petunias from seed

Anybody start their petunias from seed, how easy is it to germinate them in the greenhouse. I hear the seeds are micro tiny. They have some on ebay that are pelletized.

kathy

Petunia's are very easy to start from seed. I've put them out 3 times this year. During the cold last spring, I just sat mine in the Greenhouse. I tend to set seed out rather heavy handed, so I like the kind that are in a pellet. I get mine off Ebay all the time.

Thanks jubabe, they have some beautiful salmon colored ones, I'd love to find some yellow pelletized ones on ebay.

kathy

Kathy, I start petunias from seed every year. They are super easy and starting from seed allows you to grow varieties that you cannot find in the nurseries. A trick for those tiny seeds: dampen the end of a toothpick, and use it to pick up and place the seeds.

Good idea with the toothpick! Has anyone tried one of those seed dispensers? I saw one in Gardener's Supply catalogue with three different size tips. I've never tried one.
Susan K

Is buying seeds off ebay cheaper than buying them from a seed catalog??? I've never shopped ebay for seeds!!

sometimes it is , sometimes it's not LOL just have to be careful

kathy

I have one of those seed dispensers - - my recommendation is use a toothpick!

Thanks Nathalyn- I'll take your recommendation- especially since I already own a toothpick! Not all new mousetraps are better.

The pelletized seeds work great. I've gotten 100% germination from Pinetree seeds.

Yes and the pelletized is so much easier to see where you are putting your seed.

Hey Angie, Priscilla has all but bit the dust. I am going to have to hunt in the local nurseries this spring to see if I can find another one. Priscilla has to be the best petunia that I've ever seen.

I'm trying to remember where I got her 2 years ago. Fat chance! lol I'm thinking maybe from this nursery in Cumming, GA. I'll have to hop on their site and request a new plant list for this spring...
They're called 'No Longer Bound' and they sell at the Atlanta Southeastern Flower Show. They are a nursery that is used to rehabilitate drug users into a new profession. They also teach them to become mechanics and other things, but all in all the nursery is a great find. It's just wierd going there. LOL

Huh, well I just called to see if they had a list they could fax me...usually it takes days to get someone to actually send it (lol)...and he asked for my email address and is going to email it to me now. Well, they've gone and gotten all hoytie toytie on me! lol

Goodluck Angie!

Well I never did recieve that email! LOL I'll call them back next week and try again.

I did find them on www.papagenos.com though. They aren't accepting orders yet, but say they will be by february! :)

I grow mostly heirloom petunias [I HAVE to have that smell from my childhood] and mine reseed like crazy and come back each year. I move the unwanted babies to where I want them the next year- or I just fall sew where I want them. I also have a huge red modern petunia that I grow in a pot and it comes back each year as well.

Nathalyn,
Priscilla petunia is a GORGEOUS petunia!!


Has anyone seen the new Dolce Flambe from Parks? It's beautiful and a big award winner, too. I might be tempted to order this, even though it is a scentless petunia!

Hey berrygirl, priscilla gave me that wonderful vanilla scent the year I grew it! :)

Eco,
REALLY??? I have only saw pix of it and had no clue it was fragrant! Looks like I have another one to try- YIPPEE!!

Thank you so much for telling me, eco.

:)

Hey berrygirl- why'd I know you would be here?! Ha!

Now I REALLY want to plant my dolce flambe (and the other "dolce" in the collection I ordered). I wonder if they have a scent?

So do y'all save seeds or just let them reseed each year? I want to put these in hanging baskets so I don't think I just count on them reseeding IN the basket.... or can I? Any hints as to when I should sow them? I wanted to just sprinkle them on top of the dirt in my baskets and put them outside but wasn't sure if that was a good idea. They are kind of expensive seeds to be careless with. :)

Texas,
I don't know if the Flambe's are scented or not. Usually if they are, it is in the plant description. If you call or email Parks cust serv. they can tell you if they are or not. Of course I could have missed it in the Flambe description as I had no CLUE the Surfina petunias like Priscilla were scented- LOL!

I do both. I collect seeds and also leave pods on my plants to re-seed next year. I have a large wine barrel that the petunias spilled over, so to ensure they reseeded, I scattered the seeds in the barrel.

I personally fall or winter sow- just like nature does. But with these new ones- I am like you- I would be unsure b/c of the $$$. Maybe you should sew indoors, huh? And if they do well for you, you could try scattering some seeds come this Fall.

I just don't have the light nor the room to start seeds indoors. I tried tomatoes a couple of years ago and it was a mess in my kitchen for weeks- plus I lost most of the seedlings due to damp-off.

