The lush flowering of petunias will not leave indifferent any lover of flowers. You can meet fragrant plant bushes in almost every area. The main advantages of grassy perennials are long flowering and unpretentiousness. Petunias do not cause inconvenience, will become a real decoration of any flowerbed.
Features of the cultivation and care of ampelous petunias
To grow ampelous petunia from seeds, it is important to choose high-quality planting material supplied by a foreign manufacturer. It is better to engage in sowing seeds in the spring. Before flowering of small-flowered varieties, 10 weeks should pass. Large-flowered plants begin to bloom 12 weeks after planting.
Ampelic Petunia
The soil for planting should be loose, nutritious and thoroughly moistened. Before sowing, the seed material is soaked for 30-40 minutes. in a solution of potassium permanganate.
Step-by-step process:
- On the surface of the bottom of the tank for planting, make holes through which excess water can escape.
- At the bottom of the container, a small part of pebbles or expanded clay is laid out. The layer thickness should not exceed 2 cm.
- Seeds are scattered over the poured soil. The container is covered with polyethylene material.
- Sprinkle seeds with a layer of soil is not necessary. The pot is placed on a windowsill, well lit by sunlight. Ultraviolet helps to activate and stimulate plant growth. In order for the seed to germinate, it is important to maintain a temperature of 23-25 ° C in the room.
- Every day, the polyethylene from the pot is removed for several minutes for the purpose of ventilation.
- After 6-7 days, the first seedlings appear, which need daily spraying. After seed germination, the temperature in the room decreases by a couple of degrees.
- After the first foliage appears, the seedlings are seated in separate containers. You can start picking at the moment the fifth leaf appears.
- After pinching, petunia can be planted in open ground.
- When growing seedlings, it is very important to moisten the soil in a timely manner. Bushes die from excessive dryness of the soil, and excessive moisture leads to infection with a fungal infection. The ideal watering of petunias is moderate and systematic.
In the first weeks, seedlings of herbaceous perennials develop extremely slowly. However, do not worry, during this period the plant is focused on building the root system. The growth of petunias after 14 days will become more active. Every four weeks, it is necessary to apply special complex fertilizer to the soil to help the flowers take root in the infield.
Note! Breeding perennial grassy seed way is quite popular among gardeners.
Ampelic petunia, the cultivation of which does not cause inconvenience, will become a real decoration of the site.
Petunias: care and cultivation in a cache-pot
Before embarking on a perennial planting, it is important to familiarize yourself with the features of growing and caring for ampelous petunia. When choosing a cache-pot, it is important to consider the type of plant to be planted at home. Five-liter containers are best for planting ampoule petunias. For terry perennials, a cache-pot is enough, the volume of which is 3 liters. You can put a couple of bushes of ampelous petunia in it so that the decorative vase acquires a chic appearance. Three bushes of ampelous petunia can be planted simultaneously in a container measuring 40X18X15 cm.
It is very important to consider the need for waste water. It is advisable to lay a small layer of foam rubber on the surface of the cache-pot bottom, which will absorb excess moisture.
Important! As a pot, you can use a clay bowl, a wooden or plastic pot, a mayonnaise bucket.
Ampel petunia planting
In order to prevent the soil from drying out in a pot, experts recommend using hydrogel or vermiculite. The hydrogel must first be soaked in water. Instead of water for hydrogel, you can use a fertilizer solution for flowers. Vermiculite is mixed with the soil during the preparation of the soil mixture. It is advisable to add a small percentage of slowly soluble complex fertilizer to the soil mixture.
Cache-pot in blue and white
A pair of petunias with flowers painted in a blue hue are planted in the pots. Between two bushes, an alissum is sown and covered with a transparent film. After a few days, the seeds will begin to germinate. Film material can be removed.
note! After a week, it is worth removing the extra sprouts of alissum. It is best to leave 3-4 strong plants.
During flowering, an amazing composition of a fragrant cloud of a white hue with blue flowers of petunias at the edges is obtained. In the case of planting flower seedlings at the end of spring, the pots can be taken outside. However, the first week it is better to hold the flowers in a shaded area. This will speed up the process of adapting to new conditions and enable them to grow stronger.
Formation of ampelous petunia
The genetics of ampelous petunia is designed for the formation of lush branchy bushes. Adult perennials don't need shaping. However, they need to remove the blooming buds and seed box. Compliance with this condition makes it possible for the petunia to redirect its forces to the formation of other buds that can bloom and delight the owner.
Note! In the cool and humid period, the bush will need additional attention, since prolonged rains contribute to the development of fungal infection, which negatively affects flowering. To achieve normal ventilation of the bushes in order to prevent the occurrence of such a disease, they should be thinned out a little.
To contribute to the active growth of lateral shoots and the correct formation of ampelous petunia, pinching of the main shoot should not be ignored. How to do it:
- The process of seedling formation begins quite early. Pinching is carried out at the moment when the fifth leaf appears on the bushes.
- The upper part of the stem of the seedling is removed, which contributes to the activation of the growth of sleeping lateral buds on the stem.
- Thanks to pinching, new stems begin to form on the bush, growing to the sides and up.
- In some cases, the procedure can be carried out repeatedly, which allows to achieve maximum bush density. Repeated pinching is carried out with an interval of 30 days. For the convenience of stalk removal, you can use a sharp clerical knife or scissors. Secateurs are used to trim adult petunias.
