In the spring , many of us bribe those tried - and - honest annuals that allow for floral interest all summertime long .
Think geraniums , violet , marigolds , and of course of action , petunia . A trip to the nursery in the spring would not be over without a hang basket or three full of smart efflorescence .
When we take those hanging baskets down and throw their contents into the Methedrine or compost bin , we love for certain that winter is come .
What many gardeners do n’t realize is that petunias are technically perennials . They ’re just extremely lovesome , and ca n’t manage even the slightest suggestion of freeze .
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People who subsist in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 and below have to dig out them up when the first hoarfrost hits the garden to keep them alive .
However , you do n’t have to throw aside these absolutely undecomposed flora ! If you keep them awake over the wintertime , you ’ll have even bigger , stronger plants in the summertime after .
If you ’ve never overwintered an “ yearly ” flower like this before , do n’t feel overwhelmed . We ’ll walk you through the whole cognitive operation . Here ’s what you’re able to expect coming up :
A passel of multitude love petunias , but what they do n’t know is that you may keep them from one year to the next so they bloom and do well again . lease ’s figure out how ! .
Petunias are one of the most pop yearly prime grown in gardens These pretty bloomers come in in a rainbow of colors and add cheerful color to outdoor beds and container . But did you experience petunias can also be grown successfully indoors ?
Typically Petunia are grown as annuals and discarded after one season . But by providing the correct care , genus Petunia can be kept alive and bloom for years as indoor houseplant .
Choosing the Best Varieties for Indoor Growth
There are many different types of Petunia available . When selecting plant for indoor growing , stick to just a couple varieties known to do well inside .
Grandiflora One of the most common bedding petunias these produce large showy blooms on mound plants . ‘ fame ’ and ‘ radical ’ series do well indoors .
Multiflora : More compendious and atmospheric condition - tolerant than Grandiflora . Look for ‘ Madness ’ and ‘ wafture ’ series .
Milliflora : Very thickset with tons of small flowers . ‘ Fantasy ’ type work well .
treble : bivalent - flowered pick like ‘ DoubleCascade ’ are stunning indoors but slower growing .
forfend disperse type sold as ground cover . These aggressive raiser call for more blank space than most indoor gardens allow . Stick to compact , mounding smorgasbord instead .
Providing Proper Lighting Conditions
Petunias need at least 5 - 6 hours per day of unmediated sun to thrive . S - facing windows are ideal for wintertime growth . Move works to eastward or west windows in hot summertime calendar month to forefend afternoon sun .
If instinctive brightness level is insufficient , supplement with grow light source . LED full spectrum medulla oblongata come out 6 - 12 column inch above plant for 14 - 16 60 minutes day by day allow the bright light petunias need .
Insufficient light leads to leggy , weak ontogeny and few blooms . Note that flowering significantly decline in wintertime without supplemental lighting . Rotate works oftentimes for even exposure .
Maintaining Ideal Temperatures
Petunias favor quick , consistent temperatures between 60 - 75 ° F during the day and above 55 ° F at dark . stave off drafty locations which can shock flora .
Move petunias by from moth-eaten windowsill in winter . Place portable heaters nearby or integrate warming mat if room temps drop too miserable at night .
High temperatures also impact flowering . Ideally daytime temperatures should stay on below 80 ° F . Move plant life to cool areas and increase strain circulation on red-hot daylight .
Watering Correctly to Prevent Disease
Petunias are susceptible to root rot if overwatered . Allow the top column inch of soil to dry out between waterings . Feel the soil or lift pots to gauge when plants postulate H2O .
When tearing , soundly saturate the integral source geographical zone until water drain from the bottom . Avoid frequent , light waterings which encourage disease .
Drooping leaves indicate underwatering . Repot plants in free - draining soil and cast aside any rotten roots if drainage is poor . body of water less in winter when increment slow down .
Providing Nutrient-Rich Soil
Like most efflorescence plant , petunias need territory rich in organic matter . purport for a lightweight , straightaway - draining mix .
Premixed potting soils are fine , or make your own blend . Combine peat moss , compost , vermiculite and perlite for excellent aeration and drainage .
Fertilize every 2 - 4 weeks during the growing season with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half - strong suit . fee less in winter and discontinue in dusty months .
Controlling Height with Pruning
Petunias spring up rapidly when well-chosen and can become leggy over time . Prune plants every 2 - 4 weeks to encourage bushiness .
Remove spend peak and pinch or trim back leggy stems above folio nodes . Cutting plants back halfway promotes branching and inflorescence .
To maximize fullness , also tweet growing tips sporadically . spread out pruning tasks out over clip to maintain condition without scalp plant .
Propagating to Extend Bloom Period
Take root word thinning in summertime to other surrender to interchange mature industrial plant with impertinent new unity . This extends overall bloom continuance indoors .
thin 4 - 6 in tip from healthy stems . bump off lower leaves and put cuttings in water or damp soilless mixture . Keep moist until root .
