Sowing petunia seeds for seedlings - tips and secrets

Many gardeners use annual flowers to decorate their front gardens. They are undemanding, easy to propagate, bloom profusely and for a long time, and come in a vibrant and varied range of colors. Petunia is one of the most undemanding annuals. This flower is beloved for the variety of colors its miniature bushes bloom with from June until frost.

Gardeners readily propagate petunias, despite the challenges of growing these flower seedlings. Each gardener has their own petunia cultivation tips that help them achieve excellent results. It's important to follow certain breeding guidelines, and your petunia will reward you with extraordinarily beautiful flowers in every shade of the rainbow.

Petunias are propagated by seeds, sowing directly into open ground (ground sowing) or by seedlings, which are grown indoors on windowsills and in boxes or pots.

Selecting a variety and preparing seeds for sowing

For petunia lovers who have grown this flower before, choosing a variety to plant isn't difficult. But what about beginners who are overwhelmed by the countless brightly colored packages of flower seeds at the store?

Many people make the mistake of choosing flowers based on pictures. While you can certainly buy the flowers that are best depicted on the packaging, you could end up with an unpredictable result, potentially ruining any future with such a beautiful flower as a petunia. When choosing a variety, it's best to rely on objective criteria:

• Growing location. Bush varieties are suitable for flower beds (open ground), while trailing or cascading varieties are suitable for balcony cultivation;
• Visual effect. If you want a flower head of small blooms along the bottom row of your flowerbed, choose multiflora petunias; and if you want to create something bright and unusual in your front garden, large-flowered double varieties or superbissims are suitable.
• A specific color. Many gardeners skillfully combine the colors and shades of their flowerbeds. Therefore, a variety can be selected based on the overall color scheme.

Additionally, you can select a variety characterized by strong immunity, resistance to adverse weather conditions, flowering time, etc.

You should also pay attention to the type of petunia you're purchasing: a hybrid or a cultivar. It's well known that the collected seeds of hybrid varieties are not used for sowing seedlings, as they don't have the same qualities as the parent variety. Seeds of common varieties, however, can be collected and sown the following season.

The shelf life of the seeds is crucial: petunia seeds take a very long time to germinate, and if they are too old, the seedlings may not appear at all. And the waiting time will be wasted.

Most seeds today are sold in pelleted or granulated form. These seeds are larger, making them easier to sow (for example, in a peat pellet). Furthermore, the seeds are already treated with special preparations that promote immunity and uniform, early germination. A package usually contains only a small number of seeds, and they cost several times more than regular petunia seeds.

Cheaper packets contain larger quantities of seeds. They are all very small, so they are usually planted loose, as it's almost impossible to pick them up with tweezers. These seeds require pre-planting preparation, as their germination rate is usually low.

Seed processing stages:

• Pickling. This treatment is used to prevent disease. It can be done by soaking the seeds in hot water (50 degrees Celsius) for 30 minutes or by soaking them in a potassium permanganate solution.
• Soaking. To speed up germination, keep the seeds in warm water (25-30 degrees Celsius) in a saucer, covered with cheesecloth. Once the seeds have absorbed the moisture, add a little more water. Don't overwater. Once the seeds sprout, dry them and sow.
• Treatment with a micronutrient solution accelerates seed germination, seedling growth, and increases disease resistance.

Timing for planting petunia seeds

Selecting a variety and buying seeds is half the battle. The next important step is deciding on sowing time. Many beginning gardeners think they can sow seeds at any time, forgetting that petunia seedlings require unique conditions at each growth stage, which may not always be possible depending on the season. Yes, you can, for example, sow petunias as early as January. But remember that petunias require a lot of light, so they need artificial lighting. If this isn't possible, it's best to postpone sowing until March.

Petunias are also heat-loving plants, so they are planted outdoors only from mid-June, not earlier. Considering that it takes 12-13 weeks to grow strong, healthy petunia seedlings, sowing seeds for seedlings in the middle of the first month of spring is the best option.

