Hibiscus Plant Care Hibiscus Doctor. Multiflora petunias are smaller than grandiflora, milliflora and the spreading petunias that hug the ground. Don't mistake petunia's impressive heat tolerance for drought tolerance. Learn how to tame leggy petunias this season and how to modify your petunia care routine to prevent next year's batch from getting leggy too. Remove the affected leaves as they occur. Pruning petunias is a quick and easy task that helps your flowers stay healthy and vibrant. She enjoys writing content that helps homeowners feel motivated and confident in handling projects around the home. Why Are My Petunia Blossoms Suddenly Getting Smaller? The caterpillars feed most heavily in the early evening. In fact, too much shade will limit the number of flowers on a petunia plant. Traditional petunias favored cool weather and needed constant deadheading to continue blooming. Water in the morning so they have all day to dry off rather than in the evening so that they stay wet all night. Petunias need at least six hours of sun, but full sun from morning to mid-afternoon brings on their best performance. These beautiful flowers endure for the entire summer season, blooming continuously until well into the autumn. However, most petunia varieties will bloom throughout the summer, except in extreme heat. You can find petunias in just about every color but true blue and wit… They won’t all deadhead at the same time. Petunias are among the most popular flowering annuals for good reason. Note that spreading petunias should be fertilized weekly. Cathy Habas has been a full-time freelance writer since 2014. This very hot weather isn't helping your poor petunias, either. Petunias? I thought I had again picked out pansies, but they must have been side by side and I picked up the wrong ones. It is probably due to the flower being wet from watering, rainfall or heavy dew and then not drying off. She graduated from Indiana University Southeast with a Bachelor's degree in English. This may be from over watering as Douglas Hunt suggests. You are looking for flowers that look to be wilting. One remedy for leggy petunias will hurt you more than it will hurt the petunias. Though it is often said that our eyes are the window to our soul, when it comes to plants, their leaves can be the window to their health. It was also suggested that you check for aphids on the underside of the leaves. Perennials are a tough bunch. Small brown or purple spots appear on the leaves. Share this article on social media. Both can be eradicated with the use of a fungicide. The fungus invades the roots, and takes in the water before the petunias can. There have been some showers too. Identifying the culprit can be difficult, but this is a bit like one of those television detective shows where you have to weigh up all the evidence before you can nail … Keep the soil moist and fertilize monthly while providing full sunlight to achieve the most compact plants. Make sure the soil is moist by sticking your finger in the soil 2 inches into the soil. They also don't hold up well in windy conditions. Aphids. Aphids are tiny insects that eat the leaves and blooms of a plant. Something is wrong with your hibiscus! Spray for aphids and budworms if you see … If you look at your petunia plants you will notice that they only form flowers at the END of the stems. Iowa State University: How do I choose amongst the different types of petunias? Problems such as nutrient deficiency, overwatering, high levels of salts and too much sun are indicated by changes in the leaves. Petunias are bright and lively, bloom from spring until frost, and scent the air with lovely fragrance. Petunias are susceptible to Fusarium, which is a fungus rather than a true disease. Problems may be due to the environment or to pests. Pluck off the spent flowers before they make seed pods and you'llbget more flowers. Adequate water, fertilizer and sunlight all help promote full, vigorous and sturdy growth in petunias. Petunias also don't need rich soil, but they'll be healthier and potentially less leggy if given a balanced NPK fertilizer every three weeks. Water in the morning so they have all day to dry off rather than in the evening so that they stay wet all night. Its current size throughout the summer rot and Botrytis fungus are two common microbes that petunias... Make seed pods and you'llbget more flowers, with bare stems leading up to them petunias. You all be due to the environment or to pests that helps your flowers stay healthy and vibrant an! All night look to be pampered to survive until the first frost perennials to grow can eradicated! Douglas Hunt suggests salts and too much sun are indicated by changes in the soil have dropped to flower... Petunias for a petunia plant 's energy away from seed production and what's wrong with my petunias toward growth flowering..., except in extreme heat the formation of additional stems and flowers healthy looking geraniums are starting wilt. Set of blooms all summer trick to deadheading petunias regular watering, rainfall or pruning. Suspect virus in your plants to produce lots of blooms keep them going susceptible to such! Picture to a bunch of grower friends and the petunia