Petunia "Starry sky": characteristics of the variety and tips for care

Petunia with the romantic name "Starry Sky" is one of the hybrid species artificially bred by breeders. You can often find other names for this one-year-old garden plant, charming with its beauty - "Night Sky" and "Starry Night". The flower received such names due to its color - on a violet-blue background, like small stars in the sky, small white specks are scattered. This variety of petunia is not difficult to grow, but it always looks very impressive, for which it received widespread recognition and love of gardeners.

The Starry Night petunia variety belongs to the Solanov family. In the wild, petunia is a perennial shrub that grows in the territories of South and North America, growing up to a meter in height. To date, biologists know over 40 different types of petunias.

Petunia "Starry Night" is quite compact, however, when planted in hanging baskets, the shoots of the plant can reach a length of up to one meter. The flower bushes well and grows quickly. The shoots of the plant are strong, they actively grow due to abundant branching. Moreover, on each shoot in the process of growth, flower buds are constantly formed in large quantities. The leaves of the petunia are velvety to the touch, have a bright green saturated color and there are many of them on the shoots, therefore, visually, the flower creates the feeling of a volumetric ball.

The flowering of this annual in the warm season is long and continuous, it lasts from three to five months - from early spring to autumn. Each flower has five petals, widened and rounded on the outside.

The optimum temperature for the "Starry Sky" is range from +10 to +37 degrees. It is this temperature range that contributes to the appearance of white spots on the flowers. Variety "Night Sky" due to its high decorative effect looks very beautiful in any conditions: on a flower bed, in a hanging pots, when decorating a balcony.

Petunia "Starry Sky" is grown from seeds that are sown and germinated in late February-mid-March until viable seedlings appear, and then, with the onset of spring, are planted in open ground in a permanent place.

The timing of sowing seeds depends on how much you can give the plant the maximum amount of light. So, for example, if your windows face the south side or there is a possibility of regular supplementary lighting of seedlings with a phytolamp, then you can plant petunia in March. And if the plantings are located on the northern window, then the seeds should be planted in early April, otherwise the seedlings will not have enough light and they will stretch out.

The seeds of this annual can be sown in the ground or use peat tablets. When planting seeds in the ground, it must be prepared - for this, the soil is calcined in the oven or spilled with hot boiling water. This is done in order to protect seedlings from diseases and pests.

After the soil is prepared, the seeds of petunia are spread on the moistened soil (or a soaked peat tablet). It is not necessary to deepen or sprinkle the seeds with earth. Next, the impromptu greenhouse must be covered with plastic wrap or transparent glass and put in a warm place. It is important to remember that the seeds are capable of germination only in the light.

You do not need to water the hatched seeds and the first shoots, because there is enough moisture in the greenhouse... After a few days, when the young shoots are a little stronger, the film or glass can be removed for a while and the seedlings can be ventilated. If necessary, you can water it, but only drip, without damaging the still unformed roots.

Over time, the airing period is increased, while the seedlings get used to the ambient temperature, and when it has a phase of the so-called third leaflet, the film can be removed completely.

At the moment when young petunias have 2-3 main leaves (not to be confused with two cotyledons), the seedlings can be dived - that is, divided into separate containers for further growing. It is easier to do this for those who have sown seeds in peat tablets. The young plant is usually transferred to a small plastic cup, half filled with pre-steamed soil. As the petunia grows, the earth is added to the container in small portions.

Typically, the hardening time lasts no more than 15 minutes. Gradually, the time of such procedures is increased and the plant gets used to the real conditions of its future growth in the open field.

The pinching procedure is necessary in order to begin to form a bush at an early stage of development. The fact is that the petunia sprout has one directional shoot and for its branching, you need to pinch off its growth point. This is done in the phase of the 4th or 5th leaf. After such a procedure, new shoots will begin to appear from the sinuses of the remaining young leaves. Over time, they will also need to be pinched so that the bush of the plant grows voluminous and there are many new shoots on it, and therefore flower buds.

With the arrival of heat, in late May and early June, petunia is planted in the place where it will grow all summer. The main thing is to make sure that the plant is not exposed to the night frost. In new spacious conditions, petunia will begin its rapid growth, followed by abundant flowering.

An adult beauty petunia "Starry Sky" can be propagated by cuttings. To do this, we need to cut off a stalk about 10 centimeters long from the shoot. The main thing is that it has two internodes, that is, two leaves. Everything else (leaves, flowers) must be removed. To enhance regenerative processes, a ready-made stalk can be treated with a growth stimulant, for example, with Kornevin solution. Then the cutting should be immersed by 2/3 in a glass of water and wait a couple of weeks until roots form.

After the roots appear, the Starry Night cuttings are rooted in the soil. This can be done immediately at the place of constant growth of the plant - in a pots or in a flower bed.For planting in the ground, you need to make a small hole - it will be enough to dig it out 10x10 centimeters in size and place a stalk in it.

After you have planted the petunia cuttings, be sure to water them with water. Planting petunias with cuttings is best done in cool weather, as it will be difficult for cuttings to adapt in a new place in the heat and under the scorching sun, and they may die.

So that petunia "Starry Night" takes root well and grows vigorously, delighting you with its flowering, pay attention to the composition of the soil that is required for this plant. Planting soil is prepared from equal parts of peat, turf, leaf humus and a moderate amount of river sand is added to it. Such a soil will be light and nutritious, providing the annual with good air exchange and moisture flow.

For the active growth of the "Starry Sky" petunia, the landing site is chosen with a bright, but diffused light. The illumination of the plant should be at least 13 hours daily. In the event that this standard cannot be observed, your beauty will need artificial lighting with a phytolamp.

Water the plant as the top layer of the earthen coma dries. This is usually done once every 3 days. However, in hot weather, at high temperatures, it is best to water the flower as needed, observing its condition. Water needs soft, chlorine-free. It should be poured gently at the root, avoiding moisture getting on the buds and already opened flowers.

Phosphorus fertilizers are used as the first top dressing - they improve root development and stimulate plant growth. After you have planted the plant, after about 20-30 days it is given a second feeding and nitrogenous compounds or complex fertilizers are used for this. In the future, petunia needs to be fed every 10 days. With the appearance of buds, the plant needs to make potassium compounds. Potassium fertilization is carried out only twice during the entire flowering period of the petunia.

Caring for the Starry Sky petunia, do not forget about regular pruning of shoots and formation of a bush... If the shoots of a plant are strongly elongated, then the number of flower buds on them decreases significantly, and the plant itself loses its decorative appeal.

The main pests for petunias are spider mites (affects buds), aphids (eats buds and even flowers), thrips (affects leaves), and the plant can also be affected by gray mold or powdery mildew. In order to prevent diseases, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime and the quality of irrigation. Try to create conditions for the petunias under which it will not have waterlogging and acidification of the soil, and water it correctly, without touching the buds and flowers.

With the appearance of the first signs of damage, the flower must be processed soap solution (20 ml of soap per 5 l of water), and then with an insecticide solution, according to instructions. Affected shoots from the plant will have to be cut off.

You can get acquainted with the secrets of growing petunias in the next video.