Secrets of cultivation of petunia seedlings at home.
Contents
- Preparation of petunia seeds for seeding on seedlings
- Seeding of petunia seeds for seedlings: how deep is the
- How often to water petunia seedlings at home, in the open ground?
- How to treat petunia seedlings from pests and diseases, if it grows badly, yellow, twist the leaves?
- Addition of petunia seedlings with fertilizers
- How to feed petunia seedlings with folk remedies?
- What is the temperature of the petunia seedlings?
- Diving and quenching of petunia petunias
- When and how to plant petunias seedlings in pots, open ground?
- Growing petunia seedlings on toilet paper without earth
- Video: Petunia, grow without errors
Petunia is a herb which belongs to the genus Paslinovy and has very beautiful and bright flowers. The birthplace of this half-shrub is Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. In these areas, petunia can safely bloom without transplantation for at least three years.
With regard to our climate zone, we have a better sense of annual plants. Therefore, all those who love to decorate this gentle flower with their infield area, each year to grow a new seedlings, and then plant it in the soil.
Preparation of petunia seeds for seeding on seedlings
Petunia is one of those plants that need a warm climate and high humidity. Ideally, in order for the seeds of this flower to ascend well they need to create greenhouse conditions. And this means that just putting them in the ground and popilit will not be enough. Seedlings, of course, eventually ascend, but it takes a very long time. Therefore, it will be better if you try pre-sowing seed preparation.
It will help you to accelerate the germination of seedlings, and as a result, you can literally in the beginning of summer admire the brightly blooming petunias. But keep in mind that the correct preparation of seeds takes from 1 to 1.5 months, so if you want to plant petunia seedlings in the open ground in early May, then you need to begin stratification in February.
Recommendations for the preparation of petunia seeds for sowing:
- First you will need to find the river sand of the smallest fraction. If you pick it up, then bring it home, be sure to allow it to warm up to room temperature( while keeping it from evaporating the natural moisture).
- When the sand is ready, pour it in a thin layer into a cardboard box or plastic container. Here we add the seeds of petunia and carefully mix everything. Try to do everything carefully so that the seeds are not damaged.
- After this, take a piece of plastic film or just a tight package, and seal it a box of seeds. We send them in this form to the refrigerator and forget about them for 6-8 weeks.
- After this time, take out the container with seeds from the refrigerator, separate them from the sand and transfer to a weak solution of potassium permanganate. In this solution they must lie for at least 6 hours and after that they will be ready for sowing.
Seeding of petunia seeds for seedlings: how deep is
As already mentioned above, petunia seedlings are very fond of moisture, so place it in the soil in such a way that when watering it can absorb it as much as possible. It follows that it is desirable to place it not very deeply. Optimal depth is 2-3 millimeters.
Recommendations for seeding petunia seeds:
- At the initial stage, you need to prepare the soil in which you will plant the seeds. Remember, if you do not want the future seedlings to hurt and grow poorly, then lay the soil in containers, disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate. As for the soil, it is best to lay it on a well-compacted drainage layer. The soil itself, too, must be placed in a container not with a shovel, but sifted through a sieve.
- After this, all containers with soil must be placed in pallets with water and leave them there for 10-12 hours. During this time, the soil absorbs moisture and you do not need to pour very much water on the top layer. When you see that the water in the pan has decreased by about half, you can proceed directly to seeding the seeds.
- At first slightly loosen the top layer of the soil and spread the seeds as evenly as possible. Do not sow them in rows, it will be better if you divide the area into squares, and then carefully fill each one. After the seeds have been distributed, lay a thin layer of soil on them( it can be sieved through a sieve), and then sprinkle it with water using a spray gun.
How often to water petunia seedlings at home, outdoors?
- Petunia is a moisture-loving plant that can grow normally and develop only in a humid environment. Therefore, as soon as the first gentle inputs appear, you will need to make sure that the topsoil is wet all the time. In case you miss the moment, and it will dry up, in a couple of hours the seedlings can die. In view of this, take for a rule all the while until the seedlings are in containers three times a day to sprinkle the soil with water from the spray gun.
