Among the wide variety of flowering plants, petunia is one of the most beloved among flower growers. It is widely used to decorate flower beds and flower beds. This is due to its colorful and long-lasting flowering. But for the successful cultivation of petunia in the ground, you need to know how to properly grow it for seedlings.

 The main method of growing petunias is the seedling method. If you sow it directly into the soil, it will bloom only 2-3 months after the seeds germinate. Therefore, it is recommended to sow it on seedlings and do it in advance.

 It is possible to transplant the grown seedlings to a permanent place in the ground only after the onset of stable heat and in the absence of the threat of frost, since the plant dies at temperatures below zero. Petunia seeds are extremely small in size, so it takes some time for them to germinate.

 Suitable soil is necessary for successful germination of seedlings. For petunias, loose fine-grained earth is required. In terms of nutritional value, it can be of an average level, and the acidity of the soil is low or neutral.

 Usually, a ready-made special soil is used for flower seedlings. Experienced florists advise using a mixture of flower primers of several types. 

 You can also prepare the soil yourself. Various variants of the soil mixture are possible:

1. Humus, turf and peat – 2 parts, sand – 1 part, vermiculite (perlite) – 1 handful. Instead of sand, you can use coconut chips.

 2. Peat – 7 parts, clay – 3 parts.

 3. Peat, sand – 1 part each, loam – 2 parts.

 4. Peat and loam equally. Loam can be replaced with perlite.

 Before sowing, the soil must be heated in the oven for an hour. This is done to disinfect it. As a container for growing seedlings of flowers, it is possible to use different containers. You can sow in a small hanging planter that has drainage holes in the bottom, bowls. Such containers are also used:

 - Containers. Usually it is a plastic container, which is convenient to move from place to place if necessary.

 -Peat tablets are a new and very effective option. Its convenience lies in the fact that such tablets allow you to sow only a few seeds. This ensures good germination and the development of strong roots.

 Petunia seeds are sown in several ways:

 -Landing using sand. Seeds are added to the sand, everything is thoroughly mixed. This mixture is evenly placed in containers with soil.

 -Landing on toilet roll paper. Plain paper is used, it is not recommended to use three-layer paper. The seeds on the paper are also clearly visible and can be dispersed. In addition, the paper will not allow the seeds to sink to the depth. Being in a wet state, it will quickly dissolve and allow the roots to grow actively.

 The main rule of sowing ordinary seeds of this flower is that after distribution on the surface of the substrate, it is not necessary to fill them with soil from above.

 Containers with petunia are covered with a film (or glass) and placed in a cool and darkened room for about 7 days, after which they are transferred to heat.

 Watering this delicate flower should be carefully and carefully, because it has very fragile shoots. Watering should be moderate and carried out as needed. It is impossible to allow the formation of a dry crust on the soil surface, as it prevents air access to the roots. And this can cause the death of sprouts. Excess moisture causes fungal infections.

 Watering the tender shoots of the plant is best directly under the root system. The regularity of the procedure is 1 time in 2-3 days. To do this, you can only use warm settled (during the day) water.

 It is impossible to spray seedlings from a spray gun until the flowers are well strengthened. A greater effect of watering is achieved if it is carried out in the evening, since it is in the evening that seedlings grow more actively.

 Ventilation of seedlings should be carried out immediately after sowing seeds, but in the first days the film is removed for only a few minutes. After the emergence of seedlings, ventilation lasts for about 10 to 20 minutes. As the seedlings grow, the duration of ventilation is gradually increased and brought up to 2 hours a day. Before closing the container again, the surface of the film is wiped dry.

 Containers with seedlings are kept in a bright, well-lit room, but in places inaccessible to direct sunlight. The required daylight duration for petunia is approximately 16 hours.

 The temperature in the room where the containers with seedlings are contained should not be lower +20-+22 degrees. At this temperature, they are until the shoots appear. About 20 days after that, when the seedlings get a little stronger, they begin to harden it. Petunias create cooler conditions of detention: the room temperature should be about +16-+18 degrees. Re-hardening is carried out before transplanting flowers into the soil: it is exposed to the street for 30 days.

 You can transplant petunias when the sprout has 4 real leaves. But due to the fact that the sprouts during this period are very small, it is difficult to implement it. For proper picking, a step-by-step execution of such actions is required:

 -The soil in containers with seedlings should be well moistened.

 -The prepared more spacious container is filled with a fresh substrate, previously disinfected.

 -Carefully, holding the petunia by the leaves, you need to lift the roots with a knife or a flat stick and remove them from the ground. The extracted process should have a lump of soil on the roots.

 -A hole is made in the soil of the new container, a sprout is lowered into it along with a clod of soil. The stem should be deepened to the first lower leaves.

 -Then the ground around the seedlings is slightly pressed down.

 -Watering is done under the root system.

 When growing seedlings in peat tablets, picking is carried out much easier: the tablets are transferred to more spacious containers and the soil is filled.

 Damage to the roots during transplantation is not dangerous for the plant, but it is impossible to injure the stem. After transplantation, the growth of the green mass of seedlings may not occur immediately. This is due to the fact that there is an intensive development of the roots.

 The pick can be done again after about 1.5 months to adjust the planting density of seedlings. Each time the seedlings are transplanted into larger containers or separate containers. It is impossible to apply fertilizer immediately after picking.

 Petunia is considered a troublesome plant in terms of growing seedlings. However, knowledge of various methods of its sowing, as well as the implementation of all the rules of care will ensure its successful growth and lush flowering.