Is it possible to grow petunia in a pot as a houseplant?
Petunia is a perennial herbaceous plant that has become popular due to its beautiful, delicate and large inflorescences. During flowering there are so many of them that you can hardly see the bush behind them. Adult petunia is unpretentious in care, but its seedlings require increased attention.
Petunia is grown not only in the garden, but also as a houseplant. With proper care, it blooms even in an apartment or on a balcony. How to grow petunia in an apartment from ready-made seedlings or seeds and how to care for it - read on.
Features of growing petunia at home
Is it possible grow petunia Houses? Yes, of course, but for the plant to bloom, it is important to provide it with optimal conditions.
It is believed that cultivating petunia at home is more difficult than in the garden.. This is due to the fact that the plant is demanding of light. In winter and autumn, he will need artificial lighting.
Also the flower does not tolerate stagnant moisture. He begins to get sick and soon dies. It is in the pot that this problem occurs most often.
The plant requires high humidity. Dry air is the cause of damage to leaves by spider mites and powdery mildew.
In an apartment, petunia blooms no worse than in open ground, but it is not capable of producing beautiful inflorescences all year round. The flower is in dormant mode from mid-November to mid-January or early February. Petunia blooms in comfortable conditions from February to October.
How to grow indoor plants best bush varieties of petunias. Hanging (with hanging shoots) varieties are more suitable for balconies, hanging flowerpots and vertical slides.
This is interesting! Despite the fact that petunia is a perennial plant, it is grown in open ground as an annual.
Planting petunia at home
Planting petunia is possible in 2 ways - cuttings or seeds. The first option is easier to implement and allows you to wait for flowering faster. In the second case, growing seedlings will take longer, but the flower will be more durable.
Note! Seeds collected from flowers growing in the garden may differ in color from the mother plants.
Selecting soil and container
When growing petunias in an apartment, special attention is paid to soil preparation. The soil should be slightly acidic, loose and nutritious.
For planting, use universal soil or a special soil mixture for flowers. It is recommended to add hydrogel to it, which will prevent the rapid evaporation of moisture. Prepare the soil yourself. To do this take:
- garden soil - 2 parts;
- peat – 2 parts;
- humus - 1 part.
Add 1 tbsp to the bucket of the resulting soil mixture. ash, 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 2 tsp. potassium sulfate. All ingredients are mixed. The soil is disinfected by calcining it in the oven, pouring with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate or a product prepared from 1 tbsp. l. copper sulfate and 5 liters of water.
To properly plant petunia, drainage is necessary.. They use special glass beads, broken ceramics, crushed bricks, expanded clay, small crushed stone, and shell rock. Drainage is disinfected in the same way as soil.
The choice of containers depends on the planting method. The cuttings are rooted immediately in individual cups. Seeds are usually sown in a common container.
It is convenient to use disposable cups for cuttings or small pots with a volume of 250-400 ml. Seedlings grown from seeds are planted in the same containers.
Seeds are sown in a common container. Both special seedling boxes and improvised materials (cake packaging, instant noodles, cut bottles, etc.) are suitable for this.
One bush of adult bush petunia requires a container with a volume of 3 liters. It is believed that it is better to plant several plants in one container - this makes it easier to create optimal soil moisture and microclimate. A 10 liter container will hold 3 flowers.
Important! Pots must have drainage holes.
Containers are disinfected, soaking for half an hour in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate or pouring boiling water over it.
Convenient to grow petunia in peat tablets. Each seed is sown in an individual tablet. Thanks to this, there is no need to plant seedlings. They are transferred to a permanent place directly in a peat bag.
Peat tablets do not need to be disinfected. They are placed in a deep container with the hole facing down and filled with boiling water, adding water as it is absorbed. When the tablets turn into “bags”, they are taken out of the water, turned over with the hole facing up and used for their intended purpose.
It can be useful:
Growing from seeds
Petunia seeds are purchased at a specialty store. They are often found in regular supermarkets. If the planting material has been processed in the factory and has a shell (this is indicated on the packaging), it is immediately ready for planting.
If the seeds are collected independently or the manufacturer has not prepared them, this will have to be done at home:
- Calibration. The seeds are sorted out, cleared of debris, and damaged specimens are thrown away. It is recommended to soak them in salted water for 30-60 minutes. Floated seeds will not germinate.
- Disinfection. Planting material is soaked in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes.
- Stimulation of growth. The seeds are soaked for 12 hours in a growth stimulator (Epin, Mortar).
Planting petunia seeds is easy. The main thing is to act according to the instructions:
- A 1 cm thick layer of drainage is poured onto the bottom of the box. The rest of the volume is filled with soil. The soil is watered with settled water at room temperature.
- Seeds are scattered over the surface. They are not covered with earth, but slightly pressed into the ground.
- Moisten the top again with a spray bottle. The container is covered with film and placed on the windowsill.
It is best to cover boxes with crops with non-woven material. In this case, they will not have to be ventilated.
On average, 2 months pass from sowing to the appearance of the first shoots. The optimal temperature during this period is +25…+26°C. After seed germination, the temperature is reduced to +20°C during the day and +16°C at night.
Before emergence, the soil is moistened with a spray bottle as it dries. Every day the film is opened slightly for 10-15 minutes.
When the petunia germinates, the duration of ventilation is increased, up to a day. Then the film is removed. Water the plants only at the roots.
