Petunias are colorful flowers that are often planted in balcony boxes. But you don't have to buy them new every year, you can also propagate petunias yourself.
Petunias are undoubtedly one of the most species-rich garden and balcony plants. With their fantastic blooms, which last throughout the summer and into autumn, they delight the eye of every beholder. Unfortunately, most petunia varieties are only annuals. If you want to enjoy the beauty of the flowers every year, you have to keep buying new plants. Or you can grow petunias yourself. You have two options for this. On the one hand, you can grow the flowers from seeds yourself or multiply them using offshoots.
How to grow petunias yourself
Option 1 - Sowing:
1If you want to grow petunias yourself by sowing, you must first buy seeds from a specialist shop or harvest them yourself. To do this, simply stop cleaning the faded flowers of the petunias towards the end of the season. In this way, the seed pods can fully develop. You have to snap these off when they have turned light brown but have not yet broken open. To do this, cut off the seed pods along with a small piece of the stalk and let them dry in a warm and airy place for a few days. When the pods burst, you can collect the small, black seeds. Then store them in a dark screw-top jar in a cool place until sowing.
2The time has come at the end of February. Then you can get the seeds out and sprinkle them in small peat pots filled with potting soil. Then cover thinly with some substrate, spray with water and cover with a glass plate or some foil.
3Place in a bright, warm place and always keep moist and aired, the first tender leaves will soon appear. When the plants are strong enough and the second pair of leaves has formed, you can prick them out, i.e. separate them individually and let them continue to grow.
4When May is over with its icy saints, you can put the stately plants outside in pots or balcony boxes. But be careful, petunias do not tolerate blazing sun. They aretherefore more suitable for semi-shady places. Together with geraniums and/or verbena they make an attractive sight in the garden.
Little tip:
Fertilize once a month and water sufficiently and the petunias will grow and the flowers will shine in a variety of colours.
Option 2 - Branch:
1You can also grow many new plants at the beginning of summer. To do this, you need to take cuttings about 15 centimeters long from a strong plant, and then remove the lower leaves.
2You then have two options: You can either put the offshoots in a glass of water for about three weeks, wait until roots have formed and then plant them, or you can place them directly in small seed pots. If the young plants sprout in the upper area, this is a sign that enough roots have formed. You can then plant the offshoots in the bed or in containers.