Anyone know????

Thanks

you might get more answers.. if you asked some more limited questions .... rather than asking how to do it ALL from seed collection thru next spring ...

without getting an ID of what you are growing.. its hard to be specific.. but many flowers do NOT come true from seed ... so there are odds.. you will lose the plant you treasure ... which would then lead you to trying to take cuttings.. if that is possible ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Petunia+Seed+collection+and+propagation&t=ffcm&ia=web

ken

If you are taking seeds from a hybrid plant don't expect them to produce a plant like the one you took the seed from. You will end up with a plant that could be like any one of it's ancestors or a combination of any petunia you are growing nearby. However it's an interesting experiment to see just what kind of plant you'd get.

I once took seeds from a hybrid low growing red Gillardia and planted them. I did have another Gillardia "Goblin" growing in that same bed. The results were very interesting. Some were red and short, others were red and taller like the Goblin, Others resembled the Goblin colors but were short and others resembled neither. In fact the ones that came true was only a small percentage and most were one combination or another.

All this info is very very helpful..It's funny, but every year when I leave my hanging baskets to freeze during the winter and if left alone come spring, every one on my plants re grow themselves by seed and grow to their true plant but always too late..

So I decided to gather the seeds this year and start them under warm lights early, like let's say in March, and was not sure if they required cold like winter to be viable come spring like they do when they come back in my pots. But from the looks of things it seems that all they need to be is kept cool and dry until next year. That's easy enough...

As for whether they are hybrids, I have NO idea. I just buy them. That is not into the nursery gives you nor something that I thought to ask. I am in love with this particular petunia because I have never seen it sold locally and the color of pastel purple to almost blue is almost a glow in the dark come dusk color and the fragrance is heavenly to boot which it can be difficult to find FRAGRANT petunias..Funny thing, but most people I speak to didn't even know they were fragrant until I had them smell these ones..Almost like a sweet cotton candy smell.

I will post a pic soon and then maybe some one can tell me if it's a common petunia or a hybrid?

Thanks

They don't require cold. I store them over winter in a cool 65 degreeF temp basement and just plant them under lights.

Susan, thank you! What's your way of doing yours? Do you use bottom heat? A sunny window sill? Extra lighting? A certain mix? Trays with covers?

A very curious Mike)

Mike...I wrote it out in detail in my post above.

I don't use any bottom heat on petunias I start from seeds. They like it cool. I have a plant stand fluorescent light setup with trays. I keep plants one inch from the lights. I use Pro Mix soil to start seeds and to pot up outdoor plants.

You can learn more on the seed starting forum and the growing under lights forum. Lots of info there. Have fun with it. Take notes.

By the way, most petunias are fragrant, some better than others.

Susan, thanks..I don't know how I missed that, I really appreciate it...Will do.

Susan and I are unbeknownest soul-mates on the subject of saving and growing seeds - petunias or otherwise, except that I'm a bit lazier and more lackadaisical. What she says, is what I would do if I were more attentive to detail - LOL.

In any case, petunias are pretty easy, except their size makes them more difficult to handle. I tend to transplant little clumps first, until they get a bit bigger, when I will separate them to different cells. Ultimately, they end up in individual styrofoam coffee cups where they reside until planting-out. There may be multiple transplants before they ever make it to the garden. And don't forget the hardening-off process as described by Susan. Very important.And I also use Pro-Mix because it's a good seedling mix.

True that you can't expect hybrids to come true, but that doesn't mean they won't be pretty - or possibly, fragrant. Here are some examples of what has occurred in the last 4 years since I saved seed from Blue Daddy petunias crossed with some white petunias gathered from in front of a village hall - no doubt hybrids bought at the market.

That last one is a pic of some of the flats one May.

Alex