Bright summer beauty Petunia ampelous: cultivation and care
Petunia is a flower that is used to decorate the territory of private houses. Thanks to the selection work, gardeners who decide to decorate their garden in this way are faced with a difficult task: from the variety of varieties to choose the right one.
Why not opt for ampelous petunia? From the article you will find out whether it is difficult to care for her, how to grow a lush flowering plant, how it is propagated and what is needed for this.
What kind of flower is this?
Ampelic petunia - a plant with long shoots that is decorated with large bright flowers all shades of pink, purple, yellow. It is grown in the garden, in drawers on the balcony and in hanging pots on window sills.
With its help, maintain a colorful and summer atmosphere all year round, as it grows quickly and blooms profusely. Florists love the first vice maid of honor of a rose, because it is resistant to adverse conditions and a sharp change in temperature.
Important! The only thing that is taken into account when growing ampelous petunia: it is a photophilous plant.At home they put a pot with her on the window facing south. If this is not possible, additional lighting will be required. The optimal daylight hours are 14-20 hours.
Breeding methods
Ampelic petunia is grown using seedlings. Knowing this, not all growers buy it to decorate the windowsill. With this method of cultivation, an ideal place is prepared for planting, so that nothing interferes with growth. It should be buried in the sun. If you don’t find this, you’ll need some lighting or have to come to terms with the fact that there will not be many buds that will look ridiculous against the background of an abundance of green leaves.
When transplanted seedlings? When she reaches 3 months of age. If seedlings are bought in a store and sellers do not know its age, then they are determined by the first buds on the trunk. Their appearance is a sign of readiness for transplantation. It is transplanted into a warm, windless cloudy day in alkaline or neutral in composition, previously loosened soil. If ampelous petunia takes root, you can propagate it by cuttings.
Cuttings
The best time for grafting is the end of winterwhen petunia has not yet emerged from a state of rest.
At the end of August, the flower grower prepares a petunia for rest, cutting off long shoots, hiding the bush in a cellar or in another room where there will be a suitable temperature regime.
The bush in the middle of winter fades. This is noticed by leaves that lose their elasticity and become lethargic. Seeing this, do not get upset, since such a condition indicates a fall into hibernation. With the onset of spring, the bush will be transformed. If the bush is large, then until this moment it is transplanted with cuttings. The optimum temperature during the breeding season is + 21 + 22 degrees Celsius.
- The first step is to choose a suitable mother plant. It should be strong, without signs of disease or pest damage and with a huge number of buds.
- Having chosen a uterine plant, proceed to its preparation.
- The selected mother plant is inspected. Are there any unpleasant insects on it? Are there any signs of illness? Having lost sight of something, ampelous petunia will die without having gained color.
- Cuttings with a length of 100 mm are cut from the uterine plant.
- On 2 leaves in the upper part, the plate is cut in half.
- All lower leaves are destroyed.
- As soon as they prepare a suitable stalk, plant it in a pot. The soil in it should be loose.
- The cuttings are buried by 40-50 mm.
- Top cover it with plastic wrap or a glass jar.
- After creating the conditions of condensate, rearrange the pot on the windowsill.
- If the daylight is less than 10 hours, do the backlight.
Watch the video about the grafting of Petunia ampelous:
Seed cultivation
Seed propagation of ampelous petunia is a process that requires scrupulousness, accuracy and experience from the grower. Even if he does everything right, she may not rise due to the poor quality of planting material. If care of cuttings involves watering and spraying, then when growing a flower from seeds, humidity, temperature are constantly monitored.
Seed description
Seeds of ampelous petunia are small. Without experience, care and attention they will not see shoots. You can not randomly scatter them in the pot, slightly sprinkled with earth. Even if they ascend, they will soon perish from the black leg. If the seedlings appear and acquire pairs of leaves, it is necessary to dive them. Diving is hard work.
How to plant - detailed step by step instructions
The procedure for planting seeds is divided into several stages.
- Soil preparation. Ampelic petunia is not whimsical to the composition of the soil mixture, but it is desirable that it be alkaline or neutral. It is saturated with water, spilling several times and not forgetting to add potassium permanganate to it. If at hand there are special peat tablets, seeds are planted in them. Shoots in this case will appear faster.
- Planting seeds. They are planted strictly one at a time and at the same distance from each other. After that, the pot is covered with a film of polyethylene or glass to create a greenhouse effect.
- Care and feeding. After planting for 10-14 days, do not touch the seed container. They are not watered or sprayed. The film is removed after the first shoots appear. From now on, they will need air circulation. Sprouts are aired and sprayed using mineral fertilizers. The film is removed as soon as the first leaves appear on the seedlings.
How to root?
- Rooting in water. Choose a healthy stalk on a bush of ampelous petunia. After that, they tear off the leaves on it, which are located below. Water is poured into a jar or glass in advance so that it settles. Subsequently, cuttings are placed in it. If there are a lot of cuttings, put them in several containers. Otherwise, they wait for the roots for a long time.Important! Rotting processes are prevented by adding a tablet of activated carbon to a glass of water.
- Rooting cuttings in peat. Perlite is added to it, so that ampelous petunia gives roots faster. The lower leaves on it are torn off, and then inserted into peat, securing in a desired position with a lump of earth. Cover the container with plastic wrap or glass. If everything is done correctly, then after two weeks the cuttings will take root, if you occasionally ventilate them and moisten peat.
How to care for a plant?
- Lighting - The primary factor on which depends whether the petunia will take root, will bloom on time or not. Due to a lack of light, it builds up green mass. Artificial lighting helps solve the problem.
- Temperature. The flower is not afraid of sudden changes in temperature. Because of them, the buds will not fall until the temperature drops below 0. During freezing, ampelous petunia will drop flowers and hibernate.
- Watering. Frequency of watering - once a day in the winter, and in hot weather - twice a day. Before watering the plant, make sure that there is no stagnation of water, otherwise the roots will rot. A lack of moisture is guessed by the state of the leaves. If they are sluggish, urgently water the flower.
- Shoots and an adult plant fertilize with potassium twice a month to promote abundant flowering.
Photo
See below for photos of planting and caring for ampelous petunia.
How to reanimate?
Even if all the rules are followed during propagation and transplanting, no one is immune from the fact that ampelous petunia will not be accepted. Is it possible to reanimate seedlings if they are sodden or withered? No. Only an adult plant that has not completely disappeared can be resuscitated.
- The grower picks sluggish, but not dried, cuttings.
- Breaks the lower leaves on them and puts them in a glass with water or sticks them in peat so that they take root.
If everything is done correctly, soon a blooming ampelous petunia will appear in the house.
Note! Having looked through the pests on the handle, they do not expect a positive effect when resuscitating ampelous petunia!Conclusion
Ampelic petunia is not only a street flower, but also an indoor flower. Breeders bred a lot of varieties, and each grower will find the most beautiful among this variety, create an amazing composition in a hanging planter or a charming alpine slide in his garden. The main thing is to learn how to properly grow a plant from seeds and how to propagate it with cuttings.