Picking up petunia seedlings after germination in March: the rules for transplanting into separate containers

Want to know when and how to dive petunia seedlings correctly? Now you will find out everything!

Further, you will find all the most relevant information about the timing, rules and nuances of picking petunias at home, as well as caring for seedlings after the transplant procedure into large or individual containers.

Why does petunia need a pick

The picking procedure, as a rule, means planting plants from a common container into separate and more spacious containers, in other words, this is a transplantation of plants on a large feeding area.

Interesting! In fact, petunia even do not dive, namely, overloadtrying to transplant plants along with a clod of earth.

However, during transshipment, the roots are not damaged at all, whereas in our case, keeping the soil on the roots is just a recommendation.

So the goal is picks is to give the plant the opportunity to develop better, gradually mastering large areas and spaces, thereby stimulating the development of the root system.

Petunia is very fond of diving. Even tiny "blooms", which have only 2 true leaves, after a pick, begin to grow even faster.

As for the number of picks, it all depends on your desire and capabilities.

• As a rule, most gardeners make only 1 dive - from the total capacity they dive into individual ones.
• But you can also make 2 picks - the first time, when the seedlings become cramped in the common container, cut it back into the common one, but place each seedling on a large feeding area (at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other), and the second time - already in individual cup.

Those flower growers who have very a lot of free space (there is a wishing greenhouse), they can first pick separately in smaller containers (100-200 ml), and then in larger ones (300-500 ml).

Video: when and how to dive a petunia - instructions for diving in stage 3

Is it possible to grow petunia seedlings without picking

Indeed, many novice florists ask themselves this question. In fact, it is not so easy to grow high-quality seedlings without picking.

Important! You should immediately understand that such seedlings will develop rather slowly, it will be trivial for young roots to master such a large space, due to overflows, the soil can become very sour ...

We will not describe in detail (after all, an article about picking), just start.

• Initially, the main difficulty is to sow the smallest petunia seeds as sparsely as possible. For this, as an option, you can purchase coated petunia seeds, they are much more convenient to use for a single landing.

Advice! In general, the optimal solution would be planting petunias in peat tablets.

Video: petunia without picking - all stages of growing

When to dive petunia seedlings

A petunia pick is usually carried out after the seedlings have 2 small true leaves (+2 cotyledons).

Important! If seedlings not very densely planted and she has enough space in the total container, then you can wait for the next pair of real leaves to appear, i.e. pick at the stage of 3-4 true leaves.

As for the approximate timeframe, an average of 3-4 weeks should pass from sowing to the moment of picking petunias. And if you count from the moment of germination, then 2-3 weeks.

Let's say you sowed petunia at the end of February - beginning of March, therefore, you can start picking in the second half or end of March.

Advice! However, you should not count the days - first of all, you need to pay attention to the appearance of the plant: the number of leaves and the general condition (whether they are crowded).

How to dive petunia seedlings correctly

So, the seedlings of the petunia have formed a pair of real leaves, which means that the moment has come for picking it. However, before you start diving, you need to properly prepare for the procedure: prepare the soil, pick up a container (cups, pots) suitable for the dive, and also buy a couple of useful drugs (which, most likely, you already have).

Soil preparation

For picking a petunia, exactly the same soil is suitable as when sowing seeds for seedlings: in structure - light and loose (moisture and air permeable), in fertility - not poor (it can be more fertile than when planting seeds),acidity - neutral.

Of course, the easiest way is to buy and use ready-made soil for growing flower seedlings.

But you can prepare the soil mixture by yourself, for example, mixing high-moor peat, humus and sand.

Even if you use purchased soil, it is still very desirable to carry out the procedure. disinfection in one of the ways.

You can disinfect the soil by steaming in the oven or microwave, or spilling the drug solution Fitosporin (according to instructions)... Better yet, do both (first steam, then cool and spill with bio-fungicide).

Dive container

To pick petunia seedlings, prepare planting containers at least 6 centimeters high and 4-6 cm in diameter.

In other words, you can use plastic cups with a volume 0.2-0.3 liters (400-500 ml is possible). However, ordinary pots or cassettes are also suitable. Use what is convenient for you!

If you plan to make a second transplant, then for the first pick, of course, you need to take containers of a smaller volume (100-200 ml), and then transfer them into 300-500 ml.

