Petunia

Petunia (Petunia), or petunia - a genus of plants from the Solanaceae family. In nature, most species of this flower live in Latin America, especially in Brazil. Petunias include from 15 to 40 species of grasses or dwarf shrubs, some of which are considered by the modern classification to be related to the genus Calibrachoa. The name of petunia comes from the Brazilian "tobacco" - the flower is also closely related to it.

Petunia is one of the most popular garden flowers today. In culture, it began to be used back in the 18th century. On the basis of natural species, an incredible variety of varieties of hybrids were obtained, characterized by high decorative qualities. Petunias can be used to decorate gardens, flowerpots and balconies. The peculiarity of the flower lies in the brightness, abundance and duration of its flowering, as well as in sufficient unpretentiousness. Even a novice florist can grow petunia from seeds.

Petunia is a flower that often decorates city flower beds, plantings, multi-colored flower arrangements, and therefore becomes more and more popular. It is difficult to find a flower that is equally resistant to weather and stress, with very large and varied inflorescences, blooming from summer to autumn. In addition, petunia can act as a decoration on its own, a single-varietal composition, only with flowers of different colors.

Description of petunia

Petunia is usually a bush up to 70 cm high, although there are also more miniature (about 15 cm) varieties. Its shoots branch well and can be straight or creeping - in this case, the plants are used as ampelous. Oval foliage is arranged alternately on the branches. It can have a dark or light green color and, like the shoots themselves, is covered with fluff.

The flowers are funnel-shaped and have a small peduncle. They can appear at the tops of the shoots or in the axils. The size, color and structural features of the flowers depend on the species and variety. Their color palette is very wide and includes white, red, pink, purple, blue and violet tones. The petals can have a contrasting pattern, a light border or an asterisk, and also have a fringed or corrugated edge. Flowers are either simple or double. Each of them stays on the plant for about 1-2 weeks, then a box with many small seeds is formed in its place.

Despite the status of a perennial, thermophilic petunia does not winter in the ground, and it is grown as an annual plant. Usually in horticulture, various varieties of hybrid petunias are used, obtained from the axillary and purple species of the flower. The flowering of such plants begins in the first half of summer (its beginning largely depends on the timing of sowing), and lasts until autumn frosts.

Growing petunias from seeds

Sowing seeds

It is possible to sow petunia seeds for seedlings already in February, but it should be remembered that during this period the sprouts will need a lot of sun. Its disadvantage can be compensated for by means of backlighting. Sowing dates also depend on the specific variety of petunia, the size of its flowers and shoots. Usually the sowing date is calculated based on the timing of flowering. Earlier, ampel varieties are sown - they need more time to develop sufficiently long stems. Later (in early March), you can sow medium-sized bushes with small flowers. But due to the fact that the germination of seeds can vary significantly, it is recommended to sow them with a small time margin in case of a possible additional sowing.

Light and nutritious soils are suitable for petunias. You can use a universal soil for flower seedlings or mix peat yourself with rotted humus, turf (or leafy soil) and half of the sand. The prepared soil is pre-spilled with boiling water or potassium permanganate solution. The top centimeter of the soil must be sieved, and a day before sowing, abundantly moisten the soil in the container.

Petunia seeds can be sold either in their usual form or in a dragee shell. Due to the small size of simple seeds, they can be mixed with sand for sowing convenience. They try to distribute the seeds evenly over the substrate, lightly spray them with a spray bottle, and then cover them with a film. To make it easier to distribute seeds without using sand, you can sow them in the snow. Against a light background, dark seeds will be much more noticeable, and it will be easier to spread them evenly.

Pelleted seeds are usually sold in smaller quantities, are larger and much more convenient to sow. But such seed loses its germination faster - you need to purchase only fresh seeds of proven companies. In addition, when sowing, the shell of each dragee should be well moistened or even slightly broken with a toothpick - if it does not get wet and crack, the seed will not be able to germinate. It is important to remember that any seeds are sown only in moist soil. Subsequent watering may cause tiny seeds to be buried too deep with a jet of water. At first, a spray bottle is used to moisten the soil.

In warmth and in the light, the first shoots appear within a week. The deadline for waiting is a couple of weeks - shoots that appear after this period are likely to be too weak. Seedlings will need periodic (up to 2 times a day) ventilation, and periodic moisture. The high humidity of the greenhouse has a positive effect on the growth of small seedlings, but it is important to protect such sprouts from the "black leg". To avoid its development, condensation is regularly removed from the shelter. For prevention, sprouts are recommended to periodically spray with a light solution of potassium permanganate. The shelter is removed with the appearance of the first true leaves. After that, watering is slightly reduced. The surface of the soil can be lightly sprinkled with sand. Shallow sowing often results in seedling roots not being fully submerged in the ground. They try to carefully sprinkle such sprouts or deepen to the required position.

