Petunia seedlings grow poorly

Content

1 Reasons for non-germination of seeds
- 1.1 How to sow seeds correctly
2 Reasons for slow growth
3 Conclusion

Petunias are famous for their beauty and long flowering time. They are grown at home in pots and in garden beds. Seed companies offer a huge number of varieties of petunias, with different colors and flower sizes. Each consumer can choose loose or granular seeds. Moreover, regardless of the choice, the gardener may encounter problems even at the stage of growing seedlings. So, it often grows poorly petunia seedlings or its seeds do not germinate at all. Why does this happen and what to do in order to grow good, strong seedlings of these wonderful flowers? Let's try to find answers to these questions together.

Reasons for non-germination of seeds

It is often possible to observe a situation where sown The petunia seeds did not germinate for seedlings, and they have to be sifted out again. This incident can happen for several reasons:

Petunia seeds "old". Thus, for most petunia varieties, the shelf life of seeds is 3-4 years, however, even during this period, the percentage of plant germination decreases over time. When purchasing petunia seeds in a store, you should pay attention to the date of their procurement.
Storage violations can also lead to loss of germination.For example, having collected petunia seeds yourself, they need to be stored until the next season in conditions with low humidity and room temperature.
Deep embedding seeds and violation of growing conditions.

Beginning gardeners should pay special attention to the last point. After all, improper sowing of seeds is the most common reason that petunia seeds do not germinate well. The thing is that petunias are very light-loving. Their seeds must be sown superficially, not buried in the ground, and even the slightest layer of soil may not allow the seed to sprout.

How to sow seeds correctly

Surface sowing of petunia seeds is quite simple. Conventionally, it consists of the following actions:

It is necessary to make drainage holes in the container for growing petunia seedlings, and then fill it with nutritious soil;
the soil should be watered and compacted, after which seeds should be sprinkled on its top layer without covering them with soil;
It is recommended to install the container with crops in a warm, well-lit place with a temperature of +22-+26⁰WITH;
Cover the container with the crops with protective glass or film.

Important! Seeds scattered on the ground do not need to be watered, since the water, spreading, will cover them with soil.

It is worth noting that this surface sowing method is suitable for loose seeds and granules. At the same time, the granules are more voluminous and make it easy to maintain the interval between sowings. Taking into account all the recommendations, observing the temperature and light conditions, seedlings can be expected to sprout in 4-7 days, depending on the variety of petunia.

Petunia seeds in granules can be germinated before sowing in the ground. This is especially true for sowing plants in pots to decorate rooms, balconies, and greenhouses.The germination method suggested below is also suitable for growing seedlings.

To germinate petunia granules you need:

Place a paper napkin or gauze piece on a saucer
Place the coated petunia seeds on top of the napkin and cover them with another napkin or gauze.
Moisten the resulting “sandwich” and place it together with the saucer in a plastic bag.
Place the bag of seeds in a sunny place with a temperature of +22-+26⁰WITH.
When the first sprouts appear, remove the top layer of material from the seeds and place the saucer back in the bag.
When the plants have cotyledon leaves, they should be planted in cups with fertile soil for further cultivation.

As petunia seedlings grow, they require periodic watering, however, excess moisture can lead to rotting of the roots. Therefore, petunia seedlings should be watered as they dry out. soil. The root method of watering is also good, when containers with seedlings are placed on a substrate with water. In this case, moisture is absorbed into the soil through drainage holes. Other methods of watering young seedlings are shown in the video:

Analyzing the above material, one can understand that in order to obtain petunia seedlings, it is necessary to select “fresh”, last year’s seeds, stored in proper conditions, and germinate them in the presence of abundant sunlight by surface sowing or germinating granules.

Reasons for slow growth

The young growth of petunia undoubtedly “pleases the eye” of the gardener, however, in order for it to become a full-fledged strong seedling, a lot of time must pass. During growing petunia seedlings requires attention and compliance with certain rules of care.Otherwise, its growth slows down and sometimes stops altogether. There may be several reasons for such an anomaly.

Natural cause

Young shoots, consisting of 2 cotyledon leaves, stop their growth to develop the root system.

Comment! Such a stop is natural for the culture and can last up to 2 weeks. During this period, seedlings should be cared for as usual, watering and observing the humidity and temperature parameters of the microclimate.

Low temperatures

Petunia is a heat-loving plant. Its seedlings should be grown in conditions with a temperature of at least +20⁰C, otherwise the growth of seedlings will slow down. Temperatures below +15⁰C can even lead to stunting of plant growth and death. It is worth noting that temperature fluctuations also slow down the growth of seedlings. Thus, the temperature difference between day and night for young seedlings should not exceed 10⁰WITH.

Important! Excessively high temperatures can also lead to slow growth of petunia seedlings.

Such overheating of plants is typical when grown in a mini-greenhouse (under protective glass or film).

Fungus

Relatively low temperatures and high soil humidity promote the development of fungus and, as a consequence, the formation of blackleg, root rot and stunting of plant growth. You can fight the fungus with the help of special drugs, for example Fitosporin. You can also use a weak solution of potassium permanganate to fight fungus.

Nutrient deficiencies

The first two weeks after emergence feed petunia seedlings Not recommended. During this period, for natural reasons, petunia does not grow well.However, if the seedlings do not grow in the future, then it is worth feeding them. To do this, you should use universal fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, for example “Green Crystal”, “Florist-Rost”, “Agricola”. The growth activator for petunia seedlings is B vitamins (B1, B6, B12). They can be purchased at the pharmacy and used for spraying.

After diving into separate containers or after planting in a permanent place of growth, petunia seedlings may also slow down their growth. In this case, it is recommended to use fertilizers that make the root more powerful and developed. An example of such a drug is “Yellow Crystalon”.

Conclusion

To cultivate healthy petunia seedlings, you should know the rules for germinating seeds, watering seedlings, and feeding young plants. Only a competent, comprehensive approach in compliance with climatic indicators of humidity and temperature will avoid slow growth. In turn, farmers offer a wide selection of fertilizers and preparations to activate the growth of seedlings, however, do not forget that petunias a priori have a long growing season, so the seeds of the crop should be sown for seedlings in February-March.