Varieties of ampelous petunia: description and characteristics, cultivation and care with photos

Flower growers have been cultivating petunias for over 100 years. The ampelous appearance of the plant attracts with its versatility. Varieties of ampelous petunias can be grown in flower beds, in flowerpots, planters, on balconies. Thanks to hanging lashes with lush flowers, the plant becomes a decoration of the garden, premises.

Features of ampelous petunia

Unlike other types of decorative culture, the ampelous one is distinguished by the fact that:

Shoots hanging down instead of growing up.
The length of the stems varies from 30 centimeters to a meter.
Leaves are light green, slightly pubescent.
Petals of various colors are not cut to the end, they look like bells.
Small-flowered and large-flowered variants have been bred.

You can choose from a variety of varieties of ampelous petunias with simple flowers and terry ones. But growing an ornamental plant requires careful attention to growing conditions and crop care.

The best varieties of ampelous petunia

Breeders provided flower growers with a choice of the ampelous petunia variety that can grow in flowerpots. All of them are distinguished by the duration of flowering, exactingness in growing conditions.

Easy Wave

A variety from American breeders can be grown in pots and in a flower bed. Compact bush successfully blooms in flowerpots with a volume of 7 liters. At the same time, the flowers form a lush cloud, behind which the foliage is not visible.At first, the stems of the plant reach 25-30 centimeters, gradually growing up to 1 meter. In the flower bed, the petunia forms a continuous bright carpet.

From the varieties of the variety, one can distinguish those in which the petals are painted in yellow colors. An interesting petunia with dark red flowers and a black center, raspberry or purple petals, in the middle of which a white stripe is drawn. The length of the buds of the hybrid reaches 7 centimeters. Large flowers have a subtle scent of violets.

Surfinia

The feature of the hybrid is:

early flowering;
stem power;
variety of colors;
formation of a luxurious hat of small flowers.

The tenderness of the petals, their sophistication, are noted in the variety of petunias. They are used in decorating balconies, gazebos, houses.

Avalanche

The variety is distinguished by large flowers with a diameter of 10 centimeters, outwardly similar to a gramophone. Petals with a yellow center and a border attract with their unusualness. The entire growing season the plant is covered with buds. It resembles a bright avalanche of flowers. The branching of the stems allows the use of petunia for ground cover beds. The flower serves as a decoration for the facades of houses.

Velvet

Velvety foliage and large flowers are a feature of the hybrid. Ampelous petunia is monophonic, from white to dark purple, and pink. There are also petals decorated with spots, stripes, dots. Variety Velvet is an excellent honey plant.

Opera Supreme

Classic ampelous petunia is undemanding to light, nutrition, unpretentious care. The flexible shoots of the flower grow rapidly, spreading and forming lush curtains.With small sizes, the flowers form dense balls of coral, blue-violet, lavender, pink color. There are specimens with white petals and a yellow center.

Masha

The hybrid has densely branched stems up to 80 centimeters long. Funnel-shaped flowers of pink color are decorated with a yellow pharynx. Petunia blooms profusely all summer. Use a flower for growing in a pot. Culture will become a genuine decoration of the balcony.

Explorer

The hybrid is characterized by a strong growth of shoots. Over time, the lashes reach 80-100 centimeters. The diameter of the flower is on average from 5 to 7 centimeters. The glossy, waxy surface of the petals can be damaged by rain, but is quickly restored. A variety of colors used as a ground cover and for hanging baskets.

Black velvet

The hybrid appeared by free pollination.The buds are dark purple, almost black, so beautiful that they are chosen for the design of the garden plot. Moreover, the ampelous look is combined with other flowers in the flower bed. And in pots, it can be diversified with varieties of contrasting colors.

Svetlana

Ampel variety is distinguished by long lashes up to 1 meter and small flowers with a diameter of less than 5 centimeters. Pink petals are decorated with dark veins. The culture prefers bright areas of the garden. It blooms more abundantly in warm climates.

Snow Queen

Airy, festive looks like a hybrid with hanging stems 80 centimeters long. The flowers of the plant are large, snow-white. Grow petunia seedlings. It is drought-resistant, photophilous. After the onset of cold weather, planters with petunias can be brought into the room. It will continue to bloom.

Catherine

The ampel variety is characterized by long hanging shoots of 80 centimeters. The flowers on the stems are small, 5 centimeters salmon-colored with dark veins. How a cascading plant is used in the design of a balcony, facades of houses.

Features of growing and caring for ampelous petunias

Usually grown outdoor petunias in seedlings. So she manages to take root and bloom all summer.

Growing seedlings from seeds

Already in February-early March, planting of flower seeds begins. The soil is selected from 2 parts of peat, humus and garden soil. Coarse-grained sand is needed to increase the looseness of the soil.

Seeds collected independently are pickled in a solution of potassium permanganate. Then they are washed, dried and mixed with sand. Having placed the seed material on moist ground, cover it with glass or film. Put containers with petunia in a warm place. Landings are ventilated daily, watered as needed.

When sprouts appear, seedling boxes are placed on illuminated windowsills. Seedlings are regularly watered, fed with solutions of organic and mineral fertilizers.

