Petunia at home on a windowsill in winter. To petunias bloom all year round. Petunia in winter as a uterine and flowering houseplant. Cutting petunias How to properly preserve petunias in winter

Petunia (Petunia) is one of the most common flowers that decorate flowerpots, flower beds and hanging baskets. This plant was first found in Uruguay in the vicinity of Montevideo in 1793. A little later in South America discovered several dozen more species of petunias. This flower became a godsend for breeders, and in 1834 the first hybrid petunia blossomed. Today there are several dozen species and many varieties and hybrids of petunias, so it is easy to get confused in the complex taxonomy of this plant.

Petunia is a perennial. However, in culture, it is more often grown as an annual plant. Every year, seeds are sown in the spring, and in the fall, the fading petunia is sent to a humus heap or thrown into the trash. Many amateur flower growers believe that in conditions middle band this is the simplest solution. In the southern regions, petunia is self-seeding.

In early autumn, I look with regret at the petunias that continue to bloom, which are soon destined to be in a humus heap. They are poorly adapted to the autumn cold and frost, so their lifespan is predetermined. Beautiful plants do not have time to fully develop their potential over the summer. Even in autumn, they retain a lot of vitality. Petunias are capable of becoming a mother plant from which strong stem cuttings can be cut. Or a flowering houseplant competing with exotic flowers.

We transfer petunia to the house

In nature, petunia is a perennial plant that can be used in its cultivation and reproduction. To do this, in the fall, before the cold snap and frost have begun (petunias that fall under them often die), we select several specimens, free them from long shoots and cut off all the spoiled leaves. The remaining bush should be compact and short. Not more than 15 cm in height. Better below. Before you bring the petunia into the room, you need to carefully examine its leaves (especially their underside) so that the whitefly and the testicles laid by it do not get into the house. The end of summer and the beginning of autumn are the time of the massive presence of this pest on cultivated and weed plants, but we often do not pay attention to the inconspicuous small whitefly. Until she appears on our indoor flowers.

If a whitefly or its eggs are found on the leaves of petunia, then urgent measures must be taken before bringing the pot with the plant into the house. The best place for him is a cold, light windowsill, a veranda, a glazed loggia (balcony), a light basement, etc. We are not talking about specially equipped places and greenhouses, in which queen cells are grown with additional lighting and the necessary moisture.

It seems that at first petunia is thinking about how she will behave further. Sometimes it wakes up unexpectedly, gives new shoots and even blooms. Or it stops growing, hibernating until the end of winter. It is important to create conditions for the petunias so that young shoots do not weaken the plant. No growth stimulants and fertilizers are used during this period. The exception is Zircon and Epin (only if necessary).

In March (sometimes from the end of February), the container with petunia must be moved to the brightest place. It must be cool (not lower than + 6 ° С). We establish watering and feeding. This mode allows the mother plant to grow enough so that full stem cuttings can be cut in April.

In winter, the condition of the petunia sometimes worsens. There are several reasons: either it is powdery mildew and its consequences, whitefly, etc. Often, the plant loses strength in an insufficiently bright and warm room. Many troubles are associated with waterlogging of the soil. If the leaves dry up and fall off, and the stems turn black or dry out, then this is a clear sign: the petunia feels very bad. Normally, only partial yellowing of the leaves.

Cutting as a simple breeding option for petunias

Petunia is beautifully cuttings. Many times in the summer I stuck a broken off flowering shoot into the soil, and it continued to live. This property is used by professionals and flower lovers, collecting "tribute" from the mother plants, in order to then propagate the variety they like. Cuttings are cut with and without a heel. The minimum cutting size is 2 - 3 pairs of leaves.

There are no special tricks for rooting cuttings. They are planted to a depth of about 1.5 - 2 cm in a container filled with loose fertile soil, covered with a jar and kept in the light. In order for the cuttings to lose less moisture, it is enough to leave just a couple of leaves. The lower pair of leaves should be completely removed, the upper leaves should be shortened by ½.

Care comes down to watering and airing. Condensation must not be allowed to form. A convenient mini-greenhouse is obtained from the top of a transparent plastic bottle, in the lid of which holes are made with a hot nail or drill. Tall transparent plastic cups with holes at the bottom can be used as caps. But spraying cuttings with water should be treated with caution. Excessive dampness, rot and mold often appear from this procedure. Some amateur flower growers root petunia cuttings in jars of water.

The temperature at which rooting takes place is about 22 - 23 ° C. It is good if there is bottom heating. For example, a battery located close to a windowsill. The first leaves of young shoots appear very quickly. Without additional lighting or sunlight, they grow weak. Rooted cuttings are pinched, which causes further tillering. During the winter, the stalk, which began to root in August - September, turns into a beautiful flowering bush. It is looked after as a light-loving indoor plant.

