10 varieties of petunia opera with descriptions and characteristics, its planting and care

Petunia variety Opera is a very beautiful ornamental plant. It is very popular among many gardeners. This culture is easy to care for and has a beautiful appearance. An undoubted advantage is the abundance of color options. This allows you to choose the best options depending on the tasks. To get a strong plant, it is recommended to provide it with complete and high-quality care.

Description and features

Petunia Opera is considered the result of the work of breeders from Japan. It is characterized by ease of care. This plant loves sunlight very much. At the flowering stage, crop loops can be up to 60 centimeters, which looks very aesthetically pleasing. With proper care, it is possible to obtain dense inflorescences.

This ampelous crop is often planted in hanging containers. When blooming, the bush takes on a spherical shape. This effect is achieved due to young branches, which, under the weight of flowers, fall down.

Ampelous petunia has small inflorescences. Their size is 5-7 centimeters. The plant amazes with its variety of color options - from white to rich purple shades.

Popular varieties

Today there are many interesting varieties that differ in color. This allows flower growers to create more and more new compositions.

Supreme Pink Morn

This ampelous petunia is characterized by inflorescences of a rich pink hue.

Raspberry Ice

Translated, the name of this variety means “raspberry ice.” The culture has light pink buds with a raspberry center.

Supreme White

This cascading petunia has white flowers. Moreover, they are characterized by a yellow center.

Blue

This type of petunia is considered one of the most attractive.Its flowers are distinguished by a rich blue hue.

Red

This petunia has rich red flowers. The plant looks very impressive.

Blue

This plant has a very original coloring. It is decorated with blue-violet flowers.

Coral

This is a delicate shade that is actively used to create flower arrangements. Petunia of this variety has coral flowers.

Lavender

This plant looks very gentle and is very popular among gardeners. It has a delicate lavender hue.

Purple

The culture has quite rich colors. It is characterized by purple flowers.

Supreme Red

This is a fairly bright plant that has flowers of a bright red hue.

How to plant

To get a beautiful plant, it is recommended to plant it correctly. To do this, it is worth considering many features.

Selecting a location

Petunia of this variety is not demanding in terms of daylight hours. The culture grows and develops well in illuminated areas. However, it is quite capable of withstanding slight shading. It is best to grow it on windowsills that face east.

Soil requirements

The plant needs nutritious and loose soil. It is best to make the soil yourself. To do this, you need to take 2 parts of leaf soil, peat, and humus. Then add 1 part of sand. The finished composition should be sifted. 1 day before planting the plant, it needs to be watered.

Planting scheme

In order for petunia to grow well, you should follow these planting recommendations:

1. Before planting, the material should be mixed with sand.
2. It is not recommended to press seeds into the soil. They should be sown on the surface of the soil.
3. After planting, it is recommended to level the ground and sprinkle it with water. Cover the top of the container with film.
4. Place the pot with seedlings in a room with a temperature of 20-23 degrees.
5. After 1 week, sprouts should appear. It is recommended to spray them with water twice a day. The greenhouse should definitely be ventilated.
6. Be sure to monitor humidity parameters. Otherwise, there is a risk of the crop being damaged by blackleg. If drops of condensation appear on the film, wipe them off.
7. When the plant's first leaf appears, it is not recommended to cover the greenhouse.
8. When the number of leaves reaches 3-4, the plants are planted in separate containers. However, the soil should be well moistened first.
9. When transplanting, the sprout is carefully removed from the container. It is important to ensure that the integrity of the lump of earth is maintained.

Care

This culture is considered quite unpretentious in care. That’s why even inexperienced gardeners actively grow it.

Watering

Petunia Opera easily copes with drought. However, with prolonged moisture deficiency, too little flowering is observed. It is necessary to water the plant at the root. It is important that the liquid does not get on the delicate flowers.

The next day, the soil should be loosened to avoid the formation of a crust. It is recommended to water the crop 1-2 times a week.

Fertilizer

To achieve abundant and long-lasting flowering, it is recommended to use fertilizers on time. This should be done at intervals of 10 days. It is advisable to use formulations that contain a lot of potassium. Petunia accepts organic fertilizers well - mullein or humic acids. To achieve a brighter shade of flowers, you should use Aquarin floral. The substance is used at intervals of 10 days. You can make a special solution.To do this, 2 small spoons of the product are mixed with 10 liters of water.

Trimming

After planting the crop, you should pinch 2 leaves at the top. This promotes branching of the main stem, causing the plant to become more lush.

Diseases and pests

The plant is susceptible to various diseases. It also often faces attacks from harmful insects. The use of special means will help to cope with the problem.

Blackleg

This disease occurs quite often. As it develops, the stem becomes dark and soft. Provoking factors are dense planting or high air humidity.

It is not possible to cure blackleg. Therefore, the affected bush should be thrown away. At the initial stage, you can try to eliminate the disease with drugs that contain mancozeb or oxadixil.

