Often grown as annuals, Petunias are one of the most popular flowers. They are tender perennials in Zones 9 to 11.
Petunias are divided into two different groups:
- Grandiflora petunias have very large flowers and are best grown in containers or hanging baskets (because they are more susceptible to rain damage).
- Multiflora petunias have smaller, but more abundant flowers and are ideal for summer bedding or in a mixed border (because they are more tolerant to wet weather).
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pruning petunias
you recommend just removing the dead flower but others say to remove the stem to prevent going to seed. which is correct?
deadheading petunias
If you remove the dead flowers, it will prevent those spent flowers from developing seeds. This helps the plant to focus its energy on producing more flowers (instead of seeds). When deadheading, make the cut about ¼ inch below the base of the flower (along the stem), or you can pinch it back to just above the nearest leaf junction. Do not remove just the petals – the entire flower structure, including the base connected to the stem (usually a little swollen area, with several tiny straplike “leaves” surrounding it, called the calyx) needs to be removed.
Getting petunias to bloom
We recently went on vacation and before we left I took off all the dead blooms on my plant. We have been back for well over two weeks now and there are no new buds or blooms on my plants. The greenery is still looking good but no new blooms appearing. What can I do?
This sounds like your
This sounds like your petunias just went into a vegetative state. This can happen sometimes when dead heading all flowers during summer months, because plants are very influenced by light cycles. The species you have should tell you what seasons or time frame it should flower. You may also want to check if it is getting too little sunlight due to the movement of the shadows, depending on the sun's position in the sky. As long as the vegetative growth is continuing, though, it should be fine and just may need a little more water or food (sometimes I will through in some molasses with regular food to give it a little kick to bloom again). If it is in a container, though, it may be getting rootbound and it would be time for a larger container or some more regular pruning to keep the plant's size limited. The last part I would say is that it may also need a fresh soilless mix or a good root system flush followed by a light inoculation of mycorrhizae to help facilitate nutrient and water delivery and storage. Also remember that soilless mixes are organic material that can become soil after a while, and this could decrease the drainage as well. I hope this helps! I tried to cover as much as possible, since I am unsure of the specifics of the other factors. Good luck! :)
Something I Forgot!
I did forget to ask about the fertilizer you use, as well. If you are providing a higher nitrogen fertilizer, it will mainly produce leaves. They will be green, and with too much they become a shining waxy green and begin yellowing and browning on the tips. This is definitely a cause for a heavy flush with water, let it recover for a week and balance the nutrients after. With the soilless mixes, you would want to flush several times since the water will pass through so quickly (same as watering them).
Petunia leaves getting large on wavy runs
My hanging baskets has beautiful wavy hanging petunias. But some of the waves leaves have gotten much bigger than then the other wave runs and its flowering is limited to just the tips of those wave runs. What does this mean? And what action do I need to take?
Large Petunia Leaves
This can happen to petunias without proper pruning. To prevent it, cut back ⅓ of the stems every 10 days. This should keep the leaves from getting oversized and promote flowering on all the stems.
Flowers are fading and leaves yellowing
I bought some beautiful hot pink petunias about two weeks ago. They were growing well and looking so much better than when I bought them. However, yesterday I noticed some of the flowers are fading majorly around the edges. The leaves towards the base of the plants are turning yellow also. I noticed you recommend that others with yellowing leaves fertilize their plants, but since these are still new I wasn't sure if that was the answer.
Are your flowers getting
Are your flowers getting enough sun? They grow best in full sun. Let the soil dry between waterings. Petunias do not need a lot of water. You can give them some diluted liquid fertilizer now to see if that will help.
Planting Petunias/Closed Blossoms
Yesterday, I bought a small spreading Petunia plant in a 4 inch by 4 inch pot. How should I transplant it into the ground? Also, overnight, some blossoms closed up. Should I deadhead these?
spreading petunias
In general, you can plant spreading petunias about a foot or so apart, unless you are transplanting into a container, in which case you can crowd them a little more. Full sun and moist, but not waterlogged, soil is ideal. Some spreading types can cover an area 3 to 4 feet at maturity. See above article for general care. In general, deadhead any flowers that are withered and browning, to encourage blooming. Some spreading types, however, such as the Wave series, do not require deadheading for vigorous bloom.
Petunias
Will cuttings from petunias root ?
rooting petunias
We have never done it, RK, but we are told that you can root petunias in water or in soil; if using soil, rooting powder is recommended. Here’s more specific information: http://4h.wsu.edu/em2778cd/pdf/pnw0151.pdf
We bought 8 petunia plants
We bought 8 petunia plants this April and cut the larger shoots off. Planted in soil with rooting powder and kept well lit and watered. More than half took and saved us the expense of having to purchase more. Also, when planting if a stem breaks off just stick in the soil it will root.
Planting multiple varieties of Petunias in same flower box
Hello!