Seedlings are planted after the appearance of 2 true leaves into individual pots. The day before transplanting, the soil is moistened. Remove the plants from the box with a fork, being careful not to damage the roots. Then they are planted in containers filled with drainage and soil. The root collar is not buried.
This is interesting! Some petunia hybrids do not require picking.
Petunia in a permanent pot 2-3 liters deep planted when its roots fill the entire space of the cup or pot.
Rooting and planting cuttings
A faster way to grow petunia at home is cuttings.. Cuttings are sold in markets and nurseries. By cutting off the side shoots from petunias growing in the garden, they obtain their planting material.
Cuttings are cut from the bush so that at least 2 buds remain on them. The mother plant must be healthy, without spots or other signs of disease.
Not recommended before cuttings Water it for 2-3 days. This way the seedlings will take root faster.
Before planting, the cuttings are soaked for 30 minutes.. in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate, and then for 5-6 hours in a growth stimulator (Kornevin). A layer of drainage 1 cm high is poured into the bottom of disposable cups, and the rest of the volume is filled with soil. The soil is watered with warm, settled water.
At the bottom of the cuttings, the leaves are torn off so that they do not rot. The cutting is stuck into the ground so that it stands without support. Cover the container with a bag or plastic glass.
The seedlings are ventilated daily, opening the greenhouse slightly for 20-30 minutes.. Water them at the root as the soil dries.
2 weeks after planting, the duration of ventilation is increased, after which the greenhouse is removed. After a month, the plant is transplanted into an individual container.
Advice. Plain water is suitable for rooting cuttings. Pour liquid at room temperature into a glass and place the stalk. Some gardeners add a rooting stimulator to the water. The water is changed periodically so that it does not stagnate and contribute to putrefactive processes.The fact that the cuttings have taken root is indicated by the appearance of shoots in the axils of the leaves.
Flower care
When grown at home all year round it is important to provide petunias with optimal conditions:
Lighting. In the warm season, petunia does not need additional lighting. It is enough to place it on the balcony or south/south-east window sill. In early spring and in the second half of autumn, seedlings require 16 hours of daylight. To compensate for the lack of light, phytolamps are used, which are placed at a distance of 20 cm from the plantings.- Temperature. For adult petunia, the optimal value is +20°C. However, if it is hotter in the summer, this will not negatively affect the condition of the plant.
- Watering. Petunia is watered as the soil dries with warm, settled water at the root. It is important that the liquid does not get on the leaves. The plant does not like stagnant water. If you water too much, it starts to hurt. The soil is moistened in the morning or evening, when the sun is inactive.
- Feeding. Once every 2 weeks in summer, spring and autumn, fertilizing containing potassium and phosphorus (“Potassium Monophosphate”) is applied. A solution of chicken manure, ash, etc. is also used.
- Loosening. After each watering, the soil is loosened. This prevents moisture stagnation and contributes to the destruction of the earthen crust.
- Formation. To stimulate the formation of side shoots, pinch the central stem at the level of 4-6 leaves. If the plant continues to stretch, the pinching is repeated. During flowering, wilted inflorescences are removed.
Petunia needs to be cared for regularly. If the rules of care are violated, the flower begins to hurt. It is also attacked by various pests, such as spider mites.
Interesting things on the site:
Wintering petunias in an apartment in a pot
Will petunia grow in a pot at home in winter? Yes, and not only specially grown flowers are kept in the room. This is the easiest way to save the plant for next year. After wintering in an apartment, it is planted back into open ground or used to obtain cuttings.
Petunia tolerates transplants well. If you bring it into your apartment with the onset of cold weather, it will continue to bloom almost until the end of October.
Rules and process for transplanting petunia from open ground to a pot
To do this, take both ordinary garden soil and the soil mixture that was used for seedlings. To transplant petunia into a pot from open ground, dig it up along with a lump of earth and transfer to a pot. The free space is filled with soil without deepening the root collar. The plant is watered and brought into the house.
Necessary conditions for the growth of petunia on a windowsill in winter
During the cold season, the plant is dormant, so it’s easy to care for:
- Optimal temperature – +10…+16°C. Some gardeners take petunia into the summer kitchen or place it on the coldest possible windowsill. The plant will not die even at a temperature of +2°C.
- High humidity. It is especially important to monitor humidity if the plant is located next to a radiator.
- Watering. The frequency of watering in winter is reduced. The soil is moistened 1-2 times a week. The water should be at room temperature. It is important that it does not get on the leaves.
- Lack of fertilizing. In winter, petunia does not need feeding.
In winter, the plant's daylight hours are at least 12 hours.. To do this, place an LED lamp at a distance of 20 cm from the flowers.
To ensure optimal humidity, a humidifier is installed in the room air. If this is not possible, containers with water are placed near the flower pot, and a damp cloth is hung on the battery.
Important! After the petunia fades, the inflorescences are cut off.
Conclusion
Petunia is equally suitable for growing in the garden, on the balcony and on the windowsill. It is distinguished by abundant and long-lasting flowering. This perennial plant, when warm and under optimal conditions, will delight with beautiful flowers for up to 9 months.
Caring for petunia in an apartment is a little more difficult than in open ground. In such conditions, you will have to monitor temperature, air humidity and lighting. In a pot there is a greater risk of water stagnation, which is considered the main cause of fungal diseases.