You can try another way of keeping petunias in winter. I mastered it quite by accident. It turned out that my petunia by August grew into such huge bushes that they covered other flowers and took up too much space in the flower garden. I shortened them, and "shoved" a bouquet of tops into flower pot from garden soil... She put the pot near the house and from time to time watered the "bouquet" from a watering can. Petunia quickly rose, began to grow and continued to bloom. In September, I put the pot on the glazed balcony. In winter, I sprayed the petunia with a highly diluted solution of cheap (!) Washing powder several times. It can be replaced with soda ash. I didn't want to use chemistry. This preventive measure made it possible to avoid powdery mildew, the bloom of which often appears in the autumn winter period and destroys petunias. I cut off most of the buds so as not to weaken the plant. Individual flowers remained "for beauty." It would be possible to leave all the flowers and buds, but for this it would be necessary to organize a stronger backlight.

In May, I shortened some of the elongated shoots of the "bouquet", having received a lot of fresh cuttings. The overgrown petunia (the former "bouquet") was divided into several parts and transplanted into a flower garden. Petunia grows quickly and does not like tightness, so it is better to plant its rooted cuttings "for growth".

Output

In winter, petunia can be saved as a mother plant for further rooting of its cuttings. Grown from rooted cuttings (cuttings are carried out in August - September), petunia becomes an elegant flowering houseplant, which can later be transplanted into a flower garden, flowerpot or hanging basket and cut its shoots. The main problem associated with the health of petunias in the winter, I believe powdery mildew... But this is already a consequence of some oversights in agricultural technology.

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Cold weather is approaching, and petunia on your site or balcony continues to delight in lush color. Soon this beauty will end, but it's a pity ... Well, there is nowhere to go from the cycle of seasons, but you can try to save petunia bushes for the winter. Petunia, in essence, is a thermophilic perennial, therefore, by creating "southern" conditions for it, we can extend its life. So, now we will reveal the secret of how to save petunia in winter.

Wintering petunias - action for the elite

We hasten to warn you right away: keeping petunia bushes in winter is not an easy task. Although, this is the best way out if you want to keep a particularly expensive, luxurious variety that does not produce seeds or does not retain all of its properties in daughter plants. For example, this is useful for surfinias, supertunias and many other F1 hybrids.

There are 2 options for saving petunias for the winter:

in the form of mother plants
in the form of cuttings

Option number 1. Preservation of uterine bushes of petunias in winter

Adult petunia bushes can be saved until spring if they are transferred to a bright and frost-free room. It should be light, humid enough, optimal t \u003d 10-15 ° C (but less will do, the main thing is that the temperature does not drop below 0 ° C). Suitable conditions are on closed verandas, insulated or southern loggias, on the windowsills of entrances.

Petunia bushes are dug up, transplanted into pots and brought into the room. You need to have time to do this before frost, that is, in September-November. The plant is cut off dry leaves, damaged, rotten branches. A cardinal haircut is also practiced: all branches are cut to 10-15 cm.

A petunia bush can overwinter on a cold windowsill

The main conditions for caring for petunia bushes in winter:

minimum watering (up to 2-3 times a month);
lack of fertilizers;
high air humidity;
temperature 10-15 ° C;
good lighting.

In such conditions, petunias survive the winter safely and bloom in mid-February! Then more frequent watering and feeding can be "introduced" into the diet.

A petunia bush that has survived the winter is planted in open ground or in balcony containers. Or they do it differently: they propagate the petunia by cuttings and grow young petunia plants. The latter option is more common among florists. It is believed (and not without reason!) That young petunias bloom better than second years.

February bloom of petunia in the second year of life

How is petunia cuttings carried out?

In spring, cuttings of 5-10 cm are cut from the overwintered petunia bush - green, not lignified. The lower leaves on the cutting are cut off so that a bare stem 1-3 cm long remains at the base.It is important that there is at least 1 pair of internodes in this area. 2-3 leaves should remain in the upper part of the cutting. If they are large, then their plates are cut across in half - to reduce moisture evaporation.

Petunia cuttings are planted in loose soil, preferably with baking powder. Can be used for rooting pure vermiculite or peat

The bare part of the stem is deepened into moist, loose soil.

The leaves of the cuttings can be cut in half to reduce moisture loss through the leaf plates

A vapor barrier is arranged on top to maintain high humidity around the cuttings. For example, cover the planting container with a plastic cup, glass jar or glass. Every day the "greenhouse" is ventilated to prevent the appearance of mold, rot, black leg on the handle.

For ventilation, holes are made in the bottom of the plastic cup-"greenhouse"

After about 10-14 days, young shoots will appear in the axils of the cuttings - this means that rooting has taken place! The greenhouse is removed, the cuttings continue to grow in the same way as petunia seedlings: watered, fertilized, sprayed. Above 5-6 leaves, young plants are pinched for tillering.

