Petunia is a flowering perennial and annual plant, depending on the variety. In addition to personal plots and flower beds in the country, petunias can be grown at home, on balconies, window sills or loggias. But for an abundant color, you must strictly follow the rules for caring for the plant. An integral part of agrotechnical care requirements is petunia haircut. How to properly prune petunias for lush flowering is described below.

Petunias: description and characteristics of the plant

Petunia is a flowering herb that is characterized by unpretentiousness and lush flowering. It has the shape of a bush, which is abundantly strewn with a large number of small flowers. The color of the inflorescences, depending on the varietal accessory, can be varied: white, purple, red, blue, pink, etc. Some ampelous bushes have a double color.

Petunia

Note:breeders have recently introduced new varieties of petunias, which are rapidly gaining popularity. Their characteristic feature is the formation of spectacular double inflorescences.

To successfully grow a crop, you need to know how to trim a petunia, water it regularly and provide the plant with plenty of light. It is important that the growing plants on the nearby flower beds do not shade or "press" on the petunia. If you neglect this rule, the bush will stretch out and no improvement can be achieved with the help of formation, the color will be small.

In order for the flowering to be lush and long-lasting, the plant must be fed with mineral or organic fertilizers. The optimal number of applications during the growing season is 3. To prevent the development of diseases and attacks of pests, it is recommended to regularly irrigate the bushes with solutions of fungicides.

Petunia bushes

In order for the bushes to bloom again, have an attractive shape and be healthy, they must be pruned regularly.

How to prune petunia: basic rules

If the petunia is not cut, the bush will stretch out strongly and give small flowers of a dull color. If you correctly cut (pinch) the tops of the shoots, the growth of lateral shoots is activated even during the cultivation of seedlings. And after two weeks it will be possible to contemplate the first buds.

Diseases of petunia

The first pruning should be done while growing seedlings. The most suitable time for pruning will depend on the variety you choose.

Important:pinching is to pick off with your fingers or cut off the top of the stem with a knife or scissors. This process activates the thickening of the shoots, the leaves acquire a more intense color and become fleshy.

Pruning petunias in mid-summer is one of the basic rules for keeping a plant. How to update petunia in the summer correctly?

How to prune a petunia

Pruning is recommended with garden shears or pruning shears. But some agronomists prefer to do all the work with their fingers, and that's okay. In the middle of summer, you can already contemplate the flowers on the bush. In this case, pinching is necessary to start re-flowering.

If you do not carry out regular pruning of the bush, already in the second or third decade of July, the plant will stop blooming altogether, since all the nutrients will be spent on ripening the seeds. To prevent this, it is necessary to cut off those branches on the tops of which there are practically no buds. On the shortened stem, no more than 4 leaves should remain.Once the buds have faded, they should also be removed.

Note:experienced agronomists recommend pinching petunias monthly throughout the growing season.

Pruning petunias in July

  1. It is necessary to shorten not only the central stem, but also the lateral shoots on it.
  2. If there are practically no new buds left on the central shoot, it can be cut off.
  3. Faded buds and dry leaves should be cut off regularly and in a timely manner.
  4. It is recommended to pinch not only the tip of the stem, since in this case the lateral shoots will form thin and weak.

Pruning petunias in July

Pruning in August

In August, pruning is recommended so that the bush has become thicker and begins to actively bloom. The algorithm is identical to last month. As a result of abundant flowering, plants can lose a lot of strength. To do this, organic and mineral fertilizers must be applied to the soil at least once a week.

Important:pinching is recommended in the early morning or late evening, when the sun's rays do not hit the petunia bushes.

After flowering

Is it permissible to prune a plant during flowering? It all depends on the goals. If the main task is to collect seed (seeds), pruning is not at all advisable. Well, if the plant is grown for decorative purposes, it should be carried out regularly, since the ripening of seeds requires a lot of effort.

Pruning petunias after flowering

In order for the culture to please for a long time with abundant long flowering, you should adhere to the following recommendations:

  • For active growth and development of the plant, it is required to regularly apply mineral and / or organic fertilizers to the soil, and use growth stimulants.
  • In hot weather, it is imperative to carry out daily abundant watering.
  • Withering flowers must be pinched off along with the stem.

Pinching rules

The pinching is not easy for the plant, but everything possible can be done to ensure that this process does as little damage as possible. All tools used must be prepared. For the procedure you will need:

  • Firmed seedlings (it should have at least 5 strong full-fledged leaves).
  • A container into which the cuttings can be folded.
  • If the agronomist plans to carry out pinching, it is necessary to prepare nail scissors.
  • Garden knife or secateurs (sharp) for pruning.

How to pinch petunia correctly

Petunia cuttings

Recommendations to follow for growing a beautifully flowering and lush plant:

  1. After pinching, at least 5 large and strong leaves should remain on the seedlings.
  2. Overgrown planting material is not suitable for pinching, so it is very important not to miss the right moment.
  3. After pinching, you must wait 3-5 days before planting the plant in open soil. If you neglect this rule, most likely, it will simply die.
  4. When pinching a plant, the tool used must be disinfected.

It is important to determine when is the best time to pinch the petunia. With the onset of summer, the plant gains strength, has an attractive appearance and bright color, but at the end of summer, in the absence of rest, the plant may die altogether. The first pinching is recommended during the cultivation of seedlings, approximately the first - the second decade of June. Further, the stems begin to grow rapidly, the first buds are formed. In July, as a rule, the plant already blooms magnificently.

Note:it is recommended to pinch and cut off mostly adult bushes. This will not only improve the health of the plant and provide lush flowering, but also allow you to further propagate the culture by cuttings. The frequency of procedures and the degree of stem shortening depend on the condition of the plant.

Petunia is a beautiful, unpretentious and luxuriantly flowering plant. "Agreeing" with her is not difficult, even a novice agronomist can grow healthy and strong bushes.In order for the flowering to last as long as possible, the plant must be carefully looked after, figured out how to rejuvenate the petunia and use sharp disinfected tools for pruning. Timely and regular pruning, plucking of stems and flowers prolongs not only the flowering period, but also the life of the plant.