Growing seedlings

After the formation of 3-4 true leaves, the seedlings can be cut open. Petunia tolerates this procedure well, but it must be done correctly. Moisten the soil in a container with plants, then pry the selected seedling with a stick or spoon, take it by the foliage and carefully remove it from the container. It is advisable not to destroy the earthen lump around the roots. Plants are planted in separate pots - plastic or peat. If necessary, you can reuse the common container, but the distance between the seedlings should be larger. If before that the sprouts had time to stretch, they can be buried in the ground to the first leaves. This will allow the seedlings to grow additional roots and accelerate the growth rate.After picking, the seedlings are watered and kept in partial shade for several days. If the seedlings were grown in peat tablets, they are not dived, but placed in new pots right in them.

Further care for petunia bushes will depend on the conditions of their maintenance. The soil in the pots should remain moist all the time, but the substrate should not be overmoistened. Periodically, the ground around the plantings needs to be slightly loosened. A week after the pick, the seedlings begin to feed. Top dressing is applied weekly, foliar application of nutrients alternates with the usual one. Any soluble complex flower formulation is suitable for petunias.

The budding time will depend on the plant variety. Grandiflora blooms about 3 months after sowing, multiflora - a couple of weeks earlier. For more tillering, bush petunias can be pinched, although many modern varieties bush well themselves. Pinching of ampelous varieties usually does not give the desired result. To obtain more lush bushes, such plants are later simply planted in several pieces per container. The pinching procedure slightly delays the budding process, but later helps to form a more effective bush.

Before planting in the ground, the seedlings will need to be hardened. To do this, a couple of weeks before planting, it is briefly transferred to the street every day or exhibited in a cooler place for several days.

Planting petunias in open ground

The best time to plant

Sandy loam soil or loam is optimal for petunias. Before planting, you can additionally add fertilizers to the garden bed - compost or humus. It is not recommended to add manure - such additives will increase the risk of developing fungal diseases. For planting, choose an open, sufficiently sunny place. You can transfer petunia there after possible frosts have passed - around the end of May. Cloudy (rainy) weather or evening time is best for planting - freshly transplanted flowers should not be exposed to the sun.

Landing rules

A place for petunias in common flower beds is chosen based on the size of the bushes. Usually the bottom tier is best suited for the flower, less often the middle tier of the flower bed. Before planting, seedlings in pots are well watered, each seedling must be transferred along with a lump of earth, placing it in a previously dug hole.

The distance between plants should be about 30 cm, more accurate figures depend on the size of the bushes, although in general, petunias tolerate close planting well. After planting, the bushes are watered abundantly, and after a day, the area near them is mulched using peat or humus. The flowering of such petunias should last until the middle or even the end of autumn.

Caring for petunia in the garden

No special measures are required to grow petunias. It is one of the drought-resistant plants, but in the summer heat, the flowers need to be watered regularly. It is advisable that when watering, water does not fall on the petals.

Small-flowered varieties of petunias are considered the most unpretentious. Large-flowered varieties absolutely do not like either dampness or partial shade, wind and heavy rain are especially terrible for them. This is easily explained by the great windiness of the plants and the tenderness of the leaves. However, when conditions change, petunia blooms again.

Petunia requires very active sunlight - this is the most necessary condition for good growth of the bush and the release of large beautiful flower stalks. In addition, it is demanding on the moisture capacity and aeration of the soil, and therefore the sandy loam type or loam is best suited. The soil in soil beds should be well fertilized and loosened up regularly.

Watering

Proper watering is especially important when caring for petunias in the garden. For proper growth and development, plants should be watered at the root, twice a day. In no case should the acidification of the soil and stagnation of water be allowed - this will cause the instant death of the flower.

Top dressing

After watering, the land next to the plantings is loosened a little, simultaneously removing the weeds that have appeared. Regular feeding of petunias will help prolong the flowering period and make it more lush. The first can be carried out within a week after disembarkation. Then the procedure is repeated every 10 days. Potassium-rich formulations are best suited for flowers. Periodically, you can also carry out top dressing with organic matter - humic compounds or mullein infusion. Most of all, bushes grown in pots and containers will need feeding.

Pruning

The faded parts must be removed regularly, this stimulates the growth and development of new inflorescences, and improves the appearance of the plant. For the branching of the bush, you can pinch the shoots above the fifth internode, too long to completely shorten, preserving and forming a visual fluffy ball.

Collecting petunia seeds

It usually takes about 1.5-2 months to ripen petunia seeds. During this period, bivalve boxes with them completely dry out and slightly open. Each such box can contain about a hundred small dark seeds. The bushes of the varieties from which the collection will be carried out must be noted in advance. Seed material is recommended to be collected from the buds that are in the lower part of the bush - as a rule, they are the very first to bloom.

