Petunia is one of the most beautiful plants that many summer residents choose for their plots.
Petunias can only be grown using seedlings. Therefore, it is worth examining 5 tricks that will help grow petunia seedlings.
Planting dates
A typical mistake of many is that they rush with petunia seedlings. Of course, if we talk about vegetable seedlings, they are planted from the end of January.
There is no need to rush with petunias. If you plant them in early February, the seedlings may stretch out due to lack of light.
The optimal time for planting seedlings is the end of February or the beginning of March. The most interesting thing is that March seedlings are almost always stronger, and the chances of their survival are higher.
What soil to choose
Some summer residents try to use soil from their plot, believing that it is optimal. This is a serious misconception, because of which it will not be possible to get full-fledged seedlings. There are several requirements for the soil:
- Loose.
- Nutritious.
- Not sour.
For growing, you can buy ready-made substrates in specialized stores. If you do not want to spend your savings, you can prepare the substrate yourself.
To do this, you need to mix humus and peat in equal parts, adding 2 parts of turf soil and a little fine river sand, which will increase the looseness of the soil.
River sand should always be added, because this component provides an influx of oxygen and water to the root system of seedlings, which promotes their growth.
Planting seeds
Planting petunia seeds always raises many questions. The typical mistake of many is that they begin to deepen the seeds with their hands. And since they are small, it is extremely difficult to calculate the planting depth, which is why typical mistakes are made.
Here is a simple tip: you need to spread the seeds on the surface and sprinkle a little water from a spray bottle. They will be drawn into the soil anyway. Of course, after this method of planting, you cannot water the plants for the first time. And the soil should be moistened beforehand to avoid possible negative consequences.
Watering
It is impossible to grow petunia seedlings without high-quality watering. And how can you avoid overdoing it? Petunia is very small, so it can be easily damaged by watering. Here is a simple tip: watering should be done using a regular syringe.
This process cannot be called fast or comfortable, but there are no other options. Also, you cannot over-moisten the soil, because in this case, the petunia seedlings can simply begin to rot.
Topping
It is necessary to approach pinching of seedlings responsibly. There is a basic rule: as soon as 6 true leaves appear, you can start the procedure. There are two options for pinching:
- With your fingers, being careful.
- With scissors. You can use them to cut off the top part and the growth point.
Next, you need to carefully monitor the new shoots that appear.
After about 2 weeks, you can also pinch them. If you do everything correctly and do not rush, you can grow a lush petunia.
