature to 20 ° C, create a constant illumination within 25,000 lux (a unit of illumination measurement).
- When the first true leaves appear, let the soil dry well between waterings, and continue to lower the temperature to 18–21 °C. But we double the illumination level to 50,000 lux. For more active growth of leaves, we begin to gradually add complex mineral fertilizers.
- An important stage is picking seedlings. After transplanting the young shoots into separate containers, we maintain an average level of humidity, keep the temperature within 16–18 °C, and slightly increase the illumination to 55,000 lux.
- When the seedlings grow and become crowded, we make a second transplant. For ordinary petunias, flower pots with a diameter of 10–13 cm are suitable. After transplanting, it is important to maintain a balance of temperatures, between 16–20 °C during the day and at night – 13–18 °C.
Petunia seedlings
If you stick to these important rules on initial stages petunia growth, you will be able to obtain a high percentage of seed germination, prevent the development of blackleg and elongated seedlings, and form a plant with a developed root system and voluminous leaves.
One of the reasons why petunia can stretch is failure to comply with optimal temperature and light conditions. Exactly elevated temperature often causes elongation of petunia seedlings. At the stage of seed germination, high temperatures and the creation of mini-greenhouse conditions are ideal for the plant. However, after the first shoots appear, temperature conditions above 22 °C that are comfortable for humans are not suitable. If you do not take any measures to reduce temperature indicators, the seedlings will turn into a thin stalk, bending towards the ground, with several embryonic leaves.
Therefore, in as soon as possible After the first shoots appear, we reduce the temperature to 18 °C and provide the young seedlings with round-the-clock lighting. Choose the coolest place in your home. During the formation stage, avoid window sills and places near the radiator. Here they can be created as too high temperatures with dry air, and quite low around 10 °C.
Young petunia sprout
In the second week of growth of a young petunia, begin to gradually harden it by opening the window for micro-ventilation for 10 minutes a day. This will provide not only the necessary air flow, but will also reduce the room temperature by several degrees. When ventilating, do not forget about drafts and direct flows of cold air, from which the seedlings must be protected. A month after picking, the seedlings can be taken out onto a glassed-in balcony or into a greenhouse.
I would like to note the problem of sudden changes in humidity. Here, gardeners often make mistakes that lead to lengthening of the petunia stem. It is necessary to remove the film or other protective material of your mini-greenhouse gradually. When using film, make small holes in it, gradually increasing their diameter, and finally remove the covering material completely.
Lighting is another important condition for the proper growth of petunia. If this moment can be skipped at the stage of seed germination, then after the first green loop appears above the surface of the earth, the intensity of light, especially solar light, should be high. Considering that petunia requires almost round-the-clock lighting, you will have to purchase additional lighting devices - fluorescent or specialized lamps. When growing a small number of petunias, you can use ordinary lamps with energy-saving light bulbs.
However, whatever lighting device you choose, remember, it should not dry out or heat the air. If there is a shortage natural light turn on the lamp at high power during the day, and leave the light dim at night . The optimal distance from the lamp to the container with seedlings is 10–15 cm. Use transparent film or plastic as a protective material for your mini-greenhouse. It is not recommended to use glass in this case, since it does not transmit light radiation well. If there is insufficient light, the petunia will quickly stretch out, become weak and susceptible to disease.
If we talk about the timing of sowing, then there is no need to rush here. You can sow in January–February, but due to the low intensity and amount of natural light, you will have to use more often artificial lighting, and these are additional energy and material costs. Therefore, it is better to start germinating seedlings in March–April. Planting density also plays an important role. Do not sow petunias close to each other, maintain a certain distance. To make the petunia bush voluminous, do not forget to pinch it.
Grown seedlings
If you are not careful enough, you may miss the moment when petunia seedlings need to be pruned. The overgrown seedlings become cramped in one container, and they begin to wriggle and stick out in different directions. This applies more to sprouts that are closer to the window. Rotating the box daily will help to avoid this to ensure that all petunia seedlings receive even sunlight. If the sprouts have become very elongated, they must be transplanted into separate containers or a greenhouse, press the long stem with a loop to the ground and sprinkle the remaining part up to the cotyledons with a nutritious soil mixture.
Observance also helps to obtain healthy petunia seedlings with strong stems and leaves proper watering. In this case, it should be regular, but small, literally a teaspoon at the root. Drying out the soil will cause the plant to wither, and excessive moisture will lead to the development of blackleg and the death of seedlings. After each watering, do not forget to slightly loosen the soil so that an earthen crust does not form on it, preventing the flow of air and nutrients to the root system.
