Growing petunia on the balcony, do not forget about the rules of care
Petunias are one of the most simple and unpretentious flowering plants. Although, growing them in a limited volume and space significantly complicates the task - you need to know how to care for petunia on the balcony so that the flowers will delight you during the warm season.
Removing old flowers and lashes
In mid to late May, petunia planted in good soil, regularly watered, pleases its owners with numerous, large and bright flowers. But after just a few weeks, the flowers become smaller, and their size is significantly reduced.
To prevent this from happening, regularly inspect the bushes and carefully pick off the faded flowers. It is easy to identify them - their petals become lethargic, weakly keep their shape.
But still, the plant spends a lot of nutrients to maintain them. This means that healthy flowers and buds will get less. By removing old flowers at least two to three times a week, you will save moisture and minerals for beautiful, healthy flowers.
In addition, over time, petunia bushes begin to throw out whips, trying to capture an ever larger area. The grower does not need this at all - the flowering becomes much less intense. Fortunately, a simple haircut can fix the problem. The whips can be shortened by 2/3 or removed completely. With good watering and feeding, no more than a week or two will pass, and the bushes will be covered with numerous, bright and beautiful flowers.
A few words about feeding
Petunia is a rather "gluttonous" plant - a large number of flowers quickly deplete the soil. Therefore, feeding is especially important for their health and beauty.
Best suited special mixtures containing a large amount of phosphorus - superphosphate or potassium monophosphate. Do not forget about nitrogen - it is needed to keep the stems in perfect condition. However, you can use special fertilizers designed specifically for petunias.
They combine the most important microelements in optimal proportions, and special vitamins significantly increase efficiency.
Such simple tips allow you to maintain the flowering of petunias until the first frost.