Petunia seed planting and fertilizing methods, how many years can a perennial herb live?

Petunia, of the genus Petunia, is a perennial herb. The flower shapes and colors are very beautiful, the flowering period is from April until frost, capsule fruit, seeds very small. Distributed in South America, now widely planted in various countries. So do you know what the seed planting methods for petunia are? How to fertilize? How many years can it live?

I. Petunia seed planting methods

1. Sowing

(1) Put the seedling blocks into a box, add water to soak, until they are completely soaked open. Pour out the excess water.

(2) Dip a toothpick in water to pick up the seeds, place them into the small hole in the middle of the seedling block, cover with the lid, put in a darker spot on the balcony, open every day for ventilation for one or two hours, then cover again. If the seedling block turns slightly white, add water until it is fully absorbed, and pour out the excess water. In this way, in about a week, they will sprout.

(3) Once two small sprouts appear, put them into another box, do not cover with the lid, expose to light, first to scattered light. I put the small seedlings in the shade of the hibiscus flowers outside the balcony, with good ventilation, keep the seedling blocks moist, add water when short of water, do not let water accumulate. Spray water once or twice a day, humidity is most important, ventilation is most important.

2. Pricking out

Use a disposable paper cup or a small flower pot with a diameter of 8CM, use seedling soil, punch holes in the paper cup, plant it in together with the seedling block, be sure to water thoroughly, can be soaked in water. Put in sunlight, in a ventilated place, best placed outside the balcony, spray water every morning and evening. How do you know it is short of water? Pick up the cup, if it feels relatively light, you can water, be sure to water thoroughly, after two days pinch it again, then add water.

3. Final planting

(1) Use a pot of 20cm or more, remember this, because later the flowers will be strong enough.

(2) I generally use small stones as a drainage layer, mix 70% garden soil + flower soil + honeycomb coal cinder + perlite, no base fertilizer applied.

(3) Take out the whole seedling completely with soil, without damaging the roots at all, use a disposable paper cup, just tear off the cup. 4. One or two days after final planting, put in a shady place, then afterwards put fully in the sun, the more sufficient the light the better. 5. Basically give fertilizer once about every 10 days, I alternately use leaf fertilizer and water-soluble fertilizer, have also used “Hua Duo Duo”, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, and also used organic fertilizer I fermented myself with okara mixed with water, only the smell is very strong, fortunately after one day of ventilation there is no smell.

4. Management before flowering

(1) Directly cut off the branches that grow outside the pot. Remember you must be willing to cut them off, only by cutting them off will it bloom into a ball of flowers.

(2) In the early stage apply mostly light fertilizer, in the later stage apply more phosphorus fertilizer, this way the flower seedlings will be strong, and the later flowers will bloom well.

(3) If the balcony temperature is high, spray water appropriately every day to increase humidity.

5. Management during the flowering period

(1) During flowering, fertilizer and water should likewise be given with sufficient management. I generally use the vine-strengthening fertilizer used for growing vegetables back home or potassium dihydrogen phosphate, applying it once every 10 days, used alternately.

(2) Ensure sufficient sunlight, the more sufficient the sunlight, the better the flower colors, the more vigorous the branches and vines, and the more flowers. Conversely, they become weak and yellow, the flower color is pale, and the flowers are small.

II. How to fertilize petunia

1. Fertilizing methods

(1) If you want petunia to bloom with more brilliant colors and larger flowers, fertilizing should be done earlier, it is recommended to start using it when small flower buds appear, the effect will be more obvious.

(2) But when fertilizing you must pay attention to the concentration of the fertilizer, apply thin fertilizer frequently, so as to avoid the occurrence of fertilizer burn that causes the plant to die, and at the same time the plant roots should be kept as far as possible from where the slow-release fertilizer is buried.

(3) In winter, as the temperature continuously drops, the metabolic function of the petunia will also slow down accordingly, at this time the water and fertilizer needed are very little, fertilizing can be done according to the actual growth of the flower.

2. What fertilizer to apply

(1) The most important point in fertilizing petunia is to note that fertilization should not be one-sided or heavy, you can apply nitrogen fertilizers such as urea to the petunias.

(2) During the flowering period you can frequently apply fertilizers such as potassium dihydrogen phosphate, which can make the flowers bloom more vigorously.

(3) If the petunia flowers become smaller, it may be caused by too little fertilization, and fertilizer mainly of phosphorus should be applied to improve it.

(4) In addition, when planting you can also use peat and coconut coir in the soil. The amount of base fertilizer should be sufficient, slow-release fertilizer and chicken manure are both fine, but note that self-made manure fertilizer is not recommended for home use, the smell of this fertilizer is unbearable, and it easily attracts insects.

III. How many years can petunia live

Although petunia is a seasonal herbaceous flower, blooming only for one season, if carefully tended it can also live for several years. When the flowers have finished blooming, remove the spent flowers and trim the branches a little, this way when the plant sends out new shoots again it will be more luxuriant, and the plant can also survive. Also, its seeds that fall into the soil can continue to sprout and bloom. By the way, petunia cannot be too wet or too dry, pay attention to watering normally, and best of all, transplant it from the flower pot into the soil, it will grow more luxuriantly.