How best to save petunia until next spring at home
Petunias are one of the most popular flowers among gardeners. They are bred for gardens, grown on balconies, and are also popular as potted crops. Tropical countries are considered the birthplaces of petunias, so how to keep petunias until spring in a temperate climate is a question that worries many flower growers.
Growth features in winter
Petunias are not common as perennials. In summer cottages, they are often grown as flowers of the same age. In the spring, the seeds are sown, and at the onset of autumn, the faded flower is uprooted and thrown away, or they try to save it for the winter.
The disadvantage of growing petunias in the country is the difficulty of keeping flowers for the winter. They do not like the cold, they need constant lighting and warm water for irrigation. There are many varieties of petunias on the flower market. Many species and varieties are propagated using seeds.
Some species reproduce exclusively in a vegetative way. Benefits of vegetative reproduction of petunia:
- obtaining young plants throughout the year;
- the ability to save the variety as an indoor perennial.
How to prune petunias for the winter
The purpose of pruning petunias in the fall is to preserve the variety by spring. Faded bushes are pruned in September, early October:
- the length of the stems for wintering in open ground should be no more than 15 centimeters for bush forms;
- in ampelous forms, 50 percent of the stem is left.
To preserve petunias in winter, after planting in a pot, the stems are cut 90 percent. In this case, the cuttings are used for further cultivation of the variety.
What are the advantages of winter storage
Winter storage of petunias differs from the annual spring sowing of seedlings or seeds in several factors:
- perennial plants overwintering in indoor conditions are capable of earlier flowering;
- indoor perennial plants are suitable for rapid breeding of seedlings (cuttings are used for it, which take root with almost one hundred percent result);
- winter storage is good because it allows you to preserve varieties that reproduce in a vegetative way.
Color preservation methods
To save petunia until spring, use several methods. You can put an adult plant in a warm place or use the cuttings method.
By transplanting
Uterine plants are used for transplanting, that is, an adult petunia bush, which is left until spring, followed by grafting.For this, the bush is transplanted into a pot-type container in late September or early October. At the same time, it is taken into account that the plantings must have time to take root before the onset of cold weather.
An important condition for transplanting a mother liquor into a pot is the selection of a container. The pot is chosen taking into account the size of the adult plant and the volume of its root system.
Information! Petunias are characterized by the growth of lateral root appendages, so small transplant containers are not suitable.
After transplantation, dry or damaged parts are removed from the mother liquor, leaving only 10 centimeters from the entire stem. After that, the mother liquor must be transferred to a place where it is dry and cool.
Using cuttings
Gardeners call season-independent cuttings the advantage of petunias. Experts recommend carrying out a routine cuttings procedure in the fall, at which time the flower is completely ready for propagation:
Cuttings are carried out following the sequence of actions:
- The upper branches are cut, on which there are four or six leaves.
- The flower is cut from the top.
- Then the bottom sheets are cut off.
- A cut of the stem is released into a root former or a root growth stimulator (for the same purpose, a manganese solution or crushed activated carbon is used - a similar procedure disinfects the plant and promotes its rapid development).
- Then the cutting is placed in a soil mixture for which different soil is used.
- Plants are watered, lightly compacted the ground.
- Cover with a transparent lid or foil.
Creating a greenhouse effect with additional cover helps the shoots to take root faster through constant moisture.
Places where you can store a flower
The mother plant and planting of cuttings are recommended to be stored under different conditions. An adult plant does not need additional actions; cuttings need to provide the effect of greenhouse conditions for the first time before rooting.
In the apartment
The mother plant must be brought home in early autumn, the pot will be perfectly preserved until next year in a cool room. At home, they use a pantry with artificial lighting. The storage temperature for the mother liquor should not exceed +22 degrees. The cuttings are stored at temperatures from +10 to +20 degrees. For acceleration or emergence of seedlings, it is necessary to provide additional light to petunias.
In the cellar
For storage in the basement, a room is prepared so as to provide certain conditions:
- maintaining the temperature regime not lower than +10 degrees;
- humidity level - not less than 65 percent;
- additional artificial lighting.
In the frost season, it is better to transfer petunia from the cellar to the warmth, because a decrease in temperature can ruin an adult plant.
Petunia care in winter
The rules for caring for petunias do not differ from the rules for caring for other indoor flowers. Control over watering and feeding is the key to plant growth and development. Flowers are watered with settled water at room temperature. For watering, choose one of several options:
- Watering at the root. It is necessary so as not to damage the delicate buds.
- Pallet watering. It is customary to use such watering for seedlings or small petunias: containers with flowers are placed on a wide, low tray filled with water. To obtain the necessary moisture, the pot must be equipped with drainage holes.
- Wick watering. This method is often used for indoor flowering species. When planting, a twine or rope made of synthetic material is placed inside the soil, then the plant is provided with a free position, and the wick is provided with access to water at room temperature.
Throughout the entire wintering after root watering, it is recommended to loosen the soil in order to prevent the formation of a crust.
A hygienic shower is not suitable for petunias. It can damage the velvety structure of the leaves and is also contraindicated in buds. It is carried out if it is necessary for the treatment of the plant, its processing and disinfection.
Information! When weeds appear, they are immediately removed so that they do not take away nutrients from the soil from the petunia.
For the correct development of petunias in winter, it is necessary to carry out several dressings:
- single feeding with fertilizer with nitrogen-containing substances;
- supplementary food with potassium once.
The appearance of aphids, spider mites or infections with diseases such as black leg or gray rot require special care. For this, it is recommended to treat the plants with special preparations, avoiding the processing of buds.
Advice! If damaged drying leaves appear, they must be promptly removed.
Preparing petunias for spring planting in open ground
Planting seedlings of petunias in open ground depends on the climatic conditions of the region. Gardeners recommend choosing a period of time when the top layer of the earth is warm enough, and there are no subzero temperatures at night.
The soil for seedlings is prepared using garden soil with the addition of vermiculite. Before planting, it is loosened for additional oxygenation. Planting material is prepared as follows:
- a container with seedlings is spilled abundantly;
- carefully pull out the plants along with a lump of earth and a whole root system, trying not to damage;
- the stalk is placed 15 centimeters deep into the prepared hole;
- the flower is placed vertically, sprinkled with earth and tamped;
- spilled with warm water to reduce stress levels on the plant.
A distance of up to 15 centimeters is left between plantings. This is necessary so that the root systems of the sprouts do not interfere with the development of each other.
It is recommended to cover the ground around the flower with peat or grass that has been recently mown. This helps to avoid infections, as well as premature drying out, keeps the soil moist.
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