Writer: Robert Burns, 903-834-6191,rd-burns@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Brent Pemberton, 903-834-6191, b-pemberton@tamu.edu
OVERTON – Tidal Wave- Cherry petunias are a bright red that can be seen from a quarter mile away, said a Texas A&M horticulturist.
Tidal Wave Cherry and its sister plant, Tidal Wave Silver, are the newest Texas Superstar releases. Tidal Wave Silver is “white with a lavender blush that mixes well with purple foliage in cool color schemes,” said Dr. Brent Pemberton, research horticulturist with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.
Tidal Wave Cherry petunias are a heat-tolerant, disease-resistant variety recently designated as a Texas Superstar.
“Both petunias have been tested in locations across the state – Overton, San Antonio, Dallas and College Station – and been found to thrive in summer conditions,” said Pemberton, who is based at the Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Overton.
Texas Superstar program is a cooperative effort between university and industry leaders to identify pest-resistant plants adapted to Texas conditions, Pemberton said. The candidate plants are never sprayed with any pesticide and grown at several locations in rigorous Texas A&M Agriculture field trials.
Petunias have been a popular plant for home gardens and landscapes for years, Pemberton said. There are a “rainbow” of colors available to Texas gardeners for just about as long. But what hasn’t been available is a petunia that is both showy and that holds up to the heat and humidity of Texas summers.
Tidal Wave Cherry and Tidal Wave Silver are not the first petunias designated as Texas Superstars. In 1999, the Laura Bush’ petunia, developed by Greg Grant, Stephen F. Austin State University lecturer, was designated a Texas Superstar, Pemberton said.
“Greg’s release was representative of a new class of petunias referred to as the ‘trailing petunia,'” he said. “Both Tidal Waves are also trailing petunias.”
Both new varieties need at least six hours of sun each day, he said. In the heavier soils of the Dallas and San Antonio areas, chlorosis – yellowing of leaves – is a problem with some petunias but not with the new SuperStars.
Tidal Wave Cherry petunias, recently designated as Texas Superstars, resist lodging and are not usually damaged by heavy rainfall. (Texas Cooperative Extension photo by Robert Burns)
“Good drainage is beneficial,” Pemberton said.
Both Cherry and Silver varieties grow from 18- to 20-inches tall when spaced 1 foot apart. If planted at wider spacings, they will spread up to 4 feet but won’t grow quite as tall.
The plants resist lodging and are not usually damaged by heavy rainfall. They can be lightly trimmed in mid- to late-summer, though they should be fertilized afterward, Pemberton said.
It’s not necessary to fertilize before planting, but Pemberton recommends applying something similar to a 19-5-9 slow-release mix at the rate of 2 to 3 pounds per 100 square feet a week afterward.
“Water-soluble fertilizer high in analysis such as 20-20-20 may also be used with the first application being made the day the petunias are planted,” he said. “Apply the water soluble fertilizer as instructed on the container.”
Petunias have few serious insect or disease problems. Slugs and aphids are the occasional exceptions. As for fungus diseases, these can be largely avoided if petunias are not watered from above.
“This can be accomplished by the installation of drip irrigation tubing in the flower bed before planting,” Pemberton said. ” It is also important to remember that petunias don’t like water on their flowers.
“Note that, after a rain, petunias close up and appear to be wilted. So, when you water, use a watering wand or drip irrigation system so plants are watered well at ground level. Once water has touched the flower, it will take several days before it is fully open again, though the Tidal Wave flowers recover more rapidly after rains than the grandiflora types.”
Tidal Wave Cherry petunias been tested in four locations across the state – Overton, San Antonio, Dallas and College Station – and been found to thrive under Texas conditions, said Dr. Brent Pemberton, research horticulturist with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. (Texas Cooperative Extension photo by Robert Burns)
In Experiment Station tests, both Tidal Wave varieties have survived winters in north Texas “as long as the soil has good drainage,” he said.
Pemberton also recommended petunias be purchased as flowering plants in containers 6 inches or larger.
For more information on the Texas Superstar program or to find the nearest official Texas Superstar retailer, go to http://www.TexasSuperstar.com.
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