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Lush bushes of petunias with bright flowers delight the eye throughout the warm season. And although it is generally accepted that this plant is unpretentious, it still needs timely and proper care. In particular, the abundance of their flowering will depend on how correctly fertilizers are selected for feeding petunias.
If you are a beginner florist, then you have probably wondered more than once how to feed a petunia for abundant flowering in order to achieve a lasting effect. There are several secrets that we will tell you about in this article.
Varieties of fertilizers
At home, amateur flower growers usually use liquid preparations for feeding. These can be solutions with a high concentration of nutrients. Before fertilizing the soil in which the petunia grows, they must be diluted with water. Depending on what result you want to achieve, you can purchase one of the most popular liquid petunia preparations: Garden of Miracles, Ideal, Uniflor, Bona Forte, Agricola.
In addition, a variety of dry mixes in the form of powder or granular fertilizers can be purchased in specialized stores. They, as a rule, are also diluted with water in the proportion indicated in the instructions for the use of fertilizers for flowering plants. Some of the most common types of dry mixes are Plantofol, Master and Kemira Lux.
There are also long-term fertilizers on sale. Among them are superphosphates, Agricola in capsules, nitroammofoska, Etisso, etc. The soil with these compounds is gradually filled with useful substances under the action of water during watering the plant. Granules of long-term top dressing are added to the soil before planting petunias. This is very convenient, since fertilizer is applied once for the whole season. However, some flower growers have noticed that this kind of top dressing is not enough for the development of a lush flowering plant.
Suppose a petunia bush changes the color of the leaves from green to purple and at the same time the number of buds has decreased. These are sure signs that the flower lacks phosphorus. With the use of liquid preparations for feeding, this problem is quickly solved. To do this, one drug is changed to another, which contains more phosphorus and that’s it. If the petunia recovers, then the disease has been identified correctly. And if not, then you need to continue to look for the cause.
But if you use only long-playing compositions, then most likely the flower will die very quickly. If you overdo it and add more phosphorus to the substrate than you need, which can happen when applying long-term fertilizers, the flower will die. This is due to the fact that the nutrient element will be in the pot for a long time.
Experienced flower growers, as a rule, do not use long-lasting fertilizers. But even if they are used in their practice, it is less than the normalized dose by 2 or 3 times.
Primary fertilization
The first feeding of petunias is carried out approximately 2 weeks after sowing the seeds. Thus, the plants will gain green mass faster, making it easier to form a bush. In this case, complex fertilizers saturated with phosphorus and nitrogen are well suited.
Soluble mixtures such as Ideal, Garden of Miracles and Bona Forte are perfect for primary processing. In addition, dry mixes, such as Master and Plantofol, can also be used at this stage of petunia development.
Top dressing of petunia seedlings is carried out in 3 stages:
- When the first shoots appear. The concentration of fertilizer should be two times less than prescribed in the instructions.
- Fertilizing should be repeated after the seedlings have hardened and become stronger.
- The last treatment is before planting in the ground.
Secondary top dressing
After the appearance of the first buds, the petunia should be sprayed with Planfotol, which contains potassium. In this case, you should use a spray gun with a fine spray.
Water-soluble fertilizer “Crystal Green” is also suitable for the formation of a lush bush. They are handling seedlings. One teaspoon of greenish powder is dissolved in 5 liters of water. This solution is sprayed with petunias every 3-4 days. It is not recommended to spray the plant during the flowering period.
Abundant flowering of petunias is also achieved through fertilizers, which contain large amounts of calcium.
Abundant petunia bloom
To make the buds larger, the petunia can be fertilized with Epin or Zircon. New shoots are formed due to fertilizers saturated with calcium. The flowering period can be extended by feeding the petunia with pink or brown Crystalon.
If the soil in the flower bed is fertile, then the petunia practically does not need to be fed. All that is needed is to pick off wilted buds in a timely manner. Do not overdo it with fertilizers, apply them strictly according to the instructions or make a weaker solution than it states. This is the only way you can grow beautiful petunia bushes. Otherwise, the plant will die.
Feeding methods
There are several ways to feed petunias. Let’s consider each of them separately and in detail. It will be about fertilizing the soil, fertilizing seeds, fertilizing seedlings and adult plants, foliar fertilizing.
Soil top dressing
The quality of the soil is the key to a good appearance of the petunia. In view of this, it can be concluded that the soil needs to be fed. The soil for petunias should not be rich in nutrients. Usually, for the successful cultivation of seedlings, it is enough to add peat to the soil, which provides high-quality drainage.
Before planting the seeds, the ground can be watered with a fungicide that protects the seedlings from the development of the black leg. If you do not have a fungicide, then you can disinfect the soil with ordinary potassium permanganate.
seed fertilizer
The growth and development of petunias, the number of buds and even the duration of flowering depend on the quality and strength of the seeds. Pelleted seeds do not require any fertilizer, but they are more expensive than regular seeds. In order to end up with healthy petunias, fertilizer must be applied from the seed stage when it comes to cheap varieties.
So, the dried soil should be fed with succinic acid after sowing the seeds. Thus, high germination of seedlings is achieved.
Fertilizer seedlings and adult petunias
2 weeks after the dive of the seedlings, the next top dressing can be carried out. Nitrogen fertilizers, as mentioned in the article above, stimulate the growth of bushes, and phosphorus and potash fertilizers contribute to the development of buds.
Ferovit contains iron chelate, which prevents the manifestation of chlorosis or yellowness of petunia leaves. It is necessary to use the drug 3-4 times with an interval of several days. It is worth noting that root top dressing should be alternated with foliar.
Foliar top dressing
Foliar spraying is a category of foliar top dressing. It is worth noting that almost all fertilizers sold in liquid form can be used to spray the leaves. To do this, more water is added to the drug than indicated in the instructions for use. So, you can dispose of petunia disease at an early stage. This approach allows you to achieve a positive result very quickly.
Timely watering
This is not to say that the successful cultivation of beautiful petunias depends only on the timely application of fertilizers. Timely watering is also one of the keys to success in growing this beautifully flowering plant. Obviously, everything ingenious is simple!
Flowers need to be watered in the morning and evening. The best water for irrigation is snow or rain. The water temperature should be 3–4ºС higher than the soil temperature. Water must be of good quality. This is due to the fact that due to poor water, the soil structure is destroyed, toxic ions accumulate, pH changes, the digestibility of fertilizers worsens, the growth and development of petunias slows down, diseases of the root system develop. Watering should be done carefully, pour water under the root so as not to damage the flowers.
So, in order for flowering to be plentiful and long, it is better to use complex fertilizers, and not formulations containing individual nutrients. In addition, it is important to water the flowers on time, using high-quality water for these purposes.
We bring to your attention video materials that will expand your knowledge in the field of fertilizing petunias:
