The most common ampelous plants are petunias. Unpretentious in care, bloom plentifully, brightly all summer. And the versatility of colors allows you to compose compositions and full-fledged decorative elements. Before acquiring seeds or seedlings of this beauty, you should learn how to plant ampelous petunia in a cache-pot and how to care for it.
How to plant ampelous petunia in a cache-pot
Growing ampel beauty is not at all difficult. It is enough to know a few rules. Petunia seedlings are planted in the pots. It is obtained in two ways - by sowing seeds and cuttings.
Beauty in flower pots
- Sowing seeds is a very painstaking job, as the seeds are small and the seedlings are very fragile. Sow should be on the surface of the earth, covering with glass. Moisten the soil by spraying and make sure that no condensation drops collect on the glass, which can damage the first sprouts. After sowing, the plant grows well and quickly, it is important to thin out and transplant future bushes into pots one at a time.
- Cut the plant into water or directly into a moistened peat mixture. Rooting occurs after two weeks. After the start of active growth, you can plant the cuttings in a pot. Shoots of ampelous petunia grow up to 1 m in length, during the growth of gardeners often cut it to give shape. Cut shoots are suitable for grafting plants even in the summer.
Young seedlings
For planting petunias in a cache-pot, a soil mixture should be prepared. Since flowering is supported by abundant watering, but not by collecting moisture in the roots, the soil should be loose but moist. This combination is obtained from two parts of the soil (ordinary garden) and one part of sand and peat. To retain moisture, gardeners add hydrogel (previously soaked in water) or vermiculite. Loose soil provides perlite. Here you can immediately add superphosphate, which will support the plant while getting used to the new soil and provide excellent nutrition for flowering.
For your information! Coconut substrate is an ideal substitute for regular peat. The fiber can be used to grow petunia seeds or for mulching.
When the soil is ready, you should choose the right planter.
Petunias feel great in clay, wooden and ceramic pots
But the material for the pot does not play a special role in the life of petunias. It is much more important for her that the water does not collect at the roots and does not allow them to rot. Ideal "house" for a flower:
- with good openings to drain excess water;
- with a drainage layer;
- if the soil mixture could not be made sufficiently loose, you can put a sponge on the bottom of the pot, which will absorb excess moisture;
- without sharp edges, so that the shoots are not damaged.
Rules and methods of landing
After preparing the soil and pots, the matter remains small - to plant. There are two methods for planting plants, depending on the conditions for the permanent placement of the flower. If petunia grows under a canopy and the soil is not subject to drying, then:
- pour expanded clay at the bottom of the pot;
- fill the pot almost to the brim with soil;
- take out seedlings without damaging the root system;
- plant a flower at a growth level without deepening or overstating an already formed earthen lump.
Need to make a depression in the pot for seedlings
If the pots hang in the bright sun, a dry crust and cracks will form on the soil, which can damage the roots. In this case, the planting of ampelous petunia in a hanging pot is done in another way. The pot is only half filled with the prepared soil mixture, and on top the pot is filled with peat. Mulch can be used to hold moisture and protect plants from damage. Petunia grows quickly and is able to protect its roots and soil by retaining moisture, but this will not be superfluous in the initial stages of growth.
Important! After transplanting seedlings of petunias, they should be taken outside into the shade for several days. After such a rest, she will be ready to hang out in the sun or under cover for her permanent residence.
How much pot size is needed
When choosing a pot, it should be remembered that the root system of a petunia is very developed, it needs enough space and moisture for active flowering and growth. The average volume of the pot for one bush of ampelous petunia is 5 liters. Moreover, if it is planned to combine different colors in one pot, then each bush should be provided with the necessary squares. Otherwise, the plants will be depleted, pale, with thin shoots and small rare flowers.
How much to plant in one pot
The number of bushes for one pot depends on its size. If this is not possible, but you want to combine colors and contrasts, other neighbors will be the solution. Some types of ampelous flowers do not require too much space for the root system and get along well in the neighborhood with petunia. The most friendly ampelous with a small root system are lobelia and alissum.
Color options
Growing and caring for pots
When growing petunia in a cache-pot, the size of the pot and earthen coma should be taken into account and the watering should be adjusted accordingly. Petunia loves abundant watering and spraying leaves. During spraying, it is important not to get on the flowers and buds.
Important! You can not spray and water in the midst of heat, since the plant can get burns.
Petunia does not require daily care other than watering. Once a week, it is enough to give her time to remove dried inflorescences and leaves, seed bolls and long shoots.
Bush formation
Ampel plants are decor items and, if you do not follow them, they can spoil the same decor. Some species of petunias grow randomly, shoots can grow in one direction, on one side or too long. It is important to monitor the shape and size, and such care does not harm the plant at all. On the contrary, removing extra and long shoots, petunia blooms in large flowers.
Most often, the shape of these bushes is spherical
Note! If the gardener set out to get the largest possible bush of petunias, it should be formed immediately after planting in a cache-pot and the beginning of active growth.
Varieties of ampelous petunias for hanging planters
A variety of colors increases every year. The following varieties are suitable for choosing petunias as ampelous plants:
- Explorer and Snow Queen - white inflorescences and long lashes;
- Catherine, Svetlana and Easy Wave Red - red and pink shades with large flowers;
- Surfinia and Fortunia are unusual combinations of light and dark shades in one “gramophone” of a flower.
Ampelic petunias delight not only with magnificent and bright flowering. They exude the aroma of a summer evening with a hint of honey. They need special care, but not complicated, so even a beginner can handle it.
