How to grow petunia from seeds yourself?

Petunia attracts many flower lovers with its beauty and long flowering duration. When the season comes, you can buy flowers in flowerpots and decorate the entire area with them. Petunia belongs to the category of perennial herbaceous shrubs. According to the latest data, there are more than 25 species of these plants. Some of them have only slight differences, while others are completely different and not similar to each other.

Gardeners are attracted to bright flowers that will decorate your balcony, terrace, or garden throughout the warm season. In addition, petunia goes well with almost all other flowers, only emphasizing their beauty. But is it possible to grow it yourself from seeds, and how to do it correctly will be discussed in the article.

Content:

• How to collect material for planting?
• What to look for when buying seeds?
• How is landing done?
• Care after planting

How to collect material for planting?

First, let's figure out how to properly collect material for planting. This issue needs to be given the maximum amount of attention, since it is the material that primarily determines whether you will be able to grow a plant from seeds yourself. First you need to wait until the seeds ripen on the bush. It is recommended, even during the flowering period, to identify several lower buds of the varieties that you would like to plant next year.

It is the lower buds that should be marked, since seed ripening occurs faster in them. On average, the process of seed ripening lasts about 2 months, starting from the appearance of the bud on the bush. Petunia seeds are very small, so you need to collect them very carefully.

More than 100 of them can fit in a small box. But it is better to store it in small plastic bags that close tightly. Except seeds In such a bag you can put a small piece of paper with the colors written on it. After assembly, it is recommended to dry the seeds for 3-4 months until they are completely dry. If everything is done correctly, the planting material will be suitable for another 4 years after assembly.

What to look for when buying seeds?

Despite the fact that petunia seeds have excellent germination, you still need to listen to the advice of experienced gardeners:

Seed quality. Many of us buy seeds not in specialized stores, but from grandmothers who collect them themselves and then sell them in small quantities. Remember that grandmothers can confuse the seeds and collect or store them incorrectly. Of course, it is better to give preference to seeds from professional stores. There are permitting documents and guarantees that the petunia will sprout.

Number of seeds. Despite the fact that petunia seeds are very small in size, they are sold in bags of 5 and 10 pieces. At first glance, this is very little, but in reality, this amount can be planted in one large or several small clubs.

Freshness of seeds. When purchasing, it is very important to pay attention to the date when they were collected and packaged seeds. The fresher they are, the more likely they are to sprout.

Differences between subspecies.Despite the fact that all seeds belong to the same main species, all varieties have their own growth characteristics. Some need to be planted directly in open ground, some need to be germinated indoors first. Consider these wishes when choosing colors. Considering these simple tips, you will be able to choose the right seeds that will lead to the expected result.

How is landing done?

The plant grows best in loose nutrient soil mixtures, which retain moisture well, but are not very saturated with water, allowing it to pass through itself. This mixture can be purchased at the store, or you can make it yourself.

To prepare the mixture for planting, you need to take two parts of well-rotted peat, the same amount of peat and humus, and add to this 1 part of clean river sand. Mix all this and sift to saturate the soil with oxygen and rid it of large fragments.

The sowing itself has the following sequence:

1. Prepare pots or molds in which the seeds will germinate. Place a layer of expanded clay at the bottom, which will act as drainage. Next, fill the molds with soil mixture, leaving 6 cm to the top.
2. Scatter the seeds onto moist soil and sprinkle a little water on top. You can use a spray bottle for these purposes.
3. Use your palm to gently press the seeds into the ground to ensure better binding to the ground.

On this landing finished. There is no need to sprinkle the seeds on top with soil, since sunlight is necessary for them to germinate. Seeds have excellent germination rates, but if you decide to sprinkle them with soil, these rates are significantly reduced.

Video about growing petunia from seeds:

If you do all this in the right sequence, then the flowering of these beautiful plants will not take long.

Care after planting

After planting, it is best to create conditions close to greenhouse conditions. To do this, cover the molds with glass, or even better, with woven cloth. It will help maintain a fairly high temperature, about 24 degrees, and allow fresh air to circulate and preserve humidity.

Modern hybrids that were bred so long ago react especially sensitively to temperature changes. If the temperature is low, the flowers simply will not germinate, and at high temperatures, petunias are affected by a wide variety of diseases.

As for watering, you need to spray the plants with water, with a minimum dosage of potassium permanganate, several times a day. This watering will be enough. When such optimal conditions are created, petunia will germinate in 5-7 days. When the first shoots appear, the fabric can be removed.

If the seeds were covered with glass, then it should be removed gradually, starting from 5-10 minutes a day, and gradually increasing the interval. Thus, within 2-3 weeks the sprouts should throw out their first true leaves, and by this time they will remain absolutely free of the greenhouse effect.

Petunia - very beautiful flowers that, with proper care, will delight you with their blooms until autumn. And in order to grow them from seed yourself, you just need to follow the simple instructions that we described in the article.