Plant Advice

Plant Advisory Service

The HSJ Advisory Service can help you grow plants, solve gardening problems, identify plants and much more.

A team of HSJ Advisors write on a wide range of gardening topics for the online advice search and for helping to make Jamshedpur green. You will also find HSJ Advisors at many of the gardening shows around the state Jharkhand throughout the year.

If you are a HSJ member you also have the great benefit of being able to contact the HSJ Advisory Service for personal advice on any gardening matter.

Winter Flower Petunia

Winter Flower Petunia are one of the most popular type of annual flower. They are divided into two different groups: Grandi flora petunias have very large flowers and are best grown in containers or hanging baskets (because they are more susceptible to rain damage), and Multiflora petunias have smaller, but more abundant flowers and are ideal for summer bedding or in a mixed border (because they are more tolerant to wet weather).

• You can grow seasonal flowers from seeds, but it is easier to grow them from transplants. Petunia seeds are very small and needs lots of light in order to germinate. Better to water them from bottom of the pan. When the plants have three leaves, you can plant them outside.
• It’s best to buy transplants and plant them in light, well-drained soil in full sun after the last spring frost. Petunias can grow in partial shade, but they will have fewer flowers. It’s better if the plants have shelter from the wind.
• Space the plants about 1 foot apart.
• If you’re planting petunias in containers, use a soil-less mix.

• Petunias are tolerant of heat so you don’t have to water them regularly. A thorough watering once a week should be sufficient (unless there are prolonged periods of drought in your area). The spreading types and those in containers require more frequent watering though.
• Fertilize your plants monthly to ensure good growth. Double-flowered cultivars like a bi-weekly dose of fertilizer.
• Remove faded/dead flowers to prolong blooming.

Aphids, Caterpillars, Leaf miners, Gray mold, Bacterial soft rot, Leaf spots, Viruses