When is the best month to sow petunias
Today, the editor will explain the best month and sowing time and method for growing petunias, and then let's get to know together.
Ipomoea nil, commonly known as dwarf petunia, is a perennial herbaceous flower of the Solanaceae family, but it is often cultivated as an annual or biennial flower. Dwarf petunias are also known as Baidongqie, hybrid zhuayu zhaozhenyan, Ganoderma lucidum peony, shuttlecock flower, dwarf trumpet, sweet potato flower, etc. The flowers are large and numerous, bloom profusely, have a long blooming period, rich in color, and are excellent for flower beds and potted plants. They can also be planted in clusters naturally, or used as cut flowers. They can bloom all year round in suitable climates or greenhouse cultivation. They can be widely used for bedding arrangements, flower trough configurations, landscape decorations, window sill embellishments, and home decoration.
Dwarf petunias grow 20-45 cm tall, with stems creeping and covered with sticky pubescence. The leaves are soft, ovate, entire, alternate, with upper leaves opposite. The flowers are single, funnel-shaped, double flowers are spherical, resembling trumpets, and come in colors such as white, purple, red, pink, and white with red stripes, and are bordered with other colors, very beautiful. The blooming period is from April to frosting. The fruit is a capsule; the seeds are tiny.
Dwarf petunias are native to South America, Argentina, and prefer warm and sunny environments. They are not frost-tolerant and fear waterlogging. The optimal growth temperature is 13-18°C, with winter temperatures of 4-10°C. If it drops below 4°C, the plant growth stops. They can tolerate high temperatures above 35°C in summer. Dwarf petunias are long-day plants and require plenty of sunlight during the growing season. Under normal lighting conditions, it takes about 100 days from sowing to flowering.
I. Propagation methods of dwarf petunias: The common propagation methods for dwarf petunias are seed propagation and cutting propagation.
1. Seed propagation: Generally, seeds are sown in spring and autumn for seedling raising. When the temperature in spring is around 20°C, it is suitable for sowing. Autumn sowing usually blooms in mid-March of the following year, and spring sowing in May can bloom by early August. In the garden, you can sow directly or raise seedlings for transplanting. The common sowing methods include drilling, broadcasting in furrows, or broadcasting on the bed surface. After sowing, cover the soil to hide the seeds, and use straw curtains or plastic film to cover and keep the soil moist. Dwarf petunias can germinate in about a week. When the seedlings have two or three sets of true leaves, thinning is carried out to remove weak, leggy, and mixed seedlings. Maintain good air circulation and sufficient sunlight to allow dwarf petunia seedlings to grow rapidly. When the plants have three sets of true leaves and the roots are well-formed, they can be transplanted or potted.
2. Cutting propagation: Generally, cuttings can be performed when the temperature is around 20°C in spring and autumn. Cuttings of 5-10 cm long stem segments with three internodes are best, inserted into sand beds or half-soil and sand mixtures. Keep the soil shaded and moist, and roots can usually form in 35-45 days.
II. Preparation of cultivation soil: For home planting of dwarf petunias, potting is usually used. For potting, it is first necessary to prepare the cultivation soil, which is very important. A pot is a special small environment, and no single type of soil can meet all the needs of dwarf petunias. Therefore, potting dwarf petunias must involve manually preparing the cultivation soil to replace the natural soil and keep the flowers fixed in the pot. The soil should have good water retention, drainage, be loose, fertile, and well-ventilated sandy soil. The potting soil for dwarf petunias can be prepared with 50% garden soil, 20% decomposed leaf soil, and 30% sand. It is best to sterilize the prepared soil at high temperatures (by frying in a wok or steaming) before use, or it can also be sunned to kill germs.
III. Potting: First, place broken tiles at the bottom of the pot, then add some decomposed cake fertilizer, crushed bones, fish bones, chicken feathers, etc., as base fertilizer, then fill in the cultivation soil. When planting, trim the long lateral roots, injured roots, and excess fibrous roots of the dwarf petunia plant. Be sure to spread the roots during planting, fill the soil to half the pot, then lift and shake the plant slightly to compact the soil. The planting should not be too deep; keeping the rootstock level with the pot opening is fine. If it's too shallow, it will affect survival, and if it's too deep, it will affect the growth of the dwarf petunia after transplanting. Water the plant thoroughly after planting. For initially planted plants, since the roots have not yet developed well, they should be protected from long exposure to strong sunlight. After potting, place them in a shaded environment for about a week, then move them to a sunny location for care.
IV. Daily Management
Dwarf petunias fear drought and waterlogging. Watering should follow the principle of wetting through in dry seasons and keeping the soil moist in hot and dry seasons. In summer, water once in the afternoon every day, and during rainy days, the pots should be placed upside down to promptly remove accumulated water. In autumn, reduce watering, and ensure water supply during the blooming period and summer. Dwarf petunias like fertilizer, but for potted dwarf petunias, the amount of fertilizer should be controlled, especially nitrogen fertilizer should not be excessive. Foliage fertilization can be used, and after the dwarf petunias develop flower buds, apply 2-3 times of 0.3% phosphorus and potassium liquid fertilizer to make the dwarf petunias bloom continuously. In winter, move the pots with dwarf petunias indoors to keep them above 0°C for safe overwintering. Remove the single flowers after they wilt to avoid affecting the appearance.
The above sharing on the best month for sowing dwarf petunias and the specific introduction of sowing time and methods are for netizens' reference.