When to plant seeds for seedlings according to the lunar calendar

Experienced gardeners perform all their gardening work according to the lunar calendar. This horoscope can be used to calculate favorable days for planting petunias.

In 2018, these days include:

• 6–8, 21, 22 and 25 February;
• March 13–15, 20–22;
• April 17–20, 25 and 26.

Selecting and preparing soil for sowing

All plants require optimal conditions for germination, namely light, loose, nutritious, and permeable soil. Flowers are especially demanding in this regard, as their root system is much less developed than that of vegetable crops, meaning any increase in soil complexity will significantly impact their development.

You can buy soil for petunia seedlings or mix it yourself. By the way, preparing your own soil will guarantee that it's free of pests and diseases.

So, the soil substrate is prepared from several components: sand, peat, and loamy soil. All components of the soil mixture should be taken in equal quantities:

• Peat – an essential component of any seedling soil, as it is sterile. You can use either low-lying (black) peat, which is renowned for being more nutritious and low-acid, or high-moor (red) peat – thanks to its loose structure and moisture tolerance, it is ideal for growing petunia seedlings.
• Present in the soil composition sand It gives it looseness and porosity. By the way, only white or gray river sand will do.
• The composition should also contain turf, as it contains concentrated nutrients. If it lacks organic elements, vermicompost or compost is added to the mixture.

Whether you prepared the soil yourself or bought it from a store, you first need to disinfect it. This can be done in two ways: by baking it in an oven at over 100 degrees Celsius or by soaking it in hot water with potassium permanganate dissolved in it. Only after these steps is the soil distributed into seedling containers and planted.

Selecting a container for petunia seedlings

The seeds of the annual are sown for seedlings in pots, boxes, paper or plastic cups, or peat tablets.

When choosing containers for petunia germination, keep in mind that the material used for seedlings should be a poor conductor of heat. Therefore, metal containers are unsuitable. Wood, plastic, and ceramic containers are also suitable. The container should also have a hole to allow excess moisture to drain. Cookie boxes and food containers, preferably with lids to create a greenhouse effect, can also be used for seedlings.

In general, the choice of container isn't critical. The main thing is that the container is easy to use and allows for easy removal of the seedlings when transplanting.

Technique for sowing petunia seeds for seedlings

Once the basic preparatory work has been completed—a container for the seedlings has been selected, the mixture has been prepared, and the most favorable day has been chosen—you can begin sowing.

Sowing scattered petunia seeds is not for the faint of heart. Flower seeds are often no more than half a centimeter in size, making it very difficult to space them out evenly on the soil. It's certainly better to use pelleted or coated seeds. They're larger, making them easy to pick up with tweezers and spread on the soil. Moreover, you can sow the pellets individually directly into pots or peat pellets, gently pressing them into moist soil.

Even sowing will ensure better germination and uniform seedling growth. The downside of pelleted seeds is their expense. A single packet may contain three to seven seeds, while a standard pack contains a whole bunch. If spending money isn't a problem, we recommend avoiding the hassle and time of cheaper options.

With scattered seeds, things are a bit more complicated. Since it's impossible to sow them individually, various methods of planting such miniature seeds can be used to ensure optimal germination.

Methods for planting petunia seeds:

• Mix with sand. Add drainage material to the bottom of the seedling container, then add 6-10 centimeters of soil on top. Moisten the soil thoroughly. In a separate container, mix a small amount of sand with the seeds. Then spread the mixture in a thin layer over the surface of the moist soil. Then, spray the seeds with warm water from a spray bottle.
• Sowing in snow. Snow is spread in a thin layer over the soil surface. Then the seeds are sown directly onto the snow. The idea is that if the seeds are clustered together, they can be easily redistributed, as this is easy to do on snow. As the snow melts, the seeds will be absorbed into the soil to the required depth. Naturally, such sowings do not require watering.
• Sowing with a tool. For especially patient gardeners, a suitable option is to scatter the seeds individually on the soil surface using a toothpick or tweezers. To make it easier to pick up the seed, wet the end of the toothpick with water. A second, dry toothpick will help shake the seed off. Then, carefully water the seedlings.

