How to grow a petunia - avoid the main mistakes. Home business: growing petunia seedlings

How to grow petunia seedlings: we understand the technology Already in the middle of spring, the sale of flowering petunia seedlings begins in the markets and garden centers. The choice of varieties is usually small, so the search for some fancy hybrid usually ends in disappointment. To prevent this from happening, you need to learn how to grow petunia seedlings at home on your own. In fact, it's as simple as two and two. Do you want to learn? Then go ahead! Stage 1. Determining the timing of sowing petunias for seedlings Let's start by determining when to plant petunia seeds. Usually in the literature there are recommendations to date crops for the second half of March. During this period, the daylight hours are already long enough to provide sprouts necessary quantity Sveta. However, these recommended terms are not the ultimate truth, they can vary significantly. If: the windows of the apartment are south - plant the petunia in early March there is good illumination - crops can be started in late February windows facing north - postpone the sowing season until the end of March - early April Remember that if you plant the seeds too early, then there will be a lack of light will definitely affect the health of young plants. Their development will be slowed down, they will grow frail, elongated, unable to fight diseases. You are unlikely to get beautiful petunia bushes from such seedlings. It's a completely different matter if you delay landings. In this case, you don’t have to worry about the sprouts, but the flowering will be pushed back in time. Be guided by the fact that, on average, petunia blooms 10-12 weeks after sowing. Stage 2. Preparing a “place of residence” for seedlings For sowing petunias for seedlings, wide and not too deep containers are used: boxes, cassettes, plastic container from under mayonnaise or butter. Preparing a container for petunia seedlings The prepared container is filled with earth to about 2/3 of the height. Fill the selected container with soil mixture, spill it with boiling water. This execution is necessary in order to destroy possible pests. However, a high-quality store-bought mixture, even during the production process, undergoes all sorts of treatments and checks for the presence of pests (a particularly important analysis is a test for nematodes). However, it is better to play it safe and treat the earth with boiling water (steam in the oven or microwave). After 10-15 minutes, when the soil has cooled down, you can start planting petunias with seeds. Stage 3. Sowing petunias with seeds Petunia seeds are sown on the surface of a moist substrate, do not sprinkle with soil on top. IN Lately petunia seeds of elite varieties are processed to improve germination and easier sowing useful substances, which form a shell around the seed - a granule. Seeds in this case visually increase several times and it is easier to plant them, observing the distance between crops. However, in order for the sprout to have the strength to break through a hard granule, it must be well moistened with water. Therefore, as soon as you spread the granules on the substrate, moisten them from above with water from a spray bottle. Sometimes this measure does not work and the shell of the granule does not lend itself. Perhaps the processing technology was not followed or the storage rules were violated. Then you should pry each granule with a toothpick and try to crush it in order to release the seed. From above, cover the planting container with a sheet of glass or transparent polyethylene so that the seeds, and then the sprouts at the very beginning of their development, are in greenhouse conditions. A stable microclimate with high humidity inside such a homemade "greenhouse" will save you from having to water the newly hatched petunia shoots. And this means that the survival rate of the younger generation in such conditions will tend to 100%. Seeds sprout only in the light, so immediately after sowing, place the container on a warm (23-26 ° C) and light windowsill. Droplets of water condense on the shelter of the greenhouse, so the film (glass) must be turned over to the other, dry side every day. Now nothing will prevent the seeds from sprout after the set period - usually after 3-4 days (old seeds germinate longer - up to 10 days). Stage 4. Refusal of greenhouse conditions - the first "walks" of young sprouts As soon as the