After 2 weeks, new shoots appear in the leaf axils of petunia cuttings

How to cut petunia is described in the video plot:

In March-April (depending on the region), when stable positive temperatures of 10-12 ° C are established, the rooted cuttings are planted for permanent residence - in open ground or in balcony containers.

Flowering cuttings of petunia grown from the mother bush - "second year" Option №2. Preserving petunias in winter by cuttings

In living quarters, not in adult petunias, but in rooted cuttings, are more likely to survive. They do not need special conditions and need to look after them in the same way as indoor flowers. This method will also help those growers who do not want to clutter verandas, balconies and loggias in winter with large containers with petunia queen cells. Cuttings in cups on the windowsills take up very little space!

For winter storage, petunia is cut at the end of August-September. In this petunia cuttings multiply easily, since the life processes in it are not slowed down yet. Roots appear 5-10 days after planting.

Cuttings 5-10 cm long are cut from petunias, they are planted in cups, and covered with a "greenhouse". After rooting, they are placed in a cool, bright place. For example, on the windowsill, closer to the glass. To increase the moisture content of the content, you can place a jar of water near the young petunias.

Young petunia cuttings in winter require as much attention as ordinary indoor flowers.

The main conditions for keeping rooted petunia cuttings in winter:

sufficient watering - after drying the topsoil;
spraying;
lack of fertilizers;
increase in air humidity (containers with water next to the cuttings).

In the spring, cuttings that have already formed into young petunia bushes can be transferred into balcony containers or planted in a flower bed. They can also be cut again and the required amount of planting material can be grown from the new cuttings.

Overwintered cuttings bloom already with the first rays of the warm sun - in February or early March Advantages of preserving petunias in winter (cuttings or adult plants)

The main advantages of keeping petunias for the winter:

early spring flowering. An adult “second year” plant or cuttings taken from it can bloom in February-March. And this will happen even in northern regions such as the Urals, Siberia, etc.
ease of getting adult seedlings. This does not require sowing small seeds, nursing frail sprouts. The planted cutting will already bloom in 2-2.5 weeks.
preservation until spring of vegetatively propagating varieties of petunias.

Do not know how to decorate your balcony, loggia, garden, or simply the windowsill of your apartment? Then this article is for you. We will tell you about the beautiful petunia, which is perfect for decoration.

Petunia is a herbaceous perennial semi-shrub plant of tropical origin. It attracts attention with its large and bright colors... Combines harmoniously with other garden plants. Therefore, it is often used to decorate a garden or terrace. Quite often, flower growers choose it to decorate balconies, loggias and even apartment windowsills.

It is believed that adult petunia is very whimsical, and young sprouts are still finicky. But, despite this, if you approach the process of growing and caring for petunia correctly, everything will work out and you will admire it for a long time beautiful flowers, so in this article we will look at how to grow a plant without mistakes from "A" to "Z".

How to cultivate correctly?

The best petunia growing technology is:

Large capacity.
Regular feeding.
Sufficient watering.
Removal of faded flowers.

it the plant loves loamy soil, but takes root just as well in ordinary garden soil, and some varieties even in simple soil. But it is best to grow a beauty in a fertile one, which consists of peat, turf, river sand, leafy land. Another great option for growing is to add nitrophoska to the soil.

In the garden soil, the green of the plant becomes juicier and its growth accelerates, because they are very fond of a slightly acidic environment.

Growing petunias requires special light conditions. She prefers well-lit growing areas, however, blooms can fade in the scorching sun. Small blackouts are also needed.

Lighting is one of the main conditions for growing petunias. Therefore, well-lit areas with blackouts are ideal.

The soil in which the petunia grows should be moist, but not flooded. An excess of moisture will stop its growth. It is also important to ventilate the soil in which the plant grows. Growing these flowers is not difficult if you just follow the lighting conditions, watering and soil composition.

Can I grow a plant at home?

Can this plant be grown in indoor conditions? Yes, but it's more difficult than just in the ground.

Note! Most importantly, the soil in the growing container should be light and water-absorbing.

Therefore, great attention must be paid to the soil. To do this, it will be enough to mix simple garden soil with purchased soil on a peat base. You can also plant it in purchased soil, but after adding a hydrogel to it. The hydrogel must be prepared in advance. It should also be noted that such a substrate retains moisture for quite a long time and you need to be extremely careful with watering the plant. Water only as it dries, especially a recently planted plant.

Growing petunias in a pot or container also implies the correct selection of the container itself for growing. Shrub and terry petunias need 3 liters of land per plant. This means that 3 plants can be planted in a ten-liter container. Large containers retain moisture longer, so it is best to plant multiple plants in one large container. But ampelous, cascading petunias and sufinias need 5 liters per plant.

There must be holes in the container for excess moisture to drain. If you choose the wrong container, then you can achieve beauty, but not for long. Petunias will first thrive, and then they will survive in such conditions. And they will not delight you with long and lush lashes and abundant flowering.

