When is the best time to sow petunias?

Petunia

Ever since I can remember, I have been very familiar with petunias, because there were so many petunias in my hometown. I remember back then I really did not understand why they were called petunias when they were clearly morning glories; only later did I learn that morning glory is just another name for them, so petunias left a deep impression on me. The petunias I know have very strong vitality, so many gardening friends around me sow petunias themselves, but once the seeds are bought, when to sow petunias becomes an uncertain decision. So below, let me introduce the best time to sow petunias!

When talking about when to sow petunias, I must mention the germination conditions for petunias. The suitable germination temperature for petunias is about 18-25°C, and the suitable growing temperature is 22-34°C. They generally germinate in 3-7 days. If a gardening friend's sowing environment cannot meet these requirements, sow with caution.

1. Spring sowing of petunias

Spring, when temperatures warm up, is a good time to sow. Petunias sown in spring generally can be seen flowering in summer. Of course, if conditions allow, gardening friends can move the sowing period earlier. Spring sowing is the best sowing period.

2. Autumn sowing of petunias

Petunias sown in autumn, if all goes well, can be seen flowering the following spring. However, for places without heating, be cautious, because getting through winter smoothly is the top priority.

Some gardening friends say, can I sow in summer? Of course you can, but just like overwintering, getting through summer smoothly is also a test for petunias. Nowadays, because sowing conditions are mostly superior, the sowing period for seeds is much more flexible in many cases, and it depends more on the environment and conditions.

Petunia sowing time, petunia sowing methods and matters needing attention

Petunia is a very beautiful potted flowering plant, so many gardening friends grow it and sow petunia seeds themselves. But petunias are generally sown from seed and can easily fill a pot. So when is the better time to sow petunias, and what matters need attention during sowing? Please read the following article about petunia sowing methods and timing.

Petunia is a plant that likes warmth and sunlight, is not tolerant of frost, and fears waterlogging. Its suitable growing temperature is 13-18°C. The suitable germination temperature for petunias is about 18-25°C, so this environmental condition needs to be considered as very suitable for sowing. Under normal light conditions, it takes about 100 days from sowing to flowering.

Although temperatures begin to warm up in spring, because early spring has more rain and less sun, petunias tend to grow leggy, so the best sowing period is late spring to early summer, namely June-July.

The autumn sowing period is mainly October-November. Under normal conditions, petunias take about 100 days from sowing to flowering, so flowering can generally be seen the following spring. However, gardening friends living in places without heating need to be cautious when sowing at this time, because ensuring petunias get through winter smoothly is an arduous task.

The suitable temperature to ensure petunias germinate smoothly is about 18-25°C, and the temperature suitable for further seed growth is about 22-34°C. Under normal conditions, they can germinate in 3-7 days. Gardening friends should ideally create such a temperature environment for sowing petunias; otherwise, whether healthy petunias can be successfully grown will be uncertain.

For soil selection at sowing time, you can use a mixture of culture soil disinfected at high temperature, leaf mold, and fine sand. After sowing, there is no need to cover with soil; just press lightly and the seeds can germinate smoothly, in about 5-7 days.

Petunias love water. Once they have drunk their fill, they are not afraid of sun! But do remember to give them sun!! If they do not get enough sun, whether you can get a flower ball will depend on your pinching technique. When sowing in autumn, once petunias have four true leaves they can take full sun, provided there is still enough water. My approach is to put them directly on the terrace from the moment they germinate, but after all, autumn temperatures are not high, and I always keep enough water in the bottom tray of the seedling box.

Before sowing, water the seedling soil thoroughly, and after sowing also keep the seedling soil moist, so it does not become too dry and affect normal germination.

Petunias like fertilizer, and whether you use fertilizer makes a huge difference. My experience is: after 4 true leaves appear and until the temporary planting stage (when the roots have filled the small cells of the seedling box), use Biwang at 2000 times dilution once a week. From temporary planting to final planting, use Biwang at 1500 times dilution once a week, and when temporary planting you can appropriately add a little slow-release fertilizer. From final planting to the stage when the plant is full, use Biwang at 1000 to 1500 times dilution twice a week (the concentration increases with the size of the plant). When final planting, add enough base fertilizer.

How to grow petunias? How do you grow petunias?

The Supertunia series petunia is a great variety, with masses of gorgeous flowers on abundant branches. It has rich flower colors, including blue, coral, light purple, pink morning light, purplish red, white, icy light purple, and salmon red. With its extremely strong trailing habit, it suits any garden landscape and is also very suitable for hanging baskets and windowsill floral decorations.

It has good heat tolerance, is slightly cold tolerant, and recovers quickly after rain. Because the Supertunia series is not very sensitive to day length, it has broad adaptability. When cultivated in regions of different latitudes, the overall plant performance is compact with excellent branching, and the ornamental period is long, generally from April to October, and in warm regions it can continue flowering until November. This destined the Supertunia series to be an extremely excellent new trailing petunia variety.