first sprouts appear from the seeds, the temperature of their content can be reduced to 18-20°C. For example, move containers with seedlings closer to window glass and away from the battery. This event is rather desirable, but not mandatory. When the temperature drops, young plants do not stretch, respectively, grow more squat and stocky. In the very first days of their existence, petunia seedlings should get used to non-greenhouse conditions. The high humidity of the greenhouse is, of course, good, but it can play a cruel joke on seedlings. The most common disadvantages of a long stay of the substrate with sprouts under the greenhouse "cap" is the formation of mold on the ground and the spread of "black leg" disease. Therefore, every day the planting greenhouse must be ventilated by slightly opening its cover (polyethylene, glass, cassette cover, etc.). The first time, 2-3 minutes is enough, then, on each subsequent day, the time of “walking” seedlings should be increased by several minutes and, finally, remove the cover of the greenhouse completely. Stage 5. Petunia Seedling Dive When a petunia sprout hatches from a seed, it already has a pair of cotyledon leaves. They are elongated and do not look at all like the so-called "real" leaves that will appear a little later. Cotyledons must be handled very carefully - they contain nutrients for a young plant. With the appearance of 2-3 pairs of true leaves (they already retain varietal characteristics, unlike cotyledons), you can start picking. What it is? In the traditional sense, picking (diving) seedlings consists of two procedures: 1. Transplanting sprouts from common containers to separate ones. Seedlings develop quickly and very soon, if the crops were produced in one planting container, they begin to oppress each other. When diving a petunia, each sprout goes to its own territory - in a separate cup or pot. 2. Shortening of the central root. If its “center” is damaged, the root system begins to grow intensively in breadth and becomes more powerful. When diving seedlings of petunias, only procedure No. 1 is usually performed. Manipulations with the central root are gradually fading into oblivion: amateur flower growers rightly decide that when transplanting seedlings, the root system is still damaged, so there is no point in injuring it additionally. Thus, as soon as you notice that the seedlings have become crowded, carefully transplant them, along with a clod of earth around the roots, into separate "apartments". At the same time, deepen each sprout into the soil to the cotyledon leaves. On the buried part of the stem, additional roots will subsequently appear, which will formulate a more developed root system. Stage 6. "Hardening" - lowering the temperature After diving, the seedlings are already old enough and need to be "hardened". Among flower growers, this term means regular exposure of seedlings to low temperatures - 10-15 ° C. At first, short-term, for 10-15 minutes, and then longer "hardening", gradually turning into constant conditions of detention, allows petunia bushes to grow more compact and strong. This can be achieved if the seedlings are taken out every day on glazed balcony, or open a window in the room where the plants are located. Stage 7. Pinching petunia seedlings Pinching (pinching) petunia seedlings is another important procedure that determines the appearance of an already adult bush: how branched, lush it will be, how many flower buds it can form. The petunia sprout always forms a distinct central shoot that stretches upward. It must be pinched at the level of 4-5 of a real leaf, that is, with nails or thin nail scissors, carefully pinch off the growth point. After that, new shoots will begin to grow from the axils of the remaining leaves, the bushes become fluffy, compact, densely branched. Remember that the more branches a petunia has, the more flowers it will have in adulthood. Therefore, pinching seedlings of petunia can be done several times, the more - the thicker the flower "ball" will be. Pinching petunia seedlings In order for a young petunia to start branching, its stem is cut - pinched Stage 8. Planting seedlings in a permanent place Mature petunia seedlings are planted for permanent residence in balcony boxes, flowerpots, flower beds in May - early June. At this time, the probability of night frosts is practically excluded, so the seedlings, once in a large amount of land, will quickly grow and become an adult, flowering petunia.

