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Feb 7, 2013 8:47 AM CST
Name: Joanne
Calgary, AB Canada (Zone 3a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Region: Canadian Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Roses
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Annuals Container Gardener Vegetable Grower Winter Sowing Enjoys or suffers cold winters
Wahoo! Some more petunia lovers. Hurray!

1st, I would recommend having a look at this ATP Gardening Idea: http://garden.org/ideas/view/J...
and also this one: http://garden.org/ideas/view/J...

For hanging baskets & containers: choose a variety that is described as mounding or semi-mounding with a mature size of larger than 15 inches.
My top choices for seed varieties are: Opera Supreme Pink Morn, Limoncello (best yellow semi trailing big flowers from T&M), All the Ramblin' series - fave is Burgundy Chrome, Avalanche Grape is a very unique colour. Waves will drape and tend to have big root systems. Easy Waves are a bit higher in the middle and less daylight sensitive. Shock Waves have a tighter habit and smaller flowers
New intro this year that I would definitely would try is Trilogy Series
Tidal waves are excellent for planters, but they are big plants. For a 20" diameter planter 3 plants would work well

Upright growth habits are better in ground or in a container, not hanging basket, like the Sophistica series
The petunias I mentioned are all free flowering and do not require diligent deadheading
Double petunias have one bloom at the end of the stem. The multi-flora/milli-flora mentioned above have several blooms along the stem

Some new 2013 "seed" varieties that you may also find and would be worth growing is: Ball Hort Pretty Floral & Pretty Grand, but they are not spreading
New Shock Wave colours this year: Deep Purple, Rose Improved
Tidal Wave Hot Pink is very fragrant
Plush and Taffy Series looks interesting and would suit hanging baskets
Burpee Home Gardens Poprocks are similar to Shock Waves

Hope this helps
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Feb 7, 2013 9:35 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Anne
Summerville, SC (Zone 8a)
Only dead fish go with the flow!
Plant and/or Seed Trader Birds Cat Lover Greenhouse Tropicals Bulbs
Seed Starter Garden Ideas: Master Level Hibiscus Hybridizer Garden Sages Butterflies
Like Roses_R_Red, I have problems with germination. Are there any threads that describe the best way to sow petunia seeds? These are the ones I'll be starting in a week or so:

Petunia Dolcissima Flambe
Petunia 'Opera Supreme Coral
Petunia 'Opera Supreme Lavender
Petunia 'Opera Supreme Pink Morning
Petunia 'Opera Supreme Purple
Petunia 'Opera Supreme Salmon
Petunia 'Opera Supreme White
Petunia 'Opera Supreme Lilac Ice
Petunia 'Opera Supreme Windsor

Any advice would be appreciated
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Feb 7, 2013 9:45 AM CST
Name: Joanne
Calgary, AB Canada (Zone 3a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Region: Canadian Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Roses
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Annuals Container Gardener Vegetable Grower Winter Sowing Enjoys or suffers cold winters
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Feb 7, 2013 9:59 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Anne
Summerville, SC (Zone 8a)
Only dead fish go with the flow!
Plant and/or Seed Trader Birds Cat Lover Greenhouse Tropicals Bulbs
Seed Starter Garden Ideas: Master Level Hibiscus Hybridizer Garden Sages Butterflies
Thanks!
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.
Douglas Adams
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Feb 7, 2013 10:08 AM CST
Name: Joanne
Calgary, AB Canada (Zone 3a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Region: Canadian Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Roses
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Annuals Container Gardener Vegetable Grower Winter Sowing Enjoys or suffers cold winters
Added note: I start all my petunia seeds in Premier Pro-Mix BX. For petunias, I surface sow, cover with a dome and put the tray on a seed starting heat mat. It usually takes about 5 days for germination, pelletted seed may be a few days longer than raw seed. Mist daily with Chamomile Tea to prevent damping off. Remove from bottom heat and bottom water once germinated. Start fertilizing with dilute liquid fish fertilizer after 2nd set of leaves form

