What NOT to do with Petunia seedlings if you want to grow abundantly flowering ball bushes
And again a fiery salute, comrades, restless flower growers! Today on the agenda is the peculiarities of growing petunia seedlings. Which will be ready in some 3 months will turn into lush bushes, covered with flowers. Isn't this why we arranged all this fuss with sowing at the very beginning of spring?
A very important topic is fatal mistakes in the first months of the life of petunia seedlings. Some of them are partially correctable by timely measures. Others spoil the plant's potential forever. Let's figure it out?
No fork, no spoon
Petunia is one of the most voracious annuals. It is developing rapidly, moving day after day towards the lush bush. The growth sprint marathon cannot take place without the absorption of large amounts of minerals. So, even without their receipt:
- It is a gross mistake not to fertilize at all. I think comments are superfluous.
- A mistake can be called feeding only macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). Petunias are known to suffer from chlorosis due to a lack of iron. Feed at least a couple of times complex mineral fertilizer (bags "Agricola" and other means for seedlings or indoor plants).
- Petunia seedlings should not be watered with hard water - it does not allow the plant to develop at all. Because hardness salts accumulate in the ground. Petunia's whim - slightly acidic soil. Comrade, at least stand or boil water for irrigation if scale appears on the kettles.
Remember: if you do not feed the petunia seedlings at least a little, then the seedling will not be able to reveal itself in all its glory. No need to think "Then he will catch up!" Refusing to feed now, citizens are depriving themselves of the luxury of watching lush petunia balls. They will not grow out of weak seedlings!
"Like a sprat in a jar"
Don't forget to develop the plant from the very beginning. Petunia, squeezed in cramped space to save space, will stretch out and weaken. Although the vast majority of hybrids from normal producers, even at the stage of 5-6 leaf leaves, creep in all directions, like spiders. So give them space for the cobweb of the stems!
This is one of the reasons why I do not see the point in growing wild petunias. It is very difficult to bring them into an acceptable appearance. You can't argue against genetics
A mistake will be a lazy reluctance to transplant seedlings into larger pots on time. Petunia, locked in a glass, will quickly eat up all the soil and begin to wither before our eyes.
Pinching - when good intentions spoil the whole plant
Look. Petunia is bushy, ampelous and cascading.
To make lush bushy hybrids, at the seedling stage, pinch the shoot in the center of the seedlings. The calculation is simple: new shoots grow from the sinuses.
But things are completely different with ampel and cascade petunias. I mentioned for a reason that the latter branch well on their own. And the "ball" is formed by the lateral shoots, one by one growing from the center. The more there are, the more magnificent the "ball". Having pinched off the central shoot of the ampelous and cascading petunia, the unlucky florist will receive only a bald and squat bush.