Vegetative petunia Starry sky with amazing looking flowers

The petunia hybrid Starry Sky appeared on the market relatively recently, but quickly won the love of flower growers. The plant is highly decorative thanks to its beautiful dark purple flowers with a scattering of white specks. Visually, the drawing resembles space. We will tell you in detail about the features of this plant and how it is grown and propagated.

Origin and description of petunia Starry Sky

Botanists first learned about the existence of petunia in the 18th century.. Since then, the plant’s triumphal march around the world has begun. Nowadays, cultural hybrids decorate gazebos, balconies, cottages and greenhouses.

Petunia Starry Sky, Starry Night or Night sky is a hybrid bred by German engineers Selecta Klemm GmbH & Co. KG in 2015.

In the photo - petunia Starry Sky.

Hybrid characteristics

Petunia Starry Sky from the Solanaceae family is highly decorative and blooms with dark purple flowers speckled with white.. The pattern resembles a night sky strewn with stars, hence the name of the cultivar. Petunia loves diffused light. Under such conditions, the flowers retain their intense purple color. The more light, the lighter the petals. To maintain color contrast, it is recommended to maintain a significant difference between day and night air temperatures.

Petunia Night sky is characterized by excellent branching and enters the flowering period early. A distinctive feature of the hybrid is the continuous formation of buds, so flowering lasts 2-5 months, from spring to autumn. The maximum length of the bushes is 1 m in length, so they are usually planted in hanging baskets or plant pots. Each flower has 5 wide and rounded petals.

The leaf blade is bright green, velvety. There is a lot of green mass, so the bush visually resembles a three-dimensional ball.

The optimal temperature for the crop is +10…+37°C. This wide range contributes to the formation of white dots on the petals.

Reference. Hybrid Night Sky received a prestigious award at the European international exhibition Fleurostar 2015. The jury praised it for its appearance, ease of care and ability to grow in regions with different climates.

Advantages and disadvantages

Benefits of the cultivar:

• attractive appearance and cosmic pattern on the flowers;
• rapid branching and rooting of cuttings;
• early and long flowering;
• ease of care;
• resistance to high air temperatures;
• neat bush.

Flaws:

• It is not possible to grow by seed, only by cuttings;
• predisposition to powdery mildew and gray rot.

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Growing technology

Planting petunia Starry Sky is possible only with the help of cuttings. The manufacturer did not provide for the possibility of sowing seeds. You can purchase cuttings in tablets from gardeners who grow crops, or in gardening stores, at fairs and exhibitions.

For planting, the soil mixture is pre-prepared:

• 2 parts peat;
• 2 parts of turf;
• 2 parts leaf soil;
• 2 parts humus;
• 1 part sand.

The soil is mixed in a large container and watered with a strong solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.

The procedure for planting cuttings is simple, they quickly take root and grow. Cuttings are planted directly in peat tablets in hanging flowerpots or pots filled with soil. The containers are placed in partial shade for 2 weeks for rooting.

The petunia bush is left for further development in a flowerpot or transferred to open ground:

1. Planting is done in the afternoon on a cloudy day.
2. Seedlings with 5-7 leaves are transplanted together with a ball of earth into holes measuring 10x10 cm with an interval of 25-30 cm.
3. The soil is compacted with the palm of your hand, mulched with peat or humus and watered with warm water.

Optimal conditions and further care

Optimal length of daylight hours for good development of Night Sky petunia - 11-13 hours. If there is a lack of sunlight, the plant is illuminated with a phytolamp.

Daytime air temperature - up to +35...+38°С, night temperature - not lower than +10°С. The minimum difference between day and night temperatures required to form the correct pattern on flowers is 10-15°C.

After transplanting petunias to a permanent place, perform regular watering. - 1 time every 3 days at the root, avoiding flowers and leaves. Check the soil moisture level with your finger: immerse the phalanx 2-3 cm deep, if it’s dry, add water.

The plant is fertilized with phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen no more than 3 times a month:

1. For the first feeding, use superphosphate (25 g per 10 liters of water). Phosphorus is necessary for the formation of strong rhizomes.
2. For the second feeding, after 14-20 days, use complex formulations “Agricola”, “Ideal” (20 g per 10 l). Fertilizing is applied simultaneously with watering once every 10-12 days.
3. During the period of bud formation at the end of May, fertilizer with potassium “Kemira Lux” (25 g per 10 l) is applied.
4. During the flowering period, petunia is fertilized once every 2 weeks with complex additives: Etisso, “Master”, “Garden of Miracles”, “Uniflor Bud”.

Experienced gardeners recommend fertilizing once every 3 days along with watering, reducing the concentration by half. This has a beneficial effect on the condition of the bush and supports abundant flowering.

Attention! When applying fertilizing, it is important to observe the measure. Otherwise, the risk of developing putrefactive and fungal infections increases.

To form a neat bush, perform pruning. The long branches become thinner, and the flowers grow small and pale in color. Cuttings can be re-rooted in the ground. Dry and wilted flowers are trimmed with sharp scissors.

Possible problems, diseases, pests

Problems with growing Petunia Starry Night are associated with violation of the rules of care.

To prevent fungal infections or at the first signs of infection, the leaves are treated with copper-containing preparations, for example, copper sulfate.

Reference. When there is an excess of moisture and sunlight, the leaves turn yellow, the buds and flowers wither and fall off; when there is a deficiency, the leaves wrinkle and darken.

The main pests of petunias are spider mites, aphids and thrips. A careful inspection of the plant will help identify the pest.:

1. Spider mite loves to settle in the buds and leaves of petunia. White small dots and a sticky web entwined are sure signs of damage. To kill ticks, acaricides “Apollo” and “Demitan” are used. Spraying frequency - 3 times a day. Dandelion infusion will also help get rid of spider mites - 250 ml per 10 liters of water. Treatment frequency: three times every 8-10 days.To prepare the infusion, take 500 g of dandelion flowers and leaves, pour 5 liters of boiling water and leave for 24 hours.
2. Aphids attack buds and flowers. The pest feeds on the juices of the plant, causing the petunia to wither and dry out. Drops of honeydew appear on the stems and leaves, which serves as a breeding ground for fungal infections. Aphids carry viruses that are difficult, and sometimes impossible, to fight. To destroy aphids, use a soap-tobacco infusion (50 g of laundry soap shavings and 100 tobacco dust per 1 liter of water) or a Fufanon solution (1 ml per 1 liter).
3. Thrips settle on the front and back sides of leaves. Dry white streaks are visible on the surface. Flowers and buds become deformed and wither. Among insecticides, Aktara and Confidor have proven themselves well. Treatment frequency: 1 time every 7 days for a month.

Of the diseases that are especially dangerous for petunia, powdery mildew and gray mold:

1. Powdery mildew is indicated white spots and hairy growth on the foliage. The fungal infection spreads from the bottom up and gradually spreads to the buds and flowers. The leaves curl up and dry out. The affected parts are removed to stop the spread of the disease. The bushes are sprayed with infusion of garlic (250 ml per 10 l) or mustard (2 tbsp per 10 l of warm water).
2. Gray rot - a fungal infection in which the leaves become covered with a sticky, pubescent gray coating, brown spots, and then dry out. Without treatment, the plant dies in 2-3 days. Dry and limp leaves and buds are removed and feeding is stopped. The drug Trichodermin is used for treatment.

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Reproduction methods

Petunia Night Sky reproduces exclusively vegetatively. To do this, break off a stalk 10 cm long and place it in 100 ml of water. After the roots appear, 10-14 days later, the petiole is planted in a pot with a 200 ml peat substrate. The plant feeds on the leaf, since the root system is not yet sufficiently formed.

The cuttings are sprayed with water at room temperature twice a day. and feed once with “Kornevin” (25 g per 10 liters of water).

After 14 days, a full-fledged rhizome is formed and gains weight over the course of a month. A developed small bush is transplanted into a hanging container with a volume of 2-2.5 liters.

Useful tips from experienced flower growers

Over the entire period of petunia's existence flower growers have accumulated a wealth of experience in growing it and share it with beginners:

1. Bushes water strictly to the rootswithout getting on foliage and flowers. Spraying from a spray bottle is carried out in the evening to prevent the plant from getting sunburn.
2. Soil waterlogging threatens development of putrefactive processes.
3. Long branches of petunia are pinchedto form a compact bush and provide sufficient nutrition for flowers and buds.
4. To reduce the number of feedings, the soil is mixed with hydrogel. It absorbs and holds nutrients, which the plant then absorbs.
5. Hybrid Starry Sky does not lay seed pods and is propagated exclusively by cuttings. If you see bags of seeds of this cultivar on sale, you should know that this is a fake.
6. Dry and wilted flowers are not left on the bush, and cut with sharp scissors.
7. At the end of the flowering period shoots are cut to half to stimulate branching and the formation of flower buds.
8. To save petunia for next year, by the onset of the first frost, the plants are transferred to individual pots and placed in a warm room. Dry and weak branches are cut off, leaving 10 cm. Petunia successfully winters at a temperature of +10...+15°C and a watering frequency of 2 times a month.

Conclusion

The name Night sky petunia speaks for itself. In these amazingly beautiful flowers you can see the starry sky on a clear night. White spots of various sizes are scattered on a dark purple background. The intensity of color depends on air temperature and lighting. In partial shade, flowers retain their rich shade longer, and in bright daylight, more large white spots appear.

The cultivar is grown vegetatively using cuttings. Ready-made seedlings are purchased in specialized stores or prepared independently from existing bushes. Caring for petunia is simple: it is enough to maintain an optimal level of humidity, apply supportive fertilizing, trim long branches and carry out a preventive inspection.