Seedlings after picking
In the first week of sowing, we spray under the roots with a spray bottle, and add a couple of grams of potassium permanganate to the water to enhance growth and prevent diseases, in particular, blackleg. After a week of growth, we begin moderate watering.
We recommend using growth stimulants for petunia no more than 2–3 times during the entire growing period. If you provide the necessary flow of light and moisture, and maintain an optimal temperature, then the seedlings grow quickly, becoming strong and healthy without additional stimulants. But you shouldn’t forget about fertilizing and fertilizers. From the moment the embryonic leaves appear until the seedlings are transplanted into separate containers, spray the petunia leaves with calcium nitrate. It will help prevent stretching and form a strong frame of the plant. Feeding with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is also important, but you should not be overzealous with their quantity. Oversaturation of the soil with organic matter and nitrogenous fertilizers leads to the slow development of thin-legged seedlings.
To grow petunia seedlings, we use homemade plastic containers with a depth of at least 5 cm or buy special mini-greenhouses in the store. Additionally, we purchase soil for seedlings, cling film and toothpicks. We fill each segment of the container with earth, spill it with water with the addition of potassium permanganate. If there are no drainage holes at the bottom of the cassettes, we first make them.
Germination of petunia seedlings
We lay out the seeds on a white sheet of paper and, with a toothpick moistened on one side, begin to deepen them one by one into the ground. We place the seeds at a comfortable distance from each other so that when they grow, the sprouts do not interfere with each other and stretch upward as little as possible. We do not cover the seeds with soil, giving them maximum access to sunlight. In the absence plastic cover cover the seeds with a transparent film to maintain air humidity after watering and heat. The sprouts can be kept in the mini-greenhouse until picking. Remember to open them for a while to provide fresh air.
As a result of such cultivation, a large percentage of planted petunias grow strong and healthy. But still, the risk of sprouts forming with a thin stem remains. There is salvation for such instances - peat tablets.
If stretching could not be avoided while growing petunia, peat tablets will become the best way solutions to this problem. In addition, this option can be used initially for germination of seeds and subsequent growth of seedlings.
Growing seedlings in peat tablets
They cost pennies and are easy to work with. Place them in a tray and pour boiling water over them. When the washers swell and become more like a “barrel”, they need to be slightly squeezed out of excess moisture, placed in a transparent container or in plastic cups. On the surface of each tablet, you can plant either one seed or several at a time, having previously made small recesses 0.5–1 cm deep in them.
When watering, peat tablets are not washed off, as is the case with regular soil, and keep the sprouts in one position. As soon as we notice the appearance of the first sprouts, carefully add required quantity peat mixture or the required amount of earth on all sides. In the case of transplanting elongated petunia seedlings, we also soak the tablets, make depressions in them, carefully place the sprouts in the hole and fill the sides with earth up to the cotyledons. Thus, we will be able to strengthen the weakened stem, as well as increase additional root system on an elongated part of the stem underground. As when growing seedlings in a mini-greenhouse, do not forget about observing daylight hours, watering, air humidity and ventilation.
How to grow petunia. Detailed instructions
Seedlings of petunias and lobelia have sprouted. Oh, and I don’t like fussing with small seeds! I prefer to propagate petunia from cuttings. But what can you do if this time you didn’t leave at least a couple of bushes for cuttings for the winter.
I propose to exchange experiences in growing these slow-growing plants. It will be useful for beginners to find out who grows them and how.
Lobelia and petunia seedlings are very small. They grow slowly - and for those in a hurry like me, it’s hard to wait for them to get stronger. And there is also a risk of ruining the seedlings at the very beginning. That's why I adapted to save things this way.
Since these little ones need very little land at the beginning, I sow them in separate cells - in an egg carton.
Surface sowing, i.e. I don’t sprinkle the seeds with soil, but simply cover them with a transparent film. And I put it on a warm windowsill - on a sheet of foam plastic. Seeds germinate in warmth and light: both lobelia and petunia.
And if I sow lobelia thickly, then petunias are now sold in granules - I arrange them in 4-5 pieces per cell. Not all of them have come up today. But they will have more room to grow.
Each cell has a hole at the bottom. The whole box is in a pallet, which is made from the lid of the same egg package. I pour water for irrigation into the pan. This way you don't have to water from above, which can lead to lodging of these small shoots. Although, you can spray it with a very fine spray bottle.
In the initial period, they all stand under a lamp - which is no more than 15 cm away.
When the first true leaves appear and grow, and the seedlings get stronger, I begin diving. Using a teaspoon or fork, I pick up the entire lump of earth in the cell and transplant it into separate glasses. At the same time, I divide the lump of lobelia into two or even three parts: it is densely sown, but unevenly. It turns out several seedlings in each glass.
