Petunia

Petunia - originally from Argentina and Brazil, belongs to the Solanaceous plants.

At home, the plants are perennial, but they do not hibernate and are used as flyers. Of course, modern soda hybrids are very different from their wild ancestors. The main selection robots for their creation began in the middle of the XIX century in America and continue throughout the world to this day.

There are more than 25 species of petunias, among them there are small-flowered forms with plant height from 20 to 40 cm, blooming in 70-75 days after emergence and large-flowered, the height of which can reach 60 cm. These petunias bloom two weeks later than small-flowered ones. There are double forms, the length of shoots in which can reach more than 1 m in length.

Petunias are distinguished by a wide variety of colors and abundant flowering throughout the summer, from the end of June until the very frosts. The plant is unpretentious to the soil, but does not like sour soils. It should not be planted petunias on the soil, rich in organic( well reparted manure or compost).Plants will expand luxuriantly, but it will not be good to blossom. The best soil for them is a mixture of peat, sand, vegetable garden and ash. Peat and garden soil should be taken equally, and at the same time for each bucket of peat should take half a bucket of sand and add a liter of ash( or a glass of dolomite).When planting and transplanting in such a mixture the plants will have to be fed. The best result is watering not with water, but with a weak fertilizer solution. Use for this you can all that is at your fingertips. Pea "Gumi"( and even better "Fitosporina") for 10 liters of water. Excellent fertilizer Buyski chemical plant "Rastorin"( 1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water), or "Omu"( at the tip of the knife for 10 liters of water), or just 1 tbsp.spoon azofoski for 10 liters of water.

Petunias are sun-loving and, in principle, completely drought-resistant, especially small-flowered forms. Large-flowered and terry are more demanding of food and warmth. These are hygrophilous plants, if they grow in your sun, then they will immediately turn yellow in case of insufficient watering. After the plants are abundantly poured, the ends of the shoots will again grow, but the withered and shrunken leaves on the lower or central part of the stems no longer recover and the central part of the bush will be bare, which, of course, does not contribute to their decorativeness.

If in hot weather you leave the site for a whole week, then plug into a container with planting 300 grams of bottles with nutrient solution. To do this, filled bottles, which, of course, are screwed on the lid, with a finger pinning the hole, turning over and quickly sticking the neck into the soil. Among the lush petunia bush they are almost invisible and do not spoil the general view, but you will be freed from problems with watering but a couple of weeks.

Petunias are best grown in container form, they look particularly impressive in ampelnyh plantings. In order to ensure that plants do not lose their decorativeness, when planting them in a container, place under the roots of a half-glass of swollen hydrogel. Then you can safely leave for a week or two, not caring about watering the plants.

For better branching, and therefore, the formation of a more lush bush, it is necessary to pinch the ends of the central and lateral shoots as soon as they grow to 12-15 cm. When leaving, it is necessary to remove faded flowers. Firstly, this prolongs the life of the remaining flowers, and secondly, the bushes retain their decorativeness. After the frost, the above-ground part is badly damaged, but after making a haircut, you can still admire the blooming of petunia, as it tolerates rather small autumn frosts. When the season is over, do not water the plants, then they can easily be shaken out of containers and rendered in compost.

There are practically no pests in petunias. At the end of summer, with the onset of wet and cold weather, plants may become infected with powdery mildew. Just do in advance preventive spraying plantings "Zircon"( 2 drops per 1 liter of water).But if you missed the right moment and found a white coating, then the concentration of the drug should be increased to 4-6 drops per 1 liter.

Petunia is propagated by seeds, which should be sown in early March as recommended for all small seeds, that is superficially, by no means covering them with soil. Its seeds can be taken by scattering dried flowers on dense white paper in a box. When they finally wither, they should be gutted. Seeds are small, like specks, gently shake off the paper in a plastic bag and close. It is better to store in the refrigerator.

There is also such a method as growing petunia by self-seeding. Just her fading flowers are thrown directly under the plants, and in the fall you cut the above-ground part and carry it into the compost, cover the container with a film and leave to winter. In the spring, remove the film, water the soil well with water and again cover the container with film. Emerging seedlings should be carefully thinned and monitored so that they do not freeze under frost( transfer the containers to the greenhouse).

Another trouble that awaits shoots of petunias grown not only by self-seeding, but also when sowing seeds of the house is a black leg( in the lower part of the stems, a black constriction appears in the seedlings).As a rule, the black leg leads to the death of seedlings. This always happens with thickened crops and waterlogging the soil. Therefore, in time, do thinning or picking seedlings, do not over-moisten the soil, prophylactically spray plants with a solution of "Zircon" from the moment when they have 2-3 real leaves. The soil before sowing seeds and sprouting seedlings should be moistened with a solution of "Phytosporin" to destroy the spores of the fungus that cause this disease.

It is possible to propagate petunia with cuttings, especially it is recommended for Terry forms, since up to 30% of plants sown and grown up with seeds of terry petunia grow with non-primary flowers. On the cuttings you can use the tips of shoots when you shorten them.