Sowing and raising seedlings:Petunia seeds number about 10000 per gram. Under protected conditions in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, sowing and raising seedlings can be done all year round, but considering flower-use conditions and the effect of high temperature on flowering, the usual sowing time is October-November and June-July. For sowing, loose artificial media should be used. If using ordinary seeds, bed sowing or box sowing is generally used for raising seedlings; plug seedling production must use pelleted seeds, and 288-cell or 128-cell trays can be used. For home potting and garden planting, Norwegian imported seedling blocks can be used, best matched with a seedling box. Before sowing, fill the medium, water thoroughly, then sow, and after sowing moisten the seeds with a fine spray. Petunia seeds are tiny, and no medium should cover them after sowing, otherwise seed germination will be affected. The medium requires a pH of 5.8-6.2 and an EC of 0.5-0.75, and after disinfection treatment, generally seedling soil or peat soil can meet this function. After sowing, keep the medium temperature at 22-25°C, and seedlings emerge in 5-10 days.

Note:Because petunias have a long seedling stage, low temperature, overly dry or overly wet moisture, or excessive fertilizing can easily cause stiff seedlings.

First stage:

3-5 days after sowing, the radicle emerges. At the beginning, the seedling medium must be kept moist, no fertilizer is needed, and the temperature should be kept at 22-24°C. Light at this stage is beneficial to petunia seed germination, so if sowing in a germination chamber, it is best to supplement light with 1000 lux. If raising seedlings under ordinary facilities, then add two layers of 90% shade netting to ensure humidity during seed germination. Note that for indoor seedling raising, place them in a bright place, not under direct sunlight.

Second stage:

Continue to maintain appropriate medium moisture, but it must not be too dry; too dry easily causes "seedling setback"; it also must not be too wet; too wet affects root development and easily causes disease. After the first pair of true leaves appears, fertilizing can begin. Fertilizing generally uses nitrogen fertilizer or 20-10-20 water-soluble fertilizer, with the concentration controlled at about 50 ppm; it must not be too high, to avoid fertilizer burn. At this stage, pay attention to ventilation, and the seedlings can also gradually be exposed to light. For home potting, it is recommended to use organic fertilizer, which can improve soil structure and has many benefits.

Third stage:

The seedlings have now produced 2-3 pairs of true leaves, after which they grow rapidly. The medium temperature can be lowered to about 18-20°C. Every 7-10 days, alternately apply 0.1% urea or 20-10-20 (these numbers indicate the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) water-soluble fertilizer and N-P-K 15-15-15 0.1% compound fertilizer (the compound fertilizer should contain somewhat higher N and K, with relatively lower P requirements) or 14-0-14 water-soluble fertilizer. At this stage, still pay attention to ventilation to prevent disease, and spray chlorothalonil or thiophanate-methyl (800-1000 times dilution) about once every week.

Fourth stage:

At this stage the root system has formed well and 3 pairs of true leaves have appeared. Temperature, humidity, and fertilizing requirements are the same as in the third stage, and attention should still be paid to ventilation and disease prevention.

In addition, besides seed propagation, propagation can also be done by cuttings. Cutting propagation indoors can be carried out all year round. After flowering, cut the sprouted tender top shoots, 10 cm long, and insert them into a sand bed. The cutting medium temperature is 20-25°C. After insertion, they root in 15-20 days, and after 30 days they can be transplanted into pots.

Transplanting/potting:When raising seedlings in 288-cell seedling trays, directly transplant into 10-12 cm diameter nutrient pots. They can also first be planted in a seedling bed, then moved into nutrient pots. Petunias recover relatively slowly after transplanting, so when potting, care should be taken to carry as much soil as possible.

Light regulation:Petunia is a sun-loving plant, and both growth and flowering require sufficient sunlight. In summer production it is relatively tolerant of high temperature, and generally only needs shading for a few days after transplanting to recover. Throughout the entire growth period, no shading is needed. Very suitable light can promote flowering and increase the number of flowers.

Cultivation management:Watering always follows the principle of not watering until dry, and watering thoroughly when you do. For potted flowers produced in summer, during the early growth of small seedlings, apply thin fertilizer frequently. Fertilizer selection should be high in N and K, with P appropriately lower. For N fertilizer, urea can be chosen; for compound fertilizer, choose N-P-K ratio 15-15-15 or one high in N and K, with concentration controlled at about 0.1-0.2%. For water-soluble fertilizer, generally choose 20-10-20 and 14-0-14, with concentration at 50-100 ppm. If the concentration is too high, especially in high-temperature seasons, it easily causes fertilizer burn. For potted flowers produced in winter, apply compound fertilizer frequently in March-April, and according to growth conditions, appropriately topdress with N fertilizer. Under overly dry conditions the plant will be relatively thin and weak, but this can be restored through fertilizer and water management; however, damage to the plant caused by typhoons or storms is relatively difficult to recover from.

Pruning and tidying:Promoting branching can increase the number of flowers. When a relatively large plant has an untidy shape, it can be tidied up. The tips of branches can be pruned, which will easily add another layer of branching, generally more than 10 days before the planned flowering time. If a plant for long-term viewing becomes too large, keep 1/3 of the healthy plant for pruning. Under suitable conditions, recovery takes 20 days.

The above are the petunia sowing and care methods provided by Duorou Huapu for everyone. I hope they can be helpful to everyone. You are welcome to continue following Duorou Huapu to learn more common care knowledge about herbaceous flowers.