When to plant petunia seeds for seedlings. Planting petunias for seedlings: how to properly grow beautiful and healthy flowers? How to grow petunia seedlings at home: general recommendations

You will learn how and when to plant petunias for seedlings by reading the information below. Petunia is a beautiful flower in its variety, one of the most popular in our open spaces. Caring for this plant is not particularly difficult, but the answer to the question of how to sow seeds is not as simple as it seems. Delightful flower beds, flower beds, borders, cascades of plants hanging from hanging flowerpots delight our eyes, delight with a delicate unique aroma from early summer to autumn. Flowers are unpretentious, drought-resistant, not afraid of heat, have an enviable adaptability to different conditions environment.

Planting dates for petunias

When to sow petunia? This depends on how quickly you want to get flowering bushes. If you have a specially equipped place (for example, on the balcony) and lighting, then you can start sowing in late January or early February. According to the advice of experienced gardeners, it is preferable to plant it on specific dates.

If you want to see lush flowering already in May and enjoy the results of your labors, then this is just the case when you need to plant petunias for seedlings in late January-early February.

When planning planting dates, take into account the peculiarities of the variety or hybrid, their earlier or later flowering. In different varieties, the time interval between the appearance of the first flowers is approximately 1 month. The early species begin to bloom in two months from the moment the first sprouts emerge, the late ones - after three.

The most acceptable temperature for seed germination is + 23-25 \u200b\u200b° C, if this indicator is lower, then the development of the plant will be slowed down.

How to collect petunia seeds

The seeds are in old, already faded petunia flowers. Lower testes are best suited for seed selection, as these are the very first flowers. They have time to mature well by the time of harvest, before the autumn rains. If your petunia was planted in the spring, then in July-August you can stock up on samples of exactly those varieties that you like best.

The seeds of this beautiful plant very small, smaller than a poppy seed, they only need to be harvested fully ripe. It should take 2-3 months from the beginning of flowering. It is best to store them in a paper envelope to avoid fogging. In the absence of nearby sources of moisture, petunia seeds can be stored for a very long time.

It is also worth mentioning pelleted seeds, which are much more convenient to plant. Small, almost weightless petunia seeds are rolled into a special nutritious shell, consisting of substances that activate growth.

You can buy pelleted petunia seeds in any flower shop, as well as on the shelves of specialized market departments. Such seeds must be sown one ball per pot or peat tablet. And ordinary ones are simply sown, it is very difficult to normalize their number. The only difference will be in the number of shoots: germinated simple seeds give a thicker shoots.

How to grow petunia seedlings in peat tablets

Sowing seeds in special peat tablets is ideal for petunias. This is a fairly easy and economical way to grow.

A peat tablet is peat pressed into a small flattened round shapewrapped in a fine natural fiber net. Each such "washer" has a seed hole. Its height is about 1 cm.

Immediately before planting the seeds, the tablets are soaked, the water helps them swell in height (up to 5 times). Thus, the resulting form is an optimal environment for seed growth, which retains moisture well and protects the sprouts from harmful fungi. In addition, peat "washers" contain nutrients that have a positive effect on the growth and splendor of the plant.

How to sow correctly to wait for germination? Planting petunias for seedlings in peat tablets is done as follows:

• We choose tablets with a diameter of 3-4 cm - this is the optimal size for the development of petunias.
• Soak them in boiled water at room temperature for 7-10 minutes.
• With tweezers or a wet tip of a wooden toothpick, immerse several seeds or one ball (if the seeds are pelleted) into the recess of the tablet and water it quite a bit.
• Seeds need sunlight to stimulate growth, so do not bury them - just lay them on top of the soil.
• To create the required microclimate, the container should be covered with plastic wrap or glass. This coating must not touch the surface of the peat tablets.
• For favorable development, the form with tablets must be placed in a warm place. At a temperature of + 25 ° C, you can see seedlings after 7 days. But if the temperature drops below + 20 ° C, the sprouts may not sprout at all.

Seedlings of petunia

The tablets need to be moistened periodically, but not over-watering. Also harmful to seedlings too bright sun rays... Diffuse light and moderate moisture are optimal conditions for seedlings. Water can be poured into the container sump.

The sprouts are very vulnerable at first and require a lot of attention. To maintain uniform growth and prevent excessive stretching, it is desirable to lower the temperature of the content to + 17-20 ° C. Regular airing of the seedlings is also recommended.

Petunia seedlings grown in peat tablets do not need a pick. Only if the root system has broken through the shell of the "washer", and planted in open ground early, you will have to transplant the sprouts into pots or other containers bigger size.

Seedlings of petunia planted in a flowerpot

Transplanting petunia seedlings into separate containers

Petunia transplant rules:

1. For transplanting, you can use a ready-made seedling mixture (sold in flower shops).
2. A tablet with a sprout is immersed in a pot, carefully filled with nutrient soil.
3. Try not to damage the roots of the plant, and also do not bury the tablet in the soil.
4. The ground level should be at the top of the "washer".

10-12 days after transplanting, you can begin to harden the plants - provide them with fresh air every day. After warm weather is established outside, petunia can be planted in the garden.

