Petunias originally come from South America and are usually only cultivated as annual balcony plants in this country. It is sometimes quite possible to get the flowering petunias through the winter with sufficient care and in a sheltered place.

Petunias need to be brought indoors in winter

Be careful with petunias

While some potted plants can withstand a few sub-zero temperatures for a short time, petunias and their various subspecies are all very sensitive to frost. Therefore, make sure to protect the plants from any hypothermia, as this usually leads to the death of the entire plant. If you buy new petunias as young plants for the balcony every year anyway, you can simply let the petunias bloom until the first frost and then compost them. For attempts to hibernate, however, the plants must be brought into the winter quarters before the first frost and only wintered out again after the ice saints.

Overwinter the petunia under suitable conditions

The surfinias, valued as breeding species of the petunia because of their better weather resistance, are also extremely sensitive to frost. However, since surfinias are available in particularly attractive color combinations and cannot be grown from seeds due to their sometimes pronounced self-sterility, it is also worth spending the winter in a protected room with them. The following conditions should prevail in this:

  • as bright as possible (however, no direct sunlight on the plants is necessary)
  • Temperatures between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius
  • regular care

The comparatively low temperatures for overwintering petunias can best be achieved in a tool shed or basement room. However, the plants should be easily accessible, as they must not dry out and should be checked regularly for pest infestation.

Prevent wintering difficulties

Balcony boxes with petunias should be checked for a possible infestation with aphids when they are placed in the winter quarters, so that they cannot spread massively over the winter. The right plant substrate ensures that moderate watering protects the plants from drying out and still prevents waterlogging and root rot. The shoots of the petunias are shortened to 15 to 20 centimeters in length for the winter. Flower buds are removed in winter so that the plants are not energetically drained in the winter quarters.

tips

If you do not have the right space to overwinter the non-hardy petunias, you can collect the seeds in the fall and grow young plants yourself on the windowsill from February.

Category:

Indoor plants