Growing petunia seedlings at home is not always considered a good idea. Some people find it much easier to buy an already grown flower than to look after small plants. There are also amateurs who are very pleased to be engaged in sowing seeds in plastic cups, to observe the gradual appearance of sprouts. Each stage of care brings them joy.
How to plant petunia on seedlings
The choice of varieties of petunia seedlings that are offered for sale is small. Those wishing to obtain rare hybrids should take up their cultivation themselves. For sowing, you can take shallow drawers, plastic trays of mayonnaise, previously making holes in the bottom. Before planting petunia on seedlings, it is recommended to water the soil with boiling water to get rid of possible pests, especially if the land is domestic. Choose a substrate with the fertilizer of a well-known company to avoid the purchase of a substandard product.
Petunia seedlings at home can be grown in peat tablets, this method is even easier. You need to pour the purchased "kruglyashki" with boiling water and wait for the cooling. Then place the flower seeds in special grooves. They should not be deep, you can put a little finger on the seed to make contact with moist soil. Seedlings of petunias need good lighting, so put the container on the balcony( if you live in an apartment) or in a well-lit room.
Seed selection
You can select the seeds of petunia from two main types: cluster and ampel. The first grow in a heap, do not weave, do not hang from the pots. The second species can be planted in a flower pot, these flowers will beautifully fall down, showing all their flowers. Cascade semi-petulant petunia grows up, then bends under the pressure of the weight of its stems. If you choose seeds of petunia on your own, consider the following rules:
- Ampelic varieties of petunias are not cheap. They are of imported origin and are often sold separately. If you take a bag of seeds, pay attention to the manufacturer( it can be Germany, Japan, Israel).
- Do not rely solely on a beautiful name, better read what the manufacturer says. If the package says that erect stems grow to 40 cm, then they will not branch.
- Beautiful picture also does not always correspond to the content. That is, you may not grow petunia seedlings at home in the same color, shade, or form. The indication on the package that it contains a mixture of seeds does not mean that they will be the same colored( the advantage is always on the side of one particular color).
- Seed quality is determined by germination, it is indicated on the package. Also you can ask the seller about this. But what kind got into this package with a beautiful Russian name, just can not say no one.
When to plant petunia
The most common advice for breeding petunia seedlings at home is to land at the "right" time. It depends on the duration of the daylight, how long the plant will grow, what stalk it will have tight or thin, when the flowering begins. You can start sowing from the middle of March. This period is recommended to be transferred to:
- end of February - provided there is good, constant backlighting;
- the first of March - if the windows face south;
- beginning of April - windows on the north side.
How to grow petunia from seeds at home
Growing petunia from seeds at home does not take much time. If you take elite varieties, processed with useful substances( forming a granule around the seed), it is easier to plant them. Observe the distance between future plants is easier. Thanks to the coating, seeds grow at times. For their germination, high humidity is needed from this granule. It is necessary to moisten the seeds properly when they lie in their places. When this measure does not help, the granule should be crushed with a toothpick.
Wondering how to grow petunia seedlings, many want to know what other materials for compliance technology will be needed. On top of the box or container cover with a transparent film( lid, glass, light non-woven cloth), so you need to take care of its availability. The conditions created by the greenhouse will save you from the need to water small, only sprouted outgrowths. The temperature should be constant( from 23 to 26 degrees), rearrange the container from the light source is not recommended.
Seedling after picking
Caring for petunia seedlings after picking is the reduction of temperature, watering, feeding. At night, the room with plants should not be cold( below 15 degrees), in the daytime it's too hot( from 18 to 20 degrees).Water should be carefully, without getting water on the leaves. From excess moisture, the flower will begin to rot, but it is not recommended to overdry it. To form a beautiful bush the plant is pricked, cutting off unnecessary leaves. Ampel varieties do not succumb to such care, with time they will grow "at will".
After emergence of
The appearance of the first small petunia of petunia determines the time when a decrease in temperature is required( no more than 20 degrees).As you see the shoots( on average 14 days after sowing), move the box away from the battery. It is not necessary, but rather desirable. So the plants will not stretch, they will turn out to be chunky. Now is the time to start airing. You can start from a few minutes a day. Then remove the film( or glass) at all.
How to pick a petunia at home
The first sprouting leaflets are not "real", they are cotyledons. They contain nutrients for the full development of a young plant, so you need to be extremely careful with them. With the advent of 2-4 pairs of leaves with varietal signs begin to dive. What is it and what is it necessary for? Picks consist of planting plants on separate cups( less often in the shortening of the central root).
Growing petunias need a lot of space, so they "settle".How to picket petunia seedlings at home? It is necessary to accurately podkovyrnut( or pull out with a tablet) plant and place it in a small container or pot. Modern amateur gardeners manage only this procedure, believing that the root system is already damaged during the transplant. Previously, it was considered useful to trim the tip of the root so that it would expand in breadth.