In our country, petunia is grown as an annual ornamental plant. While this representative of the nightshade belongs to perennials. But due to the harsh climate in most of our Fatherland, no one thinks about saving petunias for the winter. This is a troublesome and unpopular business with Russian flower growers. Meanwhile, breeders have long bred hybrid varieties petunias, which are able to bloom profusely several times a year.

Petunia is an absolute favorite among flyers. And by popularity, and by distribution, and by abundant flowering this plant outshines any other competitors. Seedlings of petunias from spring to autumn flood store shelves. Growing petunias from seeds is not an easy task. But with some diligence and attention, you can create your own collection of petunias yourself.

Petunia is not the easiest crop to grow seedlings from seeds. Small seeds, fragile and sensitive seedlings require accuracy in the process of growing seedlings. But still, the beauty of the flyer is worth the effort.

Sowing of petunia seeds is carried out in late February, early March. Although you can start growing seedlings at a later date, but in this case you have the danger of not seeing flowering.

There are many nuances in choosing the timing of sowing petunia seeds:

1. Petunias sown in the second and third decades of March bloom by June, when sown in January and February, the dates are respectively shifted to April-May, but such cultivation requires special conditions.
2. There is a variation in the recommended sowing dates for individual varieties of petunias. Late-flowering large-flowered petunias are best sown later, in March, multiflora can be sown earlier, in February, and ampelous petunias for the largest mass of long shoots are best sown even with additional light in January.
3. At any time of sowing, you should be ready, if necessary, to compensate for the lack of lighting: light-loving petunias in an unsuccessful spring without supplementary lighting can be lost altogether (due to cloudy weather).

Keep in mind that it will be at least 10 weeks before this beauty delights you with her colorful outfits. Petunia produces very small, smaller than a poppy seed, seeds.

Petunia enjoys special love and attention from gardeners, and this is not surprising.

Its lush flowering and variety of shades make it possible to decorate both garden plot, and summer grounds of expensive cafes or balconies of ordinary residents.

Types and varieties of petunias. Choose a variety for yourself

All existing varieties are divided into two groups:

1. large-flowered;
2. multi-flowered plants.

Multi-flowered petunias (multiflora) They begin to bloom before their large-flowered sisters. During flowering, flowers up to 5 cm in diameter are formed on the bushes, moreover, this type of petunia blooms for a very long time. Multi-flowered varieties of petunias are unpretentious, grow on any soil, love both rain and sun.

Multi-flowered petunias do not look as chic as large-flowered ones, but their small bushes are covered with a large number of flowers that delight the eye until the onset of autumn cold weather.

• fantasy- a series of 9 hybrids. The maximum height of the bushes is 20 cm. Flowers with a diameter of up to 4 cm in various shades.
• Mirage- a series of 13 hybrids. These varieties of petunias with a diameter of flowers from 6 to 9 cm. The flowers of this series of hybrids are distinguished by red or purple veined hues.
• Plumcrystals- this is the most large variety multicolored hybrid. The bushes grow up to 20 cm high, up to 35 cm in diameter. The size of the flowers is up to 7 cm. A feature of "Plumcrystals" is flowering, since from the initial pink-lilac hue, the flower becomes barely lilac.

Large-flowered petunias (grandiflora)- already from the name it is clear that the plant is different here large flowers. Gardeners liked this type of petunia so much that breeders bred more than a hundred of its varieties. Here the quantity of flowers is compensated by their quality.

Large-flowered petunias are very fragile in structure, so that its flowers are damaged by wind and rain. This fact is the reason that large-flowered varieties petunias are most often used for decorations.

Large-flowered petunia is divided into several subgroups:

• large-flowered (up to 6 dm);
• large-flowered low (up to 2.5-3 dm);
• large-flowered fringed (up to 6.5 - 7 dm, fringed flowers up to 1.2 dm);
• large-flowered fringed low (2.5 - 3 dm, fringed flowers up to 1.2 dm);
• large-flowered superb (5 - 7 dm, smooth flowers with a throat of 0.9 - 1.1 dm);
• large-flowered superb low (3 - 4 dm, flowers with a throat of 0.9 - 1.1 dm);
• large-flowered terry (5 - 6 dm, flower 0.9 - 1.1 dm with terry edges).

• Hit parade- one of the most popular now varieties of petunia. These are fast growing hybrids. A bush up to 25 cm high. The color range is the most diverse, from dark lilac to light generic.
• picoti- a series of 4 types of petunias, distinctive feature which are large corrugated flowers with a white, 1-1.5 cm border.
• purple pirouette- dark purple hybrid with fringed edges and a white border. The height of the bush reaches 25 cm.

In addition to the above two most popular groups of petunias, there is another, the so-called intermediate group.

Petunia floribunda resistant to bad weather conditions. It looks spectacular only with a large cluster of flowers. That is why gardeners prefer growing petunias in large flower beds.

The most popular varieties:

• Sonia- 11 hybrids, not higher than 25 cm. The color range of flowers is the most diverse, from light pink to purple with veins.
• celebrity- a variety of petunias with 13 colors. It is a heat tolerant and rain tolerant plant. Coloring is both one and three-color.

A garden group of petunias is most commonly used as decoration. Garden petunias have long, flexible stems that tend to grow downwards.

Petunia garden is quite resistant to difficult weather conditions. Popular varieties of garden petunias include Surfinia, Tumbelina and Conchita.

Planting seedlings

Most often, amateur gardeners prefer to buy petunia seedlings from professionals in their field.

More precisely, an already flowering plant is acquired, which is transplanted into the soil. In this case, growing and caring for petunias is reduced to a simple minimum - timely mulching and watering plants.

If already planted flowering plants, then they can bloom until November. Before transplanting, the plant in a pot is well watered and planted along with an earthen clod. It is desirable that the distance between the bushes reaches 40 cm.

It is advisable to highlight the seeds planted in the soil, then sowing petunia seeds in the soil can begin as early as the second half of February. However, planting seeds in the soil in the second half of March is considered standard.

Growing petunias from seeds is carried out in loose, light and nutritious soil, consisting of two parts of leafy or soddy soil, two parts of rotted humus, part of sand and two parts of peat.

The soil must be watered abundantly 24 hours before sowing seeds. Seeds in soil mixed with sand are lowered to a depth of no more than 1 cm, after which the soil is leveled and covered with glass or film.

For successful cultivation of petunias, it is desirable to keep the soil temperature at 20-23 degrees.

The first shoots appear after planting in a week, main task during this period is to ensure high humidity in the greenhouse.

It is worth considering that at high humidity, there is a high probability of seedling disease with a “black leg”, therefore, condensate from glass or film must be removed daily.

During this period, it is advisable not to water the sprouted petunia, but to spray it and periodically do this not only with water, but also with a light solution of potassium permanganate.

After the seedlings have the first leaf, the film or glass is removed, and the sprouts themselves are lightly sprinkled with sand, and watering is reduced.

seedling care

Petunia seedlings are dived at a time when 3-4 true leaves appear on the sprouts. Before diving, the soil in the container must be well moistened.

During a dive, the seedling is carefully removed from the soil and transplanted into a peat or plastic pot. At the same time, it is very desirable that the soil remains on the roots. The soil in pots should also be moist and consist of parts of peat, humus, leafy or soddy soil and sand.

Important! After diving, the plants are watered and covered with lutrasil or paper for 2-3 days.

Growing petunia seedlings requires the most careful attention. The soil during this period should be wet and it depends on many factors. It may turn out that the seedlings will need to be watered 1-2 times a day or 1-2 times a week. Here it is necessary to be guided by the circumstances.

Top dressing of seedlings begins a week after the dive. At this time, root and foliar top dressing alternates. Be sure to loosen the soil in pots.

For top dressing, you can use water-soluble fertilizers in the proportion of 25-35 g per 10 liters of water.

Please note that before boarding open ground germinated seedlings must be kept in a cool room and taken out into the open air for several hours to acclimatize.

One of important factors care and cultivation of petunias is pinching.

Pinching petunia is carried out after the seedlings are well accepted in the soil. In order to help the plant take root, you must follow a few rules:

• do not plant seedlings at a close distance from each other;
• water or spray the first time up to 2 - 3 times a day;
• fertilize the plants once a week.

Before pinching, you need to make sure that the plant "went into the stem", and only after you are convinced of this, count 3-5 leaves and carefully pinch off the top shoot above them. This procedure will allow the petunias to grow to the side, which will contribute to the formation of new shoots - more flowers.

Removed shoots can be used as new seedlings. To do this, the shoot is lowered into a container of water until it takes root. After he is transplanted into a container with earth. On such a cutting, before planting in the soil, it is advisable to remove all the leaves, leaving only 1 - 2 on top.

Growing petunia safely from seed is actually not that difficult. To make the procedure itself clearer, you can watch the presented video on growing petunias (it is located at the end of the article).

Petunia prefers to grow on fertile soils, so it is advisable to fertilize the soil with compost or humus before planting seedlings. It is absolutely impossible to fertilize with manure. The area where you plan to plant flowers should be open and sunny.

It is preferable that the transplantation of petunia into the soil is carried out after the last frost (approximately the second half of May), and it is better to do this in the evening or on a cloudy day.

Ampelous and cascading varieties of petunias are usually grown in hanging pots or tall flowerpots. Petunia plants of these varieties are used to decorate balconies or open terraces. Growing ampelous petunias practically does not differ from petunias of other species.

Ampel varieties of petunias grow down and are great for creating voluminous compositions. As experts advise, to decorate the terrace, you can use different varieties petunias, not necessarily only ampelous.

The results of growing petunias, as well as decorating garden plots, terraces or balconies with them can be found in the presented photos.

Pests and diseases of petunias

If you follow the requirements for planting and caring for petunias, then the likelihood that plants can get sick is minimal. In case of non-compliance with the rules, the plant can be affected by diseases such as late blight, chlorosis, black leg, gray rot. The fight against these diseases is carried out with the help of special drugs.

As for pests, no one is immune from their appearance. All known types of control are suitable for pest control.

If you do not follow the rules for growing petunias at home, then there is a possibility of the plant becoming infected with viral diseases. In this case, nothing can be helped, since no cure has yet been invented for them.

Petunia is a flower whose birthplace is Central America, but today it has firmly settled in Ukraine.
My first serious acquaintance with petunia happened more than five years ago, around 2003-2004.

Once my grandmother brought flower seeds from the rest home. She praised them so much that I couldn't help but plant them. Then I did not know yet that petunias, and it was they, have their own "cunning" ...
Built in the spring small greenhouse and planted petunia seeds. Of course, I had no experience in growing such flowers. But surprisingly, the seeds sprouted together and in the end I had so many seedlings that I did not know where to place them in a small greenhouse.From this I want to draw the first conclusion about these flowers: the similarity of seeds is very high 80-90%.

Of course, I also met with some problems that arose due to my ignorance and lack of experience:
1. I transplanted seedlings into disposable cups, but did not punch holes from the bottom, and as a result, many plants turned yellow and rotted through waterlogging, because there was nowhere for the water to go. Today, I no longer spare the time to drill as many holes in the glasses as possible, they will not be superfluous.
2. My wife and I tried to plant all the seedlings, even the smallest and most diseased plants. The result, of course, was obvious, the patients remained so until the end, and the little ones did not develop normally. We spent only time and energy on their landing.
3. The first time we sowed petunia seeds too late, somewhere at the end of February. Sowed in the house, boxes with seedlings were placed on the windows facing south. But that didn't help much. The seedling turned out to be thin and stretched out a lot. Such seedlings are very, very bad for the further development of the plant: the plant bushes weakly, subsequently it grows with only one stem up. As a result, the bush is ugly, there are few flowers, etc.
Since we did not have a heated greenhouse, we transferred the seedlings to the greenhouse in early April. Well, it certainly bloomed in mid-May. Well, that's not bad, you say. Yes, if you grow petunias for yourself, this may not be a bad thing, because for some petunia lovers, it begins to bloom even later. But we were interested in the industrial cultivation of petunias, and therefore, such terms did not suit us. After all, at that time, the petunias brought from Transcarpathia were already being sold.
4. Most big problem, or rather, disappointment was that when our grandmother saw the petunia flowers that we managed to grow, she did not recognize those beauties that she so enthusiastically told us about. The fact is, it turns out that petunia flowers grown from seeds collected in Ukraine cannot be as beautiful and large. In most cases we get wild flowers different colors and size, mostly faded shades. Pleases, one thing that come across and beautiful bushes and flowers. When planting seeds collected at home, you can bring out very beautiful flowers, but of course there are very few of them. The problem is that until the bush blooms, you cannot know for sure what the flower will be, big or small, beautiful or faded.
Today we are already a little versed in this, and there is enough material on the Internet on this topic.

In the third year of our experiments with petunia, we managed to acquire seeds from a well-known American company. The result, of course, turned out to be completely different in comparison with harvested seeds. American seeds grow together, bush beautifully (no need to pinch the top of the seedlings), flowers are the same in size and color. On the market, such flowers are "sold out". More on this some other time.
On this moment we completely abandoned the seeds collected in the conditions of Ukraine. More than that, I'll say from own experience that most of the seeds that are sold in Ukraine (I don’t know about Russia and other CIS countries) are fake. How many seeds of various firms and manufacturers we have not tried, all in vain - wild flowers. True, there are some seeds of well-known companies that gave a beautiful result, but there are many disadvantages:

1. They are packaged in very small batches and have poor similarity.
2. They are expensive compared to the manufacturer's price.

3. Very often you will simply be deceived by slipping simple seeds under the brand name of a well-known company.
My advice, if you're serious about getting real petunia, then do your best to get seeds abroad. Trust me, all the beautiful petunias you see in the markets are grown from real elite F1 seed, regardless of the variety name. Some people think that such beautiful flowers are the result of chemical feeding, this is partly true, but the main thing is the elite F1 seeds.
To get early flowers, you need to sow the seeds as early as possible (late January - early February). Of course, for this you need to comply with some conditions:
First, you need good greenhouse with heating (there are many options for how to build it; it all depends on the price).
Secondly, you need to create an elongated day, that is, you need a backlight (there are special lamps for this)
Thirdly, you need to prepare a special land for planting and separately for transplanting petunia plants.

In order for the petunia to bush beautifully, and not grow with one stem up, it is necessary that the plants are at a sufficient distance from each other. In other words, it is necessary that the plant has free space for growth to the sides.
If you have a lot of free space, then this is not a problem. We, for example, solve this problem in this way. To heat a large greenhouse in winter is not smart. Therefore, we have a small greenhouse where we create everything the necessary conditions for the development of plants in the initial period. We sow seeds in fruit boxes, which can be bought in the market in winter. They are not high, which is important (the substrate warms up quickly), and large enough to sow 1 thousand seeds (this number of seeds is in one package of foreign seeds). When the plants form 2-4 true leaves, we make the first pick. Seedlings are transplanted into the same pomegranate boxes, but only much less often (approximately 200 pieces per box). It takes up more space, but not so much that you can somehow put it in a small greenhouse. In early March, we are preparing a large greenhouse. Still, spring is coming. Then we make a second pick - into pots (disposable 200 ml glasses are the cheapest option).
Every year we increased the production of petunias and today we keep the bar at 15 thousand pieces per season.
Last year and this year we achieved that our petunia began to bloom already in the first days of April. Believe me, it's very good result, at least for business purposes, it is very beneficial. After all, the first petunia in 2009 was sold at 6-7 hryvnias per pot. And this is in Western Ukraine, I'm not talking about how much it was sold in Kyiv and in the east of the country.
Of course, I admit that there is one drawback to the early flowering of petunias. The sooner we plant the seeds, the sooner the growing season of this plant will end. Simply put, such plants hardly survive until winter. If, for example, our petunia bloomed in early April, then most likely it will dry out in September. Only enhanced feeding and special care will prolong the life of the plant.
Do not forget that in the conditions of Ukraine, petunia is considered annual plant. It is possible to save a petunia for the second year, but it is very difficult. It is easier to grow new plants by cutting mother liquors in August-September, or simply sow new seedlings in February.

• Growing technology
  • • • Similar business ideas:

Petunias are annuals and perennials belonging to the Solanaceae family. These flowers come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Spherical compact specimens or sprawling ampelous ones are grown. Their color range knows no boundaries: they are white, blue, red, pink, cream, yellow, purple, all possible shades cannot be counted. At the same time, there are monochromatic flowers and two-color ones: with a border along the edges of the petals or an asterisk inside, with spots, stripes, darker veins. They also differ in appearance: can be very small or large enough, terry, fringed or simple. The popularity of petunias is due to several factors at once:

• Firstly, these plants are unpretentious and able to survive even in not quite favorable conditions. They grow equally well in flower beds and balconies, in flowerpots and planters, in parks, gardens, near shops, cafes, restaurants, near roads and gas stations.
• Secondly, the flowering of petunias continues from early spring to late autumn, so the flower beds do not have to be updated throughout the warm season.
• Thirdly, it is impossible not to note the incredible beauty of this plant. Petunias are unsuitable for cutting, they are not put in vases, but it is difficult to imagine a brighter and more spectacular street decoration.

Such valuable qualities determine the success of a business based on the cultivation of these flowers. The business idea itself is quite fresh and has not yet had time to become widespread. But the demand for petunias is high, so finding ways to sell seedlings is not difficult at all. With the right approach, such a business will be very profitable, and all investments and costs will pay off in less than 1 year.

