Petunia – Carpet Neptune Mix

Germination

Start seeds 10-12 weeks before your last average frost.  Lightly press into sterilized, soilless seed-starting mix but do not cover as light is required for germination.  Kept at 70-75° F, germination is in 7-21 days.

Growing

Space in the garden according to each petunia variety’s specifications.  Petunias prefer full sun but will benefit from some shade very hot climates.  They require regular water, especially if they are in containers.  I water my container petunias almost daily during the hot spring and summer months here in the southeast.  They also require regular, weekly fertilizing.  I use liquid Miracle Gro or Jack’s Petunia FeED water-soluble fertilizer.  While most flowering plants require a fertilizer where the N-P-K ratio has a higher P number to promote more flowers, petunias need a higher N number to prevent a boron deficiency (yellowing of the leaves), especially if your soil is not acidic enough.  I prefer fertilizing my petunias once a week with liquid Miracle Gro.  To encourage more flowers, deadhead spent flowers.  If your petunias start to get leggy and unsightly, with some varieties you can cut the plants down to about 6″ above soil level, and in a few weeks, they will bloom again.