Tips for Growing Petunias from Seed

I receive many questions about how to grow petunias from seed. In this video I will address some of the things I think are most important to growing petunias successfully from seed. I will also show you how I do it.
My Petunias From Seed to Planting Out video
• Growing Petunias: Seed...
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[@AcornHillHomestead]

In 2020 I collected a ton of petunia seeds. I planted them broadcast style in a large yogurt container this year. I have a ton of sprouts and the seeds are 3 years old. While they may not come true from the original plants, I don’t mind. Its exciting just seeing what happens. They are very slow to get bigger Ive noticed

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

That’s exciting.

[@introtwerp]

Any update

[@liseforget1687]

I really like that you included progress photos.

[@onemellowmarigold]

I love petunias and have always struggled to grow them. I'm glad I found your video, I learned a lot and I'm looking forward to giving it another try 😊

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Elizabeth-yg2mg]

This is very helpful--I'm growing petunias from seed for the first time this year. Can't wait!

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Good luck!

[@last-life]

My first plants ever - thank you for your insights

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

You are so welcome!

[@deb135]

My vesey petunia seeds i planted this year had 100% germination! WOW so happy!

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

That is great to hear.

[@louiselevesque1074]

Hello Prairie Plantgirl I am new to your channel, just discover your very helpful videos, with tons of information. I love, your calm ways of explaining your gardening tips. I started gardening flowers from seed last year. Your youtube channel will be very helpful!

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Welcome to the channel!

[@daveedmonson6054]

Nice, learned a lot. Already planted them, in hot Thailand. Can't do ideal conditions like you do.

[@valoriegriego5212]

Yet another great tutorial!👍I might give petunias a try next year.🙂 Petunias are so beautiful! We seem to have skipped summer this week...we are already having highs in the upper 80s. I feel for folks who planted cool crops which don't like high heat.

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Thank you. That sounds like some beautiful weather. We went back to daytime highs below freezing 🥶 It’s always tough in the shoulder seasons to know what we will get for weather.

[@us_norseman]

Oh thank you ! Petunias are going to be my flower project this year

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Good luck.

[@SimplyGarden]

I used to plant petunias from seeds many years ago. I loved the double petunias. Have you ever grown these? Thank you for sharing

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

I grew some doubles a few years ago (pirouette?). I like the flowers, but they were easily beat up by wind and rain. I had them in hanging baskets They may have been better suited to in ground growing.

[@robersusan]

I’d like a detailed video on the type and progression of your lighting. This to me is the most confusing part of starting seeds. Thank you

[@madaboutflowers3136]

Petunias have to be one of my favorite flowers to use in hanging baskets. I grew petunias from seed for the first time last year and I had great germination with veseys seed. I just wish the seed wasn't so expensive.

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Petunia seed rivals gold in price, especially the fancier varieties.

[@gail7998]

Thank you so much! First time sowing petunias indoors. I started sowing and following the directions on the packages. The not covering them up confused me and I worried that they might dry out! Costly! So I thought what does Prairie Plantgirl do? Know I know 😊🎉😊

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Glad I could help!

[@gaywizard2000]

Now you know! Not know I know!😂

[@gail7998]

@@gaywizard2000 grammar police 🤣😂😅 I stand corrected.

[@Kozzzmozzz7]

thank you for your great informative video! gonna go and do it soon, waiting on my progrator now to arrive then im ready set go!

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Have fun!

[@gwennieman8039]

I have germination of many I planted for the first time this year. Do I keep the cover off the cell tray now or keep it on for moisture? Thank you for the VERY informative videos😊

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Once you have 80-100% germination you should remove the humidity dome. Leaving it on can create too much humidity which can lead to fungal issues like damping off.

[@buckwylde7965]

Great advice! I hate learn by trial and error, thanks.

[@marridesign4108]

This was SO helpful!!

[@jgsawka]

I planted my petunias mid February as I was told by a few folks how slow growing they are, but man they are huge already. Live and learn. This is my first year doing indoor seed starts. Will doing some frequent pinching back help keep growth under control without hurting there plant itself??

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

I pinch my plants a lot throughout their lives. Petunias respond well to pinching and will branch out and become bushier. They are slow growing, until they get several sets of true leaves (3-4?), then they take off. Make sure they have room for their roots and good air circulation as you hold them until the weather is ready.