It is important to pick off faded flowers from the plant. Secrets of growing petunias:

Seat selection - it should be a well-lit area with slight blackouts.
The soil - both ordinary garden and specially prepared using purchased peat-based soil, with the addition of hydrogel, turf, coarse sand.
Watering and feeding - water every day, especially if you see that the top lump is dry. Best watered in the morning and evening. Petunia does not like stagnant moisture, so take care of good drainage. Feed regularly with mineral fertilizers. The main thing is that it contains potassium and phosphorus - they are responsible for the development of flower buds.

Reproduction methods

You can propagate in two ways: growing seedlings from seeds and cuttings.

Seeds

This is the most common way to breed a plant, even at home. Buy seeds in the shell - they are easier to plant and they are much larger. First, we prepare the soil and maintain desired temperature at 22-25 ° C. We plant it in a container in which there must be drainage. Before planting, disinfect the drainage with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Carry out the same procedure with the soil; use special preparations to disinfect it.

Sow the seeds into slightly damp but not damp soil. Before this, it is better to mix the seeds with river sand. Next, cover the container with seeds with glass or foil. We grow seedlings at a temperature of 22оС. To prevent the soil from getting soggy, constantly remove condensation from the glass or change the film.

On a note. Don't forget about good lighting. As soon as small bushes appear and the roots get stronger, you can plant it in open ground or continue growing in a greenhouse.

Watch a video about growing petunias. Sowing seeds for seedlings:

By cuttings

It allows the plant to grow much faster. It assumes the presence of an already mature plant. To do this, cut side shoots petunias. Then cuttings are disinfected and planted in small cups with light soil. We put in a shaded place. Do not forget about moistening the soil and fertilizing with mineral fertilizers. Thus, the plant is prepared for wintering. In the spring, we plant it in open ground.

Watch a video about the propagation of petunias by cuttings:

Landing kit

Priming.
Planting capacity.
Disinfectants.
Seedlings for planting.
Drainage.
Mineral fertilizers.

Cultivation

At home

In greenhouses

Sowing seeds - we buy seeds in a special store. We purchase or prepare the substrate ourselves. It contains peat, sand, earth. Wipe everything well and pour with a solution of potassium permanganate. The wet mixture sits in crates for several days. Before stuffing, we sterilize the boxes with peroxide or potassium permanganate; before sowing, peat is spilled with fugnicides. Seeds are sown in peat, a layer of peat in a box is 2-3 cm and consists of fine particles, well sifted and even.
Important! The seeds are not covered with soil so that light falls on them. We also provide additional lighting.

We germinate at a temperature of 22-25 ° C. The required air humidity is 95-98%; to maintain it, we cover the crops with glass or polyethylene. The substrate should not dry out, so we often water it from a sprayer. The water should be kept slightly warmer than the substrate. After germination, lower the temperature to 18-20 ° C.
Picking - we move the plants into cups. They are in them until the roots take up all the place. At first, the cups are side by side, but as the seedlings grow, they are placed apart from each other.
Watering and feeding - when the seedlings are dived, you need to make sure that the top layer of the substrate dries up for the next watering. Therefore, the cups are watered once a day or less often. Better to water in the morning and evening. We combine top dressing with watering.

Care rules

Petunia care will not require much effort from you. It is enough just to control the watering and feeding of the plant. You need to water at the root of the plant so as not to damage the delicate flowers. The next day after watering, you need to loosen the soil so that a crust does not form. Remove weeds. Feed one week after planting in the ground. We combine watering and feeding. We feed with fertilizers with potassium.

Problems, diseases and pests

Sometimes you may encounter a problem such as yellowing or drying of petunias. If you do not follow the rules of care, the plant can get sick:

late blight;
chlorosis;
black leg;
gray rot.

They need to be dealt with with special drugs. But it is easier to prevent their appearance with proper care. If these rules are not followed, then in addition to these diseases, petunia can be affected viral diseases... There is no cure for them - your plant will die. Of the pests, spider mites, aphids, slugs and thrips are dangerous.

Do simple rules care for petunias, then you do not have to worry about the health and beauty of your plant. It will always delight you with beautiful flowering.

Petunia in winter - indoors, is it possible to achieve flowering?

Everyone knows that petunia is an annual plant. But few people know that you can grow it at home in winter. To do this, you need to transplant petunia before frost appears. It is necessary to cut off all spoiled leaves and remove tall shoots. It is better if the bush is up to 15 cm. At home, petunia behaves with caution, it can give new shoots, or it can be silent for a while. Can be used for feeding zircon and epin. In February - March, place the pot in the brightest place. At the same time, we begin active watering and feeding. Conclusion - in winter, petunia can be grown only so that it gives a beautiful flowering in the summer, then you can transplant it into a beautiful flowerpot or garden.

Yes it is possible.

