Ampoule petunia is an annual herbaceous plant with creeping shoots 30-120 cm. The leaves are oval, lanceolate. Shoots are pubescent. Funnel-shaped flowers are located in the axils of the leaves along the entire length of the stem. Petals are simple or terry. The color of the corolla is monophonic or multi-colored. The color scheme from snow-white to deep purple shades. Corolla size from dwarf forms up to 10 cm in diameter. On multi-flowered varieties, the size of buds is up to 8 cm, 4-5 stamens. The fruit is a bivalve box. The seeds are small. It is easiest to grow it.
Petunia is easy to select. Therefore, at present, a large number of its varieties and species has been developed, which is constantly replenished.
For your information! Cascading petunias are a subspecies of ampelous. They have a thicker stem, in comparison with most ampelous flower sizes are the same.
Ampoule petunias in cache-pots
In addition to coloring the corolla, the plants are also divided according to the type of flower into terry or with a double edge and simple. Ampel terry petunia has a greater number of petals than usual. This gives the flowers splendor, airiness and makes them more noticeable. Terry is inherent in hybrid varieties. In addition, there are small-flowered ampelous and large-flowered petunias.
Small-flowered undemanding care, do not need additional nutrition, can grow almost anywhere. Their diversity is as great as that of plants with large flowers.
By the nature of the growth of plants, they are classified as erect or ampelous. Ampelic varieties are widely used as landscaping and decoration of balconies, terraces, containers. They are also planted in flower beds, where petunias are able to decorate a large area or hide bare land.
Note! Varieties of ampels have different shoot lengths, flowering periods, and resistance to adverse factors.
The following flower varieties are most popular in Russia.
Easy Wave
Translated from English "light wave". The variety is bred in the USA. This is an unpretentious plant, which is characterized by rich and long flowering almost all summer. Flowers with a diameter of 7 cm with a faint aroma. Easy Wave rises 20-30 cm above the ground and then falls to a meter long.
Variety subtypes:
- shoots of Easy Burgundy, with two-color corollas, reach 2 m;
- Yellow looks relatively compact. This is a spherical bush with yellow-white flowers;
- Red Velor blooms in red velvet flowers with dark veins on the petals, a black center;
- Palm Wayne has a lavender bud color.
Opera
Unpretentious in care, has a well-developed branching at the base of the shoot. Flowers 5-6 cm, located along the entire length of the stem. The lashes grow to 100 cm. In a hanging basket it is most often spherical, dense.
Petunia Opera White
Other subspecies:
- Blue terry whisks are painted in bright blue. With a long flowering period;
- Parple is distinguished by numerous purple, violet-raspberry flowers;
- Coral in the adult state takes the form of a dome. Blooms in coral colors;
- White is famous for its snow-white color of petals that delight the eye for 5 months.
Rapunzel
This plant is up to 80 cm long. At a young age, shoots are erect, but in the process of growth they begin to hang down. Over time, a sprawling cascade of red or white color grows. The diameter of the corolla with simple petals is up to 8 cm. Flowering from June to early autumn.
Success
Translated from English means "success". The size of the lashes is on average 70 cm. Early large flowers in large numbers appear together. Flowering runs evenly. The flower is resistant to bad weather.
Note! The Success Silver Vein variety, in which the color of the corolla is pastel pink with a silver tint, dark veins, stands out especially.
Avalanche
This is an early flowering petunia with giant flowers up to 10 cm in size. The stems grow up to 45-50 cm. Thin shoots with small leaves. Ampoule Avalanche white petunia is popular. During flowering, its snow-white corollas with a yellow center densely cover the stems. The plant is not demanding in care. The flowering period of white ampelous petunia is from early summer to mid-autumn. Another variety is the purple avalanche. Peduncles are lilac-purple with a darker core.
Kreisitunia Mandeville
Belongs to the series Kreizituny. It differs in a spherical shape and a special coloring of flowers. Petals have a velvety dark red color with a yellow vein. The shape of the corolla resembles a lily. It begins to bloom back in May so abundantly that practically no greenery is visible. Compared with most other ampel varieties, the bush looks higher (up to 40 cm) and more dense.
Starry sky
This novelty was bred by German breeders in 2015. The scourge grows to 1 m, strongly branches. Long flowering. The name of the variety accurately conveys what its flowers look like. Corollas are painted in intense blue-violet color, on which white spots are sprayed like stars. Flowers have the texture of velveteen. This color is very similar to space. Despite its recent origin, this variety has already become very popular among gardeners.
Petunia Starry Sky
Big Time ampelous
Compact bush with lush flowering of pink buds from simple petals. The plant is characterized by fairly good endurance. Unlike many of its relatives, it has small shoots. As a result of branching, it forms a spherical shape.
For your information! There are still varieties of small ampelous petunias. They are less whimsical in open ground.
In a temperate climate, petunias are best planted in open ground with seedlings. Then growth will be faster.
Sowing dates
The plant development time from the sowing period to the flowering period is on average about 3 months. In a temperate climate, backlighting is desirable for the first time so that the seedlings do not stretch or weaken. Usually this is mid-February - early March.
Note! Seeds are granular and simple. Granulation - coating seeds with protective and nutritional properties. Minus of granular seeds - their quality is not visible.
For landing you will need:
- seeds;
- soil;
- containers for landing;
- scoop, tweezers (one that is convenient for lenses);
- sprayer%
- water.