Seeds from plucked dry bolls are distributed in signed paper bags. If the boxes require ripening, they are kept indoors for about 4 months. With proper storage, such a crop can remain viable for about 4 years.

Petunia after flowering

Petunia does not hibernate in the open field, but if you wish, you can save its bush until next season. In October, it is dug out of the flower bed, transplanted into a pot and placed in a cool place, after removing all the shoots from it. In such conditions, the plant will overwinter. The soil in the pot is periodically moistened with it. In February, a pot with a bush is placed in a bright and warm place and the amount of watering is increased. When petunia forms fresh stems with several leaves, they are cut, trying to grab the "heel" and planted in a suitable soil, the top layer of which is covered with sand. The cuttings are first kept in greenhouse conditions and partial shade. In a few weeks, these shoots will take root. After that, they can be divided into separate cups. Such cuttings are planted in the ground at the same time as the rest of the seedlings.

If garden plantings do not need such vegetative propagation, in the fall, after the foliage withers, they are simply removed from the garden, and the land where they grew is well dug up.

Reproduction of petunias by cuttings

All types of petunias can reproduce well by cuttings, but for some hybrid groups this method of propagation is considered the only possible one. Usually, in the spring or summer, large apical cuttings are rooted, remaining from the pinching of seedlings or the formation of bushes, as well as obtained from the mother plants left in the winter. Cuttings will need warmth and light to root. Plants obtained from cuttings develop faster than seedlings and bloom earlier.

For cuttings of petunias, the tops of the shoots, which have 4-6 leaves, are best suited. Of these, only the top two leaves should be left, the rest are shortened by half. Cuttings can be held in water until roots appear, or they can be immediately planted in soil suitable for petunia. At the same time, the soil surface is covered with a thin layer of perlite or sand, poured with a solution of a fungicidal agent. A distance of about 2 cm is maintained between the plants. The soil should remain moist all the time, but not waterlogged - this can provoke the development of rot or mold. Cuttings are quickly accepted even without the use of rooting stimulants. This usually takes 1-2 weeks. To prevent the plants from losing moisture, you can cover them with a bag or lutrasil.

When the cuttings are rooted, they should be planted from a common container in separate pots with a diameter of about 5 cm.To stimulate the growth of lateral shoots, bush species are pinched over 4-5 leaves. If necessary, after a couple of weeks, the pinching can be repeated, and after 1-1.5 months the plants can be transplanted into larger (about 12 cm) pots. Caring for seedlings usually does not differ from caring for ordinary seedlings, but it is advisable to hang ampelous species and calibrachoa petunias for uniform development of shoots.

Pests and diseases

Petunia has excellent immunity to diseases and pests and almost never gets sick if all the rules of its cultivation are observed. But plants weakened by improper care can be susceptible to late blight and chlorosis, as well as rot and black leg. You can cope with them with the help of specialized means, but it is easier to prevent the appearance of diseases by caring for the flower as it should be. In addition to the listed diseases, petunia can also suffer from viral infections, but no remedies have yet been invented for them.

Among insects, petunias can be harmed by aphids, spider mites, thrips or slugs. For each of them, an appropriate folk remedy or chemical preparation is selected.

Types and varieties of petunias with photos and names

All garden petunias are divided into two main groups: large-flowered (with a larger diameter of each flower) and multi-flowered (with smaller but numerous flowers).

Multiflorous petunia (multiflora)

Such petunias form smaller flowers than plants of the other group. Their diameter is about 5 cm. Moreover, their bushes bloom earlier, and a large number of flowers compensate for their small size. Multiflora varieties are considered the most unpretentious and resistant to adverse weather conditions: their appearance is almost not spoiled by strong precipitation or wind, planting is not afraid of drought, as well as slight frosts. Bushes prefer sunny places, and are completely undemanding to the composition of the soil. The flowering of such plants continues until late autumn.

Some of the most popular are the following varieties:

• Mirage - the series includes 13 hybrid varieties that form compact bushes. Terry flowers are larger (6-9 cm) in size and a variety of colors, including tones of pink, crimson, purple, burgundy and white. Flowers may have a prominent vein pattern.
• Plum Crystals - the variety forms bushes up to 30 cm high and about 25 cm in diameter. Flowers reach 7 cm. Their pink-lilac color fades as it grows, eventually becoming only pale lilac. The veins are colored dark burgundy and are very noticeable against the general background of the petals.
• Fantasy - the series includes 9 hybrid varieties. The height of their bushes is 20 cm. The flowers are small, about 4 cm. Their colors include red-white, salmon - solid or with dark veins, reddish-crimson, bluish-purple, white and several others.

