Petunias ampelous - when and how to pinch
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Petunia is one of the most unpretentious and at the same time very spectacular flowers. Its varieties with hanging shoots, growing in hanging pots, look especially beautiful. The question arises - is it necessary to pinch the ampelous petunia, if it already looks attractive. Experienced growers argue that timely pruning is an important stage in plant care and should never be skipped.
Do I need to pinch ampelous petunia
Pinching itself can be called a wellness procedure. It is pruning, in which not the entire shoot is removed, but only a small part in order for it to branch better. The correct procedure assumes that a few leaves will remain at the top.
Blooming hanging shoots look very impressive
If you do not pinch
- the flower will grow more slowly (or this process will stop altogether);
- new buds will not appear on it, even if the bush itself grows;
- the plant can stretch upwards and then the bush will lose its shape.
If everything is done on time, the plant will delight the owner for a long time with abundant flowering.
How to pinch an ampelous petunia
So, the question as to whether it is necessary to pinch your favorite ampel petunia has been resolved positively. What do you need to remember about this procedure? The rules here are simple - you can cut the plant only with sterile scissors so as not to introduce a fungal infection. In this case, you should act carefully so as not to damage the sprout.
In addition, experienced florists believe that it is better to pinch the flower in several passes than to sharply prune it. The fact is that even a carefully performed procedure for a plant can be stressful. So it is better to wait until the petunia blooms profusely and pruning. And after some time, this procedure can be repeated.
There is one more important point - those flowers that have already bloomed must be pinched off. Decaying stems are also cut off immediately, without waiting for a suitable opportunity, since they make the bush especially vulnerable to various aggressive influences, especially to fungal infections, which can ultimately destroy the plant.
The step-by-step process looks like this:
- pinching at the seedling stage;
- pruning after transplanting the bush to a permanent place of residence, that is, in a hanging pot or on a flat surface (in the latter case, it will form a beautiful carpet);
- regular pinching, when an already formed plant begins to actively bloom.
Each of these stages has its own characteristics, which will be discussed below.
Pruning at the seedling stage
When to pinch ampelous petunia after germination
Growing begins with seedlings, but at some stage the flower will need to be transplanted into open ground for permanent residence.10-15 days after that, the first pruning can be carried out. Some growers believe that this can be done earlier, already 5 days after transplanting, but only if the young sprout as a whole develops well. In this case, you only need to pinch off the side shoots, without touching the top.
When to pinch petunia seedlings
If there are ampelous petunias in the garden, when and how to pinch them is a matter of principle. This procedure is carried out in accordance with the stages of plant development. When after the appearance of the first shoots 30-40 days pass and real leaves (the fourth and fifth) are formed on them, the right moment comes for this. At this time, you should completely pinch off the stems about the fifth true leaf. This will help stimulate the growth of side shoots. And if you provide the plant with proper care, then it will actively bush.
Pruning young bushes
How to pinch an ampelous petunia when it is already in bloom
If the bush has already begun to bloom, this does not mean that it no longer needs this kind of care. In this case, pinching is carried out on a regular basis every month. Only in this case, abundant flowering is possible.
Pinching is generally corrective. It allows you to form a beautiful bush due to the fact that excess areas of lateral shoots and tops are cut off in a timely manner.
Interestingly, the cascading variety needs such pruning even more than the ampelous varieties. It is believed that during one growing season it is necessary to carry out at least triple pinching of this variety. True, its shoots in their natural form always grow upward, and downward fall under their own weight, so that it is more difficult to form. But such a bush can ideally be shaped like a ball.
How to form an ampelous petunia
Be it Avalanche, Lobelia or any other variety, at least one formative pruning should be carried out by the middle of summer, otherwise all the plant's strength will be spent on ripening the seeds, and flowering will practically stop. To prevent this from happening, they take the simplest, but necessary measures - they pinch the branches so that there are no buds left. Flowers that have already withered are also removed. But you should not get carried away, at least four leaves should remain on the stem.
How to form an ampelous petunia correctly
If the task is to form a beautiful bush, you need to wait for the period when the petunia will bloom. This is the advantage of the ampelous variety, that it does not need complex manipulations to shape it. It is enough just to remove all unnecessary things. There is no need to set up supports, pull out shoots, etc.
It is recommended to start the first procedure in mid-July, because by this time, even with careful care, a situation may arise when new flowers bloom only at the tops (they fall down from the pots), and the part of the shoot remaining in the pot, which is closer to the roots seems naked. If this has already happened, then 2/3 of the shoot is cut off. This allows you to restore decorativeness over time. No need to regret, if you cut off only the top, then it will bloom again, and the rest of the plant will remain bare.
But which grower would agree to shorten all the shoots so much at once? Therefore, it is necessary to carry out the work in several stages, literally cutting off two branches a week. Then the flower will retain its decorative effect and at the same time a beautiful bush will be formed.
Formation of a blooming petunia bush
How to cut ampelous petunia
It is not enough to properly cut the plant.We need to provide him with good care so that he can continue to grow at a normal pace. In particular, after pinching, the plant is fed, the correct watering regime and good lighting are provided.
Why ampelous petunia grows up
Theoretically, if the formation of the bush occurs correctly, then the ampelous variety should not stretch up (as opposed to the cascade). But sometimes this happens due to the fact that the flower simply does not have enough light. In this case, the owner is advised to provide the plant with artificial light, for example, from fluorescent lamps.
Ampel petunia can stretch upward for other reasons. For example, too high values of humidity and air temperature are only useful for seed germination. Under such conditions, an adult plant first stretches upward, but dies with prolonged exposure to heat and humidity. To solve this problem, pinching is not needed, you just need to move the bush to some cooler place.
It also happens that the reason is not so much the humidity itself, but its sharp drop. This is the mistake of novice florists. They remove the film from the seedling pot before the plant grows strong. And you need to lower the humidity level gradually, opening the film only for short periods of time.
Thus, taking care of your petunia properly is just as important as pinching it. Following all the recommendations regarding agricultural technology, you can achieve excellent results - abundant flowering and a beautiful bush shape.
