Features of growing plants at home: how to feed petunia for abundant flowering?
Petunia is a decorative culture, one of the advantages of which is its unpretentiousness in terms of care. This option is perfect for beginner gardeners. But it is simply impossible to achieve long and lush flowering without top dressing in petunias. Today there is a wide selection of both purchased and home-made fertilizers of these amazing colors.
In this article, we will consider how to feed petunia during growth and how to fertilize for abundant and lush flowering, which preparations and folk remedies to use at home. Also watch a helpful video on the topic.
Plant description
This is a perennial or annual plant, which is represented in a wide variety of species and varieties - from bush to cascading species, ampelous. Besides, petunia is replete with a wide palette of flowers, which incorporates the following colors:
- white;
- pink;
- Violet;
- blue;
- red.
Watering and dressing rules
Water the flower very carefully. For these purposes, a medical syringe is suitable. Thanks to him, the watering is drip. Moisturize as soon as the earthen.
If the irrigation is irregular, then the appearance of the plant will deteriorate: yellow and dry leaves are formed, and the lower part of the branches is completely bare. Such a petunia will not only not bloom, but will also be at great risk of becoming ill and dying.
Top dressing is one of the stages of petunia care, which involves the addition of useful trace elements to the soil, which contributes to abundant and lush flowering. The main purpose of feeding petunias with folk remedies is to accelerate the growth and development of the plant, create durable protection against pests and diseases and stimulate lush, plentiful and prolonged flowering.
Kinds
Folk remedies
Of the folk ways of feeding petunias during flowering, the most effective remain:
- Ash. It contributes to the intensive growth of the plant, fights diseases and has a positive effect on the flowering process. You can add it under the root or prepare a solution (300 g of ash and 10 l of boiling water).
- Chicken droppings. It improves seedling growth and promotes lush flowering. Only use it extremely carefully. Pure pure chicken droppings are prohibited. Take 1 kg of raw materials, pour 10 liters of water. Set in a dark place for 7-10 days. After filtering and add 1 tsp. potassium permanganate and vitriol. Water the plant with the resulting solution.
- Nettle. A solution prepared from it can be used not only to prolong flowering. Nettle is famous for its antimicrobial properties. Fill the bucket with 2/3 nettles and pour boiling water. Insist 5 hours, filter and water the flower.
What is on sale?
Most often, flower growers use liquid solutions to feed petunias during flowering.
Agricola
This type of fertilizer is characterized by a rich composition, which explains the effectiveness of the drug. During its development, organics, minerals and liquid elements were used. The composition of the fertilizer is perfectly balanced in the concentration of nitrogen-phosphorus components and potassium.
Using Agricola, you can increase the stress resistance of petunias, which is extremely important for obtaining abundant and long flowering. Introduce the drug in liquid, concentrated form (1: 100 or 1: 200). The cost of 250 ml is 80 rubles.
New Ideal
This is a complex fertilizer that was obtained from the vital products of earthworms. The composition contains trace elements vital for petunia. Based on the following substances and trace elements:
- nitrogen;
- potassium;
- phosphorus;
- water soluble humic acids;
- saline solution.
For root dressing, take 10 ml of the product and dissolve in 1 liter of water. Thoroughly mix everything and water the petunia, make dressing 1-2 times a week. Alternate root dressing with spraying. Price 500 ml 58 rubles.
Bona Forte
This subsidiary species is rich in nutrients and trace elements, including:
- nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium - are necessary for normal growth;
- iron, manganese, zinc, cobalt, boron, copper and molybdenum;
- vitamins PP, B1 and c;
- magnesium and succinic acid are growth stimulants.
With root dressing, take 10 ml of concentrate and 1.5 liters of water. The price of 280 ml will be 180 rubles.
Uniflor
This fertilizer is available in two versions - Uniflor-bud and Uniflor-flower. They contain an increased concentration of boron and potassium. This is extremely important for the successful development of the plant during budding.
Uniflor-bud will stimulate the formation of buds and flowering of petunias. The composition contains biologically active substances that reduce the stress of the indoor flower in winter. The cost of 100 ml is 90 rubles.
Fertilizers at home
Consider how to feed petunia for abundant flowering at home.
Boric acid
Boric acid promotes abundant flowering of petunias. To prepare the solution, take 1 g of the substance and 1 liter of water.
Lemon acid
Citric acid helps to eliminate yellowness from the leaves. For cooking, take 10 g of raw materials and 10 l of water. Watering is done under the root or process the leaves.
Urea
Urea petunia is supplemented with magnesium or potassium humate. Fertilizer diluted with water promotes active and healthy growth, as well as flowering petunia. To prepare, take 5 g of the substance and dissolve in 10 l of water.
Yeast
Yeast solution allows you to accelerate the development of the root system and restore damaged elements. In addition, it contributes to long-term flowering.
Cooking:
- Take 100 g of yeast and 2 tbsp. Sahara.
- Pour 10 liters of water all over.
- Wait 2 hours and add the resulting composition to 50 liters of water.
Calcium and Ammonium Nitrate
You can use these compounds only 11 days after the root fertilizer. For foliar top dressing, prepare a solution consisting of 10 l of water and 2 g of calcium nitrate. Conduct processing 3 times per season.
What is better to use for this culture?
The flowering of the petunia is plentiful and lush, but this does not mean that at this time it does not need to be fed. By the middle of the growing season, the soil under the plant is greatly depleted. And if petunia is in a pot, then the process of exhaustion began much earlier.
It is during the flowering period that top dressing should not be reduced, but rather increased. In addition, the growth of petunia continues, she throws new buds. It is competent nutrition that is vital for her.
TIP: It is ideal to introduce complex mineral preparations with an equal concentration of potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. You can buy ready-made compositions in the store, the packaging of which says "For flowering indoor plants." These drugs are designed to feed petunias in a small amount of soil.Together with mineral compounds, you can use humic fertilizing. During flowering, liquid green fertilizer or any class of humates is suitable. Just do not use it in combination with trace elements. It is better to alternate feeding every other time. It is also necessary to reduce the dosage by 2 times so as not to harm the petunias.
The consequences of improper care
Very often, flower growers exceed the dosage of fertilizer, believing that this will only benefit petunias. But the consequences of this move are the most unpredictable. The most dangerous is the loss of color. Also, improper feeding will lead to the development of diseases, since the immunity of the flower will sharply decrease. Its leaves will begin to turn yellow and fall, and flowering may become rare, but it will completely stop.
You can find out how to properly care for a flowering plant here, and in this article we talked about what to do if petunia does not bloom.
Feeding for petunias during flowering is very important. It will allow you to get large flowers in large numbers, as well as extend this period longer. Problems with the choice of a suitable tool should not arise. Each grower has the right to choose fertilizer: purchased or home. The main thing is not to overdo it with the proportions and frequency of their introduction.