Petunia seedlings are ready for planting in a flower bed

A characteristic feature of petunias is slow growth at the beginning. During this period, you should not overload the plants with fertilizers or excessive watering, since the forces of the seedlings are activated by building up the root system. All stages of the growing process should be carried out competently: when to plant petunias for seedlings, transplant, plant, how to care for it. We hope that now you know all the tricks of sowing petunia seeds for seedlings.

Petunias grown from seedlings

In compliance with all the rules, an excellent result will not be long in coming, and luxurious petunia will become a real decoration of your site.

Reading time: 6 minutes

Petunias are one of the favorite flowers of florists. They have a huge range of colors and textures, they differ in the number of colors and their size.

At the same time, in order for petunia grown from seeds to really suit your taste, you need to understand how the varieties differ, what characteristics they have, and when it is better to plant, so that there is enough time for them to grow stronger.

Popular varieties of flowers

One of the most common varieties of petunias is considered "Milliflora"... This is a bushy variety of this plant, on which small flowers 2-4 centimeters in size grow. But the flowers of the "multiflora" variety will be larger and will reach 7 centimeters in circumference. If you like large petunia flowers, then you should pay attention to the variety "Grandiflora" - its flowers grow up to 16 centimeters.

The first shoots of petunias.

If you want petunia flowers to appear on your flowerbed before neighbors, then choose the seeds of the variety Polaris, well, if your site is located in a windy area, and it often rains in the region, then it is better to give preference to erasing "Storm".

For creating beautiful decor on the loggia, balcony or terrace, it is better to choose cascading varieties of petunias. The most resistant to natural phenomena, varieties "Cherry", "Ramblin", "Typhoon" and "Rose" are considered decoratively attractive and profusely blooming.

Ampelous petunias are often used in the decoration of buildings, their shoots fall from pots, therefore it is recommended to hang such plants in pots and create "living" curtains from them. The most common and decoratively attractive variety is considered to be "Surfinia".

Features of ampel species

Ampel petunias are also called cascading. Their peculiarity is that the branches of the bush fall from the pots, forming a flower cascade. Such petunias need to be grown in the air by hanging pots and flowerpots on rails, walls, or in special pots.

All ampelous petunias can be divided into three types:

1. With shoots, the length of which can be up to 120 centimeters. They grow downward, so they are most often used to create "living curtains".
2. With stems that first grow upward and then begin to fall.
3. With small lashes that spread over the flowerpot. These flowers are commonly used on balconies or planted in large flowerpots to create a floral carpet.

Terry plants at home

Terry petunia is annual plant, at the same time, in order for it to actively bloom all season, you need to know how to properly care for it. First of all, it is worthwhile to understand that the flowers of double petunias are quite heavy. Therefore, with strong gusts of wind, they break off easily.

Densely planted flowers.

From this follows the main rule for growing terry petunias - they must be placed in a calm place and, preferably, under a cover, so that the flowers do not break off during rain or hail.

Landing time: determining the best time

So that the seeds have time to germinate, and the seedlings get stronger for planting it in the ground and at the same time, from the very early spring, began to delight with their flowering, it is necessary to pick up right time for. Experts say that sowing petunias should be done in February-March. But more precise dates will depend on the region in which this flower will be grown.

Sowing seeds depending on the region

The climate in which this flower will grow makes its adjustments to the sowing dates. So in the southern regions, for example, in the Stavropol Territory and the Crimea, you can sow petunias for seedlings already from the first day of February. At this time, in these regions it is already quite light, and when the time comes to plant seedlings in the ground, the temperature will be quite acceptable. By the way, in these regions, on petunias already 8 weeks after sowing seeds in the ground, the first flowers may appear.

Seeds planted in egg cartons.

If we talk about the cultivation of petunias in Siberia and the Urals, then in this case it is not recommended to sow the seeds of this plant before the sardine in March, but better at the end of this month. Otherwise, the seedlings will have to be planted in still unheated soil, which can threaten the death of the plant. At the same time, you should not especially worry about petunia, because it can withstand frosts down to -4 ° C.

Briefly about the timing of planting lobelia seedlings: depending on the region, this can be February-April. Some growers start sowing lobelia in January. True, in this case, a pot with seedlings must be provided additional source artificial light.

For the seeds to sprout successfully, and the shoots to be strong and healthy, it is necessary for these plants. Manufacturers recommend planting petunias in the soil for indoor plants. But to make the seeds more comfortable in it, a baking powder should be added to the pot, which is usually vermiculite or perlite.

Petunia seeds must first be soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. To do this, the seeds must be wrapped in cheesecloth and soaked in a solution for 1-2 weeks. As soon as the grains begin to hatch, they can be planted in a container with prepared soil.

How to take care at home?

Petunia seedlings love warmth, therefore it is recommended to keep them at temperatures above 23 ° C, but over time, it can be slightly lowered. At the same time, keep in mind that as soon as you dive the seedlings, you need to lower the temperature to 20 ° C, while it is better that it is no warmer than 15 ° C at night.

So that the seedlings do not die, do not water it too abundantly, otherwise the root system of the plant will rot and the flower will die. Watering is best done with a syringe, directing a stream of water strictly under the root of the plant - petunia does not like when water gets on the foliage.

The process of picking seedlings.

To grow a healthy flower, seedlings need to be fertilized, but it is recommended to do this no earlier than 15 days after germination. The first feeding should be carried out with nitrogen and mineral fertilizers. And when you transplant the seedlings into the ground, the feeding should be carried out with the help of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers.

