Best Tips For Growing Petunia at Home

Petunias have been one of the most popular annual flowering plants. They are quick growing and known for beautiful blooms. Blooms are available in pink, purple ,red, white and yellow color.  Petunias are very easy to grow and care. It is not a heighted plant, growing 6 inches to 4 feet max. They are perfect choice for hanging baskets and planters. You can tuck Petunias in between shrubs to add a pinch of color. Wave petunia has made this plant more popular. Follow the below tips for successful growing.

Propagation

Petunia is propagated from seeds as well as cuttings.  Petunia likes warm weather so sow seeds in warm months to increase odds of success.  March � April will be good for starting Petunia. Petunia seeds are very small so one need to take extra efforts while sowing.  Prepare potting mix/ soil before sowing the seeds. Water the container / Pot thoroughly and allow it to drain. Sprinkle seeds on well drained soil and gently push them down.  Do not cover Petunia seeds with soil as they need light to germinate.  Seedlings will come out within two weeks in warm climate.

Or take softwood ( not matured , green stem ) cuttings in spring or summer. Remove most of leaves but 2 leaves on the top. Remove all the buds as they drain all the energy. Push cuttings down in soil / Potting mix. Cover the container having cuttings with plastic bag to save moisture for plant. Moist the soil if it  dry out.

Container

You can use small sized container as Petunia are low grower. It doesn�t need much space to grow.  Make sure container is having drainage holes for better drainage space.

Soil

Use normal purpose garden soil enriched with good quality compost.  Light sandy soil is ideal. Petunia like neutral to slightly acidic soil ( pH 6.0 � 7.0 ).

Sun / Temperature

Petunia like warm weather and thrives in full sun.  Also grow in partial shade but bloom in less number. So keep the container in the sunny location.

Watering

Keep soil moist. Allow soil to dry out between waterings. When leaves get droop, water the plant, after watering Petunia will be again standing straight. Do not overwater as it will induce root rot and invite bacterial and fungus infection.

Fertilizer

Use a  liquid fertilizer once in a month and every two weeks for heavy feeder varieties.

- Shared by Jay Vadi, Gandhinagar


 

Jay Vadi is a gardening enthusiast and regular visitor of Design Green India from Gandhinagar. Plant biotechnology is his field of interest. He has grown many plants using tissue culture at his home.