Petunia Mix Seeds

Petunia Mix Seeds bring together the brightest, trumpet-shaped blooms of Petunia × hybrida in one packet, giving you a tapestry of changing colours all season long. Purely ornamental with no edible harvest, this annual bedding favourite is prized for its non-stop, eye-catching flowering and is perfect for beds, borders, window boxes and hanging containers.

Planting

Direct seeding is not recommended; start seed in trays 4-6 weeks before planting out for small plug cells, or 6-8 weeks for larger cells. Do not cover the seed, as petunia needs light to germinate; sow on the surface and, at most, add a very thin layer of vermiculite. Germination takes about 6-10 days at 22-25°C, then grow on cooler at roughly 16-24°C. In Egypt's warm climate treat petunia as a cool-season flower: sow in trays in September and transplant out in October-November to bloom through the mild winter and spring. Space grandiflora and multiflora types about 30 cm apart, milliflora types 10-15 cm, and spreading types at least 45 cm.

Fertilizing

Petunias are heavy feeders. At planting, work a balanced granular fertilizer (10-10-10 or 12-12-12) into the soil at about 1 kg per 9-10 m². Afterwards, feed with a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants every 2-3 weeks; container plants every 2 weeks and spreading types weekly. A controlled-release product at planting is a good alternative.

Care

Give petunias full sun with at least 5-6 hours of direct light daily. Water in-ground plants thoroughly once a week, soaking to 15-20 cm, and avoid frequent shallow watering; containers and trailing types need more, sometimes daily. Prick out seedlings once they show their first true leaves. Watch for aphids, spider mites, whiteflies and caterpillars, treating with insecticidal soap or neem oil. In humid Delta spells, water at the base to prevent Botrytis and petal blight. Deadhead spent flowers for continuous bloom.