Growing petunias on an industrial scale

Petunias grow well in climatic conditions middle lane Russia. They thrive outdoors, which is why amateur gardeners often skip the potting stage and scatter the seeds directly into the soil in the flower bed. But given the fact that the first buds on plants appear 2-2.5 months after germination, this option is completely unacceptable for business. In city flowerbeds, in parks and near various institutions, the first blooming petunias appear in spring. So, you need to start planting seedlings much earlier. On an industrial scale, petunia is grown in specially equipped, heated and illuminated greenhouses with an established irrigation system. Workers constantly look after the borings, because it is not enough to disperse the seeds and just wait for the sprout to appear and grow to the right sizes. Seedlings need to be fertilized, weeded from weeds, pinch the tops of the stems so that the plant subsequently becomes more curly and lush. Growing petunias in large quantities requires significant investment, labor, and the purchase and installation of expensive equipment. It is very difficult to start your business right away with such volumes, so it is better to “start” with small batches of up to 1,000 plants.

Step by Step Plan to Start a Petunia Growing Business

What is needed for growing a large number young seedlings? First of all, you need to find a sufficient area for seedlings. If it is quite possible to disperse the seeds in an ordinary apartment, then more space will be required for picking and planting in pots (or in the ground). In the early stages, this is quite suitable country cottage area or land near a private house. But before you take action and begin to sow petunias in large volumes, you need to consider possible ways to sell flowers. And only after making sure that your efforts will not be in vain, and all the grown seedlings will be sold out, you can proceed directly to production issues. First you need to find out where it is more profitable to buy the raw materials necessary for planting and growing: seeds, soil, fertilizers, pots in which the plants will be sold (most often their role is played by special plastic cups or cassettes). You can buy all this in specialized stores for goods for the garden or in hypermarkets such as Castorama, OBI, Auchan and others. The first, as a rule, guarantee high quality, and the second - lower prices. Subsequently, buy seeds, soil and other Consumables can be at wholesale bases and directly from manufacturers for more favorable prices, in addition to which additional discounts are often provided depending on the volume of purchases, on average from 5 to 25%. You should also take care of the greenhouse in advance. Since petunias scatter from January to the end of March, you can’t do without it. Can be ordered assembled structure or purchase its individual components and install it yourself. The second option is less expensive. Even less investment will require a greenhouse consisting of wooden frame and stretched oilcloth. But it is inferior in strength and practicality to its counterparts made of polycarbonate, so in the next season it may need to be repaired or replaced.

How much money do you need to start a business

Don't spread thousands of seeds at once and hope for impressive profits, especially if you have no experience in growing such plants. It is better to start with a small batch of petunias, consisting of 500 - 600 pieces.

1. First you need to purchase seeds. They are usually sold in bags of 10 to 15 pieces. Buying all the seeds of one variety is not worth it, customers need to provide at least a small selection. The cost of one bag varies from 30 to 150 rubles, respectively, the price of the plants sold will also be different.
2. For such a quantity of petunias, about 120 liters will be required. earth. It is more profitable to purchase specialized soil in large packages of 50 liters, one package will cost about 300 rubles.
3. Petunias will need to be fertilized when planting and growing, otherwise the flowers will grow weak, thin, and not suitable for sale. One package (3 kg) of fertilizer costs about 250 rubles, 4 such packages will be needed for all seedlings.
4. Cassettes for seedlings (pack of 10 pieces, for 9 seedlings each) cost 60 rubles. For a batch of 600 pieces, 7 packs will be required.

How to choose equipment for growing flowers

To grow petunias, you definitely need a greenhouse. The minimum cost of construction from galvanized profile pipe and polycarbonate - 10,000 rubles. A home-made greenhouse made of wood and oilcloth will cost less, but this option is not taken into account due to its low strength and fragility.

