Petunias are annual plants with lush and long flowering. This is far from a capricious flower, but still there may be some difficulties in their cultivation.
Basic rules for good petunia seedlings
Quality seeds
The seeds must be fresh. Pay attention to the variety: bush or ampelous, because the first is suitable for planting in open ground, and the second for pots or containers, because their shoots are twining. Choose the variety responsibly. Seeds from a mixture of varieties are usually sold in bags.
If the color of the flower doesn't matter, then everything is fine. But if you want a uniform color scheme, then pay attention to it.
Suitable soil
Florists recommend sowing petunias in a mixture of fertile soil and microgel that has been soaked in a fertilizer solution.
This will give the seedlings additional moisture and nutrition. The soil must be loose and light. The easiest option is to buy ready-made soil for seedlings in a specialized store.
Correct sowing
Take a plastic seedling mold with a transparent lid. First, fill it with soil mixture, and then water the soil with a solution of manganese. If the soil is not moist enough, spray it with water from a spray bottle.
Then sow the seeds superficially and cover with a lid. The seeds need light to germinate, so they should never be buried deep in the ground.
Watering is also prohibited during the first few days so that the seeds do not sink into the soil. The shoots should appear in about 2 weeks. Place the seedlings in a bright place and maintain a temperature of about 25 degrees.
Timely picking
When the first 3 or 4 leaves appear, you need to pick them. Transplant them immediately into a large container, since petunia has a branched root system. In addition, the plant will develop there for another two months.
Caring for seedlings
In case of insufficient light, additional lighting is required. Before seed germination, the temperature should be maintained within 23... 25 degrees. After picking, 18... 20 degrees will be enough. Watering should be moderate. Seedlings respond very well to complex fertilizers.
