Petunia hybrids: what is it and what mixtures of flowers turned out, what do popular mixes look like, what are the rules of care and methods of combating diseases and pests?

Petunias are considered to be very popular among gardeners, they bloom very brightly and are unpretentious in leaving.

They can be seen in a variety of designs: on the flowerbed, balcony, and they can also decorate the porch of the house.

They delight the eye with a magnificent cascade in all colors of the rainbow from the first heat to late autumn.

Let's see what it is - hybrids of petunias? What are they and what diseases affect them?

Botanical Description and History

Tropical regions of South America and Brazil are considered to be the birthplace of Petunia. It was first discovered more than two centuries ago. Initially, it was attributed to the Tabakov family, because the name translates as “tobacco”. Petunia or Petunia belongs to the genus of herbaceous, shrubby plants. It happens both perennial and annual.

To date varieties of this beautiful plant, there are more than 40 species. In nature, there is both a weaving and bush-like flower, the stems of which are creeping or straight. It has a large number of ovaries, which eventually forms flowers, smooth or double, often with an unpleasant characteristic odor.

Varieties of varieties and their features

Today, the classification includes a huge number of varieties of petunias.

A characteristic feature of the new hybrid varieties is the difference in the shape of the plant, its height and appearance of the flower itself, as well as in its color.

Petunia can be divided into two types: multi-flowered and large-flowered. The first species is studded with small flowers of saturated color, but the second one has a rarer structure, but large flowers (read more about small-flowered petunia here). Flower beds are planted with multi-flowered flower beds, summer cottages, and large-flowered plants are planted in flowerpots and pots, for decoration, since this type of petunia is very vulnerable under special weather conditions. During the rain, they hide her room. Read about this beautiful flower arrangement in your garden or courtyard.

'Primetime'

Perennial plant, grows moderately. Florists used as an annual. It has bright flowers of various shades from white to red. The petals have streaks of dark color. In height reaches up to 90 centimeters.

'Picotee'

It blooms from summer to autumn. Interesting color, with a white and red rim. The flower itself has the shape of a funnel. Perennial plant, has the shape of a bush up to 30 centimeters, with oval leaves. Grown as an annual plant.

'Aladdin'

Perennial, has a bushy shape, weaving. Use as an annual. It can be of various colors, from salmon to burgundy flowers. The leaves are oval.

'Mirage Velvet'

Curly, bushy perennial. It is grown as an annual. The leaves are dark green in color with an oval shape. The flowering period is from summer to autumn. The color scheme is focused in red tones.. The flower has a funnel shape and a large limb.

'Carpet'

Fast-growing perennial, curly shape. The color palette is diverse.

'Recoverer'

A flower with a wide bend, a wide variety of colors. The leaves are oval. Perennial.

Terry

A characteristic feature is that a flower consists of more than 5 petals. They become of special beauty when the edges of the petals acquire an openwork shape and velvety. This variety is treated as cascading, bush-like, ampelous species. The color of terry petunia can be as monophonic, as with impurities in the form of veins and inclusions.

A significant minus of this mix of petunias is instability to adverse weather conditions. The following flower mixtures, which belong to this group, are popular with gardeners:

The first beauty.
Tart Bonanza.
Blue Danube
Sonata.
Algefülter Zwerg (Allgefiillter Zwerg).
Fanfare.
Valentine
Double Cascade.
Duo.
Pirouette.
Artist.
Love story.

You can find all the details about terry petunia and about the features of caring for this beauty here.

Cascading

Cascading petunias are very similar to the ampel group. It has thickened, quite flexible shoots. A distinctive feature is that in young plants, shoots grow up. But over time, their stems begin to hang down and take the form of a cascade. The flower has the shape of a large funnel. The most famous varieties of cascading petunias include:

"Tornado F1".
"Mona Lisa F1".
"Burgundy F1".
Ramblin.

We talked more about cascading petunia here, and how it differs from ampelous petunia in this article.

Simple

The largest group, which includes petunias with a simple, ordinary structure of inflorescences. Bushy, tall, and stunted plants belong to it. The flower has a classic structure, consists of 5 petals, the rim can be either straight or wavy. The color palette is diverse, can be monophonic and not only. You can learn more about the colors of different varieties of petunia in this article.