Planting flowers in open ground

Repot your petunia when the threat of frost has passed. In the evening, boxes with seedlings are taken out to the prepared site. The wells are arranged from each other depending on the size of the flowers of the variety. For small ones, a gap of 10 centimeters is enough, for large ones - 25-30.

Planted bushes are watered, mulched with peat or humus.

Irrigation and fertilization

Humidity for petunias needs moderate. Therefore, it is necessary to water the soil as the top layer of the earth dries up. 6-8 waterings are enough for a season. It is desirable that water does not fall on the flowers.

Fertilize ampelous flower varieties with depleted soil. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizer should be applied before flowering to improve bud formation.

Shaping a bush

By the middle of summer, the shoots of the plant branch strongly, so some of them are removed. Form an ampelous petunia by shortening shoots by 2/3. To avoid exposing the lower part of the bush, pinch the top of the stems.

It will help to make the bush neat following the rules of care. If there is not enough moisture, trace elements, then leaves and buds will begin to fall. Then they need to be cut off, and the plant needs to be fed.

Collecting seeds

Usually wilted petunia flowers are removed, and therefore do not wait for the formation of seeds. In order not to miss the procedure, it is necessary to leave the buds on the lower stems of the plant. After 2 months, the seeds will ripen, which are harvested and dried. When propagating by seed, you need to know that the varietal properties of a plant are rarely transmitted.

How a flower reproduces

The seed method of growing petunias is only suitable for planting material purchased from a store. If you collect the seeds yourself, you are unlikely to get the same flowers. The seeds of the flower are very small, they must be planted, laying out on the surface of the soil. For a month there are boxes with petunia under the tire in a warm place.Then containers with sprouts are placed in bright places at home. In the garden, it is better to plant plants with 3-4 leaves and buds.

Cuttings for propagation are cut in February-March. This requires he althy mother plants. On shoots 10 centimeters long there should be up to 4-6 leaves. The cuttings are planted in boxes with nutrient soil, deepening by a quarter. The leaves are cut off, leaving 2 pieces. Shoots take root on the 5-6th day. A feature of the vegetative propagation method is that the culture begins to bloom on the 25-30th day.

Growing ampelous petunias in pots

Since ampelous petunias are preferred to be grown in closed pots, you need to know the rules for such plant cultivation. Many people prefer to immediately plant flowers in a pot, then to take them out into the open air.

Boarding rules

For planting in hanging baskets and planters prepare containers with a volume of 7-10 liters with holes to drain excess liquid. Fill pots with nutrient soil with good water and air permeability.

In 1 pot you can sow 2-3 seeds. They usually do it in March. Be sure to cover the containers with a film, placing them in a warm place with an air temperature above 23 degrees. Plantings need to be aired and watered.

As soon as seedlings appear, flowerpots are hung or placed on sunny windowsills. When the sun is not enough, organize artificial lighting. Petunias need 12 hours of daylight. After the appearance of 1-2 true leaves, it is necessary to transplant the seedlings into another container, leaving 1-2 plants in the pot. They will grow, filling the entire space of the planter.

Care

Care for a potted crop should be the same as in the open field. But here all procedures are carried out carefully, trying not to damage the hanging stems of the ampelous petunia.

Lighting

Petunia is a photophilous plant. It blooms well in open areas. In the shade, the flowers will be smaller and the color will become paler. But from direct sunlight, leaves and buds can dry out. Therefore, they choose such places in the garden where the light will be moderate.

Temperature

The optimum temperature for petunias will be between 20-25 degrees. If the summer is hot, then you need to close the flowers from the scorching rays of the sun or bring them into a flower pot indoors, on the veranda. But the cold will not allow the plant to bloom profusely. With the onset of a cold snap in August-September, they bring the pots into the house or veranda.

Irrigation

Lack of moisture is dangerous for ornamental culture. The flowers begin to fade, and a sticky coating forms on the leaves from the evaporated essential oils. And it attracts harmful insects. Therefore, it is necessary to exclude the drying of a clod of earth in a flowerpot. The more developed the plant, the more moisture it needs. Watered in the morning or evening with soft water at room temperature.

Feeding

Petunias need the most nutrition before flowering. They need compounds of phosphorus, potassium. Therefore, water the soil in a pot with a solution of superphosphate and potassium s alt.To do this, mineral complexes are dissolved in a bucket of water. You can replace them with wood ash by taking 50 grams of ash powder for 10 liters of water.

Bud care

The abundance of inflorescences depends on the timely removal of faded buds. They are cut off along with the pedicels. Then the cap of ampelous varieties of culture will look perfect, without dried inflorescences. And the plant will use its strength to renew, rejuvenate.

Disease and pest control

The main causes of flower fungal infections are a lot of humidity and heat. So pathogenic organisms infect plants in flower beds and in hanging baskets. The leaves begin to become stained, dry out, and the buds fall off without opening. It is necessary to water the crops less during the rainy seasons. Diseases can be prevented by spraying Bordeaux mixture 2-3 times during the growing season.

Fight against aphids on leaves by treating the bushes with insecticidal agents. An infusion of tobacco will also help. The spider mite loves to hit the flower. It will begin to suck the juices out of the plant, and it will dry out. It is necessary to insist a handful of onion peel for 12 hours in hot water in the amount of 0.5 liters. Then dilute the infusion with water and water the petunia.

Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology of a flower is one of the effective methods for preventing diseases and pest attacks.