Alright, let’s talk about growin’ them petunias from seed, ya hear? Folks say it’s hard, but I’m tellin’ ya, it ain’t rocket science. Don’t go believin’ everything you hear, now. Some folks just don’t know how to do it right, that’s all.
First off, you gotta pick what kind of petunias you want. Lordy, there’s a whole heap of ’em! Go to the store, look at the pictures, and pick the ones you like the looks of. It ain’t no harder than that. Don’t get all flustered by them fancy names, just pick somethin’ pretty.
Now, when to plant ’em? Well, that depends on where you live, I reckon. If you got cold winters, you gotta start ’em inside. Think around March, give or take. Takes a good while for them little fellers to get big enough to go outside, see? Maybe 10 or 12 weeks, somethin’ like that. If you just toss the seeds outside too early, they ain’t gonna do nothin’ but sit there and shiver.
- Get yourself some little pots or trays. Nothin’ fancy, just somethin’ to hold the dirt and seeds.
- Fill ’em up with dirt. Good dirt, mind you, not that hard-packed stuff from the back forty. You want somethin’ that holds water but don’t get all soggy.
- Sprinkle them seeds on top, real gentle like. They’re tiny little things, see? Don’t bury ’em deep, just press ’em down a little bit.
- Water ’em gentle, too. Don’t want to wash them seeds away now, do ya? Just a little sprinkle to keep things damp.
Keep them pots somewhere warm and sunny. A windowsill works just fine. And keep ’em watered, but not too much. You don’t want them swimmin’, just damp. If you got one of them plastic covers, that helps keep things moist, too.
After a spell, you’ll see little sprouts comin’ up. Ain’t that somethin’? Keep on takin’ care of ‘em, waterin’ and givin’ ‘em sun. When they get bigger, you gotta move ‘em to bigger pots. Gives them roots room to grow, see?
Now, some folks say you can just plant the seeds right in the ground outside once it warms up. And you can, I guess, but it takes forever for them to flower that way. You’ll be waitin’ all summer long for a few measly blooms. Startin’ ’em inside gives you a head start, you understand?
And speakin’ of startin’ ‘em inside, some folks got them grow lights. Fancy things, I tell ya. But you don’t need none of that stuff. Sunlight is good enough, just like it always has been. Don’t go spendin’ your hard-earned money on things you don’t need, ya hear?
Once the weather warms up and there ain’t no more frost, you can plant them petunias outside. Find a sunny spot, dig a little hole, and plop ’em in. Water ’em good and that’s about it. They like sun, so don’t go plantin’ ’em in the shade. And don’t forget to water ’em regular, especially when it’s hot and dry. A little bit of fertilizer now and then helps, too, but don’t overdo it.
Now, some folks like to take cuttings from their petunias. That’s another way to get more plants, see? You just snip off a piece, stick it in some wet dirt, and it’ll grow roots. Easy peasy. But we’re talkin’ about seeds here, so I won’t go into all that.
So there you have it. Growin’ petunias from seed ain’t hard. Just takes a little patience and know-how. Don’t let nobody tell you different. You pick your seeds, plant ’em right, give ’em sun and water, and you’ll have pretty flowers all summer long. And that’s all there is to it.
Don’t get me wrong, now. Sometimes things don’t work out. Maybe the seeds are bad, maybe you watered ’em too much, maybe a critter got to ’em. It happens. Don’t get discouraged. Just try again. That’s what I always say, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! Gardening ain’t always easy, but it’s worth it when you see them pretty flowers bloomin’. It just makes you happy, you know?
Tags: Petunias, Growing from Seed, Flower Gardening, Seed Starting, Gardening Tips, Easy to Grow Flowers, Annual Flowers, Home Gardening, Planting Seeds.