The uniqueness of the petunia is that it is not particularly fastidious in care and is friendly to the flowers and plants adjacent to it. It can be safely planted in flower beds and create flower mixes and compositions with her participation. Planting can be done using seedlings and seeds.

She really loves good lighting, so before landing, you should consider a place where the sun's rays penetrate well. If you planted a petunia in the form of seedlings, then it is worth it to be very careful when watering it. Ideally, this is drip irrigation or irrigation completely at the root.

But be careful, she does not like excess moisture, but on the contrary is very resistant to drought. If the irrigation is organized irregularly, the foliage begins to dry and fall, the best time for watering is the evening time of the day. In the afternoon, the plant can get sunburn.

Soil requirements

Petunia is planted in flower beds, in open ground, in flowerpots, etc. It is not fastidious to the soil composition, but the ideal environment for its existence is soil with a high nitrogen content. Feeding from humus is excluded, as it is prone to fungal diseases.

For planting in flowerpots and hanging baskets, the following soil composition is prepared: 2 parts of hardwood, humus, peat are combined and 1 part of sand is added. A well-developed root system quickly tolerates the adaptation period. Landing should be done after the retreat of the cold.

Lighting and location

The best place to live petunias is a sunny, calm place. He loves heat very much, with the onset of bad weather ceases to bloom. The place for its existence may be the most diverse! Summer residents planted both in open ground and in flower beds. It also grows in flowerpots and hanging pots. Very often you can see growing on balconies, hanging in cascades from the facades of houses. You will find interesting design options for beautiful flower arrangements here.

Care

How to care for a petunia directly depends on where it grows. If it is planted in a pot, then its size must be taken into account, since the horse system grows quite quickly. The composition of the soil is also worth paying attention to and vigilance so that it is not infected with all kinds of fungal diseases. And of course, the flowerpot should have a drainage hole — these are the main conditions for the normal existence of the flower.

The location should be south, in the northern part it will not please you with abundant flowering. With bad weather and rain it is better to remove it from open spaces.

Attention! For abundant flowering, regular feeding is necessary, ideally once a week. In adulthood, petunia needs potassium and phosphorus.

If petunia grows in open ground, then before planting it is necessary to prepare the soil for the above composition, after watering it. She, unlike growing in flowerpots, needs a rarer top dressing, with the obligatory content of potassium. He does not like neighboring weeds.

Diseases and Pests

Diseases

Gray rot

This disease can be identified by characteristic signs. These are brown spots that cover the leaves. They gradually dry and become covered with fluff. Infection occurs through the soil into which the fungus sinks.

Powdery mildew

Infection occurs from the bottom to the top, affecting the entire plant over time. A characteristic feature is a white coating covering the leaves of the flower.

Blackleg

Darkening and decay of the stem near the root system. The leaves turn yellow, the affected area rots.

Striking insects

The main pests of petunia, like other ornamental plants, are considered to be aphids, spider mites, and thrips.

Aphid

The most common enemy of all plants. With drops of sweet dew, it covers both the flower itself and the foliage. After some time, a fungus forms on the affected areas. Infected areas are twisted into a tube.

Spider mite

A herd of insect - ticks appears on the inside of the leaves. Across the base of the stem and leaf, they form a sticky web. On the outside of the plant, whitish spots appear. Soon, the leaves begin to dry out and fall off.

Thrips

They look like small bugs of dark brown color, with an elongated nose. "Work" only in groups and only on leaves. After their visit, the foliage becomes with dried, bright stripes. Buds and flowers begin to fall off.

Breeding

There are three ways to propagate this beauty:

seeds;
seedlings;
cuttings.

Seeds are planted in open ground without sprinkling with earth. Ready seedlings dive into the soil. Last year, cuttings that were dormant, planted in the ground bloom again.

Possible problems

Important! In order to avoid problems and fully enjoy the beauty of petunias, pinching is necessary. This procedure will help to form your bush correctly and beautifully.

Pincing is a pinch of the central growth bud to increase lateral shoots.

Petunia is considered to be the beauty of gardens and flower beds. It is gaining popularity at a frantic speed, and this is understandable, because it exudes beauty and gives us a good mood.