Really Nuts for Petunias

I agree, hellnzn11. Our prayers are with you and your family, Joanna. And thank you so much for all that info! I am still pouring over it all and enjoying every bit of it!

I just noticed some of my petunia sprouts are sprouting, long after the 9 to 20 days, but they were outside and it was cold in the nights. I brought them in and now they are popping up. Some are looking a bit algaeish. I keep bathing them with peroxide though. Looks better.

WooHoo! New babies! Congrats!! I'm trying to start some inside now. Put them on the old heating pad, minus the cover, since I don't have a seed heat mat. Figured it's worth a try, so we'll see!

hellnzn - I had not heard of using peroxide on live plants. I understand it would take care of the algae, but I am assuming from your post that the peroxide will not hurt the baby toonies?

No it is not hurting them, but you have to watch how much you use. It is supposed to be deluted. That is what you are supposed to use if you over water, to oxiginate the plants so they don't sufficate while your pot is drying out.

It helps germinate seeds too, supposedly.

I am looking to see if they all have little heads popping up but really I only see a few in a few cups. The ones in zip locks don't seem to be coming up. I don't have good luck with flowers in zip locks though. Others do, but I don't know why I don't. I have lettuce all over one though.

I also have hyacyth beans going in my propagator and none have popped up, but I am useing the lining of diapers with the polymer gel instead of jiffy pots, so it is an experiment. One that I planted in a pot with a brug cutting someone gave me, has popped up, so I am hopeful of some more coming up eventually.

Any of you doing any WS? I have a heating Pad but how would I keep it from getting wet. Most of mine are in yogurt cups and styrophome or zip locks. I need a florescent light to hang somewhere but h will have a fit. I don't know how I would secure it inside anyway.

Well off to watch the Daytona 500 to see my driver win for the second year in a row. lol

I have wondered about the diaper idea,but never talked to anyone who tried it.
Thanks for the ideas.

hellnzn

I have never had very good luck with the ziplock bag method either. I stopped doing it a long time ago, because it just didnt' work for me.

Carolyn

If I don't get anything out of them, I won't do it anymore either. Seems like no matter how many holes you put in the sides and bottom, it stays heavy with water or dry at the top.

The diaper lining works good in a mix for pots but it will be the first time I tried it to germinate stuff in my propagator. It blocked too much light when I had it mixed in with the seed start soil. I keep scraping it off and hoping seeds are not mixed in.

I had that same problem when I once used a bag of "Moisture control" soil.
The little gel clumps seemed to surface and block the seedlings.
It is fine for transplanting,but not for seedlings.

What if you just seed onto the diaper itself? (keeping it moist)
Would that work?

I have kept spent baskets in the GPS from fall to spring and have had seed come up in the sprnig reseedignteh baskets which was nice. Never covered them or anything, but the moisture from my lil greehouse works just fine to germinate them, then watereed them as they got bigger.

Yes it works as long as I kept the crystals under the seed, but I mixed some cotton and gel and sand together in the seed mix and that cotton and sand stuck together and looks like a tarp, so I peeled it back. where it was exposed, those seeds came up.

Can anyone suggest a particular petunia for me? I'm looking for something that is spreading or vining.....prolific bloomer........preferably purple!!! And I'd like to start them inside! So, I need a source for the recommendations too! LOL (don't ask much, do I?)

Are petunias difficult to start? It is my first try! (double don't ask much!)

Thanks so much!

NO, they are not fragile and bloom in 7 to 10 days if it is warm enough. I Started mine outside most years in old water bottles and keep them outside. They don't start that soon for me, because in the high desert it is cold in the nights. I started so eary that it would not germinate. I put them in a sunny window inside and they started leafing out right off. I grow the wave petunias from seed every year now. I love them and they spread like mad.

If you start them inside then put some drops of peroxide mixed with chamomile tea that you boiled and cooled off, to prevent it from damping off. You also have to put them outside little by little until they can stand the shock of the outside temps, hot or cool variances.

I would sow them and put them in Soda or water bottles or styrophome cups with lids and put them in your basement window unless it is always heated or just put them out in a carboard box to help insulate the containers and keep them in a sunny spot. Add some WaterSorb crystals to the mix so they don't dry out when it gets hot. they will grow fast. If you have them out in the cold they won't need to adjust when you plant them.

This message was edited Mar 7, 2011 7:25 PM

solest,

1st, petunia "Purple" is more like a magenta colour. Petunia "Blue" is that dark purple/blue colour. Picture is of "Blue"

I would recommend either Easy Wave Blue , Shock Wave Denim or Ramblin' Nu Blue. All are available in pelleted seed. press into soil and put under lights. Keep moist, not saturated. Needs light to germinate. Bottom heat will speed germination. Sow seeds 8 to 12 weeks before last average frost. For flowers Mid May sow within the next couple of weeks. Most petunias take 8 to 10 weeks to flower from germination. fertilize seedlings after the 2nd set of leaves form (dilute fish fertilizer)

Thank you SO much! The pictured petunias are gorgeous! And thank you so much for all the info! You are like a walking petunia library!

