When I do purchase good sized ones there are usually four plants in each pot. I have trouble finding good sized plants this time of year and usually don't find good sized ones until later in summer. They prefer the medium pink to darkish pink colors above all others out here. I'm in the woods surrounded by parks and preserves therefore I do refrain from using insecticides unless absolutely necessary rarely anything stronger than neem, especially outdoors. It is very easy to overwater in winter gh storage also. The only way I've saved them for another year is in heated greenhouse but they seem to be much more sensitive to low temps in the greenhouse than many of my other tropicals. They are pretty finicky about cool weather and prefer temps to never get much below mid 50's. I usually turn on the drip system daily for most plants, including Pentas, early to mid afternoon for a drink and to cool the roots. I feed them every couple of weeks alternating organic and balanced chemical 20-20-20. I've had Pentas for several years now in containers, in Full Texas Blazing Sun and they do very well AND and they do like water. I've planted small ones because I got tired of fooling with them directly into the garden in part shade in the heat of June and many of them grew nicely. When you divide, the container need not be deep because the roots are slow to grow. I guess you could use Jani's techniqe of sand in a shaker as she suggested for sowing poppie. You'll need to divide them because they are so tiny they are often very close together. They take a while.like a week or two to start to germinate. Sow on top of the soil, keep moist and in light. They are tiny, so a plain container from produce with a lid and tiny holes helps it stay moist. They can take more heat but need moisture. Moist fertile soil temp in the 80s is great. I threw my seeds onto pots in the greenhouse in winter and had a lot of success. I tried to follow the rules and failed miserably.
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