• Topics: Environmental Horticulture  | Bedding Plants  |  Black, Robert J 

Germinating Your Own Bedding Plants for the Florida Landscape¹

In North Florida bedding plants are traditionally planted in early spring when the danger of frost is past. In central and South Florida planting is done in spring and fall. Cool season annuals such as calendula, petunia, daisy, dianthus, pansy and snapdragon are planted in late summer or fall and grown through the winter months.

Bedding plants include herbaceous annuals such as petunia, salvia, ageratum and perennials such as canna, chrysanthemum, and lantana. They are available commercially, but many people find that germinating their own plants and caring for them until they are ready for flower beds is both satisfying and inexpensive. Here are some tips on how to germinate your own bedding plants.

Seed Selection

Most bedding plants are propagated from seed. It is important to start with good seeds purchased from a reputable source.

When ordering seeds, know something about the plants. There are, for example, hundreds of petunia cultivars available on the market. Where you want to grow them -- in boxes, planters, containers or in ground beds is important since planters require different cultivars than ground beds. Apartment dwellers have no space for ground beds and thus planters and containers are used, so cultivars should be selected that do not grow excessively large. Plants that are semi-dwarf, compact, and showy (the petunia cascade cultivars) would be the best choices. Such cultivars produce many large, showy flowers whichare available in almost any color. The plum petunia series would be among your best choices for flower beds. Their showy flowers are somewhat smaller than other cultivars but are borne on larger plants.

Homeowners might select good varieties of annuals by observing the performance of plants grown in neighborhoods and local public gardens. Information on annuals can also be obtained from the agricultural agent in each county. This person may be able to help select and locate specific varieties which have proven to do well in your area.

Handling and Germinating Seeds

Once selections are made and seeds purchased, follow a few general rules. Fast-growing seeds that are easy to germinate should be selected by beginners. As experience is gained, germination of more difficult varieties can be attempted. Table 1 lists bedding plants according to difficulty of germination. It also includes planting date, light requirement, optimum germination temperature, and length of time for germination.

Germinating Medium

Germinating seeds in field sand or field sand mixed with materials such as perlite and/or peat moss is not recommended since it is usually not sterile, contains weed seed, and may be infested with nematodes, insects and fungal organisms. There are prepared growing media, known in the trade as artificial mixes, that can bepurchased at reasonable prices in garden stores. These mixes do not contain soil and are usually sterile, light weight, easy to handle and have many desirable characteristics for germinating seeds, such as good water holding capacity and drainage. Some of these mixes are Ready Earth, Pro-mix, Jiffy-mix and Metro-mix. In most cases, these materials contain fertilizers.

The medium can be placed in a flat, pot or plastic container which has drainage holes. Make shallow depressions in the soil medium approximately twice the depth of the smallest diameter of the seed. After sowing the seeds, water carefully. Artificial mixes contain peat moss and are difficult to wet when dry, thus water should be applied until the medium is thoroughly wet. After planting seed, cover the medium with a sheet of glass, plastic or handi-wrap. For seeds which require compete darkness, use aluminum foil as the covering. The best way to germinate seeds that require light is to put the germination container approximately 18 inches below a fluorescent light. Check periodically for moisture in the medium and for signs of germination. Avoid tall and spindly growth common to rapidly growing seedlings by transplanting seedlings to small pots as soon as the first true leaves appear. The seedlings can be grown in these small pots until they are large enough to transplant to flower beds.

Watering

The germinating medium should never be allowed to dry, especially when seeds are starting to germinate. This will result in poor germination. However, keeping the seedlings too wet is also a frequent mistake and is usually very costly. The soil mix should be moist, but not excessively wet. Examine the medium once a day and do not water if it is wet, but when you do water, allow excess water to drain out of the container. Allowing seedlings to remain in water will literally drown their root systems.

Tables

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean.

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