Germinate warm, grow cool
Last edited by Joannabanana Feb 7, 2013 4:40 PM Icon for preview
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Feb 7, 2013 10:57 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Anne
Summerville, SC (Zone 8a)
Only dead fish go with the flow!
Plant and/or Seed Trader Birds Cat Lover Greenhouse Tropicals Bulbs
Seed Starter Garden Ideas: Master Level Hibiscus Hybridizer Garden Sages Butterflies
I use ProMix BX too. Great stuff!
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.
Douglas Adams
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Feb 7, 2013 11:22 AM CST
Name: Joanne
Calgary, AB Canada (Zone 3a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Region: Canadian Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Roses
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Annuals Container Gardener Vegetable Grower Winter Sowing Enjoys or suffers cold winters
The babes this morning
Regata Sapphire Lobelia (pelleted) & Red Cascade raw seed
Thumb of 2013-02-07/Joannabanana/1188c0

Coleus & yellow swan river daisy
Thumb of 2013-02-07/Joannabanana/1ddb0c

Alyssum is setting bloom buds
Thumb of 2013-02-07/Joannabanana/e1efe4
Thumb of 2013-02-07/Joannabanana/e6bcb1

Red Shield Hibiscus
Thumb of 2013-02-07/Joannabanana/d63ad4

Pansies need to be transplanted soon

Thumb of 2013-02-07/Joannabanana/9f0f75

AND: I check some dwarf Tulips & English Blue Bells that were in the garage. Planted them Dec 21 and they have just sprouted. I don't have my greenhouse going until March, so I have moved these under lights. I was hoping that they would have sprouted 3 weeks from now. Oh well

Thumb of 2013-02-07/Joannabanana/222453
Thumb of 2013-02-07/Joannabanana/05793c
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Feb 7, 2013 12:04 PM CST
Name: Joanne
Calgary, AB Canada (Zone 3a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Region: Canadian Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Roses
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Annuals Container Gardener Vegetable Grower Winter Sowing Enjoys or suffers cold winters
off to pick up 14 bales of Promix BX for my Garden Club. I hope I fit them all in the truck. Might have to be 2 trips to the wholesaler.
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Feb 7, 2013 12:21 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Anne
Summerville, SC (Zone 8a)
Only dead fish go with the flow!
Plant and/or Seed Trader Birds Cat Lover Greenhouse Tropicals Bulbs
Seed Starter Garden Ideas: Master Level Hibiscus Hybridizer Garden Sages Butterflies
I order mine from the Ace Hardware
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.
Douglas Adams
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Feb 7, 2013 12:30 PM CST
Name: Jennifer
48036 MI (Zone 6b)
Cottage Gardener Houseplants Spiders! Heucheras Frogs and Toads Dahlias
Hummingbirder Sedums Winter Sowing Peonies Region: Michigan Celebrating Gardening: 2015
How is the ProMix BX different from the ProMix for Potting?
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Feb 7, 2013 2:15 PM CST
Name: Teri
Mount Bethel, PA
Annuals Seed Starter Region: Pennsylvania Region: Northeast US Region: Mid-Atlantic Lilies
Hibiscus Echinacea I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Container Gardener Clematis Charter ATP Member
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Feb 7, 2013 3:10 PM CST
Name: Rick Corey
Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a)
Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f
Frugal Gardener Garden Procrastinator I helped beta test the first seed swap Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Region: Pacific Northwest
Photo Contest Winner: 2014 Avid Green Pages Reviewer Garden Ideas: Master Level Garden Sages I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database.
Thanks for those links! It sounds as if I would like ProMix HP (high porosity, fast-draining, extra aeration, "RESISTS OVERWATERING".

I wonder how much extra they charge for including a few milligrams of VAM endomycorrhizal fungi (Glomus intraradices) or Bacillus Subtilis?
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Feb 7, 2013 4:38 PM CST
Name: Julia
Washington State (Zone 7a)
Hydrangeas Photo Contest Winner 2018 Garden Photography Region: Pacific Northwest Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Forum moderator
Plant Database Moderator I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Sempervivums Container Gardener Foliage Fan
Rick,
I use HP all the time. Love it. I use it for cuttings, containers and seeds starting (larger seeds).I'm going to give BX a try for small seeds have been using Redi-Earth, very fine mix.

