Gardening is always fun. It connects humans with nature and provides such a magnificent result that a person feels accomplished all time. Sometimes it surprises the humans. With minimal effort, it awards a lot. If you want to get the same reward with minimal effort, you need to know how to plant petunia seeds indoors.
It is the most popular flower on the planet. If you are new to gardening, then you must try it. Even it is good for pros. It gives such results that encourage a person to work more in the garden. It has a wide range of varieties which makes it more versatile and colorful.
The Petunia Flower Plants
These flowers are heat-loving plants. They grow and thrive well in warm conditions with bright sunlight. Petunias are easy to grow and bloom for the whole summer starting from early summer. These flowers are available in many colors, different flower forms, and varying growth habits.
These flowers are quite easy to grow and maintain. It requires little effort and care, and the results are splendid. It is a true showstopper. Wherever these flowers are planted it attracts attention.
Types of Petunia Flowers Plants
It has a lot of varieties and sub-varieties based on color, growth patterns, and flower forms. One of the main is the Grandiflora Series, one of the oldest of its type. It is ideal for pathways and flower beds. Hybrid Series is the fast-climbing type with slightly large flowers.
Multiflora Series has small but a lot of blooms. It can withstand harsh rains and winds. It is also an excellent choice for flower beds and indoor containers. One of the main series is Wave Series which is spreading variety. It does not need to be trimmed. Also, this variety is quite tolerant to drought and heat.
Wave Series has quite a number of subcategories which include tidal wave, easy wave, shock wave, and others. You can choose according to your choice. This plant provides a lot of variety which can fit different preferences of people.
Why Plant the Petunia Flowers Plants
Beauty and Decoration
These flowers are true showstoppers and provide a treat to the eyes. Along with being a terrific addition to the garden, it fulfills the main decorative aspects whether it is indoor or in the garden. A variety of colors and flowers creates an amazing scene that stuns the viewers.
Characteristics of the Petunia Flower Plants
Besides fulfilling the decorative aspect, this flower is amazingly easy to take care of. You only need to follow some basic steps and once the flowers are established you are good to enjoy the scene. Moreover, these flowers are early summer flowers and last till the first winter frost starts coming in.
So, you can enjoy these flowers for a longer period. Also, these flowers have been planted in multiple places, but wherever it is planted it creates a true attractive scene. It has been a good motivation for the gardeners who are just starting and trying to achieve something better and fast.
How to Plant Petunia Seeds Indoor
You can get the saplings of petunia flowers from the market, but it is good to plant the seeds. This process helps in ensuring the variety which you want to grow and the healthy saplings to grow.
Sow the seeds 10 weeks before the plantation of the seedlings in a container/ garden. Late February or early March is an appropriate month to sow.
Selection of Container for Sowing Petunia Seeds
You can select any gardening container for the sowing of seeds. Make sure it is well-drained. Because drainage will help in preventing many diseases like rotting of roots, etc. Also, the container should be deep enough that it can hold some of the soil. you can sow the petunia seeds in trays also.
Clean the container/ tray if it is previously used. It’s good to disinfect it so that there is no chance of getting an inherent disease from any other crop/ plant.
Selection of Soil Sowing & Plantation of Petunia Flowers
Soil should be a good mixture of suitable compost. You can buy the mixes commercially available for gardening that have a quite balanced amount of nutrients. Or you can make it by yourself by adding the organically composted mixture to the soil evenly.
When preparing the soil, moisten the layers while you are adding them into the container or tray. Good soil mix and moisture help in maintaining the required temperature for germination.
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Sowing the Seeds of Petunia Flowers
Place the container/ tray in a warm place in the bright light. Petunia seeds need uniform temperature and moisture of medium level. Keep in mind that the petunia seeds are small. For some gardeners, it can be not easy to sow these seeds. Spread the seeds in the soil mix.
Tap the spread seeds with a small block of wood. Do not bury the seeds or do not cover the seeds with any soil. once seeds are sown moist them with water spray. Do not place the container direct in the sunlight. Cover the sown seeds with plastic wrap or dome. It will help in maintaining moisture and temperature.
Steps After Germination of Petunia Seeds
Intense heat (75 F to 80 F) and light are good for successful germination. Petunia flower seeds take 7 to 10 days to germinate. Soon as seeds start sprouting you need to take the cover off. Now you can move it to a cooler temperature like 65 F.
Now the lights are required for this stage. You can buy any good quality grow lights or gardening lights. Fluorescent tubes also work best. When you will place the container or tray set the fluorescent tubes or grow light right above it. These should be four (4) inches high from the container.
Keep lights on for 12 to 16 hours a day. Keep adjusting light over time. When there are three (3) true leaves of the saplings, get ready to transplant the plants.
Transplanting the Petunia Flower Seedlings
Now you can transplant the seedlings into peat pots, other containers, or plastic holders. Keep these seedlings in the sunny window or under the fluorescent tubes. You can plant these seedlings soon after the last frost has passed. This is the ideal time to grow. It will provide a great show for the whole summer.
Taking Care of Petunia Flowers Seeds
Taking care of petunia flowers is amazingly easy. You just need to follow some basic steps and you are good to go. These flowers are famous and lovely because of their easiness of taking care of. The wide variety and easiness make it preferred for most gardeners.
Light Requirement for Petunia Flowers
Light is required by petunia flowers. These flowers need 5 to 6 hours of sunlight in one day. They love the warm weather and thrive well in it. Less availability of sunlight makes them yellowish and leggy. They can eventually die if adequate light is not available.
Watering Schedule for Petunia Flowers
Water the petunias frequently but do not overwater the plants. It can cause problems. Make sure the soil is well-drained. You can check the upper layer of soil with a finger. If the upper layer up to a few inches has dried, water the plants. As we are going to grow indoors in containers or baskets you might need to frequently water them.
Fertilizers Requirement for Petunia Flowers
As these plants grow at a good pace, they need quite balanced fertilizers. It will help in the growth of healthy plants and avoid losing blooms and becoming leggy. 8-8-8 or 10-10-10, or 12-12-12 like balanced fertilizers every three weeks will work effectively.
Adding fertilizers with the water and making a dilute solution will act more effectively. You can also add organically composted fertilizers. Fertilizer requirement timing might vary according to the variety of petunia flowers planted.
Harvesting / Collecting the Petunia Seeds
Select the healthy and disease-free seeds to collect. The suitable time to collect seeds is in late summer or early winter when there is the end of the growing season. The right way of collecting seeds is to cut the pods with sharp scissors and keep the pods in a paper bag.
Do not use plastic bags. It can spoil the seeds. While collecting seeds label them so that they do not get mixed. Once collected spread the seeds on the newspaper to dry seeds for at least a week.
Keep the seeds in paper bags or envelopes. Store it in a cool, dark, and dry place. The best temperature in storage is 40 F. Do not damage or crush the seeds. Freezing or overheating in the storage area will affect seeds. They will not germinate in the coming season.
Briefly, the petunia flowers are a true blessing of nature. Their minimal maintenance and wide variety make them preferable for the entire range of gardeners. Moreover, the seed collection makes the availability of seeds easy. Through that, this showstopper can be planted increasingly.
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References
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/petunia/petunia-seed-propagation.htm
https://www.burpee.com/blog/all-about-petunias_article10254.html
