Rules for sowing petunia seeds for seedlings at home: a step-by-step guide for novice florists

Petunia seedlings can always be found in flower markets, because this flower is very popular. However, you came to this article not because you want to buy ready-made planting material, but on the contrary, you are eager to plant petunia seeds for seedlings on your own and go all the way from the appearance of the first small sprouts to the gorgeous flowering of large bright buds.

In this material you will find all the necessary information on how to properly sow petunia seeds for seedlings at home.

When to plant petunias for seedlings: optimal timing

If you want petunia to start blooming in May, then sowing petunia seeds must be done 3 months before planting in the ground, i.e. in the month of February and March.

Advice! In order not to bother too much with backlighting, it is still better to sow seeds in March, picking up early varieties.

Select more accurate landing dates depending on the climatic characteristics of your region, namely, when the threat of return frost passes and the soil warms up to 10 degrees Celsius.

For example, in the South of Russia, you can sow already from February, but in Middle lane (Moscow region) - from late February to early March, in the Urals and Siberia - from the second half of March.

Note! The site already has an article about how to calculate the optimal timing for when to plant petunias for seedlings, including the dates of sowing according to the lunar calendar in 2020.

How to sow petunia for seedlings correctly: the preparatory stage

Before proceeding with the direct sowing of seeds, you need to buy high-quality seeds, prepare a soil mixture (soil) and select suitable containers for seedlings.

Selection of quality seeds

One of the main factors for the successful and rapid germination of seeds is their freshness... In other words, it is desirable sow the seeds harvested last year.

So in the spring of 2020 you should sow seeds 2019 collection.

By the way! The site has detailed material about how to independently harvest petunia seeds.

The fact is that small petunia seeds are not stored for a long time and quickly lose their germination. As a rule, it makes sense to sow seeds no older than 2 years, because already 3-year-old seeds germinate very, very poorly.

Term of biological viability petunia seeds - 2 years!

Suitable soil

The soil for sowing petunia seeds for seedlings should be as light and loose as possible (soft and “melting” in the hands) and necessarily neutral acidity (6-6.5 pH).

Note! At the initial stage (seed germination, especially small ones) of growing petunias, soil in which there are too many nutrients, on the contrary, can adversely affect the condition of young seedlings.

Where to find such soil?

• Purchase a ready-made soil mixture for growing flower seedlings in a garden store. Now on sale you can even find soil for petunias.

• Prepare yourself (including on the basis of purchased land (peat) and sand).

Several recipes for preparing "air" (moisture and air permeable) soil for sowing seeds:

• Recipe number 1: 3 parts of deoxidized peat, 1 part of sod and leafy soil, and 1 part of river sand.
• Recipe number 2: 2 parts of peat, 1 part of humus and sand.
• Recipe number 3: 3 parts of peat and 1 part of sand.

Important! If you have sour peat, then for every kilogram of prepared soil mixture you will need to add 1 tbsp. spoon wood ash (to reduce acidity).

Next stage - soil disinfection... Moreover, this applies to both self-prepared soil mixture and purchased.

Disinfect the soil in the following ways:

• Steam in the oven or microwave.
• Spill the old-fashioned way with a solution of potassium permanganate or a modern biological product Fitosporin (the second will be much more effective).

Better yet, do both (first ignite, then cool and spill).

Immediately before boarding, highly desirable sift the soil through a sieve, so that there are no lumps or sticks in it. And it is not necessary to sift all the soil, it will be enough sift only the top layer (1-2 cm).

Planting containers

For the initial cultivation of petunia seedlings, you need a total container - shallow (4-5 cm high), but wide enough.

Thus, as a planting container for sowing petunia seeds, you can use:

• plastic food container with a lid;

• wooden or plastic box for seedlings;

Advice! Transparent containers are more practical because you can easily assess how wet the soil is and whether it is worth watering, which is very important at the initial stage of growing petunia seedlings.

• peat tablets.

By the way! About, how to use peat tablets for sowing and growing petunia seedlings, read more in this separate article.

Also, do not forget that the landing container must have drain holesso that excess moisture flows out unhindered and does not stagnate. Alternatively, you can add drainage layer from expanded clay. Or you can do both (if you so desire), but this is not necessary at all, it is enough to choose one thing.

Advice! If you have chosen containers with transparent walls, then, in principle, you do not need to make drainage holes, because you can control the degree of soil moisture. However, if you are afraid to overflow the soil, then do it better!

Methods for planting petunia seeds for seedlings and step-by-step guides for direct sowing

So, depending on which seeds you purchased - regular or pelleted, whether you have snow (you can take it from the refrigerator), you can choose one of the petunia sowing methods you like.

Standard sowing of small seeds (universal instructions)

Step-by-step instructions for the classic sowing of petunia seeds for seedlings:

• Fill the planting container 3/4 full with suitable soil, level the surface and lightly compact.

The surface should be as flat as possiblesince seeds will be sown superficially and compacted, that they did not fall into the lower layers.