No matter what seeds were used for sowing, the container containing the future seedlings must be covered with film or glass and kept in a room with a temperature of 20-22 degrees Celsius. It's important to keep the soil slightly moist, and any accumulated condensation must be removed regularly. If everything is done correctly, the first shoots will appear within a week.

Picking

To prevent the seedlings from crowding each other and becoming too tall, they are pricked out, that is, planted in rows at a greater distance, shortening the main root by one third.

Picking is scheduled for when the petunia seedlings have 2-3 true leaves (not cotyledons). This is expected to occur 3-4 weeks after sowing.

For transplanting, select large containers with holes in the bottom to allow excess water to drain. Fill the seedling containers with light, nutritious soil, which is thoroughly moistened with warm water before transplanting.

Pricking out is done using a pricker's prick, which is used to lift the petunia bush and carefully transfer it, along with some of the soil on the root, to a new location. The seedling is pushed down to the cotyledon leaves (they should remain above the surface).

Experts recommend transplanting petunia seedlings into 11-centimeter clay pots, three at a time, into paper cups, one at a time, and 50 at a time into seedling boxes.

Pricked-out seedlings are watered regularly and shaded for the first few months. Once established, they are placed in south-facing windowsills to ensure the flowers receive as much sunlight as possible.

Before planting in the ground, the seedlings begin to harden off. Young shoots are placed in cooler conditions, with daytime temperatures of 18 degrees Celsius and nighttime temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius. The seedlings are taken out onto the veranda or porch daily. The room is regularly ventilated.

Sowing in peat tablets

To make growing seedlings of various vegetable and flower crops easier, special natural containers—peat tablets—were invented. They are made from peat, an environmentally friendly material that is highly permeable to air and water, and is loose, making it ideal for growing petunias. Peat tablets are produced as compressed tablets that expand as they absorb moisture. Furthermore, they already contain various minerals, meaning seedlings growing in these tablets rarely require additional feeding.

Before sowing, the tablets are placed in a large box or other container that can stand upright. They are then watered generously to allow the tablets to swell and reach the desired size. A depression is made in the top of the tablet, and a petunia seed is placed in it. Water again with a pipette or spray bottle.

Granulated seeds are usually sown in pellets. However, regular seeds are also suitable; they just require more time and patience. If pelleted seeds are sown, they will become slightly soggy when they hit the peat. They should be lightly crushed and spread throughout the peat.

The advantage of growing seedlings in peat pellets is that it eliminates the need for transplanting. Eventually, the seedlings will need to be transplanted into a larger container or planted in open ground. However, this is much easier because the transplanting can be done directly in the pellet, without removing the seedling from the peat. This significantly simplifies and speeds up the process of caring for petunia seedlings.

The box containing the peat pellets, arranged in neat rows, should also be covered with a lid to create a humid, warm environment. Water the pellets "from below," that is, by adding water to the common container that contains the pellets.

Caring for seedlings in peat containers is standard. After germination, the film or glass is removed, and the room temperature is slightly lowered (from 23 degrees Celsius to 19 degrees Celsius). After a couple of weeks, it is raised back to the previous temperature.

It's important to control humidity levels, preventing stagnant water and preventing the soil from drying out. The plants should be aired periodically. And when it's time to transplant the seedlings to their permanent location, it's very easy. You can rest assured that the seedlings won't experience the stress of transplanting, meaning they'll continue growing immediately and bloom earlier.

Growing seedlings in a "snail"

When you need to save space in your apartment but still want to grow flowers, the "snail" method is used to germinate petunia seedlings. However, getting ahead of ourselves, we should point out that this is not the best method for growing flower seedlings. But first things first...