1. Take for planting 20 bags of seeds (10 pieces) worth 30 rubles, 20 bags of 60 rubles, 5 bags of 85 rubles and 5 bags of 100 rubles. The total cost for the purchase of seed to obtain 600 petunias will be 2,725 rubles.
2. 3 packages of land (50 liters each) will cost 900 rubles.
3. Fertilizer: 4 packs x 250 = 1,000 rubles.
4. Cassettes for seedlings: 7 packs x 60 = 420 rubles.
5. The biggest expense item is the greenhouse, you will have to spend 10,000 rubles on it. But this is a one-time investment, the need for which will arise next time only when the business expands.

How much can you earn growing petunias

As a result, we get that 15,000 rubles will have to be invested in growing 500 - 600 petunias. In addition, you need to take into account the cost of lighting and heating the greenhouse, which is about 3,000 - 5,000 rubles more. Taking into account the average market prices for seedlings of these flowers, the total income from the sale of the entire batch will be about 31,000 rubles, and net - 11,000 - 13,000 rubles. The benefit from the sale of the second and subsequent lots of the same volume will be more significant. Net profit with each of them will be about 23,000 rubles.

How to market grown petunias

It is not enough to grow petunias, you still need to establish timely and profitable sales of products. There are a lot of potential clients. These are ordinary summer residents who prefer not to waste time on seedlings, but to plant already grown flowers, enterprises involved in the improvement of city streets and courtyards, owners of cafes, shops, and other institutions. Petunias also sell well in the regular market. To attract customers, you can place ads on the Internet, in print media, post them in in public places. To search for potential buyers, more active methods are also used, for example, telephone calls and personal visits to various organizations. It should be borne in mind that the retail sale of petunias is somewhat more profitable. She brings more income but takes a lot of time and effort. Wholesale is usually carried out at a lower price. In this case, up to 10 - 15% of the profit is lost, but it becomes possible to sell all the seedlings at once. At first glance, it may seem that growing petunias is a rather laborious and lengthy process. In practice, everything is much simpler. This does not require any special skills or abilities, and the resulting plants can be sold as early as 2 months after germination. You just need to make a little effort, and your work will certainly be rewarded!

Which OKVED to indicate during registration

To conduct such activities, indicate the code for doing business in accordance with the unified classifier: 01.19.21, which is called "Growing flowers in open and protected ground." It will be indicated in the reporting that must be submitted to the entrepreneur. If, in parallel, the entrepreneur is engaged in the cultivation of seeds of this plant, then you will need to specify a different code: 01.19.22 - “Growing flower seeds”.

What documents are needed to open

The package of documents for running a flower business is not as large as for licensed activities. Traditionally, an entrepreneur will need:

• certificate confirming registration as an individual entrepreneur;
• a document on the payment of a single tax (with a simplified taxation scheme);
• a lease agreement for a greenhouse and other premises, if necessary;
• passport data of hired persons;
• employment contracts concluded with employees;
• certificate of registration with the Pension Fund.

Which tax system to choose

In case of flower shop or a small floricultural farm, they usually choose a “simplified” system according to the income minus expenses 15% system. It attracts payers by the simplicity of accounting and the reduced likelihood of inspections by regulatory authorities. In this case, the grower deducts 15% of the profit received as a tax burden. For accounting, you will need to maintain a book in which information about income and expenses is entered. The system avoids complications accounting and delivery of balance.

Do I need permission to open

When choosing a type of activity, you need to pay attention to whether it requires obtaining special licenses. The business of growing and even selling petunias is not subject to licensing, so it can be carried out without any additional certificates and licenses. In any case, the regulator does not classify them as mandatory documents.

Growing technology

Seeds can be planted both in open ground, but always under a greenhouse film, and in pots with further transplanting of sprouts into a greenhouse. High quality seeds are supposed to be used in order to obtain flowers suitable for sale. For the purchase of seed material, you need to get advice experienced flower growers. For sowing, a fine-grained substrate is used, with a low level of salinity and necessarily including peat. Seeds can be either pure or coated with a protective shell. Coated ones are better suited for growing seedlings, as they make it easier to sow and protect against mechanical damage. Emerging sprouts need a significant amount of lighting. IN early age these flowers develop rather slowly, as they first grow the root system. Information plates are placed along the beds, on which varieties, sowing dates and the number of seeds sown should be indicated. Petunias are quite responsive to fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers. Mature plants should be watered once every 3 days.