Plant Record

Cultural/Growing Information

pH: A (5.5 - 5.8)

EC (2:1 Extraction Method): C (1.0 - 2.0)

Fertilization Recommendations: H (200-300 ppm)

Rooting Out: A (65-72°F or 18-22°C)

Growing On: A (55-65°F or 13-18°C)

Holding Temperature: A-B (40-50°F or 4-10°C)

Light Levels: High

Water Requirements: Moderate to Moist

Planting & Timing Information: Early Spring through Fall Finish. Standard PPP.

Finish Time 4-5": 4-6

Finish Time 6"/Gallon: 5-7

Finish Time 8": 7-9

Finish Time 10-12": 8-10

Pinching/Growth Regulators: For pots 6" and smaller pinch at transplanting only. For hanging baskets and pots larger than 6" soft pinch at planting and trim around pot just prior to hanging. 10-15 ppm Sumagic® or 1-3 ppm Bonzi® drench are effective at controlling growth. Apply as needed. Supertunia Minis may require higher rates of PGRs. Day Length neutral Supertunias will need less PGRs. Cold temperatures will also effectively control growth.

Pest and Disease Management: General pest and disease practices as listed in notes.

Special Notes: Mini Strawberry Pink Veined, Bordeaux and Mini Rose Veined are more sensitive to cold, keep above 50 F. Do not bring Supertunias in too early as they finish quickly. Many common problems with Supertunia can be avoided if proper crop timing and environment are provided. Bermuda Beach will have habit similar to Royal Velvet but with a smaller flower size.

Winter Flowering: Variety Specific, consult catalog for specific information

Spring Outdoor Finish?: A - First to go outside

General Information

Growing Tips
Self-cleaning no deadheading necessary, this is not necessarily true of all Petunias.

Late July and August is when plants should be at their best, but there is only one problem: The plants have run out of energy and the gardeners realize it too late to help the plants recover. This is especially true in raised containers and hanging baskets. Here is the best way to keep your Petunias in the Super category.

1. When you buy them in the spring, buy a slow release fertilizer to top dress the basket or container. If you plant your own basket, incorporate some of the slow release fertilizer in the soil as you plant. Follow the package directions.

2. In May fertilize with a water-soluble fertilizer once every two weeks. Mix up the fertilizer and water the plants just like you would if you were using clear water. It normally takes a good half of gallon of water
To really water a 10" wide basket or raised container.

3. In June as the weather starts to get warm to hot, fertilize weekly, again with a good soaking. If the weather turns really hot as it sometimes does in
Late June you may need to fertilize every third watering. By now the Supertunia is really growing and starting to tumble down from the basket or fill out across the flowerbed.

4. July is when the cutting back occurs. Around the 4th of July, (after your big party) get some of the slow release fertilizer that you bought in spring and re-apply across the top of the planter. At the same time, trim back
some of the longer branches just enough to bring the plant back in line with the bottom of the pot or basket. Don't remove too much at the maximum cut back 20% of the branches or 1 in five shoots. You can also just give it a general light trim. Your plant will be out of flower for a few days, but will come back stronger than ever. By now with July's heat you should be watering at least every other day and begin to fertilize every other watering. I know it sounds like a lot, but if you want a plant to grow like an elephant and be the most it can be, you got to feed it like an elephant!

5. August is, hot, humid, & sometimes with monsoons. Keep up the water and fertilizing, and again, if the plant starts to look straggly remove a few more branches but never more than 20% or give it a general trim as before.

6. It is September and the plants should still look good, start to back off the watering and the feed, but shape the basket with the last pruning of the season.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it really is a labor of love. I fertilize my baskets and my garden every time I water, and I water daily from mid July through August. I recently invested in the WaterWise irrigation system and let me tell you it really works. You will find that your Supertunias, along with all the rest of your plants will keep looking fantastic through September and perhaps with the luck of a gardener and a late frost maybe even into October.

Exposure
Full sun

Height
8-12"

Spacing
12-18"

Hardy Temp
30°F (-1°C)

Zone(s)
10-11

Uses
Great in landscapes and in combination planters.

Features
Unique flowers sporting violet purple flowers edged in lime green. This vigorous plants is great for mixing in combination with other vigorous plants.

Patent:
Petunia SUPERTUNIA® PRETTY MUCH PICASSO® 'BHTUN31501 ®' PPAF PBRAF

Grower Tips

Grower Tips for Supertunia® -Requires high light in production. -Needs 250+ ppm fertilizer. -Watch pH and EC levels. -Mini Strawberry Pink Veined and all veined varieties are more sensitive to cold. Keep above 50º F. -Day-length neutral varieties need less PGRs. Cold temperatures also control growth. -yellow growth tips often indicate iron deficiency caused by high soil pH.

Special Notes

Mini Strawberry Pink Veined, Bordeaux and Mini Rose Veined are more sensitive to cold, keep above 50 F. Do not bring Supertunias in too early as they finish quickly. Many common problems with Supertunia can be avoided if proper crop timing and environment are provided. Bermuda Beach will have habit similar to Royal Velvet but with a smaller flower size.

Other Colors In This Series:

Bermuda Beach

Bordeaux

Citrus

Cotton Candy

Double Peppermint

Giant Pink

Indigo Charm

Lavender Skies

Mini Appleblossom

Mini Blue

Mini Blue Veined

Mini Bright Pink

Mini Pastel Pink

Mini Purple

Mini Rose Veined

Mini Silver

Mini Strawberry Pink Veined

Mini White

Pink Charm

Pretty Much Picasso®

Priscilla®

Raspberry Blast

Red

Royal Magenta

Royal Velvet

Sangria Charm

Vista Bubblegum

Vista Fuchsia

Vista Silverberry

Awards Won

2010 - Very Good
  -Massachusetts Horticultural Society at Elm Bank
2009 - Top Consumer Choice - Spring
  -University of Florida - Fort Lauderdale
2009 - Best Performer
  -Cornell-Long Island
2009 - Top 10
  -University of Minnesota-St. Paul
2009 - Top 10
  -University of Minnesota - Grand Rapids
2009 - Top Performer
  -Longwood Gardens
2009 - Visitor Vote Top Performer
  -Jardin Daniel A. Seguin
2009 - Top Performing New Varieties
  -Cornell-Long Island
2009 - Early Season Top Performer
  -Cornell-Long Island
2009 - Late Season Top Performer
  -Cornell-Long Island
2009 - Superior Rating
  -Colorado State University
2009 - Visitor Favorites
  -University of Guelph
2009 - Top Five
  -Cornell-Long Island
2009 - Excellent Rating
  -Boerner Botanical Garden
2009 - Best-Looking Flowers
  -University of Delaware