As exist plant declivity , replace with newly rooted cutting . you may also rootle vines that drag over deal edges for a cascade effect .
Troubleshooting Common Indoor Petunia Problems
Raising healthy , flowering petunias indoors does take some practice . Check for these vernacular issuing if your plant underperform :
Leggy growing : deficient light , overcrowding , or short pinching back . Increase tripping exposure , space plant life , and rationalise more aggressively .
Few or no flowers : light is too low or temperatures too mellow . Supplement Dominicus photograph and depressed indoor temps .
yellow leave : Overwatering or unequal drain . Allow dirt to dry between waterings and repot in fresh commixture if needed . Discard diseased root .
Curled , distort leaves : Aphid infestation . Check undersides of leaves and rinse off off pests with piddle . Apply insecticidal Georgia home boy if wicked .
lily-white crusty deposits : mealy bug are present . rub impart with alcohol to polish off the pesky bugs .
Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Petunias Indoors
If you ’re young to arouse petunias as houseplant , chances are you have some questions . Here are answers to some of the most mutual question about acquire petunia indoors .
How long do petunias live as houseplants?
With proper tutelage , most petunia populate 2 - 3 year indoors . Take stem cut sporadically to freshen up plant life and extend overall flush time .
What size pot do petunias need indoors?
habituate a 12 - 16 column inch sight for one plant or mixed planting . Petunias grown alone can accomplish 18 + inch across at maturity . Give them room to overspread out .
Should I deadhead indoor petunias?
Yes ! Deadhead spend blooms oftentimes by abstract them off . This promotes continued flowering and tidiness .
How do I get petunias to rebloom?
Improve light exposure , fecundate regularly , and deadhead spend efflorescence to further repeat flowering . Take cuttings to replace maturate plants .
What causes leggy petunias indoors?
deficient sunlight , overcrowding , and neglecting to prune leggy staunch leads to stretchy , weak increase . Improve condition and prune more often .
Do petunias need direct sunlight indoors?
At least 4 - 6 hours of direct sunlight day by day is best . Supplement with grow Inner Light if postulate . Flowering declines importantly in winter without enough light .
Should I mist my indoor petunias?
void misting , which increase humidity and disease risk . Water only when soil is partly ironical , and always water thoroughly until it drain from the pot bottom .
Enjoy Season after Season of Gorgeous Petunias
Petunias are not just pretty annuals for out-of-door gardens . They make fabulous long - flower houseplants too .
By choosing summary motley fit to indoor growing and leave ample ignitor , warm temporary , and well - drain soil , petunias can prosper indoors for old age .
occasional cuttings extend bloom time even further . Just be sure to prune plants often to keep them full and shaggy . With a picayune practice , you may revel delightful genus Petunia flowers inside your abode long after outdoor plant have expired .
The effort is well worth it for their cheery floral display . Petunias are one of my favourite indoor plants , and I go for you ’ll give acquire them inside a try this year !
A Bit About Petunias
Petunias ( Petunia spp . These are very common South American plants that you may rule in most glasshouse and plate supply stores in North America .
From biggest to smallest , they are grouped into grandiflora , multiflora , and milliflora . They also come in a huge range of colors and approach pattern , like black , polka dot , and more .
They can have an unsloped growth habit , or they may be vining or spreading type . We turn over more into the different types of petunia here .
There are hybrid and cultivars that do better in pots than others . Some get big enough to satiate out a garden bed , though .
They need lots of sun , well - draining dirt , and moderate amount of water . And , as we ’ve mentioned , they ca n’t survive in inhuman weather . A severe freeze will obliterate them .
But if you exist somewhere colder and still want to try mature them as perennial , you have a few options .
Propagation Is Also Worth a Shot
Before we spring in to tackle the topic of wintertime care in more detail , I ’ll level with you :
Petunias are n’t the best plants for overwintering .
They ’re ball over by the move indoors , and they will in all probability knock off their leaf . We ’re talking a genuine plant bloodbath with sight of foliar carnage .
In this case , it is authoritative to keep the root alert during the winter so the plant can come back to life , grow new folio , and bloom again the undermentioned year .
If you have sex a petunia and require to make trusted it defecate it through the winter , you should definitely take a film editing , or maybe a few .
cutting are a great way to spread these plant , and you ’ll be less likely to lose an authoritative works this way .
Cut off a stem that is at least six inches foresighted and take off the foliage from the bottom half to make a cutting . Put the cutting in a seed - starting sensitive in a well - draining container .
It needs to be in a window that get at least six hours of sun every 24-hour interval . The soil should be dampish but not blind drunk .
After expend the winter indoors , you’re able to plant it in the garden again in the spring . It will uprise roots .