Gray rot

The pathology is caused by a deficiency or excess of nitrogen in the soil. High humidity may also be the cause. The provoking factor of the disease is a fungus. It enters the root system and affects the entire flower. As a result, spots appear on branches and leaves. Then they dry out and a gray coating forms.

Drugs such as Skor and Integral help to cope with the disease.

White rot

Weeping brown spots help identify white rot. In conditions of high humidity they become covered with a white coating. Damaged fragments become soft and white. The stem is affected by white mycelium, which eventually becomes covered with dark spots. To cope with the problem, it is recommended to remove damaged plant fragments in a timely manner. Treatment with such agents as Fitosporin-M, Maxim, Integral is also required.

Wet rot

This disease is also called rhizoctoniasis.This violation is a consequence of high humidity. It's difficult to deal with him. In this case, sprouts and adult plants may suffer. At the initial stage, products based on mancozeb or oxadixil help eliminate the disease.

Brown spot

At high humidity there is a risk of brown spotting. Brown spots on the leaves help identify the disease. To cope with the problem, you can use copper-based products. It is recommended to treat plants 2-3 times with an interval of 7-10 days.

Late blight

When pathology appears, the base of the stem becomes brown and begins to rot. Culture withers and dies. The cause of the problems is increased humidity of the soil and air. To avoid problems, it is important to avoid excessive crop density. After planting, the crop should be treated with products based on metalaxyl and mancozeb.

Leaf galls

This term refers to the formation of short and thickened shoots, which are localized at the base of the stems.

Timely protection of petunias from pests will help to avoid this.

Viruses

Petunia is susceptible to various viral infections. Flower growers advise burning infected bushes, since it is impossible to eliminate the disease.

Cucumber mosaic

As pathology develops, the plant produces small flowers that are covered with dirty yellow spots.

Tobacco mosaic

In this case, light green necrotic marks appear on the petunia leaves. Gradually they die off.

Y and X potatoes

Infection with this virus appears in the form of a wrinkled mosaic. The leaves may also become covered with necrotic spots.

Tomato aspermia

With the development of pathology, a disturbance in the development of flowers is observed. The plant is significantly weakened.

Aphid

These tiny insects settle on the undersides of leaves and cause their deformation.To cope with the problem, you can place an onion or garlic near the pot. In advanced cases, it will not be possible to do without chemicals.

Whitefly

This is the most dangerous pest that feeds on plant sap. Insecticides help control whiteflies. Actellik can be used for this purpose. Verticillin G is also suitable.

Thrips

Pollen, which spills from the stamens onto the petals, helps to identify the anomaly. To cope with thrips, it is worth removing weeds in a timely manner. If there are a large number of pests, it is recommended to cut off the plants.

It is also worth using special products, such as Fitoverm, Aktara, Intavir.

Spider mites

Identifying these insects is very problematic. When they are active, red, yellow or silvery spots appear on the leaves. The problem cannot be dealt with using insecticides. Only acaricides and insectoacaricides are suitable for eliminating ticks. Actellik is considered the best remedy.

Slugs

To cope with slugs, it is worth applying superphosphate to the soil surface and treating the crop with chemicals.

Reproduction

To propagate the crop, you can use seeds or cuttings. Each method has its own characteristics.

Seeds

This is the most common method. To breed Opera petunia, it is worth sowing seeds for seedlings. This is recommended to be done in February or March.

Cuttings

This method is used to preserve your favorite variety. To implement it, strong cuttings are cut from a healthy plant, flowers and lower leaves are removed. The cut should be treated with a special stimulator. After which the cuttings are planted in pots with nutritious soil.

Possible problems

When growing petunias, there is a risk of some problems.To avoid this, you should familiarize yourself with common mistakes in advance.

cramped potty

In a container that is too small, plant development stops.

No side shoots

If there is insufficient branching, you can pinch the top. This will trigger the appearance of new buds.

Lack of light

Lack of lighting causes the absence or too little flowering.

Lack of fertilizing

If you do not apply fertilizers in a timely manner, the plant will begin to grow green mass. This will negatively affect its flowering.

Overdried earthen lump

A lump of earth that is too dry will cause insufficient development of the crop.

Viral diseases

Infection with viral diseases can lead to the death of the plant.

Tips from landscape designers

Petunia Opera is actively used in landscape design, allowing you to create beautiful compositions. It can be planted along paths or fences. Experts also advise creating beautiful flower beds or alpine slides.

Bright mixborders will decorate the site. Compositions with stones and sculptures look great. They can have different sizes and shapes.

Reviews from flower growers

Numerous reviews confirm the popularity of this plant:

1. Marina: “I really liked this variety of petunia. It delights with bright colors and is easy to care for.”
2. Svetlana: “I planted Opera petunia for the first time last year. I really liked the result. The plant has excellent decorative properties.”

Petunia Opera is a beautiful plant that is easy to care for. Even novice gardeners can cope with growing crops. To do this, it is enough to water the flower in time and apply the necessary fertilizers.