Petunia - a beautiful and not whimsical plant, in fact undemanding, easy to care for, therefore it fell in love with many flower growers, it can grow in any area, that is, in flower beds; along sidewalk paths in many cities, as well as on the balconies of apartments and even in room conditions, when proper care plentiful flowering all the same guaranteed.

Most often, petunia is propagated by seeds, as well as by cuttings, the choice is not great, you can use two methods for reproduction.

Yes, petunia can also be grown indoors, east and west windows are suitable for this.

After all, petunia is light-loving and heat-loving plantfrom bright lighting - the abundant flowering of petunias in indoor conditions, or otherwise elongated shoots - will not be able to give the formed flowers, the flowering will be rare, and also important and heat air.

And of course, by the way, watering, the most important thing is that the soil does not dry out and be waterlogged, in hot weather - it is recommended to water abundantly, in the evening.

Successful cultivation and beautiful flowering.

Petunia blooms from early spring to mid-autumn. In winter, it does not bloom even in the apartment. But petunia can be kept at home in winter until next summer, growing it in an apartment on a windowsill, so that in the spring the flower will again delight with its beauty.

Petunia is a thermophilic plant. To grow it in an apartment, you need:

good lighting;
suitable air temperature;
plentiful.

Petunia should be prepared for wintering. For this purpose, with the onset of autumn, it is necessary:

Select the strongest and healthiest bushes.
Carefully dig them out of the flowerbed and throw them into a pot filled with a mixture of soil and compost. This will give a good nourishment to the flower.

If frost is not expected, then the first couple of days after transplantation, let the flowers stand on the street. This will reduce the stress of the plant. After that, they must be transferred to the house.

The air temperature should be +10 - +15. Flowers can be stored on the glazed balcony. Even if the temperature gets lower, it will not affect the plants. Only the mark of the thermometer should not be lower than +2. Watering petunia in winter is necessary a couple of times a month.

All dry and spoiled leaves of the flower should be cut off. This is done with sharp scissors so as not to hurt healthy foliage and stems.

Important: If you take proper care of the plant, it will bloom at the end of winter.

How to protect the plant?

There are two ways to store petunias in winter:

In the form of uterine plants.
In the form of cuttings.

Before the cold weather, transplant the flower into a pot and bring it into the house.
Cut off rotten or dry leaves.
You can trim all the stems, leaving 10-15 cm.

Storage rules:

no fertilizers;
bright lighting;
wet air;
suitable temperature;
watering no more than 2-3 times a month.

Such conditions are favorable for petunias in the winter. They tolerate winter well and begin to bloom in February.When the plant blooms, you can start watering it more often and little by little.

Remember: The flower bushes can stay on a cold window all winter.

How does this happen?

Young shoots germinate within two weeks. The rooting was successful.

The vapor barrier is removed.
Cuttings continue to grow. They must be watered, fertilized and sprayed.
Above the top leaves, you can make the plant bush.
In spring, when the air temperature becomes stable (+100 and above), fortified cuttings are planted in gardens or in flowerpots on the balcony.

Important: Holes are made in the bottom of the greenhouse glass for ventilation.

To preserve the petunia mother liquor in the winter, you need high humidity and coolness. In an apartment, even with glazed verandaIt’s difficult to create a suitable climate.

Rooted cuttings are more likely to survive in an apartment than an adult flower. They do not need special care and special conditions... In addition, cuttings planted in cups do not take up much space.

In early September, an adult petunia must be grafted. At this time, the flower propagates freely by cuttings, because there are still life processes in it. A week and a half after planting, the plants take root.

Cuttings 10 cm in size are cut from the flower, planted in a plastic vessel and covered with a "greenhouse" on top.
Then the container is transferred to a cool, but bright place - for example, a window sill.
To increase humidity, a jar of water is placed near the plants.

Remember that caring for young sprouts in the winter is no different from simply caring for houseplants.

Care rules

Abundant.
High moisture content in the soil.
Exclusion of all fertilizers.
Frequent irrigation with water.

More information on the intricacies of petunia care is available.

What to do in spring?

By the beginning of the spring season, the cuttings are formed into small bushes, which are necessary or in a pot. It is allowed to cut plants again and grow the required number of flowers.

The main advantages of storage

Bushes begin to bloom early. An adult flower or a stalk grown from it will bloom from mid-to-late February. This is possible even in cold regions in the north.
Getting adult seedlings is very simple. To do this, you do not need to sow seeds and grow sprouts. The planted cuttings will bloom after two weeks.

Option number 1. Preservation of uterine bushes of petunias in winter

Petunia bush can overwinter on a cold windowsill

The main conditions for caring for petunia bushes in winter:

minimum watering (up to 2-3 times a month);
lack of fertilizers;
high air humidity;
temperature 10-15 ° C;
good lighting.

In such conditions, petunias survive the winter safely and bloom in mid-February! Then more frequent watering and feeding can be "introduced" into the diet.

February flowering of petunias of the second year of life

How is petunia cuttings carried out?

