Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Prepare now for petunias that prosper

These vibrant favorites will last into late spring, but they don't always get the head start they need to remain robust.

By John A. Starnes Jr., Special to the Times
Published October 13, 2007

Poor soil and heat are petunias' biggest enemies. Yet all too often they are offered for sale late in spring, when the return of humid heat is right around the corner. And if we plant them in the acidic sand we jokingly call "soil" in most of west-central Florida, they struggle immediately with starvation and thirst.

So let's change gears mentally and grow them to perfection each fall and winter. October is an ideal time to buy and plant them.

But here's the key: Don't buy only big, bountiful, mature plants. Look for young, small petunias in flats or 4-inch pots. Why? The big ones are already fully mature and in their prime. Often they begin to decline not long after we bring them home. Baby petunias will root deeply during the cooler winter months and come into full glory right there in your garden or in hanging baskets, instead of at a wholesale farm.

Despite their feminine elegance, petunias are tough, reliable winter annuals if we meet their simple needs of rich, damp, humusy soil, full sun and cooler, drier conditions.

Thanks to a breeding revolution begun about 10 years ago by two Japanese beer and whiskey companies with plant research labs, Kirin and Suntory, we can grow new varieties no one would have dreamed of a few decades ago.

Hybridizers crossed existing varieties of Multiflora petunias lots of small blooms on mounding plants and Grandiflora petunias (3- to 5-inch blooms on sprawling plants) with various wild species of petunias that are native to subtropical and tropical regions of South America. The result: upright growers up to 2 feet tall, ground-cover varieties that can cover a 6-foot circle, and trailing petunias that can cascade several feet from hanging baskets. New patterns and colors, even yellow, have been bred into them. There is no better time to try out petunias than now.

Color is all preference, either a bed of one color or a wild mix. If the latter, you can make the effect more potent by planting each color in threes. Adding pockets of white will intensify the effect.

As the winter cool-down deepens, your petunias will flourish, and will be unfazed even by frosts. Freezes are rare now, but should we have one, just cover your prized petunias with an old sheet or light blanket for overnight protection.

Water deeply once each week, and treat yourself to frequent bouquets, not only to bring their beauty and perfume into your home, but also to keep the plants tidy and prevent them from setting seeds, which drastically slows budding and blooming. The old purple-veined variety "Sugar Daddy" makes regal-looking arrangements, and is sweetly scented.

If, near the apparent end of their lifespan, they seem straggly and tired, try this old trick. Gather each one up in two hands as you would gather up hair into a pony tail, then use shears to cut off the outer half of each one. Refeed the soil with either menhaden fish meal from a feed store, or Sunniland Palm 8-6-6, water deeply, and chances are good they will regrow for a repeat performance until the return of heat in late spring finally does them in.

Lastly, if you wish to grow them in pots or hanging baskets, be sure to mix compost and potting soil in equal amounts, sprinkle in a little dolomitic limestone, and plant just one per pot. Feed with diluted fish emulsion, 3 tablespoons in a gallon of water once a month. Half a dozen petunias may fit in a barrel planter if you wish a lush, overflowing look. People are often surprised at just how big and buxom a healthy, well-grown petunia can get.

The nights and days are already a little cooler, so improve your soil now. Then start shopping for young petunias that haven't had their growth spurt yet. Watch them grow into lovely, thriving petunias, the envy of your neighbors.

John A. Starnes Jr., born in Key West, is an avid organic gardener and rosarian who studies, collects, cultivates and hybridizes roses for Florida. He can be reached at johnastarnes@msn.com.

---

Planting those petunias

Your first step to a lush, long-lasting crop of petunias this fall and winter is to improve the soil. Spread at least 2 inches of compost or composted manure atop the garden area, plus a light sprinkling of dolomitic limestone (about as heavy as Parmesan cheese on spaghetti) plus a liberal amount of either dry dog food nuggets or Calf Manna from a feed store. A 50-pound bag of either will cover an area 10 feet by 10 feet.

Lastly, sprinkle on two 20-pound bags of cheap white unscented clay cat litter to help the soil retain moisture while supplying some potassium. Turn this all under with a shovel and give the area a good long, deep soaking with a shower-type sprinkler at the end of your hose. A half-hour should do it.

Mulch the garden with either 4 inches of coastal hay from a feed store, or chipped-limb mulch from a tree-trimming service. Hand-water the mulch to settle it into place, then let the garden "ripen" for two weeks or more; the dog food or Calf Manna pellets release their nutrients as they deteriorate and cease to be attractive to the squirrels and raccoons that may try to dig them up at first. This blanket of mulch will do wonders to keep the bed cozy and damp as your soil heals and improves beneath it.

Planting is easy. Use your hand to pull back the mulch in each spot to expose the soil, then scoop out enough soil to position each petunia plant one inch deeper than it grew in its container. Tuck the soil, then the mulch, around each, and repeat.

Spacing is based on the mature size of the variety (which should be listed on the plant tag) and personal preference. Some gardeners want a solid bed of petunias for uninterrupted color. Some want the tidy look achieved by leaving open spaces between them.

[Last modified October 11, 2007, 17:17:34]