Other Years

2022
March 31: I started 14 seeds on 9 cells.
April 1: I put them in the warming box (I forgot yesterday).
April 6: I moved them to be under lights.
June 13: Ben set them out 3 plants about 8 days ago, and they are surviving.
August 21: A large profuse display.
 
2021
May 24: I bought 6 plants and set them out.
June 5: I bought 6 mmore plants, doubles, and set them out.
 
2020
March 18: I seeded 9 cells with 27 seeds of Double Pink Cascade from Stokes, and put them in the warming box.
22: 10 sprouts.
23: 16 sprouts. Placed under lights.
25: 21 sprouts, mostly with thin stalks leading up to small seed leaves still trapped by their seed coats.
April 24: I divided the plants, getting 19 cells, one plant per cell. They aren't very large, maybe 2 cm across at the largest, and they don't have many roots.
May 28: I set out my 19 plants. They had good root systems. They seemed to do better with limited water from below. Most of the 10 plants in the small hexagonal cells had flower buds developing.
 
2019
December 15: I put out a few plants of Double Mix Madness, late, and they did well enough for the date.
2017
June: I bought a 6-pak of Total Madness.
2013
June 22: bought 6 seedlings of Pirouette Red from St. Mary’s Nursery for $3.89 and one plant of Black Velvet from Lacoste Garden Centre for $3.99, and set them out.
September 23: The Pirouettes put on a fine show. The Black Velvet never looked outstanding.
2012
March 25: I have 3 seedlings on soil that shows much fuzzy white fungus. The warming box was not warm enough and I left the seeds in there too long. I started another cell pack by putting it on one of the fluorescent lamp fixtures of the starting table.
28: They died and I discarded them.
 
2010
May 21: Storm gave me 8 seedlings of Storm mixed.
22: I set them out.
June 17: Flourishing.
 
2009
March 10: I started 18 seeds in 9 cells, on a rather peaty soil mix in the warming box.
16: Sprouts.
April 3: I have 10 seedlings, still very small.
May 22: I set out my 7 Cascade Double Pinks and also 12 Strawberry Daddy plants from Ron Paul Greenhouses.
July 4: The Cascades are coming along fine, and the Strawberry Daddy plants are flowering beautifully.
August 3: All flowering beautifully.
September 29: Looking tired.
 

Cascade Double Pink Petunias, 2008

2008
March 11: I started 9 cells with 26 seeds. I put them upstairs on the heating tray. I intend to turn the heat on each morning and off at night.
17: One sprout.
21: Nine sprouts.
May 10: I set out my 6 plants.
13: I guess they were not hardened off enough as the leaves have bleached rather badly. This despite the sky's being mostly cloudy since they went out.
June 16: First flower.
October 8: Flowering well.
 
2006
January 1: I ordered seed of Cascade Pink from Stokes last month.
3: The seeds arrived today.
March 4: I planted 27 seeds on soil mix and put them in the warming box as in other years. I forget the No-Damp so will have to water with it soon.
10: No sprouts yet. I turned up the temperature yesterday.
18: No sprouts yet. I removed the cells from the warming box to dry out.
25: I soaked the dry cells with No-Damp and put 27 more seeds on top, and put the 9-pak on the heating mat.
May 22:  I gave up some time ago on starting my own this year. Today I bought 8 plants of Dreams Midnight, which has large violet blue flowers, and set them out.
August 1: Doing well but very slow to grow.
 
2005
March 6:  I started my 13 seeds on soil mix with No-Damp and variable warmth, as other years.
12:  Sprouts.
April 19:  They all died some time ago. I guess they needed that usual special starting care that they did not get this year.
 
2004
Feb 25:  I planted 27 seeds of Double Cascade Pink in 9 cells, using the same technique as last year.
March 1:  2 tiny sprouts.
2:  14 sprouts.
9:  17 sprouts.
23:  I divided them giving 12 normal plants and 3 runts.
April 10:  I moved most of them into 4-paks and treated them with acid fertilizer and chelated iron.
12:  I transferred the rest into styrofoam cups.
May 18:  I set 7 plants into the semicircular bed.   Most of them are flowering.
21:  I finished setting the rest out.
June 19:  Some acid fertilizer.
July 31:  Flowering beautifully.
 

