Expert: Long Island Gardener - 6/30/2008

Question
Can you please tell me-I really wish you could show me how to encourage new bloom on Petunias'. All I've ever done is remove the dead flowers but my daughter-in-law was here visiting me last summer and picked something iff the flower head and used miracle grow and within 2 weeks-my Petunias' looked great!

Answer
Forget the Miracle Gro.  Petunias don't need it.  In this case, they probably bloomed IN SPITE of the Miracle Gro.

Removing the spent blooms is excellent.  Keep doing that.

We assume you are (a) growing these in FULL SUN, (b) watering ONLY when bone dry, (c) NOT fertilizing (please say NO we are NOT fertilizing and you promise not to do that), (d) NOT growing them in rich Soil, and (e) not plagued by any insect pests.  Yes?

Since Petunias get lanky and insipid when not pinched, you should learn how to do that, too.  Easy.

Get yourself a pair of scissors.  Take the center main stem, and count backwards from the bloom 2 inches.  Cut just above the nearest node/leaf.  This will get that part of the stem branching sideways.  More branches, more flowers.

You will delay blooms when you do this by about 10 days.  But they recover quickly.

Fertilizing is the last thing Petunias need.  These are annual plants that are programmed for fast flowering and a short, sweet life.  Fertilizer pushes tissue growth -- roots, leaves, everything except buds and flowers.  Counter-productive.

Even something like too much water turns Petunias into non-blooming garden paperweights.  Drought sends the signal: Quick!  Before it's too late!  Next thing you know, there are flowers all over the place.

Bottom line with Petunias:  Less is more.  Pinch away and water sparingly -- that means SOAK them when dry, but ONLY when dry.  These plants are not just drought tolerant.  They bloom best that way.

Perