Inveterate gardeners must have time to track the different types of flowers that live on the site. For them, it is necessary to create individual conditions. Some are less demanding, while others will have to tinker with and learn how to care for them. Particular attention is paid to beautiful ampelous plants that can be placed in flowerpots. One of them is surfinia (aka sulfinia).
Ampelous surfinia: home care and cultivation
Providing sulphinia with ampelous attention and proper care, you can enjoy lush and prolonged flowering throughout the season. To grow a flower, as if from a picture, it is recommended to follow the basic rules.
"Ampelous surfinia in a cache-pot"
Surfiniya cultivation and care
There are 2 ways to grow surfinia at home:
- 1 Method - growing seedlings.
"Seedling"
Important! Growing from seeds is possible, but it is a rather lengthy and time-consuming process. Even experienced gardeners do not always succeed.
The seeds are very small in size, so when sowing them, several pieces are laid out on moist soil in pots, then covered with a film. Do not allow the earth to dry out, so regularly moisten it by irrigation from a spray bottle. Particular attention should be paid to environmental conditions: the room should be well-lit and warm (from +20 degrees). For good germination, make sure that direct sunlight enters the seedlings. After the first sprouts, the roots are sprinkled with sand to prevent decay. As soon as 2 full leaflets grow, seedlings are divided into different pots. Before planting in open ground, seedlings are tempered, exposing briefly on the street. You need to start from the 1st hour, gradually increasing the time spent.
- 2 Method - cuttings.
"Cuttings of surfinia"
In early autumn, a stalk about 10 cm long is cut from a large and healthy bush. It is rooted in fertile soil and a kind of greenhouse is created, covering the plant with a plastic bottle or container. With the appearance of the first two leaves on the handle, the greenhouse can be removed. By spring, a lush bush is formed, which is quite ready for life on the street.
This flower is very susceptible to external environmental conditions. In order for the plant to actively grow and develop, it must be located in a place where a sufficient amount of sunlight falls. Thinking over the location for hanging baskets and pots, you need to choose places in compliance with the following criteria:
- sunny side. It is advisable that at noon the flower be in partial shade;
- the presence of an artificial canopy, as the flower does not tolerate rain;
- flower pots are hung on the leeward side, protecting the surfinia from drafts.
The next point that is very important when caring for this flower is the choice of soil. The earth must be loose and fertile. Experienced growers are advised to grow surfinia in loam or sandy loam with a neutral or slightly acidic environment. To obtain a suitable soil for this flower, mix peat, vermicompost, turf in a ratio of 1: 1: 4. Vermiculite can be added to the finished mixture. He will make the soil loose.
Before planting, the soil can be fertilized. To do this, apply:
- prepared fertilizers containing potassium;
- organic top dressing - mullein infusion or Vermistim drug.
Top dressing is necessarily accompanied by watering or spraying. They positively affect the development of foliage and extend the flowering period. The procedure is carried out 1 time per week.
Important! The use of a ready-made balanced complex for flowering plants is allowed.
Surfinia loves frequent watering, but it reacts extremely negatively to stagnant water. Therefore, before filling the pot with soil to the bottom, it is recommended to lay a drainage 5 cm thick.
"How to lay a drain"
The frequency of watering is determined by the time of year. In hot weather, it is better to moisten the soil daily, and on rainy and cool days - as the earth dries. The flower planted in the pot is watered under the roots of the settled warm water, spraying from the spray can be used for the plants in the pots.
Important! Application for watering cold water or falling raindrops leads to wilting of foliage.
To give the bush a neat and compact shape, it is recommended to crop its shoots. This is done between July and August. The curvaceous and uniform development of surfinia is achieved by pinching the shoots as they reach 20 cm in length. Do not despair of reducing the intensity of development. The flower regains its strength within a couple of weeks, after which it is ready to delight its master again with an abundance of bright buds.
We must not lose sight of the fact that, like any other plant, surfinia can become ill. A spider mite may appear on the plant. This is manifested in the appearance of yellowish dots and a small web. If the first signs are found, it is necessary to treat the flower with a soap solution. Processing with specialized chemicals is quite effective - Actellik, Nero, Fitoverm.
The appearance of brown spots indicates the development of late blight. Then it is necessary to carry out processing with drugs with a high concentration of copper.
The development of wet, gray or white rot is the result of a violation of the rules of detention: stagnation of water in a pot, cold environment, acidic soil. In this case, a complex treatment is carried out with organic preparations (for example, Fitosporin) and chemicals (for example, Maxim).
To overcome the whitefly, Aktara and Mospilan are used. The impact of this parasite is manifested in wilting and yellowing of the foliage.
What is the difference between flowering during the flowering season and in contrast to the dormant period?
Despite the fact that surfinia is a street resident, it dies during the first frosts. It can be saved only by moving it to the house. Before this, all the foliage is cut off, leaving no more than 15 cm. Next, the planters and pots are moved to a balcony or loggia. Watering should be much less common as the soil dries. With the onset of spring, the flower is transferred back to the street.
"Preparing the surfinia for winter"
How is surfinia different from petunia?
Ampelous surfinia is a hybrid of petunias. How surfinia differs from petunia is understood only by experienced gardeners. Surfinia is often compared to ampelous petunia. However, surfinia from its parent has a number of advantages.
They can be distinguished by abundant and luxurious flowering. Also, the difference lies in the fact that the buds of the surfinia hang down, and the inflorescence itself is endowed with dark or light eyes. Another difference is the smell. It smells good, while the aroma intensifies in the evening.
Surfinia hybrid petunias of Japanese selection
This flower is the fruit of long experiments by Japanese breeders. Back in the 1970s, Suntory conducted work to adapt tremulous petunia to a wide variety of weather conditions. As a result, a variety was developed, which was called "surfinia." For a fairly short period of time, it gained worldwide popularity, and there were several reasons for this:
- the flower is quite resistant to adverse weather, and more precisely to rain and wind. However, it is not worthwhile to expose the flower to constant exposure to cold water and temperature;
- in comparison with petunia, it is less susceptible to disease;
- long flowering period. It is also worth noting that it is more magnificent and active;
- variety of shades (white, pink, red, yellow, violet, etc.);
- vegetation is faster.
"Bright flowering of surfinia"
When purchasing surfinia to decorate the garden, you should carefully study the rules of cultivation and care. Sulfinia is an ampoule care and cultivation at home for which it may seem difficult at first, grows into a lush and amazingly beautiful bush that looks like a bright waterfall from terry buds.
