Petunia stretched out. What to do?

If you notice that your petunia seedlings are elongated, then this is a serious defect that should be paid special attention to. A plant that has overgrown begins to stagnate. And instead of getting abundant flowering and a beautiful bush, you can become the owner of an indistinct liana, which has small and rare flowers. What should be done if the petunia is very elongated. Landscape designers often share information about what to do if the petunia is stretched out and how to grow strong and healthy seedlings at home. This will help grow curly and flowering thickets in your area.

Petunia stretches: what needs to be done to prevent pulling out seedlings

Petunia is a plant that requires special care. From the first days of your life until the moment when you plant the plant in open soil. After planting on open soil, the flower will begin to grow stronger and harden in a natural way. If there is artificial lighting, then a special regime will need to be provided.

The main thing to remember in order to prevent stretching of petunia seedlings is to create the right microclimate. It is needed so that the seeds germinate and cotyledon leaves can form.

The whole difficulty lies in the fact that petunia's seeds are very small in size, which does not allow them to be sown less often. Most often, petunia begins to sprout in the form of a thick brush, and the sprouts have such a thin structure that even touching them with your hands seems scary.

If you do not take any measures, then the seedlings can stretch out even in 1 day. At the time of emergence and before true leaves form, there are a number of measures you can take to help prevent pulling out of the seedlings.

• It is necessary to fill the container with soil where the seedlings will be grown, to the very sides. This will help prevent the so-called fence effect on newly emerging seedlings.
• It is necessary to sow seeds without deepening.
• Before the emergence of shoots, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime within +24 degrees. After the first loops appear, the air temperature must be lowered to +18 degrees.
• It is necessary to sow under the cover to increase the humidity of the air. Or spray every day with a spray bottle.
• It is necessary to connect additional lighting for up to 13-14 hours. After the shoots appear, the first 3 days the plant will need to be provided with round-the-clock illumination.

If you can observe all of the above nuances, then you will prevent the process of pulling seedlings not at the initial stages. It is almost impossible to correct the current situation at subsequent stages. Even if the plant becomes strong after this, the stem at the base will be able to lay the plant on the ground.

If, nevertheless, the petunia is stretched out, what to do?

If you grow a plant indoors, then it is very likely that the petunia will stretch, and this can happen at any time. Why is the petunia stretched out and not blooming? The thing is that she may not have enough lighting and nutrients. Alternatively, the plant can be located at a remote location from the light sources.

If petunia is pulled at a later age, then this situation can be corrected using several methods.

• Pinch the main stem.
• Normalize temperature, watering and lighting.
• Transplant the plant or add soil.
• Fertilization.

It is necessary to take care of already grown seedlings a little better than small seedlings. If the microclimate is disturbed or the diet is disturbed, then the seedlings will acquire a thin structure, a pale appearance, and will not be able to take root in the open field.

Why does petunia stretch and not bush? We observe the correct watering regime

In order for the stem to be thick and strong, and there is a small distance between the leaves, the petunia must be watered quite often, but in small quantities. It is best if the earthen ball with the root system is always wet, but it should not be wet.

After you dive, pour 20 ml of water under each plant. But this should be a regular action. If the plant experiences a moisture deficit, the sprout may stretch out. And an excess of moisture, on the contrary, can lead to the fact that the root system begins to rot.

If the room in which the petunia is grown is dry, then spraying is necessary quite often. To simplify the care of the petunia, a mini greenhouse is prepared for it. To do this, cover the container using plastic wrap.

But you need to ensure that the air temperature during the day does not rise above +25 degrees. If the room is poorly ventilated or the humidity of the air is high, then the plant may get sick with a "black leg".

We apply fertilizers

Stimulation of seedlings should not be carried out, since after this the seedlings can stretch out. It is necessary to apply fertilizers up to 3 times, keeping for 1 month between dressings.

The first application of fertilizers is carried out approximately 10 days after the dive of the plant. You need to focus on when the seedlings begin to grow. Complex fertilizers that contain phosphorus and potassium (Crystallin) are best suited.

This fertilizer is highly soluble in water, suitable for the root system of the plant. It is better not to use fertilizers that contain nitrogen. Moreover, if you grow seedlings at home. They can stimulate the growth of the plant, stretching out, as it were, the main shoot. Nitrogen fertilization is best done after the plant is rooted in open soil.

Petunia stretches out and falls. Exit - pinching

If, nevertheless, it happened that the petunia stretched out strongly, then you can try to correct the situation by using the artificial formation of the bush. To do this, you can use:

• By pinching the main stem. You need to do it with your fingers or take scissors, cutting off the end of the main stem. After such pinching, the growth of the shoot should stop. The lateral buds should wake up. The bush begins to let its forces grow in different directions.
• By dripping. It is carried out after the plant is planted in a permanent place, in the event that the seedlings still stretch out and fall. You can drop the stem anywhere. This will help provoke the formation of additional roots. This way you can improve your nutrition. In this case, the lateral shoots will begin to develop, taking an upright position. As a result, you can get a decent border flower bed (if you lay the plant along) or a fluffy pots (if you lay the stems in a circular manner).
• By pinching the side shoot. In order to get a fluffy bush, you can also pinch the lateral shoot when it reaches a size of 10-15 cm.

It is important to keep in mind that in open soil, petunia begins to behave like a real vine. Let additional roots go along the stems, change the direction of growth when pinching. Those growers who have significant experience in growing this plant propagate petunia using cuttings.

They cut off not the upper buds, but the upper segments of the plant, which have a length equal to two internodes. The tops that you trim should be rooted in water and planted in open soil.

Let's summarize a few conclusions

• If you notice that the petunia seedlings are stretched out, then it is possible to correct the situation at any stage of growth. It is important to normalize the temperature and watering of the plant.
• It is best if you do not allow the plant to stretch out. The plant that you can restore will not be as beautiful as a real healthy plant.
• Before you plant the plant, you need to take care of purchasing special lighting in advance, prepare the place where you will grow the plant so that the blooming petunia does not stretch out.
• It is necessary to dive an overgrown plant when the first true leaf appears.
• Adult seedlings of petunias that are stretched out can be corrected by forming a bush in open soil.