[@DavidMFChapman]

You do love your flowers.

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

They bring me a lot of joy.

[@liseforget1687]

Thank you so much

[@betzbee9383]

Very informative video! Thanks! I did have one question. How long does it usually take from the time you plant your seed till the first bloom? The seed packets all have varying lengths, and I saw one was 90 days! I plan on planting sometime this week(first of April) and our last frost date is the end of May, so I'm concerned that they won't be blooming till the middle of summer.

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

I think it is between 2 1/2 - 3 months from seeding to blooming.

[@kristinrose7864]

I would love to know, do you keep the grow light on 24/7 ? Or 10 hours a day? Or any helpful schedule. Growing for the first time this year. They have germinated, and now I want to ensure they don’t get leggy and are a success!

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

I keep my grow lights for all my plants on for 16 hours a day.

[@emptynestgardens9057]

The waves I got from Vesey's last year were my most favourite annual. I am going to hold off a couple weeks though because they germinated very quickly and had to pinched quite a few times before planting out. The colours are so rich! I was able to save seed so this year I'm curious if I get true or if they cross pollinated. New colour ordered this year was a soft buttery yellow one. The spread was amazing so going to use as living mulch under some new trees that were planted in the Fall. Happy Spring although still cold here at the tip of Georgian Bay, Ontario. Maybe in 2wks will be able to start some hardening off. What do you look for in consistent day time temps to bring out during the day?

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

I’m also curious about what I will get from my saved seed plants. As for putting plants out, it varies by plant. For plants that are more cold tolerant (pansies, snapdragons)I will put them out around 7C (that is inside my cold frame) and I will bring them inside in the evening. For very cold tolerant plants I may just cover with fleece for nights just around freezing. Plants that are more sensitive to cold impatiens, begonias, I wait for at least 15C before they are outside and night temperatures around that for overnight outside. I do wait until the plants have at least one set of true leaves, again how hardy the plant is dictates how robust I want it before it goes out. When I bring plants inside I try to find a cooler space for them so it isn’t a huge shock going in and out.

[@emptynestgardens9057]

@@PrairiePlantgirl This was awesome info that I took a screenshot of thank you. 😁👍🏻 My plan is to put the plastic Amazon greenhouse back up April 10. Last week we had a 20c day and in a few days -20. Spring in 🇨🇦eh 🤦🏻‍♀️😬😁🤣

[@SarahB-kn9gx]

Do you have to pinch the tops once there are a lot of true leaves? I keep reading that ypu have to pinch the tops, this is my 1st year growing from seeds.

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Pinching will provide more branching. I find if you keep the growing temperatures around 15C (59F) they branch well on their own. If you find some seedlings with only 1 or 2 stems, pinch them and it will branch more.

[@eunicelunsted]

Thanks!! Have you found any seeds that do not need deadheading? Like a supertunia? The only one I have found is supreme raspberry from Veseys which I like but I would like other Color’s. I love petunias but the deadheading is tough to keep up .

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

I have to admit that I don’t think much about deadheading. It is something I find myself doing without thinking. I wish I had a more informed answer for you.

[@eunicelunsted]

I hear ya… I live on an acreage and have to grow large masses to have an impact . So I have to chose the low maintainable type. 😀. So for the past 2 years I bought supertunias from the nursery- but way more expensive than starting from seed!! But I do love the satisfaction of growing from seed , enjoyed the video!

[@beentheredonethat6584]

@@eunicelunsted Allow me to recommend the Tidal Wave series for a truly massive display of colour. I buy my petunia seeds from T&T with outstanding results. I seed into 6-cell packs with one seed per cell about now March 24-30 with intention to transplant to 4 inch pots and then into planters when the tomatoes go out. One tidal wave will cover almost any size pot and never needs to be dead-headed (although it can help to contain the plant from taking over the garden. Another type is Tickled Pink which is a climber and equally aggressive. They have been found as volunteers in the second year. Purple Pirouette is my all time fave for pots and bedding. This year I am trying Tickled Blush and Sensation. Over the years I have found that seeds (both pellets or not) will germinate at 100% in their first year and at lower rate in subsequent years (60-80% in year 3)

[@eunicelunsted]

@@beentheredonethat6584 , thank you!!!

