After the danger of frost has passed, move them outdoors to gradually harden them off. When they have a couple sets of true leaves they can be transplanted into their own pots. Cover your flats or pots with plastic wrap and put them in a warm place with indirect sunlight. Sow them on top of a moist starter mix and gently press them into the surface. Start seeds indoors at least 10-12 weeks before the last frost date. It’s worth your while to experience how easy it is to grow an abundance of your own petunia flowers. It’s common, easy and cheap to buy petunias from the nursery, but much more rewarding to start from seed. They grow and develop quickly and have the ability to reach maturity by late spring. Growth Habit: 20-30 cm tall GROWING INSTRUCTIONSĪmong one of the most popular cultivated flowers, petunias bloom abundantly in containers and as borders. Petunias are a great source of nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds. An excellent choice for beds and borders and because of their small size, this dwarf mix is well-suited for containers, hanging baskets and window boxes. The single, trumpet-shaped flowers can get quite large, up to 4 inches, and bloom in shades of rose, lavender, violet and white. The plants grow to only 8-12 inches tall and have a bushy, free-flowering habit. Dwarf Mix is an old-fashioned mix of low-growing, multi-coloured petunias that readily self-seed if kept happy, but they will flower earlier if started indoors in late winter. Petunia Nana Compacta is a member of the nightshade Solanaceae family, closely related genetically to familiar plants like tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and tobacco. By 1934, Japanese breeders finally managed to consistently breed double-flowers and it eventually contributed to the decline of the more ancient varieties. Some samples were collected and a botanist confirmed its aboriginal name and placed it in the tobacco family.Ī few years later, more explorers would discover other species of petunia and by the late 1800s, breeders in England, France, Germany, Japan and the United States began developing hybrid variations for different colours and larger petals. It was only 300 years later that Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of then king of France, Napoleon, organized an expedition to Argentina. ‘’Petun,’’ which meant ‘’useless tobacco plant,’’ referred to petunias but the plant was overlooked, probably due to its name, and wasn’t brought back to Europe. Now, if you're using a window box, or container, you'll need to mix timed-release fertilizer into the soil.In the early 1500s, Spanish explorers in South America discovered petunias, which were called ‘’petun’’ by the local Tupi-Guarani people.When the season changes (early to mid-July) you'll want to give liquid fertilizer that's meant specially for flowering plants a try, at about every three weeks (although, weekly for spreading petunias). You'll want to do this at the rate of about two pounds per hundred square feet. Fertilize your soil by using a balanced fertilizer (like 8-8-8, 10-10-10, or 12-12-12) into your garden's soil.This can help break up heavy clay soil, allowing for better water drainage or increase the ability of sandy soil to hold nutrients and moisture. Incorporate the organic matter into the soil by using a garden fork to about the depth of eight to ten inches.You'll need to spread this organic matter about two to three inches (5.1-7.6 cm) thick. If you're planting in the garden, condition the soil with organic matter like baled peat moss, leaf compost, or well-rotted manure. You want to both condition the soil and fertilize it to make it ready for petunias. Make sure to dig the soil so that it is nice and loose (allowing for better drainage).
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