Petunia cuttings are planted in loose soil, preferably with baking powder. Can be used for rooting pure vermiculite or peat

The bare part of the stem is deepened into moist, loose soil.

Leaves of cuttings can be cut in half to reduce moisture loss through leaf plates

For ventilation, holes are made in the bottom of the plastic cup-"greenhouse"

After 2 weeks, new shoots appear in the leaf axils of petunia cuttings

How to cut petunia is described in the video plot:

Flowering cuttings of petunia grown from the mother bush - "second year"

Option number 2. Preservation of petunias in the winter by cuttings

Young winter petunia cuttings require as much attention as ordinary indoor flowers

The main conditions for keeping rooted petunia cuttings in winter:

sufficient watering - after drying the topsoil;
spraying;
lack of fertilizers;
increase in air humidity (containers with water next to the cuttings).

Wintered cuttings bloom already with the first rays of the warm sun - in February or early March

Benefits of keeping petunias in winter (cuttings or mature plants)

The main advantages of keeping petunias for the winter:

early spring flowering. An adult “second year” plant or cuttings taken from it can bloom in February-March. And this will happen even in northern regions such as the Urals, Siberia, etc.
ease of getting adult seedlings. This does not require sowing small seeds, nursing frail sprouts. The planted cutting will already bloom in 2-2.5 weeks.
preservation until spring of vegetatively propagating varieties of petunias.

Petunia is a flowering perennial that prefers warmth, but in the Russian climate, this plant is not able to survive the winter. You can save the flower until next year by grafting. This simple and effective method growing young crops is especially good for hybrid terry petunias, which cannot be grown from self-collected seeds without losing their parental varietal traits.

Benefits of winter petunia conservation

This plant has a beautiful and long flowering. The first buds open on branches in late spring and adorn the garden or balcony until mid-autumn. Since the flower blooms in the first season after planting, most often it is grown as an annual. When cultivating rare or hybrid varieties, this method is not entirely convenient, since the next year you need to buy seeds again to grow capricious seedlings. You can simplify the task if you save the petunia for the winter in the form of cuttings.

In comparison with the annual sowing of seeds, the following advantages of this method stand out:

cuttings root very quickly and grow;
already at the end of February, the first buds appear and flowering begins;
energy and time are saved for sowing seeds and growing capricious seedlings;
it is possible to get free young plants of rare varieties that do not produce seeds and propagate exclusively vegetatively.

Rules for performing cuttings

If necessary, such a procedure can be carried out not only for the winter, but also all year round... In this way, ampelous varieties and calibrachoa are usually stored. Terry plant varieties are cut during the winter months and spring.

Maternal crops in the fall must be transplanted into a pot and stored under favorable conditions. The optimum temperature for petunias in winter is +16 degrees. Illumination should be moderate, in the room - high humidity. It is not necessary to increase the temperature, since then for a comfortable existence the plants need more light. Watering is preferably rare and not plentiful.

It is very difficult to organize suitable conditions in a city apartment. Therefore, to save petunia in the winter is obtained only by cuttings. They don't need special care, it is no different from the content of ordinary indoor flowers.

Cuttings in the winter months are cut only from healthy, well-growing plants, when young leaves form on the stems.

For winter storage, petunia is cutted in late August or early September. At this time, propagation by cuttings is easy, since all life processes in the plant continue at the usual speed.

Harvesting cuttings

Planting material is taken from healthy, not lignified stems of sufficient length. They are cut obliquely from the mother plant, leaving a stump from 5 to 7 cm long. Then all buds and blossoming flowers are plucked from the cut branch. The resulting workpiece is cut into fragments 5-10 cm long. From above, the cut is made straight, stepping back from the leaf node by 1-1.5 cm. The workpiece is cut obliquely from below. The result should be cuttings with one or two internodes and 2-4 pairs of leaves.

Cuttings for planting

The lower oblique section is dusted with a powder stimulator of root formation, or for several hours it is placed in a liquid solution with similar properties. You can root prepared cuttings in fertile soil or in water.

Rooting in the ground

For planting planting material, small containers with soil are preliminarily prepared into the soil. It is recommended to add perlite, vermiculite or coconut fiber in it to give greater friability. Before filling it with soil, several holes are made in the bottom of the container.

Small shoots can be rooted in peat tablets... They have all the necessary nutrients for fast growth, proper development and early flowering of young plants. Leaves on cuttings should be cut in half before planting to reduce moisture evaporation.

Rooting in the ground

The cuttings are planted, deepening the lower cut by 1-2 cm.Then the soil is watered with warm water. The containers are covered with a plastic bag to simulate greenhouse conditions. Until the planting material takes root, they are kept in a well-lit place. Every day, the shelter is cleaned for a few minutes for ventilation and watering. After 10-15 days, roots appear.

