Petunia cascading

Cascading Petunias are beautifully flowering herbaceous plants belonging to the Solanaceae family. The variety of their varieties and colors has long won the hearts of gardeners and landscape designers around the world. Despite their fragile appearance, petunias are not too capricious and have a rather unpretentious character, which greatly facilitates their care and makes these flowers even more popular. Depending on the variety, they can be grown in flower beds, in floor pots and flowerpots, in hanging pots.

There are a number of varieties with a common trait that makes them especially attractive to garden designers. We are talking about cascading petunias, whose long and flexible shoots, strewn with bright flowers, fall down the walls of the flowerpots, sometimes completely hiding them under them. This article will talk about how to plant cascading petunias, how to care for them, as well as the most popular varieties of this group.

The main characteristics and distinctive features of cascading petunias

In essence, cascading petunias are one of the varieties of ampelous petunias.
However, they have their own characteristics and characteristics:

1) The shoots of cascading petunias, as a rule, are very strong and flexible, sometimes reaching a length of 1.5 m. They are not afraid even of a strong wind - they are not damaged under its gusts, but only bend. The growth of greenery occurs through the axillary processes. At first, rising upward, reaching a certain length, they cascade downward.

2) When planted in a hanging planter, cascading petunias turn it into a blooming ball with long whip-like shoots, picturesquely rushing to the ground.

3) During the flowering period, the shoots are completely covered with bright buds of the same size and shape, about 5 cm long.

4) Despite the unpretentious nature of petunias, cascading varieties are sensitive to regular watering and fertilization. Both of these procedures are most important during the flowering period, when the plant needs increased nutrition in order to form buds.

5) At the same time, excess moisture is no less dangerous for cascading petunias than its deficiency. If you do not notice the stagnation of water in a pot or pan in time, there is a risk of root rot, which can destroy the plant.

6) Due to their resistance to bad weather, cascade petunias successfully take root not only in indoor conditions or on balconies, but also in city parks and squares. With their help, you can plant trees and decorate the veranda or gazebo at the summer cottage.

7) There are quite a few varieties of cascading petunias of various colors, many of which are widespread in domestic garden plots.

Differences between cascade and ampel petunias

Despite the fact that cascading petunias are a type of ampelous petunias, there are a number of significant differences between them:

1) One of the main points that distinguish the two varieties of petunias is the length of the shoots. Both boast strong stems that can withstand strong gusts of wind, and then recover quickly. But the shoots of ampel petunias, with proper care, grow up to 2 m, while the average length of the stems of cascading varieties is 1 m.

2) Unlike the cascading petunia, which resembles a bright curtain during the flowering period, the ampelous variety tends to grow along a horizontal surface, forming a pillow-shaped bush. Sometimes, just one copy of the ampelous petunia is enough to completely envelop the flower bed with its flowering shoots and give it the shape of a ball. As a result of regular and competent care, such flower balls grow and can occupy an area of ​​about 2 square meters.

3) Ampel petunias bloom with large uniform flowers that densely dot the stems along the entire length. Flowers of cascading varieties can be of different sizes, but they are not inferior to ampel varieties in terms of brightness and flowering density.

As for the requirements for care, ampel petunias love moisture and sunlight as much as cascading varieties. If you do not forget about regular watering and fertilizing, there will be no problems with growing these flowers. Moreover, all the efforts of the grower will pay off when the time for flowering comes and his balcony will literally be drowned in flowers.

The most popular varieties of cascading petunias

Among all the variety of varieties of cascading petunias, it is quite difficult to choose the most beautiful and popular, since each gardener has his own preferences. This article will list the varieties that are ubiquitous.

1) The related varieties of the hybrids Double Cascade Blue F1, Double Cascade Pink oft, Double Cascade Orchid Mist and Double Cascade Orchid Mist are very popular. Cascade Burgundy "(Double Cascade Burgundy). All of them are distinguished by noble colors. Thus, the variety "Double Cascade Blue" is painted in dark blue tones, due to which its flowers resemble large blue carnations with smooth edges of the petals. Flowers of the Double Cascade Burgundy variety, as the name implies, have a noble wine color. "Double Cascade Pink Soft" is distinguished by a delicate, but at the same time saturated pink color of the petals. "Double Cascade Orchid Mist" is perhaps the lightest variety from the "Cascades" series, whose flowers are painted in a pastel lilac shade.

Given the large size of the double flowers, they look very impressive against the background of emerald greenery, and they also smell very nice. Varietal group "Cascades" begins to bloom quite early, which adds to their popularity.

2) Another equally popular group of varieties is not for nothing that bears the name of the famous beauty - "Gioconda" (Gioconda). During the flowering period, a rather compact branchy bush is covered with medium-sized, but very attractive flowers with a diameter of no more than 6 cm. The advantage of the Gioconda varieties is their resistance to temperature extremes, which makes them suitable for growing in various climatic conditions. Another advantage of this group of varieties is the variety of colors: there are pink, purple, purple, red, orange, white specimens with a variety of shades.

3) Hybrid variety "Ramblin Burgundy Chrome" (Ramblin Burgundy Chrome) is referred to as surfinii - a variety of cascading petunias with particularly powerful shoots that grow up to 1 m in length. The bushes of this variety rarely grow above 0.4 m, therefore they are mainly used to decorate suspended interior details. Ramblyn Burgundy Chrome has an early flowering period that lasts throughout the season. In addition, a characteristic feature of the variety is the combination of an unpretentious character and abundant flowering.

4) The variety of cascade petunia has powerful shoots that can safely withstand the blows of a storm wind and recover after that.Typhoon Red Velor "(Typhoon Red Velor). It belongs to the giant varieties of petunias and is often used as ground cover plants.