[@derekcox6531]

I’m sorry if I just missed this detail,but once the petunia goes outdoors,do they like to live in a big sun spot? Or would they be ok in a planter on the north side that gets mainly early morning sun then late afternoon-sunset sun? 🤔Keeping in mind that our sunset is after 9pm in the foothills /Calgary area (in summer)…we do get several hours of direct sun on the northwest-ish side of our house. Great episode BTW!

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

I have grown them in containers that get that type of lighting with success. I find (here at least) that they still get around 8 or more hours of sun that way.

[@annekeisu1755]

Again, Thanks 🌺💚🌺

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Thanks for watching. Do you grow petunias?

[@daynalaursen5222]

I started my seeds for wave petunias the opera purple. Had a dome on for germination and then I got sick (Covid) and they sprouted while I wasn’t checking and got leggy before I removed the dome. I did lose some but will the remaining ones recover from being leggy???

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Leggy seedlings won’t get shorter (obviously) and I don’t think it is wise to pot petunias deeper. However I do think with pruning they could still look alright as they get older. Pinch the branching stems as they grow and see what you think.

[@lrrerh8090]

You mentioned petunia seeds don’t store well. Is it possible to save seeds if you like the particular type from the seeds you bought?

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

I think you are asking about collecting seed from your plants for the next season. I was very successful with that this year. It could be that most (all?) petunia seed is sold pelleted and pelleted seed has a shorter lifespan. My seed that I saved from last year’s plants grew well this year. I’ve never saved it more than a year to find out how it would do the second year.

[@mar1video]

@@PrairiePlantgirl- it’s the other way around- coated (palleted) seeds can be stored for much longer , in a low humidity environment.

[@karie3]

This is my second year growing petunias from seed and I am pretty disappointed about the wave petunias. I bought 3 different types of tidal waves and they barely germinated at all. Tidal wave hot pink didn't germinate at all. The seeds were so expensive. I do put them on heat mats, do you think that would cause them to not germinate?

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Did you order your seed this year? The only year I had bad germination was the year I ordered seed in the fall to use the next spring. Almost nothing germinated! I don’t know if it still is, but petunia seed used to be worth more by ounce than gold. I never use heat mats for my petunias so that could be an issue. Also light, are you sure your seeds are exposed to bright light?

[@karie3]

@@PrairiePlantgirl I bought my seeds from local greenhouse and they were expensive for the tidal wave series and trilogy series. The trilogy packet was $27 for 100 seeds. The wave series was anywhere from $17-$20 for 100 seeds. I used heat mats and grow lights because it's in my basement and it's only around 50 degrees. I put a heater down there because I read they need it to be above 70 for germination. Such a huge bummer. Last year I sowed all regular petunia seeds which are definitely much cheaper. Then this year I splurged and got expensive varieties and had low to no germination. I also started regular petunia seeds and they all germinated and are growing very well.

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

I would ask the greenhouse you purchased from. Maybe they had a batch of bad seed? For that price and result I would inquire.

[@karie3]

@@PrairiePlantgirl I agree, I really am starting to think they sold me a batch of bad seeds. I wonder if they are selling seeds that didn't possibly sell last year. Hmmm.....

[@kaykapone4135]

Have you ever direct sowed any petunias?

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

No but I have had volunteers come up. The volunteers take too long to flower for my liking. I have a short (110 day) frost free period so I want my annuals flowering as long as possible.

[@RichieRich845]

👍

[@Littlelillypewee]

I am getting very frustrated with this. I have tried 2 years in a row. They are so legy and all stem. I am about to give up.

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Less heat, closer light. Once petunias germinate and have a few sets of leaves get them someplace around 15C (59F) to grow until bud stage. Keep lights close to them. Check that your light are not heating up the plants and soil. Also make sure there is good air movement in the room from a fan so they grow strong stems. Good luck!

[@gaywizard2000]

I saved some seed and am growing them now just for sh.ts and gigs. Wondering if they will come true or what, ive never grown petunias from seed before! They are super easy for any novices out there!

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

Mine have always come true from saved seed.