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Petunia has enjoyed increasing interest from gardeners and gardeners for many years. Earlier seedlings of petunias many preferred to buy without getting involved with all the intricacies and intricacies of self-cultivation. Recently, prices for planting material of petunias have already bite for many, and most importantly, so many new, completely unique varieties and hybrids of petunias have appeared, which can be freely bought in the form of seeds, while the choice of varieties of ready-made seedlings is limited to only a few colors and types.
Among them, it is not always possible to find exactly those varieties that are especially attractive for one reason or another. Therefore, more and more often, fans of petunias are trying to grow seedlings of their pets on their own. And this is quite realistic, given the many little things that have appeared in recent years, designed to make the life of flower growers easier and more enjoyable. These are special pelleted petunia seeds, which are very convenient to sow, and peat tablets, which play the role of both sowing containers and nutrient soil.
And one of the important ingredients for success for good growth and flowering at the right time is the choice of a specific time or even day for planting seedlings of petunias... In this case, knowledge of the biology of the development of petunias, as well as the lunar calendar for 2021, can help.
What you need to know about the development of petunias
Petunia is a perennial plant with a fairly long growing season, which means that it takes quite a long time from sowing seeds to the appearance of the first flowers - from two to three or even more months. In addition, the shoots of petunias are very small and delicate, and the plants develop very slowly in the first month after planting, almost imperceptible to the eye.
Among the wide variety of modern varieties and hybrids, there are petunias, which need only two, two and a half months to develop from germination to flowering. And there are those (mainly ampelous and large-flowered varieties) that, under the same conditions, take up to three and a half months to develop before flowering.
It is also necessary to understand that petunia is a very thermophilic plant and planting of seedlings in the ground can only occur when the last frosts in your region disappear into oblivion. Usually, however, plants are planted in large hanging baskets, which, if desired, can always be brought into the house, if suddenly the threat of frost suddenly appears. And if you are going to grow petunia in a flower bed or discount, or in tall monumental flowerpots, it is necessary to take into account the thermophilicity of this plant.
It is also important that petunia seedlings are very demanding, especially in the early stages of cultivation, to the level and duration of illumination. In principle, nothing interferes with the florist sow petunias in January or even December for super early bloom. The only problem is that during this period for the normal development of petunia seedlings, in addition to heat, it vitally needs a lot of light. Therefore, without the use of special lamps for highlighting seedlings, it will not be possible to grow them in the winter months. And she needs at least ten hour daylight hours.
That is why amateur flower growers who want to grow petunia seedlings without additional lighting can start sowing only in March. Only if you are in the southern regions, this work can be carried out in February.
Using the lunar calendar to plant petunias
To determine more accurately the days of planting petunias for seedlings in 2021, you can use the lunar calendar.
But using such calendars, perhaps someone has already noticed that the data in them sometimes does not coincide, and sometimes even contradict each other. What can you do about it? It is necessary to understand the basic laws of the influence of the lunar phases on the development of plants. In this case, knowing the main lunar phases and days of the position of the moon in different signs of the zodiac, you yourself can quite accurately determine favorable and unfavorable days.
The main lunar phases and zodiacal days
So, all actions with plants are influenced by:
- 4 lunar phases;
- 12 sidereal months (or days of the position of the moon in 12 signs of the zodiac).
The 4 lunar phases are:
- new moon (lasts about 3 days, includes the day of the new moon itself and one day before and after it);
- the growing moon (lasts from new moon to full moon for about 11 days);
- full moon (lasts about 3 days, includes the day before, after and the full moon) and, finally,
- waning moon (lasts from full moon to new moon for about 11 days).
The dates of both the new moon and the full moon themselves must always be indicated in any lunar calendars.
During the periods of the new moon and full moon, it is strictly not recommended to carry out any sowing and transplanting work with plants, as well as pruning, grafting, feeding. You can only carry out treatments against diseases and pests and weeding.
During the waxing moon it is very good to carry out sowing and transplanting of plants that will develop above the ground (including petunias). Watering, feeding and vaccinations will also be good.
During the waning moon it is useful to sow and transplant plants that develop underground - roots, onions. In all other respects, the work is similar to those carried out with the growing moon.
The position of the moon in the 12 signs of the zodiac can also always be found in the lunar calendar. The signs of the zodiac are classified as follows:
- Fire signs - Aries, Leo, Sagittarius - are responsible for the development of fruits.
- Water signs - Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces - are responsible for the development of leaves.
- Air signs - Libra, Aquarius, Gemini - are responsible for the development of flowers.
- The earth signs - Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn - are responsible for the development of the roots.
The signs of water and earth, as well as the sign of Libra, are considered fertile - when the moon is in them, you can plant, sow and transplant most of the plants. When the moon is in the rest of the signs, it is better not to carry out any important operations with plants: you can only weed and carry out treatments for diseases and pests.
Now you can easily determine for yourself by the lunar calendar which days are suitable or not suitable for sowing petunias.
Lovers of these beautiful flowers may keep in mind that it is possible to sow petunias for seedlings almost all year round, provided that warm conditions and sufficient light are provided. Therefore, if you have a warm veranda or a place in the room for a hanging basket, then you can easily grow petunias at home. In this case, sowing can be done in any month, and using the knowledge gained from this article, you can always choose the most suitable day for this yourself.