Cascade Double Pink Petunias, 2003

2003
February:  Neither plant from the garden survived indoors.
March 6:  I planted 24 seeds of Double Cascade Pink in 9 cells, using the same technique as last year.
March 10:  5 sprouts.
12:  15 sprouts.
20:  16 sprouts.
April 2:  Divided giving 14 seedlings, half still very small.
5:  Some iron chelates in addition to its regular fertilizer, because it sometimes seems to need iron.
May 8:  I set out 9 plants.
May 28:  One bud looks ready to open.
June 3:  I sprinkled a little sulphur around them.   There are two flowers on the same plant.
July 3:  Flourishing.
August 14:  Still flourishing.
August 26:  The plants in the garden have gone leggy with few flowers.   The weather has been dry.
 
2002
February 27: I ordered a package of petunia, Double Cascade Pink, 1245A, $3.95, from Stokes. I ordered through Joan and she might just share some she already has.
March 27: I started 27 seeds in a 9-pak. They are on finely screened peat moss that I boiled, which is on soil mix. I gave each cell about 3 ml of No-Damp, and put the 9-pak in a plastic bag in the warming box in front of a window. It should be about 81°F there days and 65° nights.
31: 6 tiny sprouts.
April 6: 21 sprouts.
10: 25 sprouts.
21: Separated and transplanted, giving 21 plants.
May 28: I set out my plants.
June 13:  First flower.   Also, I bought 8 plants of Blue Daddy from Revy, on sale for 49 cents, and set them out.
July 24:  The Cascade Pinks are doing marvellously, although they need deadheading to improve their general appearance.   The other varieties are not very noticeable.
September 7:  Still just marvellous, large with many blossoms!   Some of them have rather yellow leaves; I expect they need iron.   I believe I gave them iron once already this summer.
December 22:  I brought 2 plants in from the garden.   I cut them back, but then they died back completely.   One now has a few small shoots and may survive.   The other has a few very tiny shoots, dead-looking stems, and I don't expect it to survive.
 
1999
March 6: I planted 9 cells of Cascade Pink seeds today, with a few seeds in each cell. I put planting mixture on top of soil mix. Both, of course, were microwaved sterilized. They went into the temperature controlled box, in front of artificial daytime light.
10: Tiny sprouts are visible this morning.   The daytime temperature has been about 82°F.   The night temperature has been about 70°F.
11: Many sprouts. I removed the seedlings from the box.
20: I thinned the seedlings to 2 per cell. I put some of the extras into other starter packs, to give 27 cells altogether.
April 3: Two seedlings have died or nearly died, leaving me with 33 plants in 25 cells. Many of the leaves are yellow, and today green veins are appearing, so it looks like iron chlorosis. I transplanted to fill 27 cells again, and watered with 0.4% iron chelate solution.
19: None of the plants shows any sign of chlorosis now, but they are widely varying in size. One died.
May 4: I put 7 plants out in the bed around the clematis. The soil is very dry there.
~5: I set out 9 plants in the garden.
11: First flower.
24: Doing fine.
June 4: I planted my last 5 plants at Parkview.
June 30: Growing well, with about 1 flower per plant.
~July 15: I gave them sulfur and iron chelates for chlorosis.
August 3: Flourishing nicely.
12: One plant still seems to be suffering from chlorosis. So were some of the petunias I saw in Kildonan Park yesterday.
31: Doing well.
September 30: Still going. They did not flourish and spread this year as I expected. I should plant them closer together another year.
November 21: The plants near the clematis are still alive, but there are no flowers.
 
1998
February 15: Started 1 6-pak of double pink grandifloras, 2 seeds per cell. I put them into the thermostatically controlled box.
18: Most had sprouted.
March 17: Thinned and transplanted to 4 6-paks.
April 14: Transplanted to 4-paks or larger.
June 1: Fine here and at 503.
 
1997
May 12: I bought 10 plugs from the conservatory sale, and put them into 9-paks. Pink flowers, wave petunias.
24: Set out.
June 11: In flower, about 1 per plant.
August 7: Some plants have grown well, and others done almost nothing.
December 18: A good show. Other varieties are better.
 
1993
August 5: Flowering very well.
August 18: In flower.
September 4: A few flowers left, and many spent blossoms.