I left my petunias unattended for a few days while I went to my nephew’s wedding. Imagine my shock and dismay when I returned home and discovered that all my lovely bloom was gone. These petunias have been blooming non-stop for 3 months now and I couldn’t imagine how it had so suddenly come to an end. On closer inspection I saw that something had been nibbling away at blooms and leaves — yup, it was the dreaded little cabbage worm.
Of course there are lots of other reasons, I discovered, why your petunias may not be blooming so before you pitch out that pot of seemingly spent petunias, try a few of these tips.
1. Less blooms plus yellow leaves may mean a lack of iron in your soil. Add some iron-chelated fertilizer (Miracle Grow’s bloom feeder is a good choice). Fertilize with each watering for best results.
2. Petunia leaves will show signs of stress (turning brown or yellow) if the plant is under-watered or over-watered.
3. Deadheading spent blossoms will produce more bloom.
4. Prune your petunias. If your petunias are looking straggly you can thicken them up and encourage new growth and bloom by pruning them. Professional Gardener, Doug Green, has a great how-to-video for those of you who’ve never pruned petunias. You can check it out here.
4. If your petunia blossoms look nibbled then a garden pest is the most likely culprit. The most common pests are the cabbage worm and the budworm caterpillar. Start by examining your plant carefully and removing any worms/caterpillars you find. An application of Dipel dust is recommended or your local nursery can suggest some organic sprays that are now on the market. You’ll probably need to re-apply your solution once every 7 days (more often if it rains ). Also, keep the plant well-fertilized to encourage new growth.
Not sure if I can save mine (they were pretty far gone) but if all else fails, you can remove the plant, treat the soil, add a new petunia to your pot and be happy!
Any other tips you have for keeping your petunias blooming through the fall?
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1. Hi Joan,
My ‘tunias are not looking so great either. They have some kind of sticky stuff all over them and look sick. I guess they have that worm. Mine may be too late to save, but I’ll try the Dipel dust. Thanks for the tip. Love your flowers in the picture. Sorry yours got “wormed” as well. Also love your church lantern in the foreground and the old real church in the background, great picture. Let me know if your ‘tunias (what my daughter called them when she was young) turn around. I’ll update you on mine.
Thanks for a great post!
by Cathy — 8/28/09 at 11:13 pm #
2. how dissapointing to find those little creatures eating away at you plant hope they repcover
feed them lots of fertilizer for plants
and who knows maybe they will return
we hope you caught them in time
to enjoy those blooms
for a few weeks yet
mom
by n d — 8/29/09 at 12:16 pm #
3. Thanks Cathy and Mom for your empathy– looks like my petunias are responding so hopefully I’ll have bloom through until frost.
joan
by Joan — 8/31/09 at 7:46 pm #