Petunia is a lush blooming annual that is suitable for decorating both outdoor objects and houses. These beautiful flowers are perfect in compositions on flower beds, flowerpots, as a decoration for gardens and vegetable gardens, windows, balconies and terraces. To make this flower look great, it should be planted in large quantities, while it is desirable to combine several shades. But in spring, the cost of seedlings of this plant is extremely high. For those who want to save a budget, it will be useful to know when to sow petunia for seedlings and how to care for it.

General recommendations

Before you figure out how to grow petunia from seeds, you should find out the varieties of this plant.

Petunia is of several types:

  • Shrub plants can be compact and tall. In small bushes, flowers have a diameter of 4-5 cm, and in higher ones they are found up to 15 cm.
  • Ampelny - these are representatives of creeping flowers. They grow downward and are best suited for planting in planters.
  • Cascading petunias grow in different directions (up, down and in different directions), so they are irreplaceable in landscape design.

No matter how capricious petunia is, growing seedlings from seeds is within the power of even a beginner. The main thing is to choose a good planting material and provide the plants with suitable care.

To plant petunias on seedlings, you need to use containers with a depth of at least 10 cm. For these purposes, wooden or plastic boxes, plastic opaque containers, cassettes are suitable. It is also very common to grow seedlings in peat tablets.

Petunias

Important! After sowing, the box must be covered with glass or film and the temperature regime of 25 ° C is observed. Seedlings can appear only after 10 days.

Sowing seeds in prepared soil mixture or peat tablets

Pumpkin seedlings - when to plant

Growing petunias from seeds at home begins with the preparation of suitable land for sowing. Fertile soil is very important for this plant. The soil should be slightly acidic or neutral, otherwise seedlings will not appear. Petunia is sown most often in the purchased ready-made soil mixture or peat tablets.

Important! You should carefully study the composition of the mixture. The one that contains high (red) peat is acidic. Soil suitable for petunias should contain low-lying (black) peat.

You can also make the soil mixture yourself. To do this, you need to combine 2 parts of humus, sod land and decomposed peat with one part of sand. If the soil turns out to be acidic, then it can be neutralized with limestone or dolomite flour: 1 teaspoon is added to 1 kg of soil.

Important! Self-made soil must be disinfected. This should be done either with a strong solution of manganese or with a ready-made, purchased product called Previcura.

The prepared container should have holes at the bottom for drainage. To exclude possible diseases, it should also be disinfected with a manganese solution, and then rinsed with clean water. First, drainage or expanded clay is poured into it, a layer of soil is laid on top. There should be about 2 cm of space between the soil and the edge of the box.

Peat tablets

If the seeds are sown in peat tablets, then first they are soaked in water for about half an hour, then placed in a prepared container to get rid of excess liquid.

Sowing dates according to the lunar calendar

Leeks when to sow for seedlings

The main problems of obtaining seedlings of petunias are poor germination and a long period of strengthening the root system. In order to enjoy beautiful flowers in June, you need to sow petunia earlier. The most suitable time for Central Russia (Moscow region and Moscow region, Urals, Central Siberia) is the beginning of February. In the southern regions, sowing can be done in mid-March.

Many experienced gardeners are guided by the lunar calendar in order to accurately determine the right time to plant plants. According to him, it is impossible to engage in sowing seeds on the days of the full moon and new moon. In addition, it is not advisable to even water or fertilize the seedlings at this time.

When to sow petunia for seedlings in 2019 according to the lunar calendar:

  • February 5th;
  • February 19;
  • March, 6.

How to properly sow petunia in the soil

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In gardening stores, you can find 2 types of petunia seeds: ordinary placer and granular.

Pros of granulated seeds:

  • due to their larger size, they are easier to sow;
  • thanks to the nutritious shell, the seed does not require additional fertilization.

Minus:

  • very few in a pack (6-7 pcs.);
  • the cost is the highest.

The pelleted seed is most suitable for planting in peat tablets. How to plant petunia using this method:

  1. One seed should be placed in each prepared peat tablet using tweezers or a toothpick.
  2. Then spray everything abundantly with water from a spray bottle.
  3. Next, the container is covered with a film or lid and placed in a well-lit place.

In the first month, it is not necessary to water such a greenhouse; properly prepared peat tablets have enough moisture.