And another important factor for the successful growth of petunias is a sufficient amount of light. And since in our regions in March and April there is still not enough daylight hours, it is recommended to install a fluorescent lamp at the site of seedling growing and turn it on every day from 7 am to 9 pm.

How to plant properly in open ground?

Usually, petunia seedlings can be planted in open ground in late May - early June. But again, you need to focus primarily on the weather this year. P when choosing the time for transplanting, take into account that there are no frosts at night. If you plant petunia at standard time, then it will bloom by mid-June and will delight with flowers right up to mid-October.

It is necessary to plant petunia seedlings in loosened soil, which is enriched with organic fertilizers. It is necessary to place petunia bushes at a distance of 15-20 centimeters from each other, if you have a multi-flowered variety, and 20-25 centimeters if the seedlings are large-flowered.

To reduce the stress level for seedlings, plant them on a cloudy day, or in the early morning before sunrise or after sunset. After planting seedlings, you need to water them with water and mulch with peat or humus.

Useful video

In case you chose quality seeds petunias, took care of the seedlings, and correctly planted it in the ground, this flower will delight you with abundant flowering throughout the summer right up to late autumn, and the older the petunia is, the more resistant it will be to temperature extremes, gusts of wind and other various by the aggressive influences of Mother Nature.

Many people prefer to relax at their summer cottage, if there is one. In addition to growing vegetables and fruits in the country, many are engaged landscape design and decoration of the territory. The most popular flower for decorating a garden bed is petunia.

It is quite possible to grow them not only in a flower bed, but also in pots on the balcony. Cascading and ampelous varieties are perfect for decorating a summer gazebo, windows or porches. If the grower provides petunias proper care and the necessary conditions, then she will thank him with her gorgeous flowering.

This plant is not at all whimsical to care for, it needs minimal care. Growing seedlings on your own is also not difficult. In addition, this will allow you to plant your favorite varieties knowing for sure that exactly what was expected will grow, because, as you know, a completely different variety that was bought from store seedlings can grow.

From the date of sowing to the beginning of the flowering period, it usually takes 2.5 to 3 months. It is on this basis that it is necessary to determine the date of sowing seedlings, so that it has time to get stronger before the intended landing. But first, the gardener must decide on the date of planting on the flower bed, for this you can use the lunar calendar. Despite the fact that this method is acceptable, it is still worth considering the peculiarities of the climate of your region. This indicator should fluctuate the sowing time.

For favorable sowing the following conditions must be met:

• warming up the soil,
• no frost.

Of course, cold-resistant varieties of petunias have now been bred, but usually gardeners buy the most ordinary petunia and that is why you should not risk it.

How to correctly determine the timing of planting

To correctly determine the time of planting seedlings in open ground, you need to know about the timing:

Among other things, it will be useful for the gardener to know about the soil for petunias, as well as how to prepare the seeds for sowing and care for the seedlings. More experienced gardeners they will easily perform all these activities, but a novice amateur florist should carefully read this article.

Let's start with sowing... The seeds are planted for growing seedlings, which are subsequently planted in open ground.

First of all, you need to choose the right variety, since petunias have a huge number of them. Flowers differ both in color and in the shape of the bud and stem. The plant can be straight or creeping on the ground. You should choose exactly the variety that is most preferable for this particular site. It is best to sow seeds in the spring in early March. In this case, the seedlings will already be completely ready in the month of May, and will bloom from June to October.

What to cook for planting:

Sowing petunia seeds for seedlings

So, we proceed to the direct sowing of seeds for the subsequent cultivation of petunias in the open field. Seedling soil mixture must have:

• good drainage,
• fertilizers,
• neutral acidity.

Petunia loves a mixture of sand, peat and humus, as well as turf. If preference is given to soil purchased in a store, then soil for violets is best suited. In composition, it is ideal for petunias.

Planting containers should have a lid that acts as a greenhouse and creates optimal conditions for seeds. If it is not possible to purchase such special containers, then you can get by with any other container.

So, in the bottom of the container, you need to make several drainage holes through which excess water will flow. This will help prevent waterlogging of the soil and rotting of seedlings. In addition, it will be very easy to moisten the soil in this way. You only need to lower the containers into the water and through the holes made, the soil will absorb moisture. Otherwise, watering petunia seeds can only be done drop by drop through a pipette, and this is extremely inconvenient.

So, the containers for planting are ready, now you can go directly to the seeds themselves. Experienced growers recommend those varieties that are marked F1 for purchase. They are quite hardy and have excellent stats. Such plants sprout well.

It should be borne in mind that petunia seeds are very small and when planting, the gardener must be very careful. For sowing convenience, you can mix the seeds with a little sand.

Now you should fill the containers with the prepared soil mixture and crush the soil a little. You should not be zealous here, since the more airy the soil, the easier it will be for the roots of the plant to develop. Care must be taken to ensure that the soil is homogeneous, without lumps. This is not a whim, but a necessity, since a seed that has fallen under a clod of earth, most likely, will not germinate.

Next, the soil needs to be moistened with a spray bottle. Gently with tweezers you need to spread the seeds on the surface of the soil and crush them a little. If the seeds were previously mixed with sand, then you just need to sow them. You can sow completely different varieties in one container; for convenience, you can sign the containers.

