Propagation of petunias: ways to do this, as well as care after the procedure

Petunia is not only bright, but also a fragrant plant. He is considered a colorful symbol of a carefree summer. Passing by, regardless of where they grow it - on a flower bed or on a windowsill, everyone is groaning and gasping with delight.

The plant may not have such beautiful flowers as the rose, but they also have a special charm. But is it difficult to grow it from seeds? How to propagate petunia cuttings? Which method is better? What difficulties can you encounter when breeding this flower? Read more about this and more.

What is this plant?

Petunia is a plant from the nightshade family. In flowerbeds and flowerpots on the balcony, one- and perennial crops are grown. This beauty comes from the tropical regions of South America, and more precisely from Brazil. It (according to estimates of 15-40 species) grows in natural conditions in Uruguay and Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina.

On a note. Thanks to breeding, hybrids appeared, which are often found in the apartments of Russians. Plant height varies from 10 to 100 cm.

In written sources, petunia was first mentioned in the 18th century. Breeders comprehensively examined her, and made sure that the bright beauty with large flowers is popular among flower growers from Russia.

How to propagate?

There are few ways to breed petunias. There are only three of them.

Seedlings. In the store they buy ready-made seedlings. Upon arrival, they prepare the soil and transplant it into it. Although this method is considered the simplest, but it is expensive.
Seeds Even an experienced grower has problems growing petunias from seeds. Beginners-flower growers and not at all cope with this difficult matter. Seeds are expensive. Due to the fact that they are small, it is difficult to separate them from each other and carefully stick them into the ground. In the best case, half of the seeds will take root; in the worst, seedlings will not appear at all.
Cuttings. This method of reproduction is popular among gardeners. Rooting cuttings in water or peat, they get a viable and beautiful shrub that will bloom for several months a year. The main thing is to choose and cut the stalk correctly.

Best Ways to Home

At home, flower growers propagate petunia by cuttings or seeds. Units decide to buy ready-made seedlings in a store or garden center and transplant it into the ground. Many do not do this because there is a lot of fuss with her. Seed propagation is chosen by patient people. Before that, they study all the literature concerning this method of reproduction. As a result, they manage to get a healthy and beautiful plant from seeds.

Cuttings

Among the gardeners there is a separate direction - growing petunias. Even having bought one plant in a pot, the need soon arises for its reproduction and transplantation. Cuttings are a vegetative method of propagation. The best period for grafting is February-March. Experienced flower growers do not pay attention to the above, and propagate petunia cuttings year-round, making a mini-greenhouse.

Reference. The main thing is to prepare and save the mother plant. At the end of August, they choose a strong, developed and healthy bush, which has incorporated the best varietal characteristics.

Having chosen a uterine plant on a flower bed, they transplant it into a flowerpot along with a lump of earth. The diameter of the pot should be suitable. Old shoots cut and clean the petunia into the room, where t = + 12⁰C. Maintaining this temperature, she plunges into a state of rest. Only once a month they remember about it, watering and feeding once a month fertilizers with a high content of potassium and phosphorus.

In early February, they gradually prepare it for cuttings, i.e. to the cuttings from the uterine plant. The flower grower changes the temperature, increases the frequency of watering and highlights it.

How to choose a stalk? Before you separate it, make sure that the mother plant is healthy. If this is the case, shoots 10-12 cm long are cut from the top. All leaves are removed from them, except for the upper ones, which are cut in half and left. To take root, they are treated with growth regulators (drugs such as heteroauxin, BCA and IAA).

There are several ways to root cuttings. Waiting for the roots by placing them in water or planting them in wet sand and providing a temperature for normal development in the region of + 15- + 18 degrees Celsius. In the second case, they are buried in a container with sand no more than 5 cm and covered with plastic wrap or glass.

If they take root and grow leaves, the plant is transplanted into a nutrient substrate from a mixture of turf and humus. When transplanting, a third pair of leaves is pinched to achieve branching stimulation.

Read more about the propagation of petunias by cuttings in this article.

Watch the video on how to propagate petunia cuttings:

Seeds

The most unpopular way of propagating petunias is by seed. The growing technology is special. The flower grower prepares the soil mixture, complies with the timing of planting and is gaining patience. Sowing seeds is carried out in March. Having done everything right, in the beginning of summer the petunia will already bloom.

Boxes for growing and soil preparation are prepared in early autumn. It should not be strongly acidic and not alkaline. Immediately before planting, disinfect it by spilling a fungicide solution.

Before planting petunia seeds in the prepared soil, mix them with sand. Sometimes in a store they buy seeds placed in special granules. With their landing there are no problems. They are distributed on moist soil, but do not sprinkle on top of anything. Having sprayed them with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate, cover the box with a transparent film or glass. The first shoots appear 10-14 days after sowing.

You can learn more about the propagation of petunia seeds here, but here we talked about how to collect petunia seeds at home.

Growing seedlings in peat tablets

This method of reproduction is not so laborious. A flower grower does not dive or feed seedlings. It is easy to transplant it to a permanent place and not damage the roots. He buys seeds in a shell, and on arrival at home puts peat tablets in a container. After he soaks them with water and deepens them, he places one seed in it. On top of the container is covered with glass. As soon as the shoots appear, remove the covering material and transplant them into a permanent place - in the ground, without removing it from the peat lump.

Possible problems

Growing petunia from seeds or cuttings, gardeners are faced with difficulties. They do not understand why they did not manage to grow a healthy plant. Their seedlings did not sprout or die. In most cases, they are not guilty of this. They planted substandard seeds in the ground. Using a new modern method of propagation - growing seedlings from granule seeds, they forget to soak them or deeply bury them in the ground.

Sometimes shoots appear, but subsequently die. They are struck by a black leg due to waterlogging of the soil and a high level of humidity.

Important! If the seedlings "lay down", it means that the grower did not take care of the additional lighting, watered it with cool water and removed the film early.

Proper care

Care for adult specimens and seedlings implies primarily moderate and systemic watering. Petunia is a moisture-loving culture. It is watered as soon as the earthen lump is dry. If waterlogging is allowed, petunia will fall ill and die.

In the first month, seedlings develop slowly. At this time, the root system is bookmarked. After 60-90 days, the petunia will already be an adult and will acquire buds. The main thing is to choose the right pot for her. Terry and bush petunias are planted in a pot of 3 liters.

Several flowers are not planted in one pot. Otherwise, there will be problems with flowering. For ampelous petunia, a pot with a capacity of 5 liters is chosen. Larger flowerpots (at least three times) are required for Typhoon or Tornado petunias.

When transplanting, small sprouts do not plant in a small container. They will grow even without another transplant, there will be no sense from them: they will not bloom, as they will spend all their energy on the struggle for a place in the sun.

Conclusion

Although there are several ways to propagate petunias, flower growers use one. They propagate it by cuttings. He is the most affordable and simple. If you choose the right planting material, cuttings take root and lush buds will appear on them after a few months.