Many balconies and flowerbeds are decorated with a delightful ornamental plant – petunia, which is especially popular among amateur gardeners. This “beauty” comes from South America; Europeans first saw it at the end of the XVIII century. Lamarck attributed the flowering bush to the genus “tobacco”, but a decade later it was recorded as a separate type, whose name originates from the word “petun”, which translates from Brazilian as “tobacco”.
After being shipped to Europe, breeders bred many different kinds of petunias to suit all sorts of tastes. And now petunias on the balcony are leaders among other ornamental plants in terms of popularity. Growing a flower and taking care of it can not be called too troublesome, but for the normal life of the plant at home you need to follow some rules.
Petunia on the balcony – the basics of care
Good growth of the petunia depends on proper care, which its owner should take care of. But in general the care of it does not give much trouble. Loggias and windowsills that are oriented to the east, north or west are most suitable for growing the beautiful plant.
Although the shrub is drought-resistant, but the southern side is not quite suitable, because excessive heat can stop or slow flowering.
It is necessary to provide good light and heat for normal growth. Cold and the first frosts have a devastating effect on the plant, so it should be moved from the balcony to a warmer room for the winter. Pots should be voluminous, so that the moisture is retained in the soil longer. Be sure to take care of good drainage, so that the excess liquid had an opportunity to flow away.
Watering
It is not necessary to overwater the bush, but you should not allow the soil to dry out. If you overwater, the rhizome can begin to rot, and this will affect the overall health of the petunia. If you have already flooded the flower, urgently loosen the soil deeply so that it dries out. Water the petunia more often in hot weather, and reduce watering in cooler weather. In addition to moderate regular watering, the plant also needs spraying, so perform this procedure on hot summer days.
Soil and nutrition
The soil mixture for growing at home should have good nutritional properties so that the plant has enough energy for the flowering process. Peat, humus, bog soil (2:2:1) and sand can be used to prepare a suitable potting soil.
The mixture of these components should ideally be loose, but moisture-retaining.
Feeding the flower once every 14-15 days, for this use universal store fertilizer for flowering plants. Particular attention should be paid to feeding with high potassium content, as it promotes the formation and growth of beautiful flowers on the bush.
Pruning and other details
Be sure to prune the shoots, from this your petunia growing at home will become lush and will branch well. If the shoots are overgrown, they should be cut in half, so that the growth of the plant is not impaired. Don’t worry because the petunia will recover in about 14 days. After pruning, apply fertilizer to the soil and continue with standard care.
It is better to remove flower blossoms that have bloomed to prevent the seeds from ripening. Growing new bushes from them may deprive the “children” of their maternal properties. And seed ripening itself greatly depletes the resources of the petunia.
Propagation methods for petunias
How to grow this “beauty” on your windowsill? This delightful plant is propagated both by seeds and vegetatively.
Cuttings are obtained from the mother plant, young bushes in this case quickly grow and form flowers.
Growing from seed is a more time-consuming process. However, new plants raised from seed will be more robust and produce more flowers.
Growing from seed
Sowing petunia is recommended in the last decade of March, because at this time, the most suitable lighting for excellent sprouts. Take nutritious soil, because the natural resources of the seeds themselves are quite modest.
A shallow container with good drainage will be suitable for sowing. From the seeds of petunia and sifted sand, make a mixture for sowing. This is done because the seed size is very small, and mixed with sand they will be distributed more evenly in the ground.
It is not necessary to cover the seeds with soil, it is better to sprinkle them with water. Then you need to cover the container with plastic or glass, for better germination, keep the temperature at least 20-21g.
From the seeds, the first sprouts germinate by day 5-6, now they need excellent lighting and moderate regular watering of the soil.
When the sprouts will open the cotyledons, the greenhouse is removed. In about 30 days the first true leaves should grow, at this stage the seedlings should be unpacked in other containers. In 6-7 days after transplanting, feed the “youngsters” with a universal fertilizer complex. Then continue the usual care.
Growing seedlings for planting in the open ground
One of the easiest ways to propagate petunia is cuttings. To do this, you only need to take cuttings from the mother plant, plant the seedlings and properly care for them.
Sprouts do not require any special conditions, care for it consists of regular watering and sufficient air supply.
So how to plant seedlings? Take a cuttings with 2-3 pairs of leaves and planted in a small pot to a depth of 2 centimeters.
The soil needs fertile and friable. Leave one upper pair of leaves on the stem, and remove the rest, this is to ensure that the seedlings did not lose moisture.
Then arrange a mini greenhouse for the cuttings. As a “cap” you can take a large glass made of transparent plastic and make holes in its bottom for air penetration. Or take an ordinary bottle and cut out the top, and drill or puncture the lid with something sharp.
Cultivate seedlings can be on a windowsill at a temperature of 21-24 degrees, the room for cultivation needs to be well-lit, for active growth, seedlings need light. The first leaves form quickly, and after 9-10 days the seedlings can be pickled. After transplanting, pinch the top for better growth of the bush.
Petunia varieties
Breeders are constantly working on the creation of new species and varieties of this popular among gardeners “beauty”. All petunias are divided into two large groups – small-flowered and large-flowered, they differ in the size of the flowers. Plants can also be divided into the following groups: cascading, bush and ampelic. But care for all types of petunias on the balcony will be about the same.
Among bush types there are plants with both small flowers and large ones, the length of the stems also varies. Among the low-growing type, the most beautiful varieties are Dreams and Ultra.
To grow petunia on the balcony, it is better to take an ampel or cascading plant.
Their shoots fall beautifully, so you can form delightful “waterfalls” of live flowers. The most famous varieties of cascading bushes are Cherry, Rose, Typhoon, and ampelic – Pearl surf, Light wave.
Growing this amazing flower and taking care of it will require some time and effort from you, but if you do it right, the petunia on the balcony will become lush and beautiful. Then you will have your own little corner of paradise in the apartment. Good luck!
Many years growing petunias at home.No difficulties in caring for flowers no. Rather unpretentious plant. special attention does not require. watering as the soil dries up.Pots of flowers placed on the windowsill as the south side and the north side. Once a week I sprinkle with warm water.Dry leaves break off. They bloom almost all year round. I planted with seeds and cuttings when transplanting.Summers pots with plants put on an open balcony.