50+ Blueberries & Cream Wave Petunia Seeds
2023 Season
Wave petunia plants have a spreading growth habit, with the ability to fill flower beds with their blooms that sprout all along their stems, which can reach up to 4 feet. Wave petunia plants are so versatile they can accent almost any part of your landscaping design.
How to Care for Wave Petunias
Space
Space is more than just a luxury to wave petunias. Both above ground and below the soil, the bedding plant needs plenty of space to grow and blossom. This is why you need to keep an eye on the plants to see if they’re showing any signs of distress as a result of a small container or they’re being overcrowded with other plants.
Water
Wave petunias need a lot of water but they don’t want to be soaked into soggy bedding. It affects the roots and makes the plant weak. This is where a well-drained soil comes in. It protects the plant from being saturated if you give it too much water by mistake. A thick layer of compost keeps your soil well aerated and helps with water retention, so you don’t have to water it every so often. Make sure the soil doesn’t go dry.
Sunlight
Another crucial element for the success of your garden variety wave petunia is sunlight. Your flowering plants from South America are used to the full sun. Shade or even partial shade doesn’t suit its blooming needs well, and you won’t get the abundance of bright flowers you hope for or expect. This is why wave petunias need about 8 hours of daily sunlight.
Fertilizer
Flowering consumes a lot of nutrition, which means the wave petunia, just like most annual plants, needs regular fertilizing. It’s recommended that you give it fertilizers in small doses once every 7 to 10 days. Too much feeding can lead to an explosion of leaves and root growth without the desired bloom. Organic compost and liquid fertilizers are two of the best options. Choose a slow-release fertilizer that keeps the plant well-fed without overwhelming it with nutrients, which can have adverse effects on its flowering.
Pruning
One of the best tricks that wave petunia lovers resort to is pinching the tips of the long branches off. This puts a stop to the growth of the branches but makes the petunia much stockier. This only works when you do that for the very first twigs to grow out of the petunia. This type of pruning ensures your plant grows healthier and more robust.
Seed Planting Instructions:
Pour enough potting soil to fill a seed-starting flat into a bowl. Slowly add water, mixing as you go until the soil is evenly moist throughout. Fill the flat to within 3/4 inch of its rim with the damp soil. Level the surface of the mix with a straight-edged ruler to ensure even moisture distribution when you water the seedlings.
Scatter the extremely small petunia seeds lightly across the potting mix. Settle them lightly into the surface with a fine, even spray of water. Barely cover them with a sprinkling of vermiculite. It secures them in place without completely blocking the light the seeds need to germinate.
Cover the flat with its clear plastic dome to create a greenhouse for the germinating seeds. Set the flat in a warm, bright location out of direct sun. Petunia seeds sprout most quickly at an air temperature of 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Check the flat for sprouting seeds after seven days. Remain patient; petunias take as long as three weeks to germinate. When the first seedlings emerge, remove the plastic dome and relocate the flat to a cooler area with daytime temperatures not exceeding 65 F and nightly temperatures of 55 to 65 F. The seedlings still require bright light out of direct sun. Water as needed to keep the soil moist.
Move the seedlings from the starter flat to individual peat pots of moist potting soil when they have three sets of leaves. Make a planting hole in each pot with a pencil. Use a table fork to lift a seedling from the flat. Set it in the pencil hole and tamp the soil around it. Water immediately and repeat for the remaining seedlings. Continue watering as needed to keep the soil consistently moist.