A "snail" is a rolled-up strip of polyethylene, toilet paper, or laminate flooring, in which seeds are placed. This method ensures faster and better germination.

The snail method is used when soil is practically nonexistent. This method doesn't allow seedlings to germinate until they're ready to be planted in the ground, but it does allow them to reach the picking stage.

So, the essence of sprouting seeds in a "snail":

• a strip measuring 15*100 centimeters is cut out of polyethylene;
• a layer of toilet paper is rolled out over the tape;
• the paper is moistened;
• seeds are placed on one edge of the strip on the surface of wet paper at a distance of 4 centimeters from each other;
• Place another layer of paper on top of the seeds and moisten it with water;
• all layers are covered with another polyethylene tape;
• carefully roll the structure into a roll;
• the resulting “snail” is tied with a rope so that the structure does not fall apart;
• the snail is placed in a tall container with the seeds facing up;
• Add water to a depth of 5 centimeters to the bottom of the jar. Cover the container with the snail with a plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect.
• The result is a compact, twisted roll with a diameter of 10-12 centimeters, which takes up a minimum of space in the room.

To provide the seedlings with nutrients during planting, sprinkle a little soil over the toilet paper. After all, plants need soil.

One of the advantages of this method of seed germination is that the plants' roots don't touch each other. Removing the shoots during transplanting is very convenient—just roll out the tape and remove the sprouts.

The downside of sprouting litke is obvious: due to the dense planting, the plants receive very little sunlight. Their roots are trapped between the layers, and therefore develop poorly. The seedlings grow weaker than those grown conventionally.

Tips for caring for petunia seedlings

Petunias are delicate flowers that are sensitive to temperature, humidity, and light levels. Initially, only two components are needed for seed germination: warmth and humidity. But gradually, as the season progresses, the shoots require more and more light. Petunia seeds are usually sown in late winter, when sunlight is very limited. Naturally, for healthy seedling growth, significantly more light is needed. Therefore, seedlings should be supplemented with phytolamps. Intensive lighting begins around the second or third week of planting, when the newly succulent shoots cover the entire soil surface like a green carpet. At this point, the room temperature should be lowered to 16-18 degrees Celsius.

Petunia seedlings need to be watered frequently, but not excessively. Instead, gently top up the soil to keep it semi-moist. For the first two weeks, the seedlings should be kept in a greenhouse-like environment. To achieve this, keep the seedlings under plastic film, but monitor the humidity inside the seedling container to prevent condensation from getting on the leaves. Water with a spray bottle, then ventilate for 15-20 minutes. As petunias grow, water them with a syringe or pipette, applying water only at the roots. Remove the film or glass only when the first pair of leaves appears on the shoots.

In general, proper watering of petunias is the key to successfully growing healthy seedlings. This flower has low resistance to various fungal diseases. Blackleg is especially dangerous for petunias. Therefore, it is important to ensure that moisture does not accumulate on the soil surface. To prevent this disease, sprinkle dry, clean sand on the soil.

Top dressing

During the seedling period, petunias consume a lot of nutrients, so for full development they need to be constantly fed with elements containing a large amount of nitrogen.

Weak seedlings can be sprayed with a growth stimulant (such as Epin or Bud). You can also fertilize the seedlings with mineral fertilizers.

A week after transplanting, feed the plants with nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers. You can use ready-made mixtures (Kristalon), or add superphosphate.

Calcium nitrate will help form a strong, stocky bush.

Wood ash is considered the best fertilizer for petunia seedlings, as it contains over 30 nutrients essential for flowers. The more nitrogen and other elements the seedlings receive, the better their growth and flowering will be. Ash can also boost the plants' immunity.

A fertilizer made from ash mixed with water is prepared and then watered at the roots of the bushes. The fertilizer is repeated after a week. Ash can also be applied dry, simply by sprinkling the soil under the bushes with a nutrient-rich substrate.