The soil is moistened again and the containers are covered with lids. If there are no covers, then glass or film can be used. The sowing date must be written on the container.

The seed containers should be placed above the batteries, since the ideal temperature for seedlings is 24 degrees Celsius.

Seedling care

Subject to all the rules and recommendations, you can see the first shoots in five days. The seed coat bursts and a green sprout emerges from it. Until this moment, it is better to keep the seedlings under cover, and after that, the seedlings can be opened twice a day.

When growing several varieties together, you need to take into account the fact that they may have different terms germination. In this case, you can open the shelter only when all varieties are ready for this.

Follow-up care consists in:

• airing twice a day,
• ensuring good illumination (the first three days the light should be on for 24 hours),
• removal of accumulated condensate on the covering material. This is necessary in order to prevent the appearance of a disease such as "black leg"
• regular moistening of the soil by immersing the container in water.

As soon as the first full-fledged three leaves appear on the seedlings, the seedlings should be dived. This question, of course, each grower decides independently, but in case of a lack of seeds or planting elite varieties of petunias, it is better to dive the plants. This will help strengthen the flower, improve its rhizome development and make the plant more compact.

You need to dive petunia into a separate container. To do this more economically, you can use the container for chicken eggs... Several holes must be made in the bottom of the cells. In principle, this applies to absolutely any containers.

Leaving in this period is simple and consists of only a few manipulations.

• The room temperature should be between 16-18 degrees Celsius.
• When the soil dries up, it must be moistened.
• Regular airing and hardening.
• Rotation of the container for uniform growth of seedlings.

You can also spend re-dive and thus provide the flowers with nutrition and space, as well as help in the development of the rhizome. In this case, you can use fertilizer complexes that are designed specifically for flowers.

How to plant seedlings in open ground?

It is very simple to do this, even an inexperienced gardener can handle planting. The soil on the site must first be fertilized with the soil. Fertilizers are very important for petunias, the more there are, the more magnificent and longer the petunia will bloom.

The soil in the flowerbed must be dug up and loosened and organic matter in the form of peat or humus must be added to it. If the soil is acidic, you can make it neutral with lime. It is good to add wood ash to the soil.

Landing scheme in open ground will directly depend on the type of plant. If the inflorescences are large, then the seedlings need to be planted 25 centimeters from each other. If the flowers are small, then the distance between plants can be from 15 to 20 centimeters.

How is petunia planted in open ground?

To start you need to mark the places of planting flowers. This is done in order to end up with a beautiful composition. If you plan to plant the plants in a line, then you can first pull the thread to maintain the proportion. If the design of the flower bed is intricate, then first you should draw up a project on paper, and then transfer it to the garden flower bed.

The seedlings are carefully removed from the containers, while you need to be careful not to damage the root system. In order to avoid this, the plant must be watered abundantly with water before removal.

Seedlings are immediately planted in pre-prepared holes. It is recommended to transfer after sunset or in cloudy weather. Active sun rays can dry out the roots of flowers and the seedlings will not take root. Therefore, transplanting is best done when it is comfortable for the plant.

When planting, you need to ensure that the clod of earth crumbles and does not remain on the rhizomes, otherwise they can be easily damaged.

If planting is done in a special decorative pots, then the distance between the plants can be reduced. In this case, the soil must be loosened and mulched. Peat or humus is perfect for this.

Follow-up care behind a petunia planted in open ground, it consists only in:

Conclusion

So, we have fully considered the seedling method of growing petunias, but the most experienced gardeners achieve excellent flowering by the seed method, that is, they immediately sow seeds in open ground.

This is done in the last days of May. The soil must first be loosened and fed. The seeds do not go deep into the soil, but are only lightly covered with earth. It is strictly forbidden to ram or crush. Such a plant will bloom later than the one that was planted by seedlings, for two weeks. But on the twentieth of June garden bed new colors were acquired.

Many gardeners notice that new plants sprout on their own in the flower beds where petunia was planted last year. This may well happen in the flower bed that was badly dug up. But this once again suggests that petunia can be easily grown from seeds and without even planting seedlings. Even the most inexperienced gardener can handle plant care. Moreover, petunia will reward him with abundant, colorful and unusual flowering, which will adorn any suburban area or a garden flower bed.

Petunia is one of the most popular and beautiful annuals ornamental plants... Bright petunia is famous for its beautiful flowers various shades, splendor, long flowering period and unpretentiousness.

Planting material for a large flower bed is quite expensive - it is expensive, many try to grow it on their own. Many people fail to grow this plant because of the intricacies of growing seedlings and they give up.

But taking into account all the features of sowing and growing, you can get seedlings of this beautiful plant not only for yourself, but also for sale. Today I will tell you how to properly plant petunia seedlings and when to plant petunia seedlings.

Why should petunia flowers be grown through seedlings?

Petunia is a small-seeded, long-growing plant and is grown as seedlings. If you sow seeds directly into the ground, then flowering will come only at the end of summer. With early frosts, flowers may not be seen.

Petunia from seeds can be grown in any quantity and, if desired, decorate not only a flower bed, but also refine paths, gazebos, terraces, balconies, a platform near the fence, flowerpots and hanging pots.

