Petunia sowing and blooming time and lifespan, seed price and planting methods

The petunia's formal name is Petunia hybrida, also known as hybrid petunia, lingzhi peony, shuttlecock flower, dwarf trumpet, and sweet potato flower. It is native to South America and is now widely popular in many countries. So when are petunias generally sown and when do they bloom? How much do the seeds cost? How many years can they live? What are the planting methods? According to the Jiangsu flower base, petunia flower seeds cost around 300--400 yuan/jin, and the sowing rate per mu is 4--5 jin.

When are petunias generally sown and when do they bloom?

Sowing:

1. Spring sowing

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, that is, June-July.

2. Autumn sowing

The main time for autumn sowing is October-November. Under normal conditions, petunias take about 100 days from sowing to blooming, so flowers can generally be seen the following spring. However, for flower lovers who live in places without heating, sowing at this time requires caution, because ensuring petunias survive the winter smoothly is an arduous task.

Blooming:

The flowering period of petunias is very long, lasting from spring to autumn. If winter temperatures are relatively high, they can bloom then too. However, the specific flowering period will also adjust according to the sowing time. Generally, if sown in November, they can bloom in April; if sown in January, they can bloom in May; if sown in April, they will bloom in July; if sown in July, they will bloom in September; if sown in September, they will bloom in April of the following year.

Each petunia flower blooms for a long time, continuously, generally able to bloom continuously for 2 or 3 months.

How many years can petunias generally live?

Although petunias are seasonal herbaceous flowers that bloom for only one season, with careful tending they can also live for several years. When the flowers fade, remove the spent flowers and prune the stems, so that when the plant sends out new shoots again it will be more luxuriant, and the plant can also survive. Also, its seeds that fall into the soil can continue to sprout and bloom. By the way, petunias cannot be too wet or too dry. Pay attention to watering normally, and it is best to transplant them from the flowerpot into the soil, where they will grow more luxuriantly.

What are the planting methods for petunias?

1. What kind of environment is suitable for petunias

The quality of the soil determines how well petunia seedlings grow. If the soil is good and the living environment is good, then manual care will be much simpler. Petunias are not strict about soil type; it can be sandy gravel soil, yellow mud, or clay, but soil with high sand content has poor germination. Petunias are afraid of waterlogging, and the terrain must drain smoothly. When summer comes and the water volume increases, rainwater must be able to drain away as quickly as possible, otherwise some seedlings may die. The key to the terrain is that it helps drain accumulated water; ordinary soil is generally fine, and sunlight duration should be sufficient.

2. Land preparation

1. Plowing: Petunias are very sensitive to fertility. If the soil has sufficient fertility, the flowers will be huge and bright, and the plants will be sturdy. However, the soil in some work sites is basically terrain with average fertility, so to have bright flowers, sufficient farmyard manure must be applied before sowing, spreading 2.5~8 tons of cow dung or pig dung per 660 sq m. After spreading the fertilizer, plow once and harrow once, so that the soil and fertilizer are mixed evenly with moisture, with no large clods of soil, making it good for sowing and germination.

2. Making beds: In order to facilitate necessary maintenance measures for petunia seedlings during their 1-year growth period, such as irrigation, weed removal, and fertilizer spreading, Changjing Landscape recommends making the land into fixed beds 1.4 m wide and 10~25 m long, with the specifics decided according to the terrain.

3. How to plant petunias

Petunia seeds are generally medium in size and have strong germination ability. It is recommended to sow them very shallowly, with the soil cover not exceeding 4 cm. Usually broadcast sowing is used. Choose windless conditions, mix the petunia seeds into moist sand, then broadcast them onto the soil. After sowing, you can cover them by raking soil manually or by mechanical raking. After covering with soil, irrigate once, and they will generally germinate in about 8~10 days.

4. How to grow petunias

There is relatively little management work during the petunia growth period. It rarely has pests and diseases, and its growth condition is good. The main work is all concentrated in the period when the flowers bloom. Before blooming, spread 40 kg of quick-acting fertilizer per 660 sq m. Fertilizing before the flowering period is to lengthen the blooming time and make the flowers more beautiful in color. Do not fertilize during the peak flowering period. During the petunia blooming period, sufficient water is needed. At this time, decide the number and timing of waterings according to rainfall conditions.