Wave Petunias From Seed?

[lakelady]

Well I guess I spoke too soon . I had them outdoors all day yesterday and today and now the 1st true leaves are up! Boy that took forever, I didn't think they would get there !

Thanks for letting me know you put yours outside now. Somehow I always think of them as tender annuals and thought it was too cold for them. I did put them in the house last night, and cold frame tonight. Temps should be warmer starting tomorrow, so I think I'll try leaving them outside. I gave them a very weak solution of seaweed today.

I had so many I seeded and now I'm not sure what's growing and what isn't. I think I had better results with the non-pelleted seed to be honest. I'm not really that informed on the different varieties, I usually just buy what colors I like and mix them into hanging baskets, and planters on my deck. Now I 'll be paying more attention!

Is it possible to let a few go dormant and put them into the basement for winter? Can they go dormant? I remember years ago my mother in law used to do that with her geraniums and would take them back out in Spring.

[barkeater]

I sowed my pelletized Wave petunias exactly a month ago according to the instructions which said to just press lightly into the soil and kept a lamp on as they needed light to germinate. I kept them very warm from 75-82 degrees until they all germinated (4-10 days). 15/17 seeds germinated but a couple were so small I needed a magnifying glass to see them. Then 2 of them disappeared the next couple days?? So, I ended up with 13 plants which are shown below one month after sowing:

[lakelady]

Those look great Barkeater! Did you keep them over heat after they germinated? I sowed mine about same time as you and mine are still very tiny, but finally beginning to grow.

[barkeater]

Antoniette,

After they were all up I put them under my shop light which is set on a timer from about 7am to 10pm in the spare bedroom that stays from about 62-70 degrees. They've been there the last few weeks. I think the reason they've grown so much is that I started them in Miracle Grow Potting Mix which has extended release fertilizer, and not a starter mix that has no fertilizer.

[greyghost]

Bark, they look great! I've been hoping that they'd do well for you-it's a
little off-putting at first because the tiny and nearly germinated plants are
so tiny, you wonder if you'll ever see flowers.

Antoniette, I'd rather grow them on under lights (although our garage is quite
chilly) but I grow so many give-away tomatoes and peppers that I never have
room so being quite hardy, they go out (I bring the tray back into the garage
if frost is predicted).

Once they get decent leaves, it seems as though the speed at which the
little plants grow is accelerated! They do seem to respond very well to fertilization!

I've never over-wintered them but I had given a "clump" variety to my
Lab partner (during my working years!). He kept it in a south facing winter
(it was "Blue Daddy"-very fragrant and beautifully veined) and when it
got a bit overgrown, he would prune it back. It'd regrow quickly and rebloom.
He kept it going for at least a couple of years before he took it home.

Watch your petunias this summer; when and if they get a bit straggely,
you'll probably see new growth near the base. Prune back and fertilize
and it'll almost be as though you have a new plant for fall. Sometimes,
we can have a very harsh (hot and DRY) summer, I'll have been too busy to
continue to water/fertilize and this will happen. Plants that get some afternoon shade and are kept well watered, fertilized (maybe a light pruning) are less likely to do this.

Check out Jung, Swallowtailgardenseeds.com (I bought from them this
year and was very pleased with the seeds), Harrisseeds, Parks, Stokes
(lots of individual colors) for different types-really amazing selection.

[bitterwort]

Greyghost, how close to frost can petunia seedlings take at night? Do you only bring them in when they predict widespread frost (wondering if you have a nice microclimate)? My quandary, our spring is so delayed this year (just got 7-8" of wet snow and it's supposed to hit 20 degrees tonight) that everything needs to be potted up--but there won't be room in the house for petunias next week. I know they're hardy in the fall, but haven't tried to push the seedlings so far. So, just above freezing or mid- to upper 30?

[greyghost]

Bitterwort, the mature plants in fall can survive a light but killing frost.

I would leave my petunia starts out if temps fell to mid-thirties but wouldn't
take a chance lower than that. By the time mine are potted up and a bit more
mature, they take up so much room that I'm forced to leave them out if we
get a late frost. I'm fortunate in that we have a south-facing garage door situation with a blacktop driveway. Our house is built into a slope (we live
in the rolling hills of Chester County) so there's some protection on the sides.

Mine are still in a 72 cell flat and I'm a little overdue to potting them up into
4" pots-something I'll take care of starting tomorrow. From then on, if we get
a light frost scare, they'll be moved to the micro-climate in front of the garage doors. If we should get an usually cold prediction, like 25 degrees, I'd cover
with a blanket. (I'd also try to squeeze as many into the garage as possible!)
Tonight will be the coldest (no frost here, though) night in the weekly forecast.
That'll put us late into April and we're likely to have only a very light frost.

So far, I've never lost young spring petunia plants even though we've had
a couple of very light frosts and have had to cover tomato plants (mid- May,
it's unusually but it can happen that late here).

[bitterwort]

Thanks, Greyghost, that sounds like good advice (about mid-thirties). I've just potted mine UP to plugs the equivalent of a 72-cell flat. Can't go near anything larger until the snow disappears for good. I think plan to move things in at night and out for the day. I may leave an experimental pot of P. integrifolia out in the greenhouse, just to see how it does--the fancy hybrids, though, will migrate for a bit.

Thanks!

[barkeater]

I couldn't be happier with the results from starting my own Wave petunias. Compared to buying them in 4 inch pots at $5.99 each on sale at Home Depot last June, I paid less than that for 15 seeds and ended up with 13 plants that have completely taken over the space I put them in.

The only change for next year is to find a true "tomato" red color, as cherry has a bit of a pink tinge to it.

[BarbJ]

Do any of you ever have problems with Bud-worm on the petunias?

Btw, those look fantastic!!