How to Grow Petunias for Hanging Baskets

According to the University of Minnesota, petunias are a difficult flower to start from seed indoors. But if you can get petunias started from seed, you have a wider selection of plants to choose from than what are available to you in stores, and you can raise more petunias for less money than the cost of transplants in stores. Petunia seeds are very fine, so planting them can be a challenge. A petunia may take up to 10 weeks to reach a mature size for transplanting into a hanging basket.

Seedling tray
Peat moss
Petunia seeds
Fine sand
Salt shaker
Watering can
Plastic
Seedling mat
Adjustable fluorescent lamp
Lamp timer
4-inch containers
Balanced (10-10-10) liquid fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Fill the divided cells of a seedling tray with peat moss.
- 2
  Mix the fine-sized petunia seeds with sand and place them in a salt shaker.
- 3
  Shake the seeds and salt grains over the top of the seedling tray. The sand will help to distribute the fine-grained seeds sparingly over the potting mix.
- 4
  Press the seeds into the soil gently.
- 5
  Water the seeds until the potting mix is as damp as a wrung-out sponge.
- 6
  Cover the potting tray with a layer of plastic. Place the tray on a seedling mat that will keep the soil between 75 and 85 degrees.
- 7
  Place the tray out of direct sunlight until the seeds sprout. This may take up to 10 days.
- 8
  Remove the tray and move the container to a spot 6 inches beneath a fluorescent bulb where daytime temperatures only reach 65 degrees. Put the lights on a timer so that they stay on 16 hours daily.
- 9
  Raise the lights as the seedlings grow so that they always stay about 6 inches from the plants.
- 10
  Transplant the seedlings into 4-inch containers filled with peat moss when they develop three true leaves. Take care not to disturb the root system of the peat moss as you do so.
- 11
  Feed the petunias weekly with a balanced (10-10-10) liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength.
- 12
  Move plants outdoors during bright sunny days to prepare them for transplanting. Bring them back in at night. After three or four days of this, the plants will be ready to be transplanted into hanging baskets.

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