I divide by eye, so the number of plants in one glass is different. After transplanting, I water it with Zircon.
In a separate “apartment” the leaves will begin to grow faster. Moreover, by this time during the day I already take it out onto the glassed-in balcony, and there is a lot of light there.
Some glasses yield 7-10 plants.
And somewhere there is a large group. Pots await them later different sizes: some are wider, others are narrower.
The seedlings are in glasses and after 10 days I begin to fertilize them.
Over time, I pinch some varieties of lobelia so that they bush.
Well, then I plant them in pots. Here are three glasses with bush lobelia
I add one petunia to each glass. They need much more land. I do this at the moment when they have two true leaves (except for the first two cotyledons)
I plant cups in 100 g, which I put in a common container.
Before planting in the ground or in a pot, you have to transplant the seedlings several times into larger glasses.
After transplanting, I spray and water with a root formation stimulator - Radifarm or Zircon.
During this period there is a lot of sun on the balcony.
You can feed with any complex fertilizer - after two weeks. Complex fertilizer with a predominance of nitrogen - NPK 30-10-10. For example, Plantofol. You can - Kemiroy Lux.
Petunias like to alternate feeding at the root and at the leaf (by spraying). And they begin to grow quickly.
If there are a lot of petunias, it is very convenient to plant them in cassettes - 4 by 4 cm.
At the 6th week, you can transplant from the cassettes into 200 g glasses. But since I was planted immediately in 100 g, my seedlings stayed in them longer in them longer.
And then I immediately moved to 400 ml pots.
I do the first pinching (removal of the growing point) after several pairs of true leaves appear, but only when they are properly strengthened - 1.5 - 2 months after sowing.
Usually, by this time, bush petunias have 4 - 5 pairs of true leaves. It all depends on the type and variety. I pinch off the 9-10th leaf. This is necessary in order to form side shoots and subsequently there were many flowers on every bush.
In ampelous petunias, the side shoots grow well even without pinching. In addition, modern bush varieties Side shoots also appear on their own - without any effort on your part. So look at the variety.
By the way, the rapid formation of side shoots is facilitated by lower night temperatures. I do it in a simple way. By nightfall I turn off the battery, which is under the windowsill in my bedroom. And in the morning I turn it on again. The seedlings like it. Me too - sleep cooler
And if the temperature outside allows it, then I leave it on the closed balcony overnight.
To speed up flowering, you can spray it once with a boron solution ( boric acid- 1 year per 1 liter)
Growing petunias from cuttings
I have already been asked to repeat this topic several times.
In the fall, I leave a couple of young bushes for the winter. That is, in the middle of summer I cut a cutting from a bush blooming petunia- I grow a young bush until autumn. I pinch it several times. They hibernate next to the lamp. They grow foliage.
In early February, and some even earlier, they begin to bloom. If there is enough sun, of course. They are unlikely to bloom in the dark winter. God grant we can hold out until spring when it’s dark. Petunias are very light-sensitive plants.
And in early March I cut cuttings from them.
Usually, I leave the top two leaves on the cuttings. Sometimes four. If I cut a long branch, I divide it into several parts. Too much large leaves I halve it to avoid excess moisture evaporation. But most often, this is not required.
I bury the cuttings 1.5 - 2 cm into the soil for seedlings and water them with Zircon. And I cover it with a large transparent glass with a hole in the bottom for ventilation. I also pinch out every fifth leaf on the side branches so that the bush becomes lush.
In summer, petunias bloom magnificently both on the balcony and in the flower garden near the house. On the balcony I love cascading and hanging ones.
And in flower beds - bush terry.
Two small autumn bushes left in the house for the winter make a meter-long flower bed in the summer.
And most importantly, a lot of time is saved. They bloom much earlier than from seeds. And no picking or fussing with small crops.
But there is also a minus, of course. You will have to allocate space on the windowsill in winter for mother bushes. Even though they are small, they are still there. Well, you will have to provide additional light. Without it, they will either get sick or die altogether.
True, I'm in last year I adapted to hang them in flowerpots on lateral surface window opening to save space.
And now I haven’t left it for the winter at all. The winters have become very dark. So I grow it from seeds.
Comments
To please the eye with lush and beautiful bushes abundant flowering, you need to know exactly how to properly pinch (read) petunia. If petunias are allowed to grow on their own, they will simply stretch out and the flowers will be small. Proper pinching (pinching) of the main growing point of petunias will certainly stimulate the lateral stems to grow and after 12 days, the edge after two weeks, flower ovaries will appear on them, which is what we are striving for.