Very good information Thanks! I will start my petunias the first of March. I really like Denim,a shock wave.
Sempervivum for Sale
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Feb 7, 2013 4:47 PM CST
Name: Joanne
Calgary, AB Canada (Zone 3a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Region: Canadian Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Roses
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Annuals Container Gardener Vegetable Grower Winter Sowing Enjoys or suffers cold winters
Ended up with 15 bales. 900 lbs
It took me about 2 hours to deliver them to the Garden Club members. It sell in the stores for about $35 per bale here. I get it at the wholesale thru my company account for just under $26.
The same wholesaler sells pots & trays. All mine that I collected over the years have had it and it's not worth washing them. I have a few folks in the garden club that are going to go in on a bulk order. No cleaning pots & trays this year. Hurray!
Last edited by Joannabanana Feb 7, 2013 4:55 PM Icon for preview
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Feb 7, 2013 4:53 PM CST
Name: Julia
Washington State (Zone 7a)
Hydrangeas Photo Contest Winner 2018 Garden Photography Region: Pacific Northwest Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Forum moderator
Plant Database Moderator I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Sempervivums Container Gardener Foliage Fan
Green Grin! Way to got Joanne!! Hurray! Hurray! I pay about 40.00 for the HP here.
I hate washing pots. Lucky you.
Sempervivum for Sale
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Feb 7, 2013 5:42 PM CST
Moderator
Name: Allison
NJ (Zone 6a)
Charter ATP Member Forum moderator I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Hummingbirder Container Gardener
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Region: New Jersey Seed Starter Garden Ideas: Level 1
pro mix costs a fortune here .. wish it was more affordable.. when I went to MA I bought some sooooo much cheaper.. they call us the garden state but not as many home gardeners anymore
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Feb 7, 2013 6:22 PM CST
Name: Karen
Valencia, Pa (Zone 6a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Cut Flowers Winter Sowing Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Echinacea
Plant and/or Seed Trader Region: Ohio Region: United States of America Butterflies Hummingbirder Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Wow, Joanne, they're huge already. When will you plant them out?

I haven't even decided what I'm sowing this year. Hilarious!

Karen
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Feb 7, 2013 6:27 PM CST
Name: Rick Corey
Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a)
Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f
Frugal Gardener Garden Procrastinator I helped beta test the first seed swap Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Region: Pacific Northwest
Photo Contest Winner: 2014 Avid Green Pages Reviewer Garden Ideas: Master Level Garden Sages I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database.
Around here, Steubers Distributing sells ProMix or Sunshine bales for $38 / bale (70 pounds, 3.8 cubic feet compressed.)

And that's over in farm country, Snohomish, not the urban areas right near Seattle.

Or they sell their own mix , advertised as "like" Sunshine #4 (extra-aerated, faster-draining mix) for $31 per same-size bale. That was pretty light and open (I bought a bag, not a bale), but I still added some bark to it for containers.
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Feb 7, 2013 6:31 PM CST
Name: Joanne
Calgary, AB Canada (Zone 3a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Region: Canadian Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Roses
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Annuals Container Gardener Vegetable Grower Winter Sowing Enjoys or suffers cold winters
Karen, I started some specific stuff to be ready for the Garden Show April 12. I need to transplant those very soon. As for the other stuff, I haven't figured out what I'm sowing this either. I need to organize the seed packs by # week before average last frost and get my greenhouse ready
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Feb 7, 2013 6:34 PM CST
Name: Karen
Valencia, Pa (Zone 6a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Cut Flowers Winter Sowing Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Echinacea
Plant and/or Seed Trader Region: Ohio Region: United States of America Butterflies Hummingbirder Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Oh, that makes sense. Smiling

Karen

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