Inna N. Zubik

The results of assessing the ornamental and economic features of the hybrid petunia (Petunia × hybrida Vilm.) are given. The popularity of annual crops for landscaping (in particular petunias) has increased with the possibility of its use both in open ground conditions and in container growing technology. Currently, priority is given to F1 petunia hybrids for its compactness, abundant and long flowering, resistance to diseases and external influences. Description of growth process and development of some cultivars of hybrid petunia when grown in container technology is presented. The goal is to study the influence of some components of substrates on the decorative features of petunia in open ground conditions in Moscow. An assessment is made of the dynamics of changes in the seedling height and changes in the number of shoots, depending on the experiment variants. Faster periods of passage of some phenological phases and active development are noted in hybrid petunia plants when grown on a substrate with the addition of a hydrogel. The beginning of budding is recorded 82 days after sowing the seeds, which is typical for large-flowered petunias. The largest number of shoots and flowers of hybrid petunia (6 pcs.) on the date of measurement (June 23) is noted when using the substrate peat + hydrogel (3:1), which is 1-2 flowers more than other options. The results obtained can be applied in urban and private gardening in open ground conditions in Moscow.

In modern ornamental gardening, there are many types and varieties of plants. In recent decades, representatives of bryophytes group (Bryophyta), in particular, silver Brium (Bryum argenteum Hedw.), have been especially popular. This moss is not only one of the most popular moss types used for decorative purposes, but it can also be considered a good subject for biomonitoring. Bryophytes are used as sources of information about environment state, which directly affects surrounding living objects life. The use of bryophytes makes it possible to detect places of pollution, to assess the harmfulness of pollutants, which, in turn, makes it possible to assess of environment changes rate. During our research, illumination level influence on the growth and development of silver Brium, in particular on the indicators of plant height and the number of plants per unit area, was established.