Large-flowered petunia (grandiflora)

The most common group of petunias, which gained popularity due to the huge size of their flowers. Large and graceful flowers of such petunias appear in smaller quantities than those of multi-flowered varieties. The main disadvantage of these plants is their fragility. Due to their large size, their flowers can quickly lose their appearance due to strong winds or rainstorms. To avoid this, they are usually grown in corners of gardens that are more protected from precipitation, or next to the house - on a veranda, balcony, terrace or even in an apartment. In this case, the petunias are planted in containers or pots.

Petunia grandiflora has several subgroups of its own:

• Large-flowered - the height of the bushes reaches 60 cm, the flowers are simple, up to 10 cm in diameter.
• Large-flowered low - the bushes are more miniature in size - their height reaches only 30 cm.
• Large-flowered fringed / fringed low - flower petals have fringes at the edges and a large diameter of about 12 cm.The height of the bushes in the first case can reach 70 cm, and in the second - up to 30 cm.Another name for such flowers is Frillitunia.
• Large-flowered superb / superb low - The flowers are distinguished by a wider mouth and have a diameter of up to 12 cm. On the surface of the petals there are dark veins. The size of the bushes is about 75 cm or about 40 cm. They are characterized by weak branching.
• Large-flowered terry - large (up to 12 cm) double flowers can have a smooth or fringed edge. The size of the bushes reaches 60 cm.

Among the most popular varieties of petunia grandiflora are called:

• Purple pirouette - double purple-purple flowers are decorated with a white border and have wavy fringed edges. The size of the bushes reaches 25 cm.
• Pikoti - the series includes four varieties, whose flowers have wavy edges of the petals, complemented by a white border. Its width reaches 1.5 cm. The color of the flowers themselves includes tones of crimson, red, purple and violet. The size of the bush is about 25 cm.
• Hit parade - as a rule, flowers of grandiflora bloom later than small-flowered species, but these varieties are considered early flowering. They include flowers of various, monochromatic or bicolor colors. They can be purple, white, pink, decorated with white stars, etc.

Abundant petunia (floribunda)

Another common group of plants in their appearance is located between the previous two. Such petunias also have fairly large flowers, but they, like the multiflora group, do not suffer very much from bad weather. For a more spectacular look, such petunias are planted in large groups, so they can most often be found in large flower beds. Popular varieties:

• Celebrity - combines plants with increased resistance to hot and rainy weather. Flowers can have up to 30 different colors, which usually combine two or three different tones.
• Sonia - a widespread series, which includes 11 hybrid varieties. Bushes reach a height of 25 cm. Flowers can be raspberry, cherry, red, pink, purple or white, some varieties have contrasting veins, white border or star.

Garden (ampelous) group of petunias

Such plants are also called balcony plants or are referred to as "pendula". Under this name, petunias are united, which have long shoots directed downward. Their maximum length can reach 1.5 m. Instead of the usual tillering, they hang from the pot, forming a flower cascade. Ampel petunias develop quite quickly, although for the full development of long shoots they need a little more time than bush varieties. Such varieties are also considered to be weather resistant. They are usually grown on balconies, as well as hanging planters or raised flowerpots. The flower sizes of ampelous varieties are average (up to 9 cm). Many plants of this group can only propagate by cuttings.

Famous series of varieties:

• Conchita - in size, the flowers of these varieties resemble small flowers of petunias-calibrachoa. Their diameter is about 5 cm, and the color can be very diverse.
• Surfinia - variety series, including flowers ranging in size from 6 to 9 cm. The only exceptions are two varieties - "Mini Pearl" and "Pink Mini", whose flowers reach only 5 cm in diameter. The wide range of colors in the series does not include only bright yellow and orange colors.
• Supertunia - has larger flowers than surfiniya (up to 10 cm).
• Tumbelina - Terry hybrids of Japanese selection.

Other common groups of petunias include:

• Calibrachoa - it is these plants that are often called mini petunias. They form bushes with more miniature leaves and woody stems. Their size can be up to 2 m, and the diameter of the flowers is only up to 3 cm. As a rule, each flower has a throat of a different color. Due to the impressive length of the stems, the bushes are usually grown as ampelous. The popular Million Bells series includes 18 different beers.
• Frillitunia - a hybrid group of large-flowered petunias with an increased size of flowers.It forms bushes about 40 cm high. It can be used as an ampelous plant, but because of not too long shoots, it is most often grown by a bush. The size of the flowers reaches 10 cm. The petals are supplemented with large flounces along the edge (this property is reflected in the name of the hybrids: “frill” means “frill, ruffle”). The palette of colors includes shades of pink, red, purple and violet, as well as white. Flowering begins in June even with very early sowing. But spectacular flowers should be protected from rain and wind, and also looked after them more carefully than other groups of petunias. The development of their bushes also takes longer - often the seeds are sown at the end of January using supplementary lighting. At the same time, it will not be possible to collect seed from your own plants - the hybrid reproduces only vegetatively.