ANNUALS > PETUNIA > SOWING

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PETUNIA GUIDES

the new green growth from petunia seedlings emerging from the ground

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Petunias are pop bedding plants which can provide an teemingness of colorful blooms in a garden .

They can often bloom all summertime long and can even last well into autumn , only die back once the first frost arrives .

a packet of Petunia ‘Purple Pirouette’ seeds from Thompson & Morgan

Most typically , these democratic flowering plants are purchased as hoopla plants or pot - grown plants .

However , it is also potential to develop some petunia varieties from seed .

To grow petunias from seed :

an open seed packet with tiny petunia seeds visible on the edges

When To Sow Petunias

Petunia seeds should be sown indoors around February , towards the end of winter .

other indoor sowing will allow you to obtain young plant that can be plant out after the hazard of hoarfrost has run where you inhabit .

1) Sow In A Seed-Starting Mix

you could see from my image below that Petunia seed are tiny !

This does make it a small hard to wield and separate the seeds into separate compartments – I actually used a acute pencil to help with this .

Alternatively , integrate the seed with a small measure of dry silver gray backbone . Broadcasting this across the top of the compost in a source tray helps you to see that seed is equally distributed .

a seed tray with modules labelled ‘Petunia’

100 - 200 seeds could be sow in a tray the sizing of an A4 Thomas Nelson Page .

Prepare ejaculate tray by filling them with a desirable moist , yet free - draining , seed - starting potting mix .

assure there are no large goon , and firm the compost down well .

a petunia plug plant removed from a seed tray with its lollypop stick label

sow in your petunia seeds on the airfoil of this medium and do not brood them with potting mixing , as these germ require light for germination to take seat .

2) Wait For Germination

In parliamentary law for the successful germination of petunia seed to take blank space , temperatures should remain consistently at 21 ° C .

Germination pace can be patchy if the condition are not idealistic .

It can be easier to achieve successful germination if you apply a heated propagator to control the conditions and the lid can also help oneself prevent the come from dry out out .

many petunia seedlings sat on a potting bench with a pot full of compost

After only a calendar week in a heated disseminator I found that each faculty in my seed tray had at least one bantam seedling .

3) Prick Out & Pot On Your Seedlings

Once germination fill place and seedling emerge , you should bite these out of the seed tray and place each one into an case-by-case pot as soon as they are large enough to deal .

localise them in a emplacement with temperature between 13 - 25 ° hundred .

You should definitely verify that temperatures do not pretermit too modest as this could shoot down off the tender immature seedling .

a pink flowering petunia being planted out into a large rectangular container

Of course , you also have to make indisputable that the growing medium remains moist but not waterlogged until it is metre to institute out your unseasoned plant .

“ When handling delicate genus Petunia seedling , hold them by a foliage , ” Peter Lickorish , a Master Horticulturist , recommends .

“ A leafage is spendable , if it should break , but if you grip them by the stem and it snaps , your petunia has met its remnant .

“ For engraft out big plant life , after harden off , a folio wo n’t take the strain . Instead , grip them gently , for the same understanding . ”

4) Plant Out In Warmer Weather

Once all risk of icing has passed where you live on and the weather has begun to warm up , which is typically in May or June , you’re able to implant out your petunia seedling in your garden .

Make certain that before you found your young petunias , you take the good steps to indurate off your plants .

This but intend easy acclimatize them to the outside conditions .

embed out petunias to the same depth that they sit at in their pot , in a location become to their growing needs .

Petunias need rich and fecund ground with plenty of constitutive matter or a good peat - free multipurpose compost when grown in hatful .

They will typically flower and do good in a position in full sun that is also relatively sheltered .

So , whether you design to grow petunias in the dry land , in raised beds , in container or in hanging basket , check that that you come in them in a sunny position for the best results .

Although petunia can be pretty unmanageable to get to germinate successfully , it is decidedly worthwhile spring up them from seed if you may .