Planting and caring for petunia during flowering in a pot

Growing petunia in a summer cottage is an exciting experience. Home flowers are always more desirable than purchased or artificial ones. Petunia is not demanding on planting and care, so every gardener can grow a beautiful and healthy flower. One of the popular ways to grow petunias is in pots or planters. They are placed near gazebos and arches, used as elements of landscape design. Flower care consists of watering and feeding, pruning and transplanting. Let us consider in detail what it is to care for petunia during flowering in a pot and find out the secrets of experienced flower growers.

How to plant petunia

Growing petunias begins with the preparation of planting material, site selection and potting mix. The duration of flowering and the health of the plant depends on this.

Seedling preparation

Gardeners recommend planting seedlings of petunias. This will require a seedling container, seed, soil, covering material, expanded clay, spray bottle with water. Seedling cassettes or clean packages made of thick cardboard are used as containers. The main thing is to thoroughly rinse the container before planting and wipe it dry with paper towels. If there is no time to prepare the container, the seeds are planted in peat tablets.

Attention! The seedling soil should be nutritious, porous, light and low in acidity. It is recommended to purchase a ready-made soil mixture in the store - such land has already been cleared of insects, clay, weeds in advance. Petunia loves soil with the addition of peat, humus, wood ash.

The growth and health of seedlings depends on the quality of the seeds. 2-3 weeks before planting, they are placed in expanded clay to protect against decay, then they are soaked for a day in a growth stimulator. After planting, they make sure that the seedlings receive sunlight and heat, the optimal temperature regime is + 25 ° C. The soil should always be slightly damp. At the stage of 2-3 true leaves, petunia dive, and 12-14 weeks after sowing, the seedlings are placed in pots.

What pots are best for planting petunias

The growing container should be light and of good quality. Some summer residents prefer to plant petunia in pots and leave them on the ground, for example, near the entrance to a house. Others are in pots. The difference between these containers is that the pot comes with a pallet, and the planter is just a beautiful vessel in which another container is placed. There are always drainage holes in the pot.

Pots

The advantage of a planter is that it does not need a pallet. Also, gardeners can easily replace flowers; there is no need to spend time and effort on transplanting plants. It is enough just to pull out one type of petunia and place another in a pots. Compared to a hanging pot, the planter looks more expensive. It can be round, cone-shaped, diamond-shaped, square. Place it in any free space.

Many modern models of pots are equipped with an automatic watering system, which makes petunia care even easier. Such plants are rarely watered, and in case of stagnant water, the pots can be removed by removing the plug. Water will not pour on the head.

Pots

The advantages of hanging petunia pots are that they can be purchased at any garden store for a low price. Thanks to the drainage holes, the plant will not die from an excess of water.The pot easily turns into a planter - just close the holes. However, sometimes the pots are sold without a pallet and you have to find one yourself. Often, pallets are broken or simply lost, so summer residents choose hanging pots for planting in the garden. They look spectacular and are suitable for growing all types of petunias.

Soil preparation

The soil should be light and water-consuming. The ideal soil composition for petunias is: turf, leafy soil, peat and humus in a ratio of 2: 2: 1: 1. The mixture is diluted with perlite - it serves as a baking powder, provides air access to the root system, retains moisture and reduces acidity. Also, to improve the quality of the soil, summer residents add hydrogel in the form of powder or granules to the pots. In hot weather, it moisturizes plants and replaces drip irrigation. 1 g of soil requires 1 g of hydrogel. One application of granules is enough for 5 years.

Attention! When buying a ready-made composition, they pay attention to the acidity of the soil. A conscientious manufacturer must indicate it. For petunias, choose soil with an acidity of 5.7. The indicator of the garden soil is checked with a litmus test. If the acidity is high, the earth is lime or sprinkled with dry wood ash.

How to care for petunia in hanging pots outdoors

Petunia is perennial, and caring for her consists of simple agronomic techniques. In order for the plant to bloom on time and delight with lush greenery, it is important to pay attention to it not only in spring and summer, but also in winter.

During flowering

Petunia blooms in mid-summer, the exact time depends on the region of cultivation. It is in the summer that the flower needs abundant watering and dressing... A competent will help prolong flowering pruning and transfer to a new container, if necessary.

How to water a petunia growing outside

How to water potted petunias:

1. If it grows in the open air, the amount of precipitation is taken into account when irrigating. On a veranda under a roof or canopy, the earth is moistened every day. In dry and hot weather - twice a day (early morning and evening, after sunset). Moisture should not stagnate in the ground, otherwise the roots will rot, which will lead to the development of diseases.
2. Water is gently directed in a thin stream under the base of the flower. It is important not to damage the plants with strong pressure, especially young ones.
3. If the petunia grows in the open air, it is covered with a special cover during heavy rain or hail.
4. Foliar watering is also arranged every 2-4 days - they spray petunia from a spray bottle. This is how the water nourishes the leaves, which is beneficial for development.
5. Watering is not carried out in the sun, otherwise the leaves will receive sunburn.
6. Water is used at room temperature, cold water is not suitable.
7. In the spring, petunia is watered 2 times a week.

