Petunias growing in late summer...?

Question

I have a big planter and I change what I plant in there from year to year. A couple of years ago I had petunias. This summer I put marigolds and lantana in it. I do reuse the same soil but I make sure to fertilize it.

Now, this late in summer, I have petunias coming up -- a lot of them! I'm not surprised that some seeds survived, but why are they only coming up now, not earlier in the summer?

I'm just curious...

Answer 1

Petunias naturally come forth in the spring. However, when fall temperatures cool to spring like temps., the dormant petunia seeds will respond as if it were spring. We typically think of them as a summer plant, but in other parts of the world such as Austrailia--they are considered a fall/winter plant. They respond to cues from nature that are hardwired into their makeup.

This happened to me with petunias as well. The next spring, I fed the barren soil with Miracle grow and watered the soil starting in March and the Petunias came out again! I hope yours will happily surprise you as well.

Answer 2

During the cooler part of the summer Petunias will come up just as if it was Springtime. The seeds that fell from the original Petunias finally sprouted having the right conditions. Once the nights start getting cooler, and the temperature of the dirt gets just the same as it is in the spring, it makes the seeds think it is spring as well and they sprout. I have had Impatiens do the same thing, and Petunia as well as others.

Answer 3

Sprinkle the seeds on incredible of the soil and only press them down with the back of a spoon so as that they are properly seated. do no longer conceal with airborne dirt and dust because of the fact they go with easy to germinate. Use advance lights or fluorescent tubes. take a seat them on a seed heating mat and cover with a plastic dome. do away with the dome as quickly as an afternoon for an hour. they could desire to germinate in 10 to fourteen days. Then take the conceal off and save them below fluorescent lights approximately 2 inches from the tops of the seedlings. they're very sluggish to advance, yet they're going to take off after approximately 10 to twelve weeks. while they're some million inch tall, skinny them. Then while they're approximately 2 inches tall, transplant them. do no longer forget to pinch them to cause them to advance furry particularly than leggy. i began my Petunias this 3 hundred and sixty 5 days from seed mid January. they only began to flower approximately 3 weeks in the past.