Fertilizers should be applied at 12-14 day intervals. Within a week, you'll be able to see how the seedlings are responding to each type of fertilizer. Don't overdo it with fertilizers. Determine when to fertilize solely by the plants' appearance.

Why do petunia seedlings fall over and die?

Flowers are very delicate creatures. And growing them can be quite challenging. At every step, trouble lurks, potentially affecting the health of the young shoots.

Reasons why seedlings fall and die:

• The first problem arises with germination. Or rather, with no germination at all, or very poor germination. This can occur due to the seeds being planted too deeply. Petunia seeds are known to be very small and therefore very weak. They simply cannot penetrate the soil layer. Therefore, petunia seeds are not covered with soil, but simply spread over the soil surface and lightly watered to ensure they are embedded to the required depth.
• Poor seed quality. This is one of the reasons why seeds fail to germinate, and it's not the gardener's fault. Seeds may be old or rotten, making them unviable.
• Seedlings fail to shed their seedling shells and die. Sometimes, shoots are too weak to shed their seedling shells on their own, which subsequently causes the seedlings to die. This may be due to poor-quality seeds or the box under the plastic being too dry. If it's obvious that the seedlings are having this problem, increase the ambient humidity. Reduce the frequency of ventilation. You can even help the shoots shed their shells: to do this, moisten the shoots with water, lift the plastic shell with a needle, and remove it yourself.
• Disease. Sometimes, seedlings suddenly begin to fall over and die quickly. This can be caused by a disease called "blackleg." If the stems have darkened at the base, it means the plants have been attacked by a fungus in the soil. The disease occurs when the soil is overly wet and there is a lack of ventilation. In such a humid and warm environment, the fungus develops rapidly. If the disease is missed, it will spread throughout the entire planting within a few days. Unfortunately, diseased plants cannot be saved; they will have to be discarded as quickly as possible. Healthy seedlings should be transplanted into new soil. Lightly hilling the soil under the shoots and watering so that the soil near the stem remains dry can help prevent the fungus.

Mature seedlings are susceptible to blackleg due to a weakened immune system. To increase petunia viability, treat them with nitrophoska, Kemira, or Rastvorin every ten days.

• Sometimes seedlings fall over because they're growing in unfavorable conditions. More precisely, they don't receive enough sunlight, and the room temperature is too high. As a result, the stems become excessively stretched, but they're also very weak and begin to fall over. If left untreated, the seedlings won't produce the necessary number of branches for lush flowering. Therefore, if there's not enough light, supplement your petunias with artificial light.

It's also possible that the seedlings are growing too densely, and those in the thickets aren't receiving enough light. In this case, the flowers should be thinned out.

Seedlings can also stretch due to dry indoor air. This often happens in winter when the heating is on. To prevent over-growing, petunia trays should be lowered to the floor or the room temperature should be lowered.

Pinching the stems will help slow down the vigorous upward growth. This will stimulate the growth of lateral branches.

• Mineral deficiency. Petunia plants' appearance can indicate which nutrients they are lacking. The color of their foliage indicates a vitamin deficiency:

1. if there is not enough nitrogen, the leaves are small and yellow;
2. with a lack of phosphorus, the color of the leaves becomes blue-violet;
3. if the lower leaves turn yellow, there is too much nitrogen;
4. If the upper leaves turn yellow and white, the plant lacks iron.

All of this can be avoided by applying complex mineral fertilizers on time. And if the seedlings are attacked by harmful insects, the only way to get rid of them is by treating the bushes with insecticides.

• Seedlings stop growing. It's common to see seedlings suddenly stop growing and then die. This happens because the seedlings don't have enough soil in the container. The roots simply have no room to develop, and plant growth consequently stops. The solution is quite simple: transplant the seedlings into a larger container.

Growing healthy petunia seedlings is no easy task. There are numerous reasons why young flowers can fail. But they mostly stem from a gardener's lack of knowledge of proper gardening practices. Correcting these mistakes is possible only by following all recommendations and showering the flowers with attention and daily care.