I have baskets on a balcony rail and my front steps railing......and purple (blue for petunias!) is my favorite color. Haven't decided whether I will go purple and white, purple and salmon (assuming I can FIND such a thing in a spreading variety) or purple and red!

Is there any particular seed company that you prefer????

Is that a single basket of petunias???? Do you remember how many plants you potted in that basket? I think sometimes, I tend to put too many plants in one container.....

I might put some asparagus fern with it.......last year I did some sweet potato vine and it took over the world. It is a great vine, but it does take over!

Thank you again!

Slo

I get most of my seeds from Stokes Seeds in Ontario, Canada. They have the best "how-to" instructions for all the seeds they sell. They do service US customers too.

I like white with the petunia "blue". The Salmon colour may be a bit washed out for the dark blue, but coral may be good. The asparagus fern would be interesting, but not my style.

Here's Coral Avalanche. Trailing petunia from seed. I have Diamonte Coral Rose Diascia with it and you can see the colour is identical

The petunia tower is 4 pots suspended with readyrod, nuts and big washers. I plant 4 waves in the bottom, 3- 2nd from bttm, 2-3rd from bottom and 1 in the top. I do mix in bacopa or other colours some years. Here's a pic in early spring of the tower

Here's a different year combo for the tower

Joanna -

very nice. I really like your dragonfly plaques as well.

Wowee! BEAUTIFUL!!! You really ARE the encyclopedia of Petunias! I'm so excited. I'm going to go to the Stokes site and order right now! I need to get them planted soon.

There have been years when I've tried vining geraniums....never ultimately happy with their flowering. Petunias seem to be the most prolific for flowers.....and hardy as heck so I'm giving into it completely this year. I'll take pictures later and pass along!

Thank you SO SO much for all the great infor and pictures! It helps SO much. You are WAY better than a seed catalog............or a nursery!

Slo

That's great andlook forward to seeing your photos.

I've started a new thread for the season: "Passion-NUT for Petunias 2011"
See you there!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1163085/

I may have to steal that idea Jo. I just got some cool pots from the dollar store that would work good for that purpose. Love that Blue. My favorite too.

Love petunias - cheap enough from the box stores but am now into growing my own. DH put this grow light stand together for my birthday. He's the best! My question - how do you deal with those itsy bitsy seeds? Dumped them on white paper then seperated with my nail- was nearly crosseyed by the time I finished. The pelleted ones were easy but hope to start saving my own seed. Wonder how the growers deal?

I do that too. I take the spent dried flowers and rub them in my hands over paper, than I separate the little seeds from the chaff. It's a pain. They germinate fast in a Cloner if you have one. I put diaper lining in the baskets of the cloner and wet them and put peroxide on them and they germinate well in that. Easy to transplant in that too. A bunch of mine just died from the cold as the weather was all warm and then took a crap.

Hellnzn11 your weather too? Last week temps in high 80's with night temps in 60s. Hope the tomatoes and peppers don't go into to much shock. All else in ground can stand the cold- usually wait till mid april for beans & squash. 8 flats of annuals are still on my new light stand. They have germinated but are far from ready to go out. Could you send me a picture of your clone device? Do you save seeds? Tell me where the seeds are on petunias. This is all new to me- I have grown veggies & perennials for 40 years but never annuals from seed- only bought a few plants for containers. Never could justify the cost. This year- I'm retired less money but more time I want my yard to dazzle! Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated. Any books on saving annual seed? Have only seen for veggies thanks for your help. Susan
P.S. do you grow in peat or plastic? I have bought the 50 count for the annuals- they came with the nifty greenhouses I first bought.

The seeds are tiny tiny and are in the center of the spent flower. Take some and rub them together over a plate of brown bag and let all the junk mix. shake it up and you see all these tiny seeds, separate from the garbage part. I can take one but it would be quicker on ebay. Mine was a home made one from ebay. I am going to bed now will try tomorrow.

Cornish, I have a plant stand just like that. I also have lights on the top shelf. I had wood, 1x8x20", one on each end and one in the middle to hole the lights up. I can still put 4 trays on the top shelf. It has been so much fun.
I took the little envelope the petunia seeds came in and folded the bottom length-wise and just tapped the seeds out. I got 3-4 per cell, they are about ready to transplant. I also found that a chop stick, moistened the tip and touched to a seed will take that seed very easily to the potting mix. I wish I would have thought of this before. Especially good for pelleted seeds. (Just transplanted 8 flats of coleus, How Fun!)
Hope to have the ability to download pictures soon.
Have fun. Marie

Have pictures of your contraptions? lol

Great idea on the chopsticks! I tried tweezers but that only sent them flying. Actually seeing a little green in my flat- yea!!! I'm going to try your method this morning. Thanks, Susan