Seedlings obtained with one's own hand gives a guarantee of the safety of seedlings, and this is the main requirement when choosing flowers. After all, sick and infected plants can not only die themselves, but also destroy nearby flowers.

When to plant petunias for seedlings in 2020?

The best time to plant petunia seeds is late - January early March. When sowing and observing some rules, the flowering of petunias will begin in late May or early June.

The term for growing petunia seedlings takes an average of 2.5-3 months. The first shoots appear one week after sowing the seeds. After a month - one and a half, 2 main leaves will appear on the seedlings and the plants can be dived into separate containers. 1.5 - 2 months remain before flowering.

Seedlings begin to bloom at the age of about three months... Plus another week of seed germination and stress after the pick. So it turns out that in order to plant plants with buds and flowers in the ground in early June, you need to sow seeds in the second half of February, not seedlings.

If you want to grow flowers for sale, then sow them in January - then in May you will already delight customers with blooming beautiful petunias.

When sowing in January-February, the sprouts need additional illumination with a phytolamp. If you cannot light up the plants, then you need to start sowing in March, otherwise the sprouts will die from lack of lighting.

In addition to additional lighting for good growth petunias require a stable temperature regime and care. Sudden changes in temperature waterlogging or insufficient watering, all this leads to the death of plants.

Ampel varieties of petunias need to be sown half a month earlier than standard varieties.

For ampel varieties, it is better to immediately use separate cassettes and sow seeds in granules.

Lunar calendar in 2019 - 2020 for sowing petunias

Almost all gardeners have heard, and many apply in practice, recommendations for growing plants for lunar calendar... Someone is skeptical about this, but for someone it is a guide to action. But no one will deny

The most unfavorable days for sowing petunias are the periods of New Moon and Full Moon, especially 12 hours before and 12 hours after their occurrence.

For a capricious petunia, the timing of sowing seedlings is no less important. These flowers are also traditionally grown in seedlings due to the size of the dusty seeds and the seedlings' soil requirements.

If you have the opportunity to organize high-quality lighting for seedlings, you can plant seeds even at the end of the year, in which case you will transplant already flowering bushes into the soil in the spring. Sowing for seedlings of petunias according to the lunar calendar is carried out on the same days, which are favorable for other annuals.

Auspicious days in 2019:

• in November - 9, 14, 21, 22;
• in December - 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 31

Bad days in 2019:

• in November - 1, 2, 7, 14, 15, 23, 28, 29;
• in December - 12, 25, 26, 27

Auspicious days in 2020:

• in January - 4-7, 9-10, 27-29;
• in February - 1, 2, 6, 7, 26-28;
• in March - 1, 2, 4-8, 26, 28, 31
• in April - 1-4, 24-25, 27-30.

Bad days in 2020:

• in January - 11, 24-26;
• in February - 3, 8-9, 17, 21-23;
• in March - 9, 19-21, 24, 27.
• in April - 8, 16-17, 21, 23.

On a note! Sowing dates vary depending on the species of petunias. Cascading varieties must be sown 2 weeks earlier than standard forms, dwarf small-flowered varieties, on the contrary, are sown 2 weeks later.

Planting on dates that are not on the list does not affect the growth of seedlings and plant development in any way - these dates are considered neutral.

Attention!All the dates listed are taken into account when picking, as well as planting seedlings in open ground and have the same meaning!

In order to admire these beautiful flowers in your garden, you need to know that in each region you need to adhere to the right time.

In Central Russia and the Moscow region, the time for planting seeds for obtaining flowers in May should occur from 1 to 15 February. A later sowing is also possible (in March to May), but flowering in this case will be postponed to a later date.

For regions with a cooler climate (Ural, Siberia), sowing should be done no earlier than the beginning of March. Sowing earlier leads to overgrowth of the seedlings.

The seeds collected from the plants are very small and many gardeners have a problem with sowing in the form of thinning.

To simplify this procedure, growers buy ready-made granules that dissolve in moist soil and accelerate plant growth. The next year, having gained experience, you can safely sow self-collected seeds.

Attention! Seeds collected from hybrid plants will not retain their parental properties! But the more interesting it is to see what will grow!

Sowing

Sowing soil should have a neutral or slightly acidic environment. We prepare the earth in advance so that it is loose, nutritious, and moisture-permeable.

The soil mixture can be bought at a specialty store or prepared at home. The mixture will require:

• 2 parts of turf,
• peat,
• rotted humus,
• coconut substrate
• 1 part sand.

To normalize the acidity of the soil, charcoal and lime are added to the mixture. All components are mixed and sieved into a coarse and fine sieve.

The finished mixture is calcined in the oven or spilled with boiling water.

The sowing container (boxes, pots, containers) must be deep enough, at least 10 centimeters, and have holes for water drainage. For drainage, small expanded clay or perlite is poured into the bottom of the tank. Then there is a large screening, from above the remaining third of the container is filled with small screenings.

The soil is pressed slightly and watered with warm water. Seeds are laid out in rows, with a toothpick and sprayed with water. The seeds can be mixed with sand and sown without using any tools at hand.

When sowing without using sand, you can use a sheet that, when bent, will allow the seeds to roll down one by one and not thicken the planting. For a tighter contact with the ground, the seeds are pressed slightly.

Attention! Do not sprinkle with soil!

