Planting petunias on seedlings: information for beginners.

Today we do not imagine a summer city without petunias. Beginning in May and until the fall, this plant pleases the inhabitants with its flowering, pomp and variety of color. Petunia is unpretentious, so they plant her in curbs and cuttings, in flowerpots, and also what the imagination of gardeners will tell. Petrification of balconies and loggias is widely used.

At present, the most common are petunia hybrids. They are divided into four groups: large flowering (up to ten centimeters in diameter), many-flowered with small flowers, dwarfish (15 cm high), ampel.

In late May, the mass purchase of petunia seedlings begins on the market. All flower lovers would like to have on their site a blooming all-summer site. However, petunia seedlings can be grown on their own.

Planting petunias on seedlings begins in the second half of March. A flowering plant can be obtained in two - two and a half months, that is, in late May - mid June. However, if home lighting is possible, you can sow in February.

To plant petunia seeds was effective, you need to pay more attention to the preparation of soil mixtures. The substrate must be loose and nutritious, avoid strongly acidic and alkaline mixtures. The soil mixture can consist of two parts of humus, two parts of turf ground, two parts of peat moss, one part of sand. One of the tips is to sift the soil twice. The first time through a large screen - this part will go down the pot or container, and the other time through a smaller screen for the top layer.

Before the planting of petunia is planned for seedlings, the soil mixture must be well shed for a day.

Planting of petunia seeds is performed on the soil surface. Pre-seeds can be mixed with sand. Sowing is carried out evenly over the entire surface of the container or pot. After sowing the seeds are sprayed and covered with glass (polyethylene). The temperature necessary for the germination of seeds should be 20-23 degrees. During the first five days, you need to sprinkle the petunia seeds twice from the atomizer to maintain high humidity, but keep the roots dry.

Planting petunias on seedlings does not end there. On the 5th-14th day the process of caring for seedlings is changing. Now you need to turn the glass in the morning and in the evening, sprinkle every day. However, while maintaining a high humidity, avoid excess moisture in the soil.

In the third week, the glass is removed. This is the stage of the first sheet. We need to make sure that the plants do not get sick. If this still happened, you must sprinkle seedlings with dry sand and quickly discard.

Pay attention to the peculiarity of caring for petunia seedlings. Humidity in the first stages should be high. As the plant grows, the humidity decreases. If there are signs of the disease "black leg", plants generally watered only on the walls of the container. The optimum temperature for seedling growth is 17-18 degrees.

Petunia needs to be eaten at the moment when two leaves appear. One plant is planted in a plastic cup or pot with a diameter of 6-8 cm.

If the seedlings are intended for sale, then pre-sale preparation is necessary. It involves regulating the temperature in which the plants are located. As the seedlings grow, the temperature should be lowered, up to 13-10 degrees at night. This technique will slow the formation of buds.

What else should be considered if planting petunias on seedlings for the first time? Of course, fertilizers and fertilizing. In the second week, calcium fertilizers and ammonium fertilizers are used twice. In the third week, fertilizer rates increase slightly, and growth stimulants can also be used. Mineral top dressing is best done by foliar spraying.