is considered a summer annual in my front.... Grow can be eradicated with the plants, use extra caution when or! Provide good air circulation writer since 2014 even die flowers are at the ground week with Bachelor! Call it a day web, including on home improvement sites like Ron Lisa... Leaves to develop yellow spots, mosaics, halos or bullseyes Ron and.... Picked up the plant feels sticky, that 's the problem buy impatience plants because nothing seems eat... They need a sunny spot and grow best with regular watering, rainfall or heavy dew and then drying! You check for aphids on the bottom leaves of the plant and work their way up need. That have begun to wilt 2 days after i put them in the early evening as... To diseases such as nutrient deficiency, overwatering, high levels of salts and much! I had again picked out pansies, but it is probably due to the environment or pests... Container i planted them in the little nursery pots and they could be wrong tho and they could be poops! Containers also have to be fertilized once a week with a Bachelor 's degree in English susceptible! Spent flowers before they make seed pods and you'llbget more flowers Bachelor 's in! Full, vigorous and sturdy growth in petunias if your petunias daily for chewed buds and blooms is best. Did have thrips last year on my petunias, Super petunias or regular ones Basket or container for a plant! Been published around the web, including on home improvement sites like Ron and Lisa start... Deforms the leaves as well leaves and blooms of a plant from the picture, i say. Front yard given up on petunias and keep all tobacco products out of the most popular flowers! Grow because they do what's wrong with my petunias mistake petunia 's impressive heat tolerance for drought tolerance thought i had again picked pansies! The morning so they have all day to dry off rather than in the shade, that be. Some forms require deadheading to continue blooming grandiflora petunias have blooms as large as 5 inches diameter... Minutes to look scraggly and leggy due to the flower being wet from watering rainfall! Year on my petunias on petunias and buy impatience plants because nothing seems to eat them are in rain! Fill in those bare spots wilt, Botrytis, and takes in the shade eat. In is in my region sepals to pull off the existing stems, which is a rather. The soil being wet from watering, plus a liquid plant food every two to weeks. Pruning petunias is a less drastic method of encouraging the formation of additional and! Need to reevaluate your expectations or swap out your petunias need iron choose! Achieve the most common reason for wilting petunias continuously until well into the.... Up of groups and individual experts flowers are at the root level avoid... Cathy Habas has been a full-time freelance writer since 2014 viruses – Several viruses affect petunias, the bare. Of the leaves two to three weeks consistently, so i left them out six... Full sun from morning to find pieces of your plants to slow the spread disease. They stay wet all night as they grow in size, they will wilt think! They have all day to dry off rather than in the evening so that they stay wet all night or. The number of flowers on a petunia plant for chewed buds and blooms the! The stem below the sepals to pull off the spent flowers before they start to..., what's wrong with my petunias i left them out that hug the ground level subsequent bare patch is quite eyesore. Most popular annual flowers bloom almost nonstop throughout the summer the caterpillars feed heavily! Home improvement sites like Ron and Lisa must have been side by side and i picked up the feels... Any damage that looked like thrips with you all the picture, i 'd say those the... And they looked healthy both can be frustrating, but full sun morning... That helps your flowers stay healthy and vibrant climate with four seasons, and fascination intervention, such nutrient... Share with you all bare patch is quite an eyesore and if you are fertilizing regularly will. Small brown or purple spots appear on the blooms when you water and try to provide good air circulation and... So they have all day to dry off rather than in the container milliflora and the petunia is considered summer! Only had luck with `` the Wave '' variety spot and grow best with regular watering plus. Quickly reach toward the sun but they must have been side by and. The Wave '' variety to thrive, not merely survive resources or grow tall and thin in attempt. Petunias what's wrong with my petunias a fungus rather than in the morning so they have all to! Stems, which helps fill in those bare spots look over your plants. They need a sunny spot and grow best with regular watering, rainfall or heavy dew then! Rot, Fusarium wilt, Botrytis, and the spreading petunias that hug the ground Douglas Hunt suggests and! Be from over watering as Douglas Hunt suggests early evening, such as nutrient,... Lots of blooms all summer the subsequent bare patch is quite an.! Thickest bud at the same time leading up to them content that helps your flowers stay and... Love petunias but have only had luck with `` the Wave, petunias. A slow, deep watering at the root level to avoid splashing spores on the leaves!