Creation of greenhouse conditions

The successful growth of the roots is indicated by the appearance of small leaves in the axils of the cuttings. Then the package is removed and the plants are grown in the same way as the seedlings: the soil is regularly moistened, sprayed and periodically fed. When 5-6 young leaves appear, pinch the top to stimulate lateral branching.

Rooted cuttings of petunia

Rooting in water

The material for grafting petunias is harvested in a similar way. The length of the cut blanks should be from 10 to 12 cm. On each of them, 5 or more sheets are left. To reduce the evaporation area, the sheet plates can be shortened by half.

Prepare in advance plastic cups with boiled and cooled water, and immediately after cutting, the prepared material is placed in them. For faster development, the cups are placed in a darkened place or an opaque container is used for containers. To create conditions for the cuttings of the greenhouse, they are closed from above with a cut plastic bottle either a bag of polyethylene. The water in the cups will gradually evaporate, so from time to time it is added.

After 10-15 days, the first roots will appear on the lower sections. After this, the cuttings are kept in the water for about seven days, and then it is recommended to plant them in fertile soil.

Care for rooted shoots

At home, caring for cuttings is easy. It consists of several mandatory activities:

The soil in the pot is regularly moistened. Watering is carried out with standing cold water when the topsoil begins to dry out.
To increase moisture, young plants are regularly sprayed. If this is not possible, water is installed in the bowl between the petunia containers.
To increase daylight hours, backlighting is used. Until the end of January, the daylight hours are increased to 12 hours. Then gradually the time is added and brought to 16 hours.
To stimulate the growth of green mass in February, young animals are fed with nitrogen fertilizers.
As the shoots grow, pinching is carried out. This stimulates stronger branching and lush bush formation. The frequency of this procedure is twice a month or every week.

By the spring, young strong plants are formed from the planted cuttings. They should be transplanted into larger pots, hanging pots, or planted in open ground with the onset of spring. Petunias obtained in this way begin to bloom in March or April.

Features of cuttings depending on the variety

When growing terry varieties of petunia from seedlings, plants are characterized by slow growth and short shoot length. Therefore, cuttings for the winter are performed later, allowing the branches to grow to a sufficient length. Terry petunia planting material is rooted exclusively in the soil.

Ampelic varieties are grafted throughout the growing season. This procedure can be started already 2 months after seedling emergence. If the branches grow quickly, then the cuttings can be carried out twice a month. So you can get a lot of new plants and rejuvenate the mother. This enhances the growth of the lateral shoots and encourages the petunia to bloom actively.

Petunias are one of the most popular flowers among gardeners. They are bred for gardens, grown on balconies, and are also popular as potted crops. Tropical countries are considered the birthplace of petunias, therefore, how to keep the petunia until spring in a temperate climate is a matter of concern to many gardeners.

Petunias are not common, like perennials. On the summer cottages they are often grown as flowers of the same age. In the spring, the seeds are sown, and at the onset of autumn, the faded flower is uprooted and thrown away or they try to save it for the winter.

The disadvantage of growing petunias in the country is the difficulty of preserving flowers for the winter. They do not like cold, they need constant lighting and warm water for irrigation. There are many varieties of petunias in the flower market. Many species and varieties are propagated using seeds.

Some species breed exclusively vegetatively. Benefits vegetative propagation petunias:

obtaining young plants throughout the year;
the ability to save the variety as an indoor perennial.

How to prune petunias for the winter

The purpose of pruning petunias in the fall is to maintain the variety by spring. Faded bushes are pruned in September, early October:

stems for wintering in open ground should be no more than 15 centimeters in bush forms;
in ampelous forms, 50 percent of the stem is left.

To preserve petunias in the winter after planting in a pot, the stems are cut by 90 percent. In this case, the cuttings are used for further cultivation of the variety.

What are the benefits of winter storage?

Winter storage of petunias differs from the annual spring sowing of seedlings or seeds in several factors:

perennial plants overwintering in indoor conditions are capable of earlier flowering;
perennial indoor plants are suitable for quick breeding of seedlings (cuttings are used for it, which take root with almost one hundred percent result);
winter storage is good in that it allows you to save varieties that reproduce vegetatively.

Color preservation methods

By transplanting

Uterine plants are used for transplantation, that is, an adult petunia bush, which is left until spring, followed by grafting. To do this, the bush is transplanted into a pot-type container in late September or early October. At the same time, it is taken into account that the plantings must have time to take root before the onset of cold weather.

