As I drive around Oakville, I see a lot of tired petunias. It seems like our hot, dry summer got the best of them, but don’t give up! Here are a couple of tips that will bring your petunias back to life so you can enjoy a new burst of color until the first hard freeze.
- Worms love petunias. If you look closely, you will probably find small worms called cabbage loopers. They eat the small buds before the flower has a chance to open. The solution for this is to dust or spray with DIPEL. This is a safe insecticide specifically for worms. A dusting or spray two times a week to 10 days apart will take care of any of those cabbage loopers you may have.
- Petunias are heavy feeders. This means they like a lot of fertilizer! If the leaves look small and the stems are long and stringy, a good dose of any general-purpose fertilizer will get some new growth started. My favorite fertilizer combo is Osmocote and Miracle Grow. Osmocote is time release and Miracle Grow is fast-acting. Together these products make a great “cocktail” for your plants!
- It is probably time for to give your petunias a haircut. Just get out your scissors and trim up those long branches. This will cause new growth to start and they can return to the short bushy plants they want to be. Usually cutting back your petunias to within a few inches of the pot is a good reference on how much to cut off.
Petunias grow fast this time of year, so if you try these tips you should have beautiful blooming petunias in two to three week, which is perfect timing for your fall garden.
Enjoy the season. Happy Planting!