Wave petunia plugs?

[Collector]

Can anybody point us in the right direction to buy wave petunia plugs? In the past we have started them from seed with maybe 30% success rate. We have found that they start out slow for us so we want to get going early on it. The cost for purchasing 150 of them at the garden store is abusive to the bank account to say the least. Hopefully somebody has advice or other ideas to share about the seed starting or whereabouts of plugs.

 

[thistlebloom]

Have you tried talking to a nursery that starts their own plants?
There is one in CDA that grows a lot of their own annuals in their greenhouses in Spirit Lake, but I'm sure there are some in Spokane you could contact about getting the liners before they're market size.
I'm not too familiar with nurseries on your side of the border but I know there are some good sized growers.

Maybe @digitS' can be more helpful.

 

[so lucky]

@Collector, are you in a position that allows you to buy wholesale? If so, you should be able to find a grower that will ship to you.

 

[digitS']

It's good to see you here, Collector!

Maybe http://spokaneplantfarm.com/contact-us/ in Veradale? It's been over 20 years since I have been there.

Have you tried petunias in that big cold frame you have? I would imagine that they could be started very early. Petunias can volunteer so the seed and seedlings must be fairly hardy.

Steve

 

[Collector]

Thank you all for the replies. After talking to local grower by phone we have decided to go back to seeds.generally with plugs you plant directly into the baskets or whatever container you want to grow in. We do not have a heated greenhouse so it would not work for us as well. We did get some tips on planting and germinating the seeds and getting the plants going.Also we would have to buy large amounts of each color DW wants for her baskets and planters we would have plants taking over our lives lol.
The plan now is get the pelleted seeds which we have ordered and are being shipped here. Get them going asap hopefully move them to cold frame mid March so we can get garden plants going indoors. I hope this plan works and we get better germination than we have in the past.

 

[valley ranch]

Hi Collector, No help with the plugs.
Petunias if started in a greenhouse will surprise you and grow like crazy and will out do, be more healthy than any grown and transported. It doesn't take much of a greenhouse. Boxes, cold frames will do. Bet you're getting more and more sun already, in a short time you'll be ready to plant and have plugs you can count on.

Richard

 

[digitS']

I have only used pelletted carrot seed. What a difference!

Hitting the right moment in the spring with a seed the size of carrots, sown like 1/2" below the soil surface, and taking as much as 3 weeks to emerge - is high-risk. If nothing else goes wrong, the soil surface drying out will kill the sprouts. Pellets take the risk out of it.

I think I may have started petunias once but can't remember the seed. They are a good choice for our climate. DW buys 8 or 12 plants every year for a couple pots at the front door and the little planter beside the driveway.

She had a YouTube video on yesterday. There is a park in Dubai which is like 75% petunias and 99% flowers! It was good to watch on a snowy day but we could have used a few more dark clouds to fully enjoy a video like that .

Steve

 

[Collector]

V Ranch, yes the days are already getting longer. We are going to start seed hopefully next weekend and move them out to cold frame mid March, to make room for garden seed starting.
Steve, the petunia seeds look like ground pepper they are tiny. We are using pelleted seed because they should be easier to use and see (I hope).we are hopeful with the seed planting tips we were given we will have better success starting them. If we could up our success rate from three out of ten cells to six or more we will be pleased.ill keep y'all posted.

 

[Smart Red]

I have used the pelletted seed before for impatiens. It was so much easier and did cut down on the amount of thinning needed. You should find them much easier and productive.