Big Daddy, my petunias are struggling, what should I do?

If you are in the north where it has been raining a whole lot this spring, you’ll have to wait for some sun to come out and kick start these little sun lovers. Make sure that your beds are well drained and that if they have been in the ground for a few weeks and establishing their roots, that you’re not overwatering them and killing them with kindness. Most of your bedding plants will need to dry out their roots between watering to do well. This encourages the roots to continue to expand, giving you a much hardier plant. Did you choose a sunny spot? Although petunias can fair ok in a partial shade situation, they prefer full sunlight. In shade, they may get leggy and not produce many blooms as the expend their energy growing in search of sun. There are better choices for shade, like impatiens and begonias.

Have you checked for aphids? Look at the underside of leaves for small black or green bugs attached to the leaf. If you have them, you can spray the plant with an insecticide labeled for that or you can simply wash them off with a gentle spray of water. If you’d like an organic solution, ladybugs love to eat aphids. Make sure you dead head your plants. Spent blooms continue to draw some energy from the plant. Pick them off occasionally and you’ll be rewarded with more blooms. It just takes a pinch and a gentle pull to deadhead petunias.

Have you fertilized? Organics mixed at the time of planting, like steer or chicken manure, may be providing necessary nutrients, but I also like to toss in a slow release granular fertilizer every 4-6 weeks with a high phosphorus (the "P" in the N-P-K ratio on your bag or box of fert, the numbers) ratio to promote big blooms without encouraging a lot of vegetative growth. You’ll see many fertilizers in small amounts at your favorite garden center and they’ll usually carry names that refer to bloom building. Slow release is the key and following the label for amounts and application procedures. What about liquid feedings, like Miracle Grow? They work just as well, applied in small amounts more frequently so as not to burn your plant. Just make sure that you are giving them something, organic, granular or liquid. They’re not native to our area! The methods for caring for petunias also applies to many of the other bedding annuals. Keep the weeds down, water properly, feed and deadhead, watch for bests and chose plants right for the sunlight of the area and you’ll be enjoying right on through frost. Best of luck! -BD