Petunias are arguably the preferred annual. They dazzle in nearly each coloration and variegation conceivable with long-lasting blooms. There are tons of of cultivars in basic shades of whites, yellows, pinks, and purples. Among the extra uncommon shades and variegations embody black flowers, flowers resembling an evening sky or peppermints, and double blooms. Have you ever ever questioned learn how to develop huge, magazine-worthy petunias?
These colourful flowers are the star of the present in containers, hanging baskets, or within the floor. They arrive in two varieties—huge blooms like these of the superbissima or the bush-like habits like these of the supertunia. My favourite use is in hanging baskets, the place they elegantly drape down and resemble large, fluffy, colourful clouds.
You don’t should be an expert gardener to develop large, wholesome petunias. Regardless of their reputation and ease of care, petunias, together with most annuals, develop scraggly and scrawny in midsummer. But it surely doesn’t should be that approach! Listed here are 5 secrets and techniques to rising large, lovely petunias.
Select the Proper Selection
Rising large, showy petunias begins with choosing the proper selection. Some are nice for small containers and areas, whereas others demand ample house to develop. For me – my backyard motto is “Go large or go dwelling!”
There are a number of petunia hybrids bred to develop large. Many of those newer varieties have stronger petals, which received’t flip right into a mushy mess when moist. One of the frequent giant sorts is the Supertunia Vista ®. Not like common supertunias, a single plant can attain as much as two ft tall and three ft large. The usual supertunia ‘Big Pink’ can be a big choice, with exceptionally giant pink flowers.
If you’re in search of a big petunia – it will depend on whether or not you need large flowers or a giant plant. Trailing varieties, like these within the ‘Wave’ and ‘ColorRush’ sequence, are vigorous, quick growers, rising as much as 4 ft lengthy in containers. Grandiflora petunias have the biggest flower dimension (about 5 inches throughout) and embody these within the ‘Desires,’ ‘Extremely,’ and ‘Storm’ sequence.
Petunia ‘Superbissima’ from the Czech Republic boasts large 5 to seven inch flowers and a mean dimension, although some gardeners point out these flowers are delicate to overhead water. This plant is tougher to search out within the U.S. and can possible should be began from seed.
Select A Massive Container
Massive petunias want large containers. Supertunia and grandifloras want spacing about 18 inches aside, and a single plant finally ends up filling a whole 12-inch pot. Whereas it’s at all times tempting to overplant containers firstly of the season, much less is extra if you need lush, wholesome crops.
Ensure that your web site is in full solar. Whereas petunias survive in partial solar, the extra solar you present, the extra blooms you’ll get. Ideally, they need to get a minimum of six hours a day of full solar, however ideally extra if doable.
So in case you see any of those big-growing cultivars on the nursery – don’t go overboard. Bear in mind, each tiny plant in a cell will develop to be a lot, a lot greater.
Hold the Soil Moist
Petunias don’t like moist ft, however they do must frequent watering. These within the floor should be much less regularly watering than these in containers and pots. In containers and pots, particularly hanging baskets, petunias want practically day by day watering, even twice a day in tremendous scorching climate. As at all times, test the soil moisture first earlier than watering.
As a result of the afternoon solar is essentially the most intense for crops and petunias are vulnerable to rot, watering within the morning is finest for these crops. For these and different annuals, a drip system is useful for protecting these thirsty crops alive and thriving within the warmth of summer time.
Fertilize Usually
These flowers are heavy feeders and profit from fertilization as a lot as as soon as every week and instantly after planting. If that is an excessive amount of nevertheless, each different week would do. A slow-release fertilizer works, however I desire utilizing water-soluble fertilizer for the quickest outcomes. For petunias, merely change certainly one of your watering days with a fertilizer day. Professional tip: I like to make use of outdated jugs to combine my fertilizer; I’m an iced espresso fiend and discover these containers make nice watering cans.
Use a balanced fertilizer like an 8-8-8 or 10-10-10. Some gardeners point out that they’ve greater and better blooms with a fertilizer greater in phosphorus. Fish or tomato fertilizers like Espoma Natural Liquid Tomato Plant Meals have the next ratio of phosphorus (1-3-1) which is helpful throughout their energetic blooming cycle.
Trim and Prune
As temperatures warmth up in midsummer, these colourful flowers begin to look leggy, stringy, and total simply… blah. Some gardeners use July 4th as a date to recollect to present their crops some midseason care, but it surely’s by no means too late. In case your petunias don’t look as lovely as they as soon as did or have a gaping gap within the middle of the plant, don’t fear. It might appear counterintuitive, however the most effective methods to influence your petunia to bush out with extra progress is to present it a haircut.
One option to prune is to go as they develop. If you discover one stem rising longer than the others, lower it again a number of inches to the node. It is a good weekly gardening process. However actually? My annuals are likely to get uncared for. In the summertime, I’m normally so busy babying my veggies and herbs that I neglect all about my lovely window containers.
So right here’s what I do – I give my petunias a number of large chops over the summer time once they begin to seem not-so-hot, fertilize, water, and name it a day. And ya know what? They’re completely happy and look nice! In your “chop day,” keep in mind the entire typical pruning guidelines – take not more than ⅓ of the plant and lower on the node. This implies taking a majority of the attractive blooms, so time your chop fastidiously. For those who’re having a giant occasion quickly and also you need a lot of curb enchantment, it could be finest to attend till a number of weeks on both finish to chop. In fact, when a plant is dry or experiencing stress, don’t prune.
You’ll additionally wish to deadhead repeatedly. Many petunia varieties are self-cleaning, which signifies that they’ll drop their spent blooms on their very own, stay ‘Wave’ and ‘Supertunias’. However some, like grandiflora, ‘Superbissima’, and trailing varieties want common deadheading. This apply promotes extra blooms as a result of the plant expends much less power on seed manufacturing. To find out whether or not or not your flowers want deadheading, at all times test the tag and do a little analysis. In case your petunias are already planted, discover if their spent blooms are dropping on their very own.
Earlier than pruning, get a vase prepared and make a DIY flower association together with your lower blooms.