1. They need to be soaked in boiling water and cooled.
2. Then, with tweezers, a toothpick, insert the seeds into special grooves.
3. The tablets are placed in a container.

After that, regardless of the sowing method, the container is covered with a transparent film, glass. The temperature under the shelter should be 24 degrees.

At lower temperatures, germination, especially in hybrids, will be poor or not at all. The high temperature leads to the stretching of the sprouts and their diseases.

To obtain a sufficient amount of moisture, the seedlings are sprayed with water with the addition of potassium permanganate 3-4 times a day. These conditions allow the seeds to germinate for 7 days.

Convenient to grow petunias in a container with a lid, can be ventilated

After the emergence of shoots, the cover is removed from the film. If glass was used, then gradual hardening is carried out, by removing the protection for 5 minutes, then for 10, 20, and so on, until the sprouts get used to room temperature. This usually happens when the first leaves appear. After the first shoots, the seedlings are exposed to a bright place.

Direct sunlight should not touch the plants.

Picking

When 2-3 true leaves appear (1 - 1.5 months after sowing), the seedlings are picked. The soil mixture is taken the same as for sowing. Before planting, it is watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Plants in individual containers quickly adapt to new conditions, grow and get stronger. The planted seedling is buried in the ground up to the first main leaves. This will allow the plant to develop a strong and healthy root system and not develop blacklegs.

A toothpick or match can help transplant babies

Small petunias appear very weak in appearance, with a root thinner than a hair, but this is deceiving. They are very tenacious, grow well after transplantation, do not be afraid if the root tip comes off during transplantation - this is even good.

If you sowed petunias often and they sprung up together in a heap, then transplant in small bouquets of 5-6 plants, let them grow. After transplanting into the ground and pinching correctly, you will get a gorgeous flowering bush!

Seedlings in peat tablets are simply transplanted into plastic cups, peat pots or cassettes.

Do not worry that the seedlings grow very slowly at first - in the first half of the cultivation this is the norm, then the green mass will grow very quickly.

Seedling care

To obtain a healthy and strong petunia seedlings, you need to make timely and accurate watering. Drying out of the soil leads to the death of plants, and waterlogging leads to disease and death of seedlings. Watering the grown plants in separate containers is done carefully under the root. Only warm water.

Do not water over the leaves - they can get sick!

For hardening from the second week, the window is slightly opened for 10 minutes, thus the temperature in the room will drop. In this case, a direct flow of cold air and a draft must be excluded. The seedlings themselves should not cool down.

Fertilizers are applied half a month after picking seedlings. First, the leaves are sprayed with liquid fertilizer every 2 days. Complex mineral fertilizers with an admixture of nitrogen should alternate with growth stimulants. Then, for the entire period of growing plants before transplanting to a permanent place of growth, feeding is done 2 more times.

When the root system fills the entire space of the pot, the plants are transplanted into larger containers. If the plants grow in peat pots, planting is done with the pot.

If the petunia begins to stretch, you need to add potting soil.

For the first month and a half, the root system develops in petunia, and the aerial part develops slowly, later everything happens the other way around and the plant grows.

Watering

Watering the grown plants in separate containers is done carefully under the root. Watering frequency depends on the soil. The earth should not dry out.

The formation of a crust after watering is excluded, since the seedlings suffocate and die. Condensation formed on the film (glass) is removed daily.

Lighting

Light for seedlings of petunias is needed almost around the clock. In gloomy weather, the light turns on during the day, and at night, a dim light turns on. The lamp should be placed at a great distance, otherwise the plants may get burned. Daylight hours for petunias should be at least 16 hours a day.

Pests and diseases

Viral diseases manifest themselves in the form of yellowing of leaf veins, discoloration of foliage, and growth retardation. The carrier of the disease is most often aphids. Control measures are to remove diseased seedlings.

Petunia is subject to diseases such as: black leg, root rot, gray rot, chlorosis, powdery mildew, downy mildew, fusarium.

To combat diseases, appropriate drugs are used: Ferrovit, Albit, Emerald, Planriz Topaz, Skor, Previkur, Fundazol, systemic fungicides.

In addition to diseases, many pests affect petunia.

When thrips appear, young leaves are deformed, the growth point is bent. Flowers become stained and turn brown. To fight the pest, sticky traps are placed in the flowers.

For complete disposal, Aktara, Confidor, Biotlin are used. Spraying is carried out 2 times with an interval of 4 days.

For successful flowering, you need to prevent the appearance of diseases and pests.

Aphids lead to curliness of leaves, buds, flowers, and their further yellowing. A sticky discharge appears on the plants. Single lesions are sprayed with soapy water, with a larger lesion, Actellik, Antitlin, Aktara are used.

The caterpillars are collected by hand or the plants are sprayed with chemical, biological insecticides.

To combat snails and slugs, mechanical traps, metaldehyde, dolomite flour are used.

When miners appear on the plants, the plants are immediately removed. To combat the pest, Karbofos, Actellik, Fufanon are used.

Sowing seeds in granules

If you want to grow expensive or rare varieties, it is better to use peat tablets. The pelleted seeds are moved into the ground with tweezers. Planting scheme for petunias 3 by 3 centimeters. With cassette planting, one seed is planted. Such a planting allows you to preserve the plants without subjecting them to picking and keep their root system intact.

