What Are Petunias – Petunia Varieties – How Often To Water Petunia – When To Water – Overwatering – What Does Overwatering Look Like – Petunia Seedlings – FAQ
Growing a petunia at home has become a hobby for a lot of gardeners in recent years. The plant is easy to grow and will provide you with a lovely decoration in your garden. During the warm summer months then the plant might need more watering then during the winter. But as a good rule of thumb, once a week at least is what we recommend.
What Are Petunias
Petunias are a very common plant that is gaining more and more popularity. The petunia plant is often grown like an annual plant that will grow the most and look the best during the summer when it’s flowering. Its self seeding, or most varieties are at least. This means you can expect more petunias growing in the same spot next year too.
The size of the petunia plants can vary quite a lot. The smallest ones are usually no more than 6 inches while the tallest are about 18 inches. They are therefore a great plant to grow in front of larger trees or bushes to kind of give a more colorful feeling to your garden.
Petunia Varieties
There are like we said a lot of different varieties of petunias, but you can more or less narrow it down to 5 different ones.
- Multiflora (The most durable and hardy varieties of petunias. Smaller but more abundant in flowers compared to other ones.)
- Grandiflora (Varieties with really large flowers that are best grown in containers. Not very fit for the south because of the high temperatures)
- Floribundas (Free flowing varieties that are sort of an inbetween of the last two categories of petunias we mentioned)
- Millifloras (These are the smallest plants but will have flowers during the whole season and are relatively sturdy and hardy too.)
- Spreading or Trailing Petunias (Small and low growing plants that won’t be taller than about 3 – 4 inches or so.)
As you can see, there are a few different categories of petunias, and within all these categories there are plenty of different varieties.
How Often To Water Petunia
We often follow a rule of watering our petunias at least once a week. That way we can protect the plant against any drought or lack of rain during the warm summer. Note that different varieties of petunias will require different amounts of water.
The larger plants will of course need more water since they are also using more. If you want to take it to the next level then you should take a close look at the soil after you have watered the soil. If you can see that it’s slightly damp in the texture, then you did a good job.
That’s the ideal climate and environment for the petunia plant to grow in. The plant will have an easier time growing more and more roots. If you are overwatering the soil then there won’t be any oxygen able to reach the roots.That will quickly make them start drowning and eventually this will kill your plant.
When Should You Water Petunia
The best time to water a petunia is in the morning. We follow this because it really fits into our schedule as well. Watering before heading off to work fits perfectly for us. But there are some benefits to doing it this way as well.
Since it’s during the way the plant will use most of the water, it’s good to have the storage already supplied before then. That way the plant won’t be stressed during the middle of the day when the sun is shining bright and the temperatures high.
Overwatering A Petunia
It’s very possible to overwater a petunia, but thankfully it’s pretty easy to spot when this is happening. As there is too much water in the soil then the roots won’t be able to get any oxygen anymore. That will eventually cause them to drown.
Without the roots able to take any nutrition from the soil and pass on then the rest of the plant will rather quickly die off. The most prominent sign of overwatering would be that the plant is turning black on some parts. But looking at the soil too, if it’s muddy and a lot of water is trapped at the top, then that means the soil has been overwatered.
How Does A Overwatered Petunia Look
An overwatered petunia plant will have black spots on the stem and the leaves. That basically means the roots have been overwatered and drowned. But leaves starting to curl or wrinkled or even start hanging are also signs of the soil having too much water in it. Serious issues as it will carry long term issues with it.
It’s much harder for the plant being able to recover from overwatering then from underwatering.
Watering Petunia Seedlings
Seedlings of petunia are especially susceptible to watering. These can’t be overwatered, as that will cause the plant to be severely damaged and you might have ruined your chance of having beautiful petunia plants at home.
Try to keep the soil slightly damp all the time. That way we can encourage the roots to continue to grow and flourish.
FAQ
Do Petunias Need To Be Watered Daily
It’s not necessary to water petunia plants on a daily basis. Instead it might be better to hold off a few days and water perhaps once a week or twice. That way we have a more wavy balance and not risk overwatering the plant either. But it will also depend a lot on the climate that you are living in.
Can You Overwater Petunias
It’s very possible to overwater petunias. But thankfully most varieties are rather hardy and could survive. Try and keep the soil no more than damp to help the roots grow steadily.
How Often To Water Petunias In Hanging Baskets
Petunias in hanging baskets will need to be watered carefully. As the water can’t really drain away anywhere. So take a good look at the top soil before adding more water. Try to keep it slightly damp all the time.
