First Spring

 

First Spring

Of course I have outlived several springs, but spring 2021 is special for me and that is what my title suggests. It is for the first time I have realized that my little balcony can look so colorful and vibrant with little blooms here and there. I had been observing and loving flowers since childhood, but for the first time I am relishing the joy of growing every single flower, in my balcony, on my own.

I stay in New Delhi, takes care of my two years old daughter while exploring my new love for gardening. I am a beginner in motherhood as well as gardening, lol. I would surely mention this fact that one of my ex-colleagues inspired me to go on this journey. So I might be helpful for all those who are willing to learn explore and grow their own tiny green rooms, because I believe that we must learn from other’s experiences and mistakes.

In this post I will be talking about my Petunias because they have surprised me and made me happy abundantly. I will be giving all the important details regarding care and growth of this flower. So to begin with, I bought three plants of Petunia (white, violet and red) in January -2021. Before buying, please take care of few points:

·        The foliage should be healthy

·        There must be one or two flowers on the plant that you are willing to buy. It will help you to identify the color that you are taking back home.

·        If not any flower then the plant must have a bud or so. It will help you to identify the healthy plant.

·        If the plant is in plastic bag and needs repotting then don’t be in rush to do that. Let the plant acclimatize in your balcony for two or three days and then do the repotting.

·        Understand the soil condition and water requirement of Petunia, which will be covered in the latter part of the article.

I was very excited on my purchase so I repotted them on the same day. And here I made a mistake. Out of three plants one started dropping its leaves. Few leaves were turning yellow and it appeared to me that my plant will soon die. Here I will also mention other MISTAKES during the care of this plant.

·        I repotted my petunias on the same day.

·        I was overwatering them frequently.

·        I was not providing them appropriate sunlight.

·        I wasn’t plucking the spent flowers from the plant.

·        I wasn’t removing old and yellow leaves from the plant.

After realizing my mistakes while taking care of the plant I did not panic. Neither I lost my passion for growing them. I, rather fixed my mistakes one by one. And hence given below are the tips for taking care of your Petunias on daily basis.

·        Do not repot the plant on the same day. The pot size can be of 6-8 inch. You can even take a shallow tub. Make sure your pot contains few holes at the bottom so that the excess water can be removed otherwise it will rot the plant.

·        The plant should receive 5-6 hours of morning sunlight. If your balcony gets sunlight in second half make sure your plants are getting enough of it.

·        Do not overwater or underwater your plant. The soil must be moist. Prevent it from being soggy or dry. Water the plant directly in the soil. Avoid watering the foliage.

·        Keep removing the spent flowers. As it will promote more and more flowering.

·        Keep removing dried, yellow or dead leaves from your pot.

After a brief understanding of the plant’s nature, it is time to ponder over its food. If you want your plant to be healthy and keep blooming the entire season, you need to provide appropriate food rich in minerals, nutrients as well as micronutrients. We need to understand that petunias start blooming from January till April or May depending on the temperature.

·        Once in a month add organic fertilizer. I have prepared a dry organic fertilizer.

·        When the plant is in flowering period it needs food frequently. Hence once in fifteen days provide the plant with liquid fertilizer.

·        Keep removing the dried and spent flowers to promote more blooming.

 

In the upcoming articles I will share the details of making liquid fertilizer and dry fertilizer.

 

Happy reading peeps!!