Top dressing

Petunia is very fond of mineral and organic fertilizers. They strengthen the plant's immunity and prolong the flowering period, protect against diseases and stimulate healthy development for the next year.

Summer residents use the following top dressing:

1. 10 g of urea is diluted in 10 liters of water. Nitrogen stimulates the growth and development of inflorescences. This top dressing is relevant 3-4 weeks before flowering. Urea is affordable, sold at any garden store.
2. Potash and phosphate fertilizers are used twice a season - superphosphate, potassium salt. They prolong flowering and have a beneficial effect on the appearance of flowers.
3. A week before flowering, a complex feeding is prepared: 20 g of nitroammophoska, an ampoule of "Zircon", 20 g of ammonium nitrate are added to a bucket of water. Stir thoroughly and water the petunia at the root.
4. Convenient to use ready-made fertilizer "Fertika Lux". It stimulates growth and nutrition, lengthens the flowering period, and increases the intensity of leaf color. 1 tbsp. l. stirred in 10 liters of water and used for irrigation.

To make fertilizers more beneficial, the soil is carefully loosened and cleaned of debris before application. The right time for feeding is morning or evening on a dry and calm day.When preparing the compositions, it is important to observe the proportions, otherwise petunia will suffer greatly from an excess of trace elements.

Pruning

By mid-summer, some petunia bushes are strongly stretching branches... Because of this, the flowers grow poorly, the flowering period is shortened, the bush grows and quickly loses its shape. In this case, flower growers shorten the shoot length by 1/2. If the flower is young - by 1/3. By pruning, the petunia produces more buds and flowers more luxuriantly. Summer residents use pruning shears or scissors disinfected with Bordeaux liquid. If the shoots are thin, they are cut off with your fingers and then pinched the top.

Summer residents are advised to observe the following rules:

• the length of the cut branch must be at least 12 cm;
• leave at least 4-5 healthy leaves on one;
• if there is no experience in pruning, use garden shears;
• remove dry buds and leaves regardless of the timing of the procedure;
• sprinkle the cut with crushed charcoal to prevent infection from getting into the wounds.

Is it possible to transplant flowering petunia

You can transplant flowering petunia, but this must be done very carefully. If a flower is damaged during the procedure, it will die. You can understand that the plant needs a transplant by its external signs: the leaves turn yellow, the soil is too dry or wet, the stem is weak and thin, there are signs of disease or pests.

The transplant process looks like this:

1. Summer residents are preparing new pots with nutritious soil.
2. Petunia is watered abundantly so as not to damage fragile roots.
3. With a spoon or spatula, take out the plant along with a lump of earth and place it in a prepared container.
4. Compact the soil and water the petunia again.
5. After 5 days, they are fed with organic fertilizers.

Features of winter care

To preserve petunia until next year, flower growers pay attention to winter care. It does not take much time and consists of simple procedures. Flower pots are brought home or on the veranda. The optimum temperature is around + 10 ° C, however, most varieties tolerate depressions up to + 2 ° C. In winter, petunia needs abundant lighting, watering 2-3 times a month. It is not recommended to feed the plant.

Preserve the plant and use cuttings... They are cut and rooted in a prepared container with soil. The length of the cuttings is at least 10 cm, the lower leaves are removed. After 2-3 weeks, new leaves are visible - a sign that the procedure was successful. In the future, the cuttings are planted in separate pots. The new planting material is ready.

Why does petunia grow poorly in pots?

There are several reasons for the slow growth of petunias in pots. One of them is improper care. Some summer residents make mistakes: they water the flower with cold water, do not monitor the level of moisture in the earth, flood the plant... In this case, the roots rot, which slows down growth. Also, the problem can be caused by a lack of mineral fertilizers. For example, if you overfeed petunia with urea, the flower will spend all its strength on stems and leaves, and the buds will remain small.

Attention! A common cause of poor development is lack of sunlight and heat. Petunia loves the sun, do not put pots in the shade.

Diseases also negatively affect growth: black leg, white and gray rot, powdery mildew, late blight. If signs of a disease are detected, gardeners immediately treat petunia with a solution of Topaz or Previkur. For preventive purposes, the rules of planting and care are observed, garden tools are disinfected, petunia is sprayed with a solution of wood ash.

Slow growth can be caused by insect pests - aphids and spider mites love petunias. Because of them, the leaves and buds are deformed, the flower turns pale. For prevention, the plant is sprayed with a solution of laundry soap. Treatment - treatment with "Fufafon" or "Tanrek".

Conclusion

Proper care of potted petunias outdoors includes daily watering, balanced fertilization, and protection from diseases and pests. In order for the plant to grow healthy, summer residents remove long shoots with their hands or garden scissors in the middle of summer.

The secrets of growing petunias in pots are simple: water with warm water, plant in the sun, select containers with drainage holes, observe the temperature regime. If there are no beautiful flowerpots at hand, flowers are grown in plastic buckets or bottles, after having disinfected the containers.