How to propagate petunia by cuttings in spring

Petunias are highly respected for their beauty and unpretentiousness. Therefore, the exotic beauty filled the gardens and flower beds, and most importantly - the hearts of breeders. Every gardener knows how petunia reproduces - seeds, seedlings, cuttings. But how to propagate petunia quickly and with the greatest probability of rooting? Breeders will boldly answer - by cuttings.

Cutting petunias: benefits

Why is this method chosen when breeding petunias in the first place:

• the root system of such seedlings develops more rapidly;
• seedlings take root better during transplantation and are more resistant to open ground conditions;
• in comparison with petunias obtained from seeds, cuttings beauties bloom two weeks earlier;
• economically, in comparison with buying seedlings or seeds;

Petunia is capable of vegetative reproduction throughout the year.

• quickly - the time period from the first cut to the blooming of a new young bush is two months;
• even a novice florist can handle cuttings;
• this procedure does not require the use of special technique or equipment.

Propagation of petunias by cuttings allows you to preserve the properties of hybrid varieties

Step by step cuttings in water

Shoots for cutting need to choose healthy, strengthened. The cut must be done obliquely in one motion. If the shoot is not apical, then the lower cut should be oblique, and the upper one should be flat.

The cut shoot should be at least 4 cm long and have at least two nodules. The lower leaves need to be removed, the upper ones can be cut in half.

Young petunia

1. Cut off shoots are placed in water for launching roots. The dishes should be opaque, preferably metal or plastic. Water needs pre-settled (at least a day).
2. Kornevin is added to the water, which speeds up the process of emergence of roots.
3. In order to disinfect the process, you need to dilute one tablet of activated carbon in water.
4. When the liquid evaporates, there is no need to replace it, just add.
5. The optimum temperature for cuttings in water is not lower than 20 degrees.

The first roots appear after 7 days.

Shoots ready for rooting

When the first roots appear, the shoot is ready for rooting in loose and nutritious soil (two parts of sod land and one part of peat and sand). Rooting is fast.

After 2-3 weeks in the soil, the seedlings need to be hardened for several days in the place of their future growth. After hardening, the seedlings are ready for planting in open ground or pots.

How to root petunias directly into the soil

The stem should have two internodes and four healthy leaves. The lower leaves are removed. No more than 1/3 of the shoot length should be immersed in the soil.

For better germination, 1-1.5 cm of the lower part of the stem is treated with Kornevin. A glass prepared for seedlings should have a drainage layer and drainage holes.

The soil should be loose, nutritious and not retaining moisture. The composition of the soil for petunia is two parts of sod land, one part of sand and peat.To maintain the correct level of soil moisture, vermiculite is added to the mixture. For looseness and additional respiration of the roots, perlite is added to the soil.

After placing the cuttings in the soil, cover the pot with plastic or glassware. The greenhouse effect creates an optimal moisture level for early rooting.

The pot with the shoot should be in partial shade, at a temperature not lower than 20 ° C.

Every day, the soil needs to be moistened by spraying, and the shoot should be ventilated in the open air.

Cuttings planted in the soil

Rooting of healthy petunia cuttings occurs after 7-9 days.

With the beginning of active growth, the first pinching is done to awaken the lateral buds.

Seedlings can eventually be transferred into a larger pot, if you wait a long time before planting in open ground or pots

Spring cuttings

In the summer, when the garden or veranda needs to be decorated with flowering pots, one petunia bush can be easily propagated to several dozen bushes.

In this case, the mother plant will not be affected. This should be done during the next pinching of the petunia, before flowering, or during pruning in order to correct the shape of the bush.

Summer cuttings

Cutting petunias in summer allows you to harvest healthy and vigorous planting material. It is possible to propagate petunia by cuttings in summer, as if prolonging the life of your flowering garden, during the entire flowering period.

When cutting flowering shoots, the peduncle is removed

With the help of summer cuttings, you can admire the variety you like every year, extending its life through new cuttings. The most optimal propagation period for the extension of the genus of a certain variety is mid or late August.