- After the formation of the ampel bush, the green mass begins to grow rapidly. During pinching, experienced flower growers recommend fertilizing.
- For each approach, pinching can be removed only a third of the herbaceous perennial. Removing a large part of the herb at a time can lead to the death of the bush.
Important! Do not pinch with your hands. Such a procedure harms the stem and provokes decay.
Amp Petunia Pinching
Ampoule Petunia Care for Abundant Flowering
Proper care of petunia allows you to achieve a lush and long flowering plant. Below are the main features of plant care that allow you to grow a healthy bush and achieve abundant flowering, resistance to disease. Ampoule petunia, the care of which is quite simple, will become a real decoration of the flower bed.
Top dressing
Feeding grassy perennials should be regular. The first fertilizer is applied on the 14th day after planting the seeds. Reapplication should be done after 10 days.
For your information! In the spring, fertilizing with nitrogen-containing fertilizer will accelerate perennial growth. The introduction of complex dressing with the presence of a high content of phosphorus and potassium contributes to the laying of buds.
It is important to provide the plant with iron. With a deficiency of this useful substance, petunias begin to suffer from chlorosis, the symptoms of which are yellowed foliage. To prevent such diseases, it is worth using ferovit. With the help of a liquid preparation, preventive or therapeutic treatment of the bushes is carried out for a week.
Humic and organic top dressing, mullein infusion are endowed with high efficiency. An adult bush can be fed once a week. In this case, the root type of the procedure and the non-root type should alternate. In order to achieve abundant flowering of a room culture, which the grower grows in a cache-pot, it is necessary to introduce a significant amount of nutrients that are part of any complex fertilizer.
When planting, it is important to treat the seed with succinic acid, which helps to regulate the microflora of the soil and the active growth of petunia. The succinic acid with which the seeds were treated allows the herbaceous perennial to cope with any disease and endure dry periods. Even an overdose of such a fertilizer will not do harm.
Important! When using pelleted seeds, it is not necessary to carry out treatment with succinic acid. The manufacturer protects such seeds with a peat shell with mineral fertilizer and humus added to the composition.
To prevent the development of the disease, the black leg, it is worth adding a small amount of peat to the soil mixture. Compliance with such a recommendation will avoid stagnation of moisture.
Feeding petunias
Watering
Prolonged drought often leads to the death of ampelous petunia bushes. The foliage of the plant begins to sag, the flowers resemble the appearance of a wet rag. If the soil was kept dry for a short time, then the perennial can be saved. This will take several days to fill the bushes with plenty of water. Regular drying of the soil leads to:
- drying of green mass;
- yellowing of foliage;
- withering flowers;
- decreased immunity;
- loss of appearance.
For your information! The plant becomes susceptible not only to diseases, but also to the effects of pests such as whiteflies and ticks.
In the spring, it is enough to water the flowers once a day. In the summer, the frequency of watering the plant increases to 2 times a day. It is advisable to moisten the soil in the morning and evening hours. In cases where it is not possible to provide sufficient watering, experienced growers recommend introducing a small part of the hydrogel into the soil mixture. Also for this purpose, you can use a ceramic funnel cone, which allows you to sufficiently moisten the soil.
Watering ampelous petunias should be plentiful. Water should be discharged from the drainage hole. This is the only way to be sure of sufficient hydration of the earthen coma in the pot.
note! It is unacceptable to carry out watering in the daytime, when bright sunlight is directed at the plant. The root system of the perennial in this case is literally cooked in the soil. This often causes the death of the bush.
When moistening open ground with planted petunia at the end of spring, it is worth remembering that in the dark, the air temperature is quite low for a perennial. Therefore, watering after 18:00 is unacceptable. Compliance with this recommendation will help prevent hypothermia of the root system. Plants grown on a glazed balcony, this does not apply.
In the dry summer months, experienced gardeners recommend additionally spraying plants with warm water from the spray gun. This recommendation is an excellent prevention against invasion of spider mites and a good option for moistening perennials. To heal and strengthen the plant, you will need to spray the bushes every evening. It is very important to perform moisturizing procedures after sunset. Otherwise, sunlight will pass through the droplets of water that have fallen on the foliage and cause the burning of the sheet plate.
Ampelic petunias
Diseases and Pests
Ampelic petunia does not belong to the category of capricious plants, however, some pests can still spoil it.
The most common cause of bush damage is powdery mildew. A white hue with the aroma of mushrooms forms from the bottom of the green mass. Foliage turns yellow and loses turgor, hanging with a lifeless rag on a bush. To cope with an unpleasant ailment, you should use an antifungal agent of the type:
- foundationazole;
- emerald;
- topaz.
Often, flower growers complain about the abundant accumulation of midges near the perennial bushes. To cope with the invasion of whiteflies, which can go around a plant, you should use insecticides of the type:
- Actars
- Actellika
- phytoerm.
The same drugs can be used to cope with spider mites - the most common pest that affects ampelous petunia. Arachnids, located on the bottom of the green mass, suck out the juices and provoke the death of a perennial.
Petunia Pests
Ampelic petunia is a unique herbaceous perennial, for the cultivation of which it is important to first familiarize yourself with the features of care. The lack of proper knowledge does not allow a beginner grower to achieve abundant flowering plants. Experienced ampule petunia lovers can grow the plant in any latitude and enjoy the abundance of flowers on the bushes and the fragrance of the perennial. Properly caring, you can grow an amazingly beautiful plant.