And do not forget that the landing container must have drain holes to drain excess moisture. Or you can pour 1-2cm drainage layer from expanded clay. And you can do both (if you so desire), but this is not at all necessary.

Step-by-step picking process

Step-by-step instructions for picking petunias at home:

• A few (2-4) hours before picking, young seedlings are very desirable spill lightly with warm waterso that the earthen ball is well separated.
• Next, you need to fill the pots with soil mixture (but not completely, by about 2 / 3-3 / 4, so that you can water the plant normally and add soil as it grows / stretches).

Spill abundantly with water, or do it after the dive.

• Make small holes in the middle - holes (landing holes).
• Gently remove the plants from the container along with a clod of earth. Then, slowly, using a spoon (sticks, tweezers), carefully separate the plants from each other, trying not to damage their roots and, if possible, keep an earthen lump on them (roots).

By the way! If the seedlings are thickened and the roots are intertwined, then you need to try, slowly, to untangle the roots and keep the soil on them.

Of course, you can try to wash with water, but this will only make it more difficult to disassemble the roots.

• Transfer the plants to the wells, almost to the cotyledons, and gently compact the soilso that they sit in the ground.

By the way! For prevention black leg and other fungal diseases in each container (in the ground) you can put a tablet of "Glyokladina".

• Water well again (without getting on the plants).

Instead of ordinary water, for better survival of the seedlings after picking, it can be spilled with a solution of the drugs "Kornevin", "Energen".

Video: how to dive petunia seedlings - the easiest way

Features of picking petunias planted in peat tablets

In general, the essence growing petunia seedlings in peat tablets is to bypass the picking process.

However, if your petunias have outgrown peat tablets, for example, due to the fact that you originally sown them in small tablets, then you will have to dive ... more precisely transplant by transshipment.

The transplant process is very similar (almost the same), perhaps very desirable remove the protective grid.

Care of petunia seedlings after a pick

For the first time (1-2 days), the cut seedlings of petunia should be placed to a cooler and slightly shaded place (In no case under direct sunlight!), Where the daytime temperature will be kept within +16 .. + 20 degrees. In such conditions, the seedlings will take root as quickly as possible and will definitely not stretch out.

In the future, you can return the pots with seedlings to a light windowsill, where the temperature is kept in the range of +18 .. + 22 degrees.

10-14 days after the pick it will be possible to make feeding seedlings of petunias... Do not feed just like that, look at the state of the plant! It's another matter if you dived petunias into not very nutritious soil and noticed that in appearance the plants clearly lack nutrition.

Advice! To feed flower seedlings, it is very convenient to use complex fertilizers (for example, Fertika Lux), which include both macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) and most trace elements.

But in general, further care is similar - you maintain light and temperature conditions, water, feed as needed.

How often to water the seedlings?

The frequency of watering depends on the temperature, the age of the seedlings, the volume of the pot, humidity, the location of the seedlings (sun, partial shade).

The general rule is as the soil dries up.

What to do if, after picking a petunia, its development slowed down and other problems of growing seedlings

Let's look at several possible situations:

• Plants very often lag behind in growth due to temperature fluctuations (very hot during the day - above 25 degrees, cold at night - less than 15 degrees).

However! Small temperature drops (4-6 degrees), on the contrary, are very useful, they contribute to hardening of plants, which means that your seedlings will grow strong and healthy.

• If the seedlings look sluggish, then perhaps you put them in direct sunlight, where they are very uncomfortable.
• If you see that the plants have very thin stems and the seedlings are stretched out, then most likely the problem is a lack of light or too high a temperature.

If the petunia raised the leaves (like the ears of a hare stood up), but this plant did not stretch, the problem is also in the absence of light or heat.

• If you notice that the petunia blackleg, then, most likely, you water your seedlings too often, or used heavy soil in which water stagnates, or simply did not drain.

We hope that you are now ready to pick petunia seedlings. The process is not as difficult as it seems, you just need to fill your hand. Almost all flower and vegetable seedlings dive in almost the same way. Learn how to dive petunias correctly = you can dive any plants (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cabbage, lobelia and even strawberries) .

Video: growing petunias from seeds - picking seedlings