Lisianthus are some of the least well-known flowers that we grow. With an extraordinary vase life and ruffly petals, they are the queens of summer.
Our process of growing Lisianthus starts either in the summer for fall planting or January for spring planting (Zone 8A). We use a tray to plant the pelleted seed on top of the soil, mist them to break down the pellet, place on a heat mat, and cover with a humidity dome until 50-70% of seeds have germinated. After germination, I remove the humidity dome, move them off the heat mat, and put them under lights.
After waiting forever and fertilizing weekly (about 12 weeks), you should have a small plant with 4 leaves. I plant them in direct sunlight and cover if temperatures get below 32*F. Continue to fertilize weekly and wait for harvest in mid-Summer.
Lisianthus can be pinched to promote branching and I try to do a mix of pinched and non pinched plants to extend the season. First blooms can be snipped off to promote other buds blooming to create a larger spray. There are so many different varieties, bloom times, and colors to choose from.