I have purchased 1 each of Crazytunia Kermit Purple Petunia, Cascadias Indian Summer Petunia, Cascadias Bicolor Rim Violet Petunia, and Crazytunia Star Jubilee Petunia, from GardenHarvestSupply. As they all have contrasting colours, I was hoping to plant them in flower box. Would that be advisable? I haven't received the plants yet, so I'm hoping to purchase the necessary container(s) based on your advise! The plants should be arriving in about a week, so please let me know at your earliest convenience! Thank you so much!!
Here are some details:
1) Crazytunia Kermit Purple Petunia Plant Care and Growing Information
Mature Height: 20-40 inches
Mature Spread: 15-20 inches
Exposure: Full Sun
Bloom Time: Early Spring - Fall
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil Type: Widely Adaptable
2) Cascadias Indian Summer Petunia Plant Care and Growing Information
Mature Height: 8-20 inches
Mature Spread: 36-48 inches
Exposure: Full Sun - Partial Shade
Bloom Time: Early Spring - Early Fall
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil Type: Widely Adaptable
3)Cascadias Bicolor Rim Violet Petunia Plant Care and Growing Information
Mature Height: 8 - 30 inches
Mature Spread: 4 - 6 feet
Exposure: Partial Shade - Full Sun
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil Type: Widely Adaptable
4)Crazytunia Star Jubilee Petunia Plant Care and Growing Information
Mature Height: 10-15 inches
Mature Spread: 10-12 inches
Exposure: Full Sun - Partial Sun
Bloom Time: Late Spring - Late Fall
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil Type: Widely Adaptable
What a nice idea to plant
What a nice idea to plant these beautiful petunias together in a flower box. Pay attention to height and spread for each variety. Plant the taller varieties in the back and the ones that spread or cascade on the outsides of the flower box. Good luck!
flowers and plant
Hello
I am from Iran. I want a collection of plants and flowers photo with environmental needs. Can you submit them to this above email. Thanks you.
Petunias
I start my petunias from seed and after they get leaves the stem seems to be off the roots ive used different kinds of starting soil but all the same what am I doing wrong.Thank You
Jack Yager
dampening spirits
Jack, this is called damping off, and it can be caused by several things, often poor soil/growing matter, too much moisture, too cold soil, compacted soil/medium, lack of air circ (see moisture), even diseased containers. We recommend that you start again; it’s still early in season!
Growing petunias from seeds
How long do Petunia seeds take to sprout? If nothing happens ,can I plant some more again in the same pots ?Thank you .
Growing Petunias from Seed
From seed, petunias take about 8 days to germinate. This assumes germinate temperature of 80 degrees F. They need about 8 weeks to reach transplant size. You can transplant after the last spring front. They’ll take about 55 to 75 days to fully mature from seed to flower. Hope this helps!
Patunia
Great knowledge.
I grew lovely petunia's for
I grew lovely petunia's for several years in the same spot. The last few years, after planting and caring for them in the usual way, the petunia's have thrived less each year. Last year they did not spread at all and remained puny and sad. My neighbor said that petunia's secrete a chemical that will cause them not to grow after being in the same spot several years. Is this correct? Can I remedy the soil so that they will grow? I miss my beautiful petunia's. Thank you!
Cindy, You have the right
Cindy, You have the right instincts when you mention the soil. All plants need "food" to grow. Your previous plants have removed all the nutrients from the soil. Add 2 to 3 inches of organic matter, such as baled peat moss, well-rotted leaf compost, or aged manure. Then mix it to a depth of eight to ten inches, using a garden fork. This not only adds nutrients but ensures that the soil isn't too compact so that the petunias get good moisture and drainage.
I need help! Im in my
I need help! Im in my "gardening for dummy's" stage, lol i am a beginner. I got some petunias from Home depot and brought them home, planted them in a ceramic pot. I few days later they lost all their blooms. The plant did not grow, but it didnt die, no bigger or smaller just green and doing nothing. After about 4 weeks i still had no blooms so i cut some of the stems back, they arent even 6 in yet. This produced new growth but still no blooms! I fertilized a few days ago and still see no change, nee growth but no flowers. Could it be because it is too hot in my area? Im in Tuscaloosa Al, late July heat index is over 100 right now.
Hi, Erin, You've pretty much
Hi, Erin, You've pretty much figured out the problem. It's the heat, yes, but the time of year—that is, the length of day—plays into it, too. Petunias best days are in the spring, before temps top out and as days get longer. You can read more about them here, on a page by the Alabama Extension service: http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/...
How do I mix biotin for
How do I mix biotin for feeding my petunias?
Thank you!
Hi. This summer I planted
Hi. This summer I planted petunias in several containers. They are doing well except one of my containers. My petunias are getting leggy and seemed to be coming out of the soil. I notice the soil is still wet. Why is my my petunias look legggy and what can i do to save my petunias in my containers. Please help.
Many regular petunia
Many regular petunia varieties do get leggy if they're not trimmed. Very common. To avoid this: Every 10 days, cut one-third of the stems back.
If it's more extreme, you can always clip all the stems down to 6 inches down, and fertilize the plant. In about a week, they'll recover and bloom.
My petunia flowers are
My petunia flowers are getting smaller and the flower itself is curling backwards. How can I stop this?
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