To quote DH "you have something growing in every nook and crannie in this house." Ha! We have 1800 square feet, including a sunroom. We have no kids either. Yet I always complain that I don't have enough room! :) I have a free-standing open shelf (like a book shelf with no back or sides) in our guest room. In the winter I rig that into a seed starting stand. If we have overnight guest I always get the strangest looks when they put their stuff down in that room. DH always says "don't ask. You know she's crazy." :)

Tomatoes indoors? That would be tricky! I just don't want to get over anxious and start my petunias indoors too soon. The only things I have started indoors so far are brug and datura seeds. Of course I have my brug cuttings EVERYWHERE and I always take cuttings from my impatiens and coleus, then just root them indoors. In the spring I will transplant them outside. Then take cuttings from those plants at the end of next season. And the cycle continues!

texas,
My AHS Plant Propagation book says of petunias: Sow seeds at 59 degrees F in light to germinate in TEN days for flowers that season.

Parks claims the Flambe will bloom in 56 days after sowing. Figure that in with your last frost date and you're in business.

So if my last frost date is March 31, should I sow them (in baskets/containers) then? I guess that have them blooming at the end of May?

Yes,
Or you could indoor sow in middle of of March[19-21] and if they do indeed sprout in 10 days, you could wait til after your last frost[ Mar 31] and just directly set the plants out then. I don't think you'd get blooms any earlier if you did start indoors- But the thinning out would already be taken care of. It's just what you prefer and what's easiest to you.

A LOT of folks just plain like indoor seeding and nurturing their tiny little seedlings, but I aint one of 'em- LOL!

Me either! If they can be sown outdoors, I'd prefer it. I am kicking myself b/c I let someone talk me out of sowing my hollyhocks outside this fall. I did get 2 kind of "different" newer ones from Parks, again, so I think it was more of an "on the safe side" suggestion. Plus, the package gives no outdoor sowing instructions. Only indoors. So maybe it's best to not tempt fate and just do what the instructions say. I will start them in February and hopefully I can bump them to a window sill mid-March and start my petunias.

Yes, hollyhocks do well when fall sown but it's not too late to winter sow if you want.

I've been scattering seed like crazy the last few days during our warm spell!

Good idea. I may put a few in a container tomorrow- a 70 degree Sunday in January? Can't complain!

BerryGirl, I ordered two colors of the Dolce petunias from Parks. Can't wait to see if they are as pretty as their pictures!

nathalyn,
I've saw several pix of them and they appear to be stunning. Can't wait to see yours!!

I plant hundreds of petunias every spring indoors for my little nursery. I mix the seed with a bit of coarse sand to get an even distribution in the starter trays. Later, when they get true leaves, I transplant them to cell packs. They always come up fine and transplant well.

My experience with pellets hasn't been all that good. For me, it seemed to slow down the germination process. Perhaps this is not the case when starting them outdoors where the coating breaks down faster. Stokes seeds has a wonder selection of petunia seed at a reasonable price. Prism Sunshine is a lovely yellow petunia, though there are other yellows, as well.

I collect lots of petunia seed each fall, so I have some available for trade if you want to practice a bit with cheap seed! Just email me, if interested.

YIKES!!!!!!

I have TONS of heirloom baby petunias sprouting in my wine barrel b/c it's been warm for three weeks!!

It's gonna get really cold this w/e and I'll prob. lose them all.

Try putting some straw over them while it is cold.

Weez,
I did this afternoon.
I am just afraid with them sprouting so soon that they won't make it thru the next 3 mos of potential cold weather. Plus, they're in full sun and if I try to cover them at night[with a cloth, etc...] I am bound to forget to uncover them during the day and they'd get cooked.
I have NEVER had this happen to my petunias before.

I don't know about you, but we've sure had some goofy weather up here in Alaska the last few years. Nothing seems to know when to pop up! Boy, I don't know what to tell you... it sounds like they are going to be labor intensive, doesn't it! If it were happening up here, I'd cover them with clear drinking plastic bottles or drinking cups with holes for ventilation, but I don't have the heat you get during the day. Maybe you should baby them until they get some size, then let them take their chances.

weez,
This is the warmest three weeks I have ever seen here in Ga for THIS TIME OF YEAR. It has been gardening weather since New Years Eve- Dec 31st!!!!

I have been outside gardening like it was March or April and my sore back and broken nails can attest to this fact.


BTW, it is my DH's DREAM to live in your fair state- LOL!!

It would be a far cry from GA, wouldn't it! LOL! I can guarantee you wouldn't be out there busting your back & your nails in the garden now up here!... well, you might have to shovel snow! You and your DH ought to try to get up here to visit sometime. It's not everybody's cup of tea to live here, but it is a place you'll never forget.