Petunia deservedly receives the love and admiration of gardeners around the world. Few annuals can match it in the variety of varieties, shapes and sizes. You can plant a whole flower bed from petunias, and each bush will be different from the previous one. We will tell you how to properly care for this capricious beauty!
general information
Petunia is a bushy ornamental flower with creeping or straight shoots. She has expressive oval leaves up to 12 cm in size, deep dark shade. Most often, the plates are pubescent, and bright petals look especially elegant against their background.
Petunia bushes can grow up to 0.7 m, but there are very tiny varieties up to 15-20 cm. On short peduncles, funnel-shaped flowers with regular or double inflorescences open wide. When growing indoor varieties, keep in mind that petunia flowers have a too strong smell.
Petunias have been cultivated by breeders and gardeners since the eighteenth century. The now popular hybrids began to be bred about a hundred years ago to decorate the balconies of mansions. Then they migrated to flowerpots, and soon filled the gardens with themselves.
Petunia species
All varieties of petunias were divided into two large categories - multi-flowered and large-flowered. They are also called multiflora and grandiflora, respectively. There are several intermediate categories and an entire garden group that encompasses dozens of different subspecies.
Petunia Fantasy
It is a compact multiflora variety with red, crimson, salmon and pink flowers. Purple, white, blue and cream hybrids are less common. Multiflora petunias bloom earlier, are picky and are better suited for gardens. The diameter of the flowers is about 5 cm, but there are many of them and they are unpretentious.
Petunia Plum Crystal
An interesting feature of Plum Crystal petunia is its ability to change the color of the petals. Gradually, they fade from lilac to almost whitish. The flowers are decorated with dark and expressive burgundy-purple veins.
Petunia Sonya
Sonya is a petunia floribunda with large flowers that look especially good in bulk. The series is notable for a wide variety of colors. For example, crimson or burgundy with a white center or pale lilac with dark purple veins.
Petunia Pikoti
Large and expressive corrugated flowers are the main feature of this small category of grandiflora petunias. Bushes up to 25 cm will be an ideal decoration for terraces, gazebos and open balconies. A rich crimson red or violet-blue hue is emphasized by the white border.
Petunia Celebrity
Another series of floribunda petunias is notable for its unusual colors. It includes varieties with bicolor or tricolor petals. They are resistant to rain and heat, so they get along well in a garden or open boxes.
Petunia Surfinia
Small garden petunias Surfinia are also called balcony ones, although the series includes varieties of different sizes. The diameter of the flowers of tiny Mini Pinks is up to 0.5 cm, and of large hybrids - up to 9 cm. The palette contains all possible shades, except for yellow-orange.
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Petunia care
It is difficult to find a more versatile flower that is equally successfully grown on the window, in hanging flowerpots, balcony boxes, greenhouses and gardens. Unless in our climate, perennials in the open field turn into annual varieties.
Temperature
Petunia really needs warmth - and this is exactly the reason why it does not hibernate in our climate. The ideal temperature for germination is above 23 degrees. Be sure to avoid sudden changes and always accustom the flower to new conditions gradually. Ideally, it should be about 18-20 degrees during the day, and at least 15 at night.
Lighting
Petunia is very fond of light, and this is a fundamentally important criterion for flowering.Therefore, if you plant seedlings at the end of winter, it will most likely have to be supplemented with phytolamps. If the shoots are too dark, they will grow weak and painful, and the mature shrubs will begin to wither.
Watering
Petunia needs moderate watering because both extremes are fraught with problems. If the soil dries out too much, the flower will dry out with it, and due to excess water, the plant rots. Pour the water carefully because it is important not to overflow the stem and leaves.
The soil
For petunia, you definitely need a loose soil based on deciduous soil or sod. You will need good fertilizer to help the soil pick up nutrients. Add sand and peat to the substrate to give it the desired loose texture.
Fertilizers and feeding
Like all flowering plants, petunias need regular, systematic feeding. Already a week after planting, the first portion of fertilizers is applied to the ground, and the next - every one and a half weeks until the end of summer. Occasionally, instead of ready-made complex fertilizers, apply organic fertilizers. Keep in mind that fungal diseases often develop due to manure.
Transplant and reproduction
If you have enough warmth and light, then ampelous and terry varieties can be propagated by cuttings all year round. Cut off the top cuttings with 4-6 leaves and tear off all but the top two. After that, plant the cuttings directly into the seedling substrate, but for the first time sprinkle them with perlite on top.
Young petunia sprouts take root for 1-2 weeks, depending on the variety and conditions. Grow them in separate pots and pinch them as they grow so they will grow beautifully in the future. By the way, after pinching the cuttings can be used again as propagation cuttings.
If you are growing seeds, sow them in February (with lights) or at the end of March (without). Combine them with sand and spread them over a damp substrate. Leave the boxes in a warm place under glass or transparent film for at least a week until the first seedlings emerge. Remember to ventilate your makeshift greenhouse a couple of times a day.
Wintering
Petunia is a perennial, but in order to preserve it, you will have to dig up the flower by mid-autumn. Cut off all the shoots, transplant the bush into a pot and transfer it to a dark, cool place with occasional watering. At the end of winter, take the flowerpot to the windowsill, gradually increase the frequency of watering and gradually bring the petunia into the daily rhythm of life.
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Pest and disease control
The main pest of petunias is spider mites, which are difficult to notice until there are too many of them. There are also thrips, which leave dried whitish stripes on the leaves. And the third invisible enemy is aphids, which provoke the appearance of fungus and infections. The control mechanism in all cases is the same - timely and regular insecticide treatment.
Powdery mildew is one of the varieties of fungus that appears as a white bloom on the leaves. Gray rot develops due to excess moisture or improper care. Blackleg is a rare aggressive disease that literally "burns out" the seedlings. With such diseases, it is fundamentally important to urgently stop their spread and remove all damaged plants.
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Petunia - photo
Petunia is a bright and hardy plant that almost does not cause problems, but decorates the garden. Look how beautiful and impressive it looks on the flowerbed until late autumn!
