Petunias don’t breed true, but people have gotten viable glowing seedlings from them.
Might be a mess in 10-20 years when some inevitably escape.
Might be a mess in 10-20 years when some inevitably escape.
Firefly petunias need a lot of light. The entire plant (roots too) are literally burning precious energy 24/7 for the glowing. There seems to be a direct correlation between the light they receive and how long the internodes are from what I’ve seen putting them under grow lights. More light, shorter internodes.
Here in the Pacific Northwest various worm (caterpillar) larvae also love shredding them and eating through seed pods, and they are susceptible to downy mildew complexes which seem to become persistent within the plant.
They also are finicky about warmth, water and fertilizer.
They are a princess of a plant, not the next kochia or pigweed.
Honestly it would be more viable to take invasive weeds and hamper them by introducing glow genes.
Florida might be another story. I can’t imagine we have much research on the benefits of glowing plants in the wild, either.
That is great to hear though. This makes them way more interesting to me