- It is desirable to conduct such watering in several stages. First, it will only be necessary to lightly sprinkle the soil with water and wait until it absorbs. After that, treat it again, but this time, moisten more abundantly. After the seedlings are planted in the ground and well rooted, it can be watered from the garden watering can, though the detail will also need to be very carefully, so that life-giving moisture does not damage the root system of the flower.
- In open ground, depending on weather conditions, petunia should be watered 1 or 2 times. If the humidity is above 60%, one watering will be enough for the night. If the humidity drops to 45%, then the plant should be watered in the morning( one hour before sunrise) and late at night, when the heat begins to decline.
How to treat petunia seedlings from pests and diseases, if it grows badly, yellow, twist the leaves?
Petunia, like any other plant, is prone to various diseases. As a rule, the seedlings begin to hurt if it was planted in an improperly prepared soil, or when planted, the distance between the plants was incorrectly calculated. In these cases, it is almost always affected by infectious or fungal diseases, which show themselves poor growth and yellow leaves.
Another enemy of petunia seedlings are insects( midge, spider mite and thrips).These pests most often settle on the leaves of the plant and help them to twist.
Recommendations for the control of pests and diseases of petunia seedlings:
- If the plant grows poorly, then mix the ash with water, allow the liquid to stand for a while, and then sprinkle the seedlings. The substances contained in the ashes will not give the pathogenic microflora that lives on the plant, intensively multiply.
- With yellowness, you can also try to fight folk remedies. For these purposes, you can use mustard or garlic infusion. In order that it does not damage the seedlings, it is added to the water at a rate of 20 drops per liter of water, and then spray the solution over the plants with an atomizer. And remember, completely yellowed leaves, as a rule, are not subject to recovery, so it is best to remove them before you start sanitizing seedlings.
- In case you notice that the seedling has started spinning, then start fighting this problem with cardinal methods. If you miss the right moment, then plants can even die. To combat this problem, it is best to use purchased means. You can treat petunia with Fufan, Confidor or Decis.
Fertilizing Petunia Seedlings with Fertilizers
- As a rule, the first fertilizing of seedlings petunia is carried out, when it grows 2 or 3 full-leaf leaves. Until now, sprouted seeds are treated a couple of times by fungicides that kill germs and bacteria, as well as vitamin complexes that accelerate their growth. In case the plant reacts normally to all these procedures, then for about 10-14 days you will be able to carry out additional fertilization, which will contribute to the proper development of the root system.
- For these purposes, you will need to dilute a small amount of any universal fertilizer in water and pour the resulting solution into the soil, into which the seedlings are planted. But when preparing this top dressing, strictly adhere to the dosages indicated on the packages, if you try to at least slightly increase the concentration of the nutrient liquid, this can lead to the death of seedlings. After about a week, you can feed the petunias on the leaf. In this case, it is best to use nitrogen fertilizers.
- Of these, too, will have to prepare a solution and saw it in a thin layer on the leaves. After carrying out this top dressing leave the seedlings alone for about a week, and then treat it with potassium fertilizer. Yes, and remember, in order not to harm petunias, feeding must necessarily alternate with watering, for example, in the morning you apply soil fertilizer under the root, and in the evening exercise, watering ordinary water.
How to feed petunia seedlings with folk remedies?
- If we talk about the most effective top dressings for petunia seedlings, then the first place is ash. As already mentioned at the beginning of this article, it can effectively promote the intensive growth of petunias and, at the same time, deal with diseases that most often affect seedlings. Therefore, if you want to get rid of all possible problems with one treatment, then try to bring it under the root. Also, if desired, a solution of ash and water, you can carry out feeding on the sheet.
- Another effective folk remedy able to improve the growth of petunia seedlings is chicken droppings. The truth in this case, you should take into account that it must be used very carefully. It is undesirable to introduce chicken droppings into the soil in a pure form. Therefore, it is better if you first prepare a solution from it and already with it you will carry out additional fertilizing.
- So, take about 1 kg of chicken manure and mix it with 10 liters of water. Put the liquid in a dark place for 7-10 days, and then strain and add it for 1 tsp of potassium permanganate and copper sulfate, and gently pour the resulting soil into which the seedlings are planted.
- Nettle also has good nutritional and antimicrobial properties. In view of this, if you prepare a concentrated solution from dry or fresh nettles, you can use it for top-dressing both the root system and the leaves of the plant.
What is the temperature of the petunia seedlings?
- Young petunia shoots are very whimsical. As practice shows, without plus indicators of air, high humidity and sufficient light, seedlings, in general, refuse to grow. And if the lack of ultraviolet and moisture, it still somehow can move, then low temperatures just a couple of days lead to the death of the plant.
- This is due to the fact that the root system of young petunias is very poorly developed and at low temperatures it ceases to supply the stem and leaves of seedlings with oxygen and nutrients. Therefore, while it will be in an enclosed space, try to keep it at a temperature of 15-20 degrees. After the seedling gets a little stronger, the temperature can be reduced to 5 degrees.
- Yes, all this applies to frost-resistant varieties that can withstand even zero temperature. Low rates are tolerated only by adults, well-rooted plants, which safely spent in the open field, at least 3 months.
Diving and quenching of petunia seedlings
Some beginning gardeners consider the dive process a waste of time, so they just wait until the plants are sufficiently stretched and planted in outdoor pots or open ground. As a result, they do not get a lushly growing plant, but a weak and painful flower, on which buds do not practically appear.
In view of this, if you want petunia seedlings in the future to please you with beautiful flowering, then be sure to dig it.
Recommendations for diving petunia seedlings:
- Disinfect the container into which the transplants will be transplanted and fill it with a substrate or simply fertile soil.
- Take a small garden spade or even a teaspoon and make a deepening in the center of the container( it should not be deep, it will be literally 1.5-2 cm).
- Then pour a small amount of water into the resulting fossa, and wait until it is completely absorbed. Examine the ground if it seems to you that it is not moist enough, then repeat the manipulation.
- Next, take a knife and stick it into the ground about half a centimeter from the stem of the seedling. Then start stretching the plant, trying not to damage its roots.
- Carefully take the petunia in your hands and, together with the earth that remains on the roots, transplant it into the previously prepared cavity. If required, additionally add a thin layer of substrate to this area.
- At the last stage you will only need to slightly compact the soil from the root system and water the plant with clean water( it is desirable to cut it from the spray).
After the seedlings get accustomed and start producing young leaflets, you can start it hardening. It is best to begin this process with a minimum reduction in the temperature in the room in which it stands.
First, lower the temperature by 2-3 degrees. The next day you can lower another 5-7 degrees. After the seedling gets used to the lower temperature indicators, you can take it out on an open balcony for 1-2 hours.
When and how to plant petunia seedlings in pots, open ground?
As a rule, petunia is transplanted into the open ground when the night temperatures do not drop below 5 degrees, and the daytime temperatures reach 20 degrees. If you do this a little earlier, the plant will not be able to warm up during the day, and itwill start to grow badly. In case you plan to plant petunia in flower pots placed on the balcony or loggia, then you can do it when the daytime air temperature starts to rise to 15 degrees.
With regard to transplanting seedlings, it can be carried out in two ways. In the event that when diving, you moved the seedlings into small disposable containers, then you can calmly cut them and straighten the ground to transplant petunia into soil or a pot of larger diameter. And if the seedlings have to be excavated from a common container, you first need to moisten the soil as well as possible, and then use a knife and a garden blade to get the plant out of the ground and only then transfer it to a new place of residence.
Growing petunia seedlings on toilet paper without earth
This way of growing seedlings will appeal to those growers who do not have a place for pots with young plants. In this case, you can simultaneously grow up to 100 plants in a glass or just in a cropped bottle.
So:
- First, prepare the polyethylene film. It will have to be cut into ribbons, the width of which exactly matches the width of the toilet paper.
- Then the polyethylene prepared in this way will have to be laid out in one layer on the table or floor. After this will be done, it will necessarily have to be sprinkled with water and put on it one layer of toilet paper.
- The paper is also sprayed from the spray gun, and then seeds of petunia are laid on it. Try to keep them on the same line, but not very close to each other.
- In the next step, we again take toilet paper and gently place it over the seeds. Do not forget to make sure that all parts of this inedible sandwich are placed exactly parallel to each other.
- This layer of toilet paper is also sprayed with water, and then covered with one more strip of polyethylene.
- At the final stage, all the tapes must be rolled up( it should not be very tight) and move it to a tray of water. In order for the seeds to ascend quickly, place the container with the roll as close to the battery as possible.