Sowing in the snow

When sowing your own seeds, there are many ways to carry out this procedure. The seeds can be sown in the snow. Snow is spread in a thin layer on the surface of the soil, the seeds are sown and, if necessary, spread over the surface with a toothpick.

When to plant outdoors?

Planting petunias must be done on sunny place from the south side of the site. Most often this happens in mid-May - early June, so that the repeated frosts have already passed.

The soil should be fertile, moist, loose and well heated. Fertilizers are introduced in the form of humus, double superphosphate, potassium sulfate and, if necessary, ash. A distance of half a meter is maintained between the plants. Disembarkation takes place in the early morning or evening.

After planting, the plants are watered with warm water and mulched with humus. After a week, they are fed with mullein infusion in proportions of 1 part mullein and 10 parts of water.

How to sow a beautiful petunia: video

In the future, petunias are fertilized and watered, and as a reward they decorate the garden with beautiful flowers that bloom for a long time, and when transferred to a warm room, they continue to bloom almost all year round.

All successful crops and beautiful petunias!

Petunia seedlings can always be found in flower markets, because this flower is very popular. However, you came to this article not because you want to buy ready-made planting material, but on the contrary, you are eager to plant petunia seeds for seedlings on your own and go all the way from the appearance of the first small sprouts to the gorgeous flowering of large bright buds.

In this material you will find all necessary information on how to properly sow petunia seeds for seedlings at home.

If you want petunia to start blooming in May, then sowing petunia seeds must be done 3-3.5 months before planting in the ground, i.e. in the month of February and March.

Advice! In order not to bother much with backlighting, it is still better to sow seeds in March, picking up early varieties.

First, ampel varieties are sown and then the rest - large-flowered, multi-flowered, terry (usually bush).

Select more accurate landing dates depending on the climatic characteristics of your region, namely, when the threat of return frost passes and the soil warms up to 10 degrees Celsius.

For example, in the South of Russia, you can sow already from February, but in Middle lane (Moscow region) - from late February to early March,in the Urals and Siberia - from the second half of March.

How to sow petunia for seedlings correctly: the preparatory stage

Before proceeding with the direct sowing of seeds, you need to buy high-quality seeds, prepare a soil mixture (soil) and select suitable containers for seedlings.

Selection of quality seeds

One of the main factors for the successful and rapid germination of seeds is their freshness... In other words, it is desirable sow the seeds harvested last year.

So in the spring of 2020 you should sow seeds 2019 collection.

The fact is that small petunia seeds are not stored for a long time and quickly lose their germination. As a rule, it makes sense to sow seeds no older than 2 years, because already 3-year-old seeds germinate very, very poorly.

Term of biological viability petunia seeds - 2 years!

Suitable soil

The soil for sowing petunia seeds for seedlings should be as light and loose as possible (soft and "melting" in the hands) and necessarily neutral acidity (6-6.5 pH).

Note! On initial stage (seed germination, especially small ones) growing petunias in soil in which there are too many nutrientson the contrary, it can adversely affect the condition of young seedlings.

Where to find such soil?

• Purchase a ready-made soil mixture for growing flower seedlings in a garden store. Now on sale you can even find soil for petunias.

• Cook it yourself (including on the basis of purchased land (peat) and sand).

Several recipes for preparing "air" (moisture and air permeable) soil for sowing seeds:

• Recipe number 1: 3 parts of deoxidized peat, 1 part of sod and leafy land, and 1 part of river sand.
• Recipe number 2: 2 parts of peat, 1 part of humus and sand.
• Recipe number 3: 3 parts of peat and 1 part of sand.

Important! If you have sour peat, then for every kilogram of prepared soil mixture you will need to add 1 tbsp. spoon (to reduce acidity).

Next stage - soil disinfection... Moreover, this applies to both self-prepared potting soil and purchased.

You can disinfect the soil in the following ways:

• Ignite the soil - steam in the oven, steam or in the microwave.
• Spill in the old fashioned way with a solution of potassium permanganate or a modern biological product (the latter will be much more effective).

Better yet, do both (first ignite, then cool and spill).

Immediately before boarding, highly desirable sift the soil through a sieve,so that there are no lumps or sticks in it. And it is not necessary to sift all the soil, it will be enough sift only the top layer (1-2 cm).

Planting containers

For the initial growing of petunia seedlings, you will need a total capacity - shallow (4-5 cm high), but wide enough.

Thus, as a planting container for sowing petunia seeds, you can use:

• plastic food container with a lid;

• wooden or plastic seedling box;

Advice! Transparent containers are more practical because you can easily assess how moist the soil is and whether it is worth watering, which is very important at the initial stage of growing petunia seedlings.

• peat tablets.

Also, do not forget that the landing container must have drain holesso that excess moisture flows out unhindered and does not stagnate. Alternatively, you can add drainage layer from expanded clay. Or you can do both (if you so desire), but this is not at all necessary, it is enough to choose one thing.

Advice! If you have chosen containers with transparent walls, then, in principle, you do not need to make drainage holes, because you can control the degree of soil moisture. However, if you are afraid to overflow the soil, then do it better!

Methods for planting petunia seeds for seedlings and step-by-step guides for direct sowing

So, depending on which seeds you purchased - regular or pelleted, whether you have snow (you can take it from the refrigerator), you can choose one of your favorite methods of sowing petunias.