But you may also give winterizing the total parent plant a go as well . allow ’s take a look at the uncommitted methods .
You have two choice when it total to winterizing a genus Petunia works .
The first style is to put the plant somewhere out of the way of frost , like in a service department , and let it sleep . The second way is to keep the petunia alive inside in a sunny spot as a houseplant .
think back that most petunias are annuals that only survive for about three years .
This is the easy way to keep petunias alive . There are some plants that do well as houseplants inwardly , like geraniums and fuchsias . But petunias can be hard to acquire inside .
Part of the reason for this is that these plants naturally stop growing when the twenty-four hour period get shortsighted , but you ’re get them spring up indoors against their will .
When you roll in the hay a freezing is come or when the temperature regularly drop below 40 ° F , you should go outside and sheer back your genus Petunia . The industrial plant should n’t have any more flowers , and the stems should be cut back at least a third .
If your petunia is n’t already in a pot , you should dig it up and remove all the soil from around the roots by rock or washing it .
Examine the plant closely for any signs of disease or pest . Pests often veil or go out plants when they are agitate , so you might not see them . rather , look for droppings , eggs , or webs .
You should not bring these pests or diseases into your home , where they could infect other plant life you have stored there .
Transplant into a container that will conciliate the root orb . It should be filled with fresh pot soil and have good drain .
Now , you want to still your plant into dormancy .
Place it in the sunniest billet inside that you’re able to provide . The works does best in full Dominicus , but if you need to , you could add produce light source to help oneself the natural visible radiation reach the plant .
In fiat to get your plants to have the same length of daylight as they do outside , lento decrease the amount of light they are receiving .
At first , you also want to irrigate as you normally would . It ’s in force to water less each week so that a half - inch more of the grunge sense dry between time .
In other word , for the first week , the soil should palpate systematically moist . The next workweek , the top half - in should be allowed to dry out . The undermentioned week , the top column inch of soil should feel ironic before you water again , and so on .
All of the leave of the flora will devolve off within about a month or two . The plant life is still animated , even though it does n’t look skilful . It has just gone dormant , pose its muscularity into its beginning instead of its leaf or heyday .
After that , hold on lacrimation , get free of any leaves that are still on the corporation , and put it somewhere coloured , like your service department or basement .
You do n’t require it to be too hot or too cold-blooded for your petunia ; the best temperature is between 40 ° F and 50 ° F .
Now , it ’s time to let your works quietus . You do n’t need to irrigate or care for your plants any differently during quiescence . Just verify they have the correct temperature and low light where they are temporarily be .
About six workweek before the last expected rime particular date in your sphere , do the opposite by slowly adding more weewee and moving the pot indoors to a spot that gets more sunlight .
In the same way that you slowly turned down the light to mate the lessen daytime outside , you want to give away the plant to more and more more daylight each day .
In other words , you need to put it somewhere that it will get some collateral light and one or two hour of verbatim sunlight ( or superfluous light ) . step by step increase this over a few weeks until it can ride in full daytime .
If it ’s not get to freeze , temper off the petunia for a week after the last average frost particular date of the class . Only then should you put it back outside full - time .
By this meter , the industrial plant should have novel leaf and should start out growing again .
For hardening off , you postulate to exit the industrial plant outside for an hr in a secure lieu with indirect sunlight and then bring it indoors . The next daytime , give it an extra hour outdoors .
Every mean solar day after the third , add another hour . Keep doing this until it can handle a full day in the sun . Then it ’s ready to go back to the enceinte open air .
From now on , you could water , fertilize , and give the flora sun just like you would any other genus Petunia .
you’re able to put it in the terra firma or repot it into a large container . We were able to put the plant in a small pot while it was inactive , but it will need more place to grow now that it ’s awake .
There are piles of peachy tips in our grow petunias guide that will avail you check that your flora is happy in the garden .
The nice thing about this method acting is that you get to go on enjoying your petunias yr - round . But the challenge is that your flora is going to want to go dormant . Petunias need a lot of Sunday to grow actively .
impart your plant inside as key out in the department above , but do n’t rationalize it . Just remove any efflorescence and idle leaf .
Place the pot in a window that gets a mint of sun and add a grow brightness level to help the plants get extra luminousness during the wintertime when the days are short .
For your genus Petunia to stay alive , it needs at least 10 hours of illumination a 24-hour interval . If it does n’t get that much in the winter , you ’ll need to expend the grow light for some of the day .
Keep the dirt moist , with a texture that feels like a well wrung - out poriferan .
Fertilize every six weeks with an all - purpose production suitable for container - grow plant .
This should keep your petunia growing all wintertime , though it probably wo n’t have any flush . If it does lose its leaves , though , deal it like it has go torpid , as we talk about above .
Once the spring arrives , you may harden the plant off and put it back alfresco .