• Moisten the soil thoroughly. Be sure to level the soil surface again after wetting.
• In order for the seeds to spread over the surface as evenly as possible, they can be mixed with sand.

• Sow by scattering the seeds over the surface of the soil or spreading the seeds with a toothpick (after wetting its tip). The more evenly you distribute the seeds, the more convenient it will be for you to pick.

Important! In no caseno need to bury or sprinkle the seeds on top with soil. We sow only superficially! The seeds are small, they simply do not have enough strength to break through the thickness of the soil.

• If you wish, you can lightly squeeze the seeds with your hand so that they "stick" to the ground (in other words, it is desirable to ensure good contact of the seeds with the soil).

Because petunias have very small seeds, and the sowing is superficial, they should not be sprayed with a spray bottle.

• Cover with a lid, glass, cling film or bag to create a greenhouse effect, i.e. mini greenhouse (high humidity will help the seeds germinate faster).
• Sign the container or stick the seed pack label to know exactly what is planted.
• Remove container with seeds in a warm a place, where the optimum temperature for seed germination is kept - + 22..25 degrees, according to other sources, even + 25..30 degrees is better (the lower the temperature, the longer you will have to wait for germination, the higher - the faster).

Think! It is believed that petunia seeds germinate only in the light, so in February they are placed under lamps (12-14 hour daylight hours). However, as practice shows, this is not entirely true. The seed dish can be easily removed to the kitchen cabinet. Another thing is that it is very important to get out and rearrange the container with seedlings in time to the light, otherwise they will quickly stretch out.

Sowing coated seeds

If you purchased pelleted petunia seeds, then sowing is even easier:

• Everything is similar to the previous method, only in this case you will be able to more evenly distribute the seeds over the surface (optimally at a distance of 1-2 cm from each other).

• Again, if desired, you can manually press the seeds lightly into the soil.
• After sowing, you can slightly moisten the pelleted seeds from the spray bottle, that they got wet faster and began to germinate.

However! Some experts believe that when sowing granular seeds, they do not need to be sprayed additionally. The fact is that the substance of the granule can be different in composition: some granules dissolve immediately, others retain their shape until the emergence of seedlings.

• Cover with foil (make a greenhouse), remove to a warm place (+25 degrees) until the seeds germinate.

By the way! You can sow pelleted seeds immediately in individual containers (the same cassettes) or peat tablets.

Sowing in grooves (in rows)

So that later it would be convenient to take care of the growing petunia seedlings (including dive), you can sow seeds not randomly, distributing them over the surface, but immediately along the grooves.

Important! If you are going to sow ordinary small seeds, then the soil must be pre-moistened, if pelleted, then you can water it after sowing.

• So, you need to make very shallow grooves (literally a couple of millimeters deep), so to speak, outline rows at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other.
• Next, spread the seeds into grooves, trying to keep a distance of 1-2 cm between them.

Seeds (dragees) are very convenient to lay out with a toothpick, moistening its tip, to which they will stick well.

Or mix ordinary seeds with sand and sprinkle evenly from the leaf.

Interesting! Some people manage to pick up ordinary small seeds with a moistened tip of a toothpick.

• If you sowed granulated seeds, then moisten from a spray bottle (spray the seeds so that the seed coat becomes sour). If the usual small ones, then they had to be sown immediately on moistened soil.
• Make a greenhouse (close with a lid or cover with foil) and remove to a warm place (+25) until shoots appear.

Video: sowing petunias in rows

Sowing in the snow

Because petunia can be sown even in winter, it is very convenient to sow seeds in the snow (they will be better seen on a white background):

• On top of the soil mixture, you need to lay a layer of snow (1-2 centimeters).
• Next, spread the petunia seeds evenly over the snow.

The advantage of planting in the snow is that after the snow melts, the seeds will be in the ground at the optimum depth (they will be only slightly “pressed”, so to speak, “pulled” into the soil).

Also, snow will contribute to the gradual dissolution of the shell of pelleted seeds.

• Wait until the snow melts, cover with foil or a lid, remove to a warm place (+25 degrees).

However! There is an unfounded opinion that petunia seeds do not require any cold stratification, on the contrary, for good germination, the optimum temperature is + 25-30 degrees. Accordingly, after sowing petunia seeds on the snow, germination may be delayed.

Video: how to plant petunia seeds in the snow

Further care for petunia seedlings after germination

Before seeds germinate and germinate, you will need to monitor the soil moisture in your greenhouse. Open the lid daily or remove the airing film - once a day for 5-10 minutes, so that strong condensation does not form inside.

Petunia shoots usually appear in 5-10 days (maximum after 14). After unfolding the cotyledon leaves, the cover (shelter) can be removed.

Note! And about that how to care for young shoots of petunia seedlings before planting in open ground or a pot (pots), read more in this article.

Now you know that the first step to getting quality petunia seedlings is sowing it on time and correctly, which also consists in choosing quality seeds, light soil and suitable planting containers.

By the way! And you can also petunia grow from cuttings.

Video: how to properly sow petunia seeds for seedlings