Petunias are ideal for full sun summer hanging baskets.
Tips in a nut shell
* Position your hanging basket of Petunias where they will get at least
five or six hours of good sunlight; they'll perform even better if
located in full sun all day. The more shade they receive, the fewer
flowers they'll produce.
.jpg)
* Fertilize your hanging basket every other week
* Petunias will benefit from a light pinching back or gentle shearing
mid-season
* Petunias make excellent cut flowers - flowers are best cut with short
stems
Petunias with their wide trumpet shaped flowers are prolific bloomers
that will flower throughout the summer.
Petunias do best in full sun, but can handle partial shade, especially
in hotter areas. They are not frost tolerant. Wait until all danger of
frost is past before planting your petunias outdoors.
Most petunias are hybrids.
The ‘Wave’, ‘Supertunia’, ‘Cascadia’ and ‘Surfinia’ are some of the most
popular petunias because they don’t need deadheading and are great in
hanging baskets.
Click here for more on wave petunias
http://www.wave-rave.com/
‘Million Bells’ look like tiny petunias, but they are actually an
entirely different species.
Proven Winner Petunias are specially selected series of Petunias that
are marketed under the Proven Winner brand or trademark.
Click here for more on these.
Groundcover or "spreading" petunias grow rapidly, provided they're
watered and fertilized frequently. This makes them ideal in hanging
baskets
Older varieties of petunias require diligent deadheading or they will
stop blooming. This is not always a pleasant task, since the foliage is
sticky and blossoms that have been rained on often turn to slimy mush
Petunias will benefit from a light pinching back or gentle shearing
mid-season. When the branches start to get long and dangly and when you
can see where all the previous flowers were along the stem it’s time to
cut them back your hanging basket allowing the plant to refresh and
renew itself.
While some people will cut back their hanging basket where it hangs,
we suggest taking your basket down and sitting it on top of a bucket,
then cut back the stems by about 1/3 to 1/2. This gives you a chance to
remove any dead leaves from the top of the basket. Give your plant(s) a
good water and feed and then re-hang them.
While Petunias are quite drought-tolerant, growing them in full sun
means the soil in your hanging basket can dry out quickly. Check the
soil daily and water as needed.
Extreme heat can cause petunias to stop setting flowers until the
temperature drops
Fertilize your basket with a balanced fertilizer every two to three
weeks. Fertilizing will give your petunias the energy they need to stay
in bloom all summer long. Be careful not to over water and make sure the
soil is well drained. Too much water will cause the plants to become
‘leggy’, with lots of stem and few flowers.
Petunias make excellent cut flowers. Because their stems are somewhat
leggy and soft and their leaves are sticky, the flowers are best cut
with short stems. Place your flowers in small vases or flower rings,
they'll usually will last for four to six days.
Petunias are not edible flowers – in fact the plants are toxic, as many
members of the Solanaceae family are.
|