Planting pitunia in the ground

How to plant petunia with ordinary seeds that are not inferior in size to grains of sand is the most exciting question for beginners. You should consider this process step by step:

  1. The seeds are mixed in a bowl with a little sand.
  2. This mixture evenly covers the surface of the prepared soil.
  3. As watering, you need to abundantly spray the surface of the earth with a spray bottle.
  4. After watering, the box should be closed with glass or plastic.

Important! The seed of petunias is not deepened into the soil, they germinate superficially. Before the emergence of shoots, the container cannot be opened; watering in the first weeks is also not necessary.

You can sow petunia seeds for seedlings using two toothpicks. This method is the most energy-consuming, but it is safe to say that the seedlings will appear at the right distance from each other, they will not need to be transplanted and picked. How to sow petunia in this way: the tip of one toothpick should be soaked in water so that one petunia seed can easily stick to it, and they must be removed with a dry toothpick, carefully placing the seed in the right place. After sowing, spray the soil with a spray bottle, cover with polyethylene.

Seedling care

After planting the seeds, the boxes are placed in a well-lit place. The optimum temperature for their germination is 25 ° C. With a lack of light, the container is illuminated with special lamps. Until emergence, the lid or polyethylene is not opened.

When the first shoots appear, you can open the mini-greenhouse first for 20 minutes, then for 30. At a seedling height of about 1 cm, the film is removed completely.

Important! Reduce the temperature gradually, decreasing by 1 ° daily. Seedlings at the age of one month should already be accustomed to the daytime indicator at 20 ° C and the nighttime at 1 ° C.

Seedlings are watered drip with tweezers under the root, not touching the stem and leaves. The second option is to water the plant along the wall of the container using a spray bottle.

The first feeding should be done 2 weeks after plant emergence. It is produced superficially and under the root, alternating these 2 methods 3 times a week.For feeding, you can use any fertilizer for flowers, for example, kristalon or uniflora micro.

If the plants are planted in a common box, in the phase of 2-3 true leaves they will need a pick. For transplanting petunias, large cups should be selected, because 7-8 cm of soil thickness will be required for root development. Be sure to also have drainage holes in the new container.

The seedlings are transferred into a new container along with a lump of earth, and then the required amount of soil is poured, filling the cup so that the soil does not reach the edges by 1-2 cm.When the soil settles, it will be necessary to add more earth.

Seedling care

Containers with seedlings should be placed for 3-4 days away from direct sunlight and the temperature should be 4 ° lower than usual so that the plants do not stretch out.

How to plant petunia correctly

In this simple matter, you should know some of the nuances:

  • In order for petunia seedlings to be successful, the prepared soil is sifted twice: the first time through a sieve with large holes, the second time through a smaller one.
  • You should buy seeds only from trusted manufacturers. Only fresh ones can boast of the highest germination, so you should not take packaging with a long-term release.
  • The pelleted seed does not require any pre-treatment, but the seedlings appear much longer and only in very moist soil.
  • Seeds should be sown at a distance of at least 1 cm from each other, then it will be possible to significantly save time for picking.

There is another unconventional method of sowing petunias for seedlings, which is used by many gardeners. This method allows the most successful planting of seeds, which then themselves sink into the ground to the depth they need. An even layer of snow is laid on top of the surface of the earth, on which seeds can be sown. In the snow, you can clearly see where there are many or few of them; with the help of tweezers, the seeds can be placed more distantly from each other. Then the box must be covered with polyethylene or glass and put in a lighted place. Melted snow will provide a decent watering.

Petunia: sowing seeds for seedlings, tricks of flower growers

Not the first time it will be possible to grow this plant, knowledge of how to plant correctly and when it is better to sow petunia will come with experience. However, in order not to make the same mistakes, it is worth listening to the professionals.

  • Those who constantly grow petunia recommend using German Stender soil for planting, to which wood ash (100 g per 1 liter of soil), a glass of perlite and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of potassium sulfate.
  • The day before planting, the seeds are treated with epin, after which they are dried on a piece of clean cloth.
  • When planting granulated seeds after watering, wait 10 minutes, then gently smear the shell with your finger. This will speed up the sprouting process.
  • The first feeding is done with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or previcur: instead of watering, the plants are irrigated from above with the required amount of liquid.

Flowers are a natural beauty that gives joy from its contemplation. It is especially pleasant when they are grown by our own hands. Then they become the most expensive. In order for the beauty of petunia to delight the look every day, it is worth considering the features of the plant, how to plant and care for it correctly. The key to flower health is strong seedlings. And if you follow all the above recommendations, self-grown seedlings will certainly become a source of pride for its owner.