Where did the petunia get sticky leaves: the agronomist told me and I realized my mistakes. Eh, why didn't I know before

Fiery fireworks, fellow flower growers!

Do you want to grow healthy petunias? Little things like sticky leaves should alert you. I, too, looked at this phenomenon for a long time as if it were an everyday matter, until I got into conversation with a woman agronomist. And I realized that I missed a lot in leaving... Well, I'll tell you about everything in order

How I got to the realization that sticky leaves in petunias are a problem to be solved

My readers know that I grow petunia seedlings myself from seed. But some vegetative varieties do not reproduce like that. Therefore, I buy rooted cuttings in the form of almost adult plants from a woman who professionally reproduces decorative annuals.

She has 3 heated greenhouses and an agronomic education. Which is not quite in demand now. Following the advice of a smart politician, Alla decided to go into the flower business.

I recently met her and asked the question: "All, why do petunias have sticky leaves?" And I was amazed to hear the detailed answer. I am retelling it for you. Suddenly someone will come in handy too.

There are varieties that are sticky

To begin with, the juice of any petunia is slightly sticky. Rub the leaf of the plant between your fingers, and you will be convinced of this. The increased stickiness of flowers and foliage is a biological feature of some varieties.

According to my observations, fringed and some varieties of cascading multi-flowered petunias are distinguished by enhanced stickiness. With such varieties as: Cascade Indian Summer, Lo Ryder, Sophistika, it is generally problematic to work without gloves.

Pests

If the increased stickiness on the leaves is accompanied by drying of young shoots, twisting of the leaves, dropping of buds, you need to take a closer look at the plants:

• The sticky secret is secreted by black or gray-green aphids - a frequent visitor to flower beds in hot weather.
• A spider mite is a small pest, its presence can be suspected by the emerging cobwebs and sticky oily spots on the leaves.
• Whitefly rarely infects petunias outdoors. It can be brought in together with seedlings grown in greenhouse conditions. If this attack appeared on a petunia, you can sympathize. Finding small white moth-like butterflies on one plant makes it easier to throw it away. Or treat with serious chemicals more than once.

But there is a plus: the invasion of pests is difficult to confuse with something. Much more dangerous is the third reason, which is the culprit for the stickiness of petunia in 90% of cases.

Drought

Probably everyone noticed that in warm dry weather, petunias become especially sticky. The fact is that the flower is rarely grown in the beds. More often, petunias are planted in decorative lawns and pots with a limited amount of soil, in which it is difficult to maintain uniform moisture.

From the author: I realized that my petunias are suffering from uneven watering. By the way, Alla told me how to do it right. I will give a link a couple of paragraphs below.

In the heat, the earthen lump periodically dries up. The release of sticky sap is the natural protection of the flower from overheating and dehydration (petunia sweats). After abundant watering, the plant does not have time to rebuild, and the discharge becomes even more abundant.

Remember to water and feed your pets regularly. Examine the seedlings carefully when purchasing. Subject to these conditions, nothing threatens your flower garden.

Love petunias and was this article helpful? Please put "Thumbs up" in response! Thank you. I also recommend reading: I barely learned how to properly water the petunia. I began to do so - and everything smells sweet, but there was a terrible dead wood