For brightening a garden in winter, nothing beats the colourful petunia in red, blue, purple and pink. The flower comes in many colours, and a single bloom can even have more than one. But many people do not know the right way to care for petunia plants, so the plants do not flower as well as hoped.

Petunias grow well in direct sunlight. Plants kept in direct sun for at least 5-6 hours a day flower well. If you keep them indoors, put them where enough light reaches.

Petunias like regular watering, but overwatering is not good. Water when the soil is slightly dry. Too much water can rot the roots.

Use well-drained soil for petunias. Light soil that can hold water suits them. Mixing a little organic fertiliser or compost into the soil helps the plants grow better.

Regular feeding brings more flowers. It is generally good to apply liquid fertiliser every 2-3 weeks. Fertiliser rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium helps petunias flower.

Petunias can sometimes be attacked by insects and fungus. In that case the right pesticide must be used. For protection, home-made neem leaf juice or a mild pesticide can be used.

Regularly cut off dead flowers and dried leaves. This encourages the plant to produce new flowers, and with this care petunias bloom far more.

Petunias cannot tolerate cold, so in the winter period a temperature of 15-30 degrees Celsius suits them. The plants can be brought indoors in winter.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.