The importance of pinching for any plant
Pinching is cutting off either with scissors or breaking off the top of the stem with your fingers. After it is carried out, the remainder of the shoot thickens, the buds in the axils become larger, and the color of the leaves becomes richer. The process is performed so that young, strong stems with flowers grow and the plant acquires a delightful appearance.
It should be noted that the method only works if pinching is done before the end of the growing season.
We perform pinching in the following way:
- We form a seedling as soon as it begins to gain strength and grow.
- The best time for pinching is when the petunias have developed several (5 - 6) leaves. If this is not done on time, the seedlings will stretch out, the bush will not have a spherical appearance, and the stems will not branch.
- When planting a flower in the ground, pinching is performed after its rooting and adaptation (usually at the end of May). In order for it to take root well, it needs to organize suitable conditions for development: we plant the seedlings sparingly, then they will develop better, we fertilize (feed) them at the root, regularly moisten them and sprinkle the leaves with water.
- When keeping seedlings in a greenhouse (together with others), we perform pinching only after picking. Plants quickly (within a few days) adapt. And then they can be cut off.
- Forming is done with pruning shears or fingers. Above the last (5 - 6) leaf of the petunia, remove the apical bud. This will create a new point for the stems to grow and branch.
After all the steps, we place the final emphasis on dusting the cut flowers with wood ash or activated carbon powder. In order for the seedling to recover faster, it would be a good idea to spray or shed it with plant development stimulants: “Zircon” or “Epin”.
After the event, the seedlings slow down, but gain strength. The petunia species becomes spherical when the side stems grow.
Shoot length for separation
The separated part of the shoot should be 4 centimeters, but it’s still better to be longer. If you trim the thinnest place on the stem (tip of the shoot) of a flower, then other shoots, developing at this place, will break off in bad weather and wind conditions.
Do not forget to fertilize the soil weekly, and regularly moisten the plant shoots, preferably every second (third) day.
Repeated pinching of petunias - after planting in open ground
Pinching must be repeated 2 - 3 times, and not only on the central, but also on the side stems of the flowers. We perform this action when they grow to 13 - 15 cm. To improve the shape and rich flowering of petunias, it is advisable to shorten the shoots 28 - 30 days after the first procedure. In this case, the main shoot must have at least 5 leaves.
Ampelous varieties do not need repeated pruning. But in many varieties, one of the branches continues to quickly stretch out, taking away nutrition and strength from the rest. In some cases, an ovary appears on it. Then you need to urgently pinch it with scissors (secateurs). To do this, count 3 - 5 leaves from the bottom and cut off the rest. The petunia's growth point will change. It will not grow upward, but will send out side shoots.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that after pinching, flowering is delayed by 12 - 14 days. But in the end, not just one flower will bloom, but several, and the buds will be larger.
Before further pinching, you need to wait until the bush grows. After this, we shorten the elongated stems, as a result - the flowers will be denser. In this case, I recommend making the cut closer to the base of the branch, and not pinching only the top.
In order for the vegetation to delight with abundant flowering, this operation must be performed without fail.
Adult flowering plant we prune in order to better develop the bush and increase the time of its splendor.
What to do next
With regular shortening of shoots and increased growth of petunia, constant feeding with a growth stimulant and complete mineral fertilizer. Otherwise, many thin stems will develop. It is possible to achieve returns from the plant only with constant watering and proper care.
We remember that we need to pick off wilted flowers in a timely manner (not pull them out, but pinch them off from the branch with the peduncle). By forming seed plants, they take away strength from the plant.
In the lion's share of cases, pinching of petunias is carried out 2-3 times: in the seedling phase, after planting in the ground and during the growing season. But if the third pinching can be neglected, then in the phase of seedlings and planting in open ground they are strictly required.
We remember that pruning is stressful for our flowers. For this reason, after it, the bushes freeze a little in development, but the development of lateral stems, which form large buds, increases.
- Try not to injure the sprout too much. For tweezing we use clean instruments.
- We form the petunia bush in a timely manner. Delaying the process has a bad effect on development.
- We carry out pinching monthly.
- To prevent the plant from getting burned and dying, we prune it in the evening or in the morning, when the sun's rays are not very active.
- We do not throw away the plucked stems, but use them as cuttings (if only they have a stable stem and 5 - 6 leaves). To root, tear off the lower leaves and place them in a jar of water. As soon as the roots grow, we plant the stems in fertile soil. This way you and I will have additional seedlings.
It is important to remember if you took cuttings hybrid varieties petunias, then the grown specimen will retain the appearance and characteristics of the original one. This cannot be achieved when propagated by seeds.
Petunias are blooming beauties with an obstinate but responsive character. If you constantly take care of them and properly care for them, they will gratefully delight you all summer long.