HELP ME!- Get Begonia's & Petunia's growing from seed.

I recently have purchased a greenhouse and am trying to grow some of my own plants. I am having a hard time getting begonia's and petunia's to grow from seed. I have followed the instructions on the packets which say not to cover the seed. But since I couldn't get them to grow that way I also tried to bury the seeds. I have no results either way. In the greenhouse I have gotten my zinna's, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, salvia, and many other types of flowers to grow. I am just having trouble with the begonia's and petunia's - Does anyone have suggestions on what I might be doing wrong???? - PLEASE HELP!!!

When I start petunias, I cover the pots with plastic wrap to keep the moisture level high. You might try that. Take the wrap off once the seeds start sprouting. I also poke a shallow hole with a pencil eraser and drop the seed in the hole, but I don't cover the seed. Once the seedling gets taller than the soil, I start pushing a tiny bit of soil into the hole with the point of a pencil to support the stem.

That sounds like good advice. Petunias are about the only thing that I can grow with NO problems:-))
In early spring I saw one growing from a crack in the side walk....long story short, it was a beautiful, compact plant with lots of blooms on it. No interference. Just Mother Nature at her best...and what did I do? I carefully dug it up and planted it in my garden, and it rewarded me, rightfully so, by dying on me. That should teach me "not to fool with Ma Nature"
:-))
anna ruth

thanks for the advice- I will have to try that!!

any suggestions on the begonia's (Maybe I will try the same thing)

Petunias and begonias are both tiny seeds --- and two of the plants that commercial greenhouses begin very early. Planting the seeds now -- you may have to wait a long time to get bloom from them.

I plant everything with the "plastic wrap over" method -- until the seeds germinate, then I remove the wrap. Depending on the scale of your project -- watering from beneath is a good idea for small seeds -- but if you can see condensation on the plastic -- you don't need to water more. If they plastic gets dry -- then I check the soil and water carefully (from beneath or with a very fine mist.)

Good luck with your seeds. If you decide not to plant more of the seed, it should still be viable for next season if you store it in a covered container in a cool, dry place like in your fridge.

T
Theresa

Petunias seeds that I planted in early February, and moved outside in late March, just started blooming today. They're not fast, which is why greenhouses start them during the winter for spring planting.

That's good information DallasDad -- In your Texas climate (zone 8) - it took 3 months to get a bloom. If you really want petunias, they may be worth the price from the greenhouse. I'd stick with the "quicker to start" things like the things you have had success with -- and consider starting the petunias and begonias for next season. With the cost of heating greenhouses in the north -- I'd consider starting them indoors under grow lamps and wait to start the greenhouse until it warms up more, unless cost is not an issue (then I'd go buy the petunias and begonias.)

T
Theresa
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Just for fun, here's a pic of my blooming petunia.

Using the plastic wrap method with bright but indirect sunlight works for me also. I bought a heat mat to try this year and they germinated in 4-5 days using it with the platic wrap method. :o)

I planted about 400 wave petunias, my plant guide for zone 5 indicated to start them in March, last year I learned from this. They took a while to germinate, and they stay really tiny for months, then finally over night just take off.
This year, I started them in December. I had gorgeous hanging baskets you could barely see the pots they got so big.

I just spread the seeds on top of the soil, and keep heaters under them, wrap the shelfs with plastic.

Here is a picture... definately made a difference to start early. I remember they took a lot longer in the beginning than I thought they would.

Mine are staying tiny this year, it just hasn't been warm enough for them to take off. I've had to keep them in a closed cold frame almost every night, normally I'd have everything planted by now.