5) Small-flowered cascading petunias include the variety "Ninja Purple", which blooms with numerous miniature purple flowers.

6) Another variety belonging to the giant cascading petunias is Tornado Silver. Its powerful stems can grow up to 1.5 m in favorable conditions.

The variety is distinguished by high growth rates and an abundance of silvery-white flowers.

7) Cascade petunias of the “Picobella” varietal group are popular.

Among them there are specimens of red, pink, blue, purple, cream and white in various variations.

Instructions for planting cascading petunias

The competent choice of a place for the placement of cascading petunias and the observance of the necessary rules during the planting procedure itself are the key to their successful development and abundant flowering. Today, seedlings for growing petunias are sold in specialized stores, so sowing seeds, due to its laboriousness, is losing popularity. Meanwhile, many gardeners prefer to independently trace the entire growth and development cycle of petunias and prefer to grow them from seeds. For this case, there is a step-by-step algorithm that will allow you to sow without any problems:

1) The best time to sow petunia seeds is in the last days of February and the first half of March.

2) Since the root system of petunias is extremely sensitive to moisture stagnation, care should be taken to provide a drainage layer at the bottom of the sowing container. Expanded clay is suitable for this purpose.

3) A nutritious soil mixture should be poured over the drainage layer and the seeds should be buried in it.

4) It is recommended to cover containers with seed with a glass cover or plastic wrap and place in an environment with moderately humid air and a temperature of at least +20 degrees. The upper threshold of the optimal temperature regime is +25 degrees.

5) Future seedlings must be watered daily by irrigation from a spray bottle. To disinfect and accelerate seed germination, you can add a little potassium permanganate to the water.

6) Seedlings are considered ready for transplanting into peat containers after the appearance of the third true leaf on the seedlings.

7) When starting to transplant young petunias to a permanent place, it is recommended to decide in advance on the desired planting density: if you plan to form a voluminous composition, it is worth planting several copies in one pot or flowerpot.

8) Pinching the shoots will help the bushes branch better and grow more lush. As a rule, for this procedure, the part of the shoot is selected where 5 or 6 leaves grow.

These simple recommendations are quite enough to successfully grow cascading petunia from seeds. With the necessary patience and care, the event will surely be crowned with success.

Care rules

Proper care of cascading petunias will allow these spectacular flowers to fully manifest their decorative qualities and please their owners with abundant and long flowering. As mentioned above, petunias are light-loving plants, and cascading varieties are no exception. Flowers placed on a balcony or window facing south or southwest will feel best. In the garden, the optimal place for growing petunias is on the southern border of the site.

In addition to sunlight, cascading petunias need regular watering, preferably daily. In especially hot and dry periods, it will not be superfluous to carry out the watering procedure twice a day.

It is important not to allow the soil to dry out in containers for growing cascade petunias. Another effective way to protect petunias from drought is to spray the foliage with warm, settled water.

Saturation of the soil with nutrients is an equally important condition for the successful development of petunias.

For this, mineral complexes with a high content of magnesium and potassium are suitable.

The timely removal of dried flowers and other parts of the bush will help to preserve the attractive appearance of cascading petunias and protect their diseases. Weakened shoots and wilted flowers take away nutrition from the stronger and healthier parts of the plant, so pruning them is the best solution.

Breeding methods for cascading petunias

Cascading petunias successfully propagate by cuttings, which are recommended in the spring. To do this, even in the fall, the parent bush is cleared of old shoots and throughout the winter period is stored in a cool room at a temperature not higher than +12 degrees. It should be watered rarely and sparingly.

With the arrival of spring, you can start cutting cuttings, the length of which is, on average, 10 cm. Each specimen should have a couple of leaves, all other leaves can be removed. For better rooting, it is recommended to soak the cuttings for a while in a root growth stimulator. After this procedure, the cuttings are transplanted into containers filled with wet sand and covered with a glass cover.

It is best to place containers with cuttings in a sunny place with an air temperature of at least +23 degrees. It is important to provide the cuttings with lighting for 10 hours every day. If the duration of daylight hours is not enough for this, it is recommended to resort to artificial light sources.

Under favorable conditions, the cuttings will begin to root within a week after planting and will be ready to move into seedling containers after the first leaves appear.

Protection from diseases and pests

Cascading petunias, to the same extent as other varieties of this flower culture, are susceptible to various diseases and attack by harmful insects. Of course, unlike petunias grown in the open field, they are not threatened by parasites living in the soil, but there are enough other dangerous enemies. These include spider mites and aphids. In order to detect pests in time, you need to systematically examine the bushes of petunias. The first sign of the presence of aphids is the leaves they leave on the surface of the leaves. sticky marks whitish shade. It is not so easy to detect a spider mite, therefore, as a rule, a violation of vegetative processes and the loss of its attractive appearance by petunia bushes becomes evidence of its attack on a plant. As a preventive measure, cascading petunias can be treated with garlic infusion with the addition of dandelion. More radical measures include the use of insecticides "Confidor Extra" or "Aktara". As for diseases, the greatest danger to cascading petunias is represented by fungal diseases - for example, powdery mildew or late blight. Most often, the infected plant begins to lag behind in growth and development, blooms too late or does not bloom at all. Garlic infusion or fungicide preparations are suitable for treatment and prophylactic treatment.

Helps prevent fungal infections and nitrogen fertilization. As in the case of harmful insects, it is important to regularly examine petunias in order to notice signs of the disease in time. Deformed leaves, darkening of leaf plates, and the appearance of plaque should be a cause for concern. It is much easier to prevent an infection than later trying to cure a diseased plant that is more likely to die.