🎇 Calibrachoa
Calibrachoa x hybrida
Million bells, zero deadheading — the overachiever of hanging baskets.
Sun
Full sun, 6+ hrs
Days to harvest
Transplants bloom continuously
Spacing
8–12 inches apart
Soil pH
5.5–6.0 (acid-loving!)
How to grow
Plant in containers or baskets after nights warm up; it wants slightly acidic potting mix (regular garden soil pH causes yellow leaves). It's a heavy feeder — fertilize every 2 weeks or it fades by midsummer. In Florida it blooms fall through spring and rests in peak summer heat.
Water & feeding
Don't let it dry out completely, but don't drown it — soggy roots rot fast. Containers need daily checks in heat.
Common problems
- Iron chlorosis (yellow leaves, green veins) in alkaline soil or overwatering
- Root rot from soggy mix
- Budworm caterpillars chewing buds in summer
Harvest
Self-cleaning — no deadheading needed. Shear back by a third in midsummer to reboot leggy plants for a fall flush.
Nerdy fact: Calibrachoa looks like a mini petunia but it's a distinct genus — and it can't cross with petunias, which botanists confirmed after years of trying. Close cousins, hard boundary.