At the end of August, petunia loses its decorative effect, so you should choose the healthiest bush, or the healthiest shoots on it. Rooting is carried out as in the case of spring cuttings. Thus, a mother plant is obtained, which will give new cuttings in winter for spring seedlings.

How to keep a mother plant

After rooting summer cuttings, the mature seedlings are transplanted into not too large pots. On an ongoing basis, young shoots should be fertilized with potash and phosphorus fertilizers. These fertilizers enable the flower to accumulate nutrients for the upcoming dormant period.

You can leave the summer plant for wintering. The bush is dug up, or transferred from the planter into a smaller pot.

The optimum temperature for wintering petunias is 16 degrees. The lower the temperature, the less light the flower requires. Watering is reduced, but without overdrying the earthen lump of the plant. Until the end of November during the dormant period, the flower does not need to be disturbed by spraying, fertilization and other procedures. Cool air, moderate lighting, and occasional watering are all he needs.

From the end of November, the plant awakening period begins. Only additional lighting with fluorescent lamps is added to the conditions of detention. The temperature remains the same. If you put the petunias in a warm place now, it will actively grow. Only the stems will be stretched out like strings and pale. Harvested cuttings from such a plant will be painful and quickly die.

The beginning of January is the awakening of the petunia. Daylight hours should be at least 16 hours.Nitrogen-containing fertilizers should be applied once every two weeks for active growth of the root system and greenery.

Winter cuttings

A month after waking up, the bush will grow overgrown with many shoots, ready for cuttings. The period for cutting young shoots from the mother bush is February-May. It is better to root the cuttings immediately in the prepared soil. Small cut stems can be rooted in peat tablets that have been moistened beforehand.

When the stalk begins to grow actively, it will be ready to pinch to create more bushiness of the petunia. You need to pinch healthy, strengthened shoots, which began to actively grow up. After pinching, at least 6 leaves should remain on the seedlings. And the pinched off shoot is again suitable for rooting. Such shoots can be rooted both in water and immediately in the soil.

Winter seedlings are a little pale, but with the arrival of spring they will regain their rich color.

Basic rules for the propagation of petunias by cuttings

To get quality planting material, you need to take care of the healthy growth of the mother plant long before grafting. Provide it with all the necessary conditions for active growth and flowering, as well as regularly feed it with organics and minerals.

A properly chosen cutting stalk is half the battle. If it is painful, too thin, or too short, it may take root, but a successful bush is unlikely to grow out of it.

You need to cut off the shoot with a processed tool and in one cut. When cutting, it is important to remember that the mother plant should receive the minimum amount of damage. You need to act carefully.

Healthy seedlings ready to be planted outdoors

The correct size of the pot will provide an active growth of the petunia root system, which means a supply of strength and nutrition for the period of active growth and adaptation after transplantation. Too small a pot for petunias can cause stunted growth and no flowering.

Taking good care of your home seedlings guarantees the growth of a beautiful and healthy shrub. Moisture is created in the first weeks of rooting using a greenhouse. Moistening the soil by spraying should be carried out daily, but in moderation. The optimum temperature for seedlings is from 16 to 24 degrees. Lighting - partial shade. In winter, you need to provide seedlings with 10-hour daylight hours.

Scheme

To create a beautiful bush, it is important to pinch the upper processes in time.

Growing and vegetation of ampelous petunia

Ampel petunia is very sensitive to transplantation. Her seedlings must be planted immediately in a pot, and then placed in a flower pot. In late autumn, with the onset of stable cold weather, all shoots are cut off on the flower, which can be used for propagation at once. Or you can winterize the mother plant and cut it in the spring.

Is it possible to cut petunia at home? Of course yes! This is the easiest and fastest way to grow a large number of seedlings of your favorite varieties. The vegetative propagation method allows propagation of modern hybrid varieties with a full range of their decorative qualities.