The soil
The soil should be light, neutral acidity, nutritious. The soil can be composed independently. For this you need turf land, peat, coarse sand. Ready-made soil suitable for petunias is sold in stores, for example, a ready-made mixture for violets.
Important! Before use, any soil must be calcined or shed with boiling water. If the earth is from the garden, then you can simply treat it with a potassium permanganate solution so as not to harm the earthworms.
Sowing Petunia Seeds
There should be a hole in the container or cup to drain excess water. Otherwise, the seedling will perish.
Sowing
Seeding Stages:
- Expanded clay is placed at the bottom of the tank.
- Then a layer of soil. It should be taken a little. It is better not to fill the soil to the very top of the pot, otherwise it will be inconvenient to water.
- The substrate is moistened from a spray bottle.
- Using tweezers, seeds are distributed in containers.
- Planting material is slightly crushed.
- All sprayed.
- It is covered with a glass lid or a plastic bag on top.
- Sign the date of sowing. Better not with a pen, it can be erased over time.
Note! For the convenience of planting, the seeds can be mixed with sand and then just sow. There is an option of landing on snow, which is poured with a thin even layer into a container on the ground.
After planting, the containers are placed in a room with a temperature of about 25 ° C.
Many gardeners use peat tablets. In a soaked tablet, place one granular seed or two ordinary. When transplanting seedlings, seedlings are used with an already prepared root system, without removing the tablet.
When sowing seeds in open ground, a place under the flower bed is dug up, complex fertilizer is added. Then sow seeds mixed with sand.
Many gardeners prefer to buy ready-made seedlings.
Sprouts begin to emerge after about a week. During this time, the container should be aired for 20-30 minutes. in a day. When seedlings appear, you can start to air twice a day.
It should be borne in mind that the seeds of different varieties of petunias can sprout at different times. You must read the instructions in advance, which is usually written on the packaging.
When caring for seedlings, the following conditions must be observed:
- monitor the light mode, but shade from direct sunlight;
- observe that the soil is always slightly moist. Gently pour water at room temperature;
- ventilate. At this time, you can spray;
- for hardening it is enough to take out boxes with seedlings on the street for 20-30 minutes;
- remove condensation on the container lid.
Important! At the beginning of growth, upright stems form on young plants. It is on them that shoots develop, which then hang down, forming a powerful cascade of flowers. Therefore, they can not be pinched.
Petunia seedlings
When the seedlings have three leaves, they are planted in separate containers. It is advisable to do this with a small lump of soil around the roots to avoid injury. To relieve stress during transplantation and better growth after, you can treat petunias with the biological product HB-101 or epin.
At this time, the air temperature is gradually lowered to 18 ° C. Watering is reduced to a slight drying of the topsoil. Gradually increase the ventilation, thus hardening the seedlings. The soil is carefully loosened so that a crust does not form. The container is periodically deployed so that the plant develops correctly and does not turn out one-sided.
Note! A week later, when the flowers take root, they can be fed complex fertilizer once a week.
Growing ampelous petunias are planted on the street after all spring frosts have passed. The transplant is carried out on a cloudy day so that the seedlings do not burn. Before this, the lump of land is slightly dried. Then it will be easier to take out of the container. After the seedling was taken out of the tank, trying not to damage the roots, the plant is transferred to the prepared hole, covered with earth and a little tamped soil around the shoot. The distance between the seedlings of large-flowered petunias is observed at 20-25 cm. Small-flowered plants are planted after 15-20 cm from each other.
If you want to plant several flowers in a container, then first they are distributed in the hole, and then gaps are filled with soil. In this case, it is calculated that 1 liter of soil per root.
Planting seedlings in open ground
After transplanting, a thin layer of peat, last year's humus or sawdust is added, thus preventing the soil from drying out quickly and crusting.
Most petunias prefer the sun or light partial shade, open area. But, planting young plants in open ground, they should be protected for some time from the scorching sun. For this purpose, use spandex or gauze, folded 2-3 times.
Note! Gusts of strong winds and thunderstorms can cause serious harm to the fragile lashes of ampelous plants. This can adversely affect flowering.
Open ground differs from substrate for seedlings. It should be sandy loam soil, heavier, and drainage lower than at home.
10 days after transplanting onto the street, ampelous petunias begin to feed. For this purpose, fertilizers with a high nitrogen content are used. Then the plants during the growing season grow better. Three weeks after transplantation, they switch to feeding for flowering plants. Such fertilizers contain a large amount of potassium. It contributes to the budding process, that is, more magnificent flowering.
For lush flowering, it is not enough to plant plants on time. There are a number of reasons why petunias feel unwell:
- imbalance of nutrients. You should carefully read the instructions for the use of fertilizers. It’s better not to add a bit than to overdo it;
- if the shoots have a dull, thinned appearance, then most likely there is not enough sunlight;
- improper watering can also cause buds to drop.
Important! For abundant flowering, faded corollas should be removed.
When choosing a plant, it is worth considering the style and interior design, as well as pay attention to the color scheme. There may be several varieties in one container. Other types of flowers can also be adjacent, for example, fern, lobelia, hosta.
As a result of all this information, it becomes clear that ampelous petunias are quite unpretentious flowers that differ in long flowering. There is a wide selection in grades and their varieties. This plant is able to grow not only pros, but also beginners in gardening.