Standard sowing of small seeds (universal instructions)

Step-by-step instruction classic sowing of petunia seeds for seedlings:

• Fill the planting container 3/4 full with suitable soil, level the surface and lightly compact.

The surface should be as flat as possiblesince seeds will be sown superficially and compacted, that they did not fall into the lower layers.

• Moisten the soil thoroughly. Be sure to level the soil surface again after wetting.
• In order for the seeds to spread over the surface as evenly as possible, they can be mixed with sand.

• Sow by scattering the seeds over the surface of the soil or spreading the seeds with a toothpick (after wetting its tip). The more evenly you distribute the seeds, the more comfortable it will be for you to do.

Important! In no case no need to bury or sprinkle the seeds on top with soil. We sow only superficially! The seeds are small, they simply do not have enough strength to break through the thickness of the soil.

• If you wish, you can lightly squeeze the seeds with your hand so that they "stick" to the ground (in other words, it is desirable to ensure good contact of the seeds with the soil).

Because petunias have very small seeds, and the sowing is shallow, they should not be sprayed with a spray bottle.

• Cover with a lid, glass, cling film or put on a bag to create a greenhouse effect, i.e. mini greenhouse (high humidity will help the seeds germinate faster).
• Sign the container or stick the seed pack label to know exactly what is planted.
• Remove container with seeds in a warm a place, where the optimum temperature for seed germination is kept - + 22..25 degrees, according to other sources, even + 25..30 degrees is better (the lower the temperature, the longer you will have to wait for germination, the higher - the faster).

Think! It is believed that petunia seeds germinate only in the light, so in February they are placed under lamps (12-14 hour daylight hours). However, as practice shows, this is not entirely true. The seed dish can be easily removed to the kitchen cabinet. Another thing is that it is very important to get out and rearrange the container with seedlings on time to the light, otherwise they will quickly stretch out.

Sowing coated seeds

If you purchased pelleted petunia seeds, then sowing is even easier:

• Everything is similar to the previous method, only in this case you will be able to more evenly distribute the seeds over the surface (optimally at a distance of 1-2 cm from each other).

• Again, if desired, you can manually press the seeds lightly into the soil.
• After sowing, you can slightly moisten the pelleted seeds from the spray bottle, that they got wet faster and began to germinate.

However! Some experts believe that when sowing granular seeds, they do not need to be sprayed additionally. The fact is that the substance of the granule can be different in composition: some granules dissolve immediately, others retain their shape until the emergence of seedlings.

• Cover with foil (make a greenhouse), remove to a warm place (+25 degrees) until the seeds germinate.

By the way! You can sow pelleted seeds immediately in individual containers (the same cassettes) or .

Sowing in grooves (in rows)

So that later it is convenient to care for the growing petunia seedlings (including), you can sow the seeds not arbitrarily, distributing them over the surface, but immediately along the grooves.

Important! If you are going to sow ordinary small seeds, then the soil must be pre-moistened, if pelleted, then you can water it after sowing.

• So, you need to make very shallow grooves (literally a couple of millimeters deep), so to speak, outline rows at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other.
• Next, spread the seeds into grooves, trying to keep a distance of 1-2 cm between them.

Seeds (pills) are very convenient to lay out with a toothpick, moistening its tip, to which they will stick well.

Or mix ordinary seeds with sand and sprinkle evenly from the leaf.

Interesting! Some people manage to pick up ordinary small seeds with a moistened tip of a toothpick.

• If you sowed granulated seeds, then moisten from a spray bottle (spray the seeds so that the seed coat becomes sour). If the usual small ones, then they had to be sown immediately on moistened soil.
• Make a greenhouse (close with a lid or cover with foil) and remove to a warm place (+25) until shoots appear.

Video: sowing petunias in rows

Sowing in the snow

Because petunia can be sown even in winter, it is very convenient to sow seeds in the snow (they will be better seen on a white background):

• On top of the soil mixture, you need to lay a layer of snow (1-2 centimeters).
• Next, spread the petunia seeds evenly over the snow.

The advantage of planting in the snow is that after the snow melts, the seeds will be in the ground at the optimum depth (they will be only slightly “pressed”, so to speak, “pulled” into the soil).

Also, snow will contribute to the gradual dissolution of the shell in pelleted seeds.

• Wait until the snow melts, cover with foil or a lid, and remove to a warm place (+25 degrees).

However! There is an unfounded opinion that petunia seeds do not require any cold stratification, on the contrary, for good germination, the optimum temperature is + 25-30 degrees. Accordingly, after sowing petunia seeds on the snow, germination may be delayed.

Video: how to plant petunia seeds in the snow

Further care for petunia seedlings after germination

Before seeds germinate and germinate, you will need to monitor the soil moisture in your greenhouse. Open the lid daily or remove the film for airing - once a day for 5-10 minutes, so that strong condensation does not form inside.

Petunia shoots usually appear in 5-10 days (maximum after 14). After unfolding the cotyledon leaves, the cover (cover) can be removed.

Now you know that the first step to getting quality petunia seedlings is sowing it on time and correctly, which also consists in choosing quality seeds, light soil and suitable planting containers.

Video: how to properly sow petunia seeds for seedlings

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