An important condition for transplanting a mother liquor into a pot is the selection of a container. The pot is selected taking into account the size of the adult plant and the volume of its root system.
Information! Petunias are characterized by the growth of lateral root appendages, so small transplant containers are not suitable.
After transplantation, dry or damaged parts are removed from the mother liquor, leaving only 10 centimeters from the entire stem. After this, the mother liquor must be moved to where it is dry and cool.
Using cuttings
Gardeners call the cuttings, independent of the time of year, an advantage of petunias. Experts recommend carrying out a routine cuttings procedure in the fall, at which time the flower is completely ready for propagation:
Cuttings are carried out following the sequence of actions:
The upper branches are cut, on which there are four or six leaves.
The flower is cut from the top.
Then cut the bottom sheets.
A cut of the stem is released into a root former or a root growth stimulator (for the same purpose, a manganese solution or crushed activated carbon is used - a similar procedure disinfects the plant and contributes to its rapid development).
Then the cutting is placed in a soil mixture for which different soil is used.
Plants are watered, slightly tamping the ground.
Cover with a transparent lid or film.

Creating a greenhouse effect with the help of additional shelter helps the shoots to take root faster through constant moisture.
Places where you can store a flower
In the apartment
The mother plant must be brought home in early autumn, the pot will be perfectly preserved until next year in a cool room. At home, use the pantry with artificial lighting. The temperature for storage of the mother liquor should not exceed +22 degrees. Cuttings are stored at a temperature of +10 to +20 degrees. For acceleration or emergence of seedlings, it is necessary to provide additional light to the petunias.
In the cellar
For storage in the basement, a room is prepared so as to provide certain conditions:
maintaining temperature condition not lower than +10 degrees;
humidity level - not lower than 65 percent;
additional artificial lighting.

In the frost season, it is better to transfer petunia from the cellar to the warmth, because a decrease in temperature can ruin an adult plant.
Winter Petunia Care
The rules for caring for petunias do not differ from the rules for caring for other indoor flowers. Control over watering and top dressing is the key to plant growth and development. Flowers are watered with settled water room temperature... For watering, choose one of several options:
Watering at the root. It is necessary so as not to damage the delicate buds.
Pan watering. Such watering is usually used for seedlings or small petunias: containers with flowers are placed on a wide, low tray filled with water. To obtain the necessary moisture, the pot must be equipped with drainage holes.
Wick watering. This method is often used for indoor flowering species. When planting, a twine or rope made of synthetic material is placed inside the soil, then the plant is provided with a free position, and the wick is provided with access to water at room temperature.

Throughout the entire wintering, after root watering, it is recommended to loosen the soil in order to prevent the formation of a crust.
Petunias are not suitable for such a procedure as a hygienic shower. It can damage the velvety structure of the leaves and is also contraindicated for buds. It is carried out if it is necessary for the treatment of the plant, its processing and disinfection.
Information! When weeds appear, they are immediately removed so that they do not take away nutrients from the soil from the petunia.
For the proper development of petunia in the winter, it is necessary to carry out several dressings:
single feeding with fertilizer with nitrogen-containing substances;
once additional food with potassium.

The appearance of aphids, spider mite or infection with diseases such as blackleg or gray rot require special care. To do this, it is recommended to treat the plants with special preparations, avoiding the processing of buds.
Advice! If damaged drying leaves appear, they must be removed promptly.

Preparing petunias for spring planting in open ground
Planting petunia seedlings in open ground depends on the climatic conditions of the region. Gardeners recommend choosing a period of time when the top layer of the earth is warm enough, and at night there are no subzero temperatures.
The soil for seedlings is prepared using garden soil with the addition of vermiculite. Before planting it is loosened for additional oxygenation. Planting material is prepared as follows:
a container with seedlings is spilled abundantly;
carefully pull out the plants along with a clod of earth and a whole root system, trying not to damage;
the stalk is placed deep into the prepared pit by 15 centimeters;
the flower is planted vertically, sprinkled with earth and rammed;
shed with warm water to reduce stress levels on the plant.

A distance of up to 15 centimeters is left between plantings. It is necessary that root systems sprouts did not prevent each other from developing.

Petunia at home on a windowsill in winter. To petunias bloom all year round. Petunia in winter as a uterine and flowering houseplant. Cutting petunias How to properly preserve petunias in winter

We transfer petunia to the house

Cutting as a simple breeding option for petunias

Output

How is petunia cuttings carried out?

How to cultivate correctly?

Can I grow a plant at home?

Reproduction methods

Seeds

By cuttings

Landing kit

Cultivation

At home

In greenhouses

Care rules

Problems, diseases and pests

How to protect the plant?

How does this happen?

Care rules

What to do in spring?

The main advantages of storage

Related videos

Option number 1. Preservation of uterine bushes of petunias in winter

How is petunia cuttings carried out?

Option number 2. Preservation of petunias in the winter by cuttings

Benefits of keeping petunias in winter (cuttings or mature plants)

Benefits of winter petunia conservation

Rules for performing cuttings

Harvesting cuttings

Rooting in the ground

Rooting in water

Care for rooted shoots

Features of cuttings depending on the variety

How to prune petunias for the winter

What are the benefits of winter storage?

Color preservation methods

By transplanting

Using cuttings

Places where you can store a flower

In the apartment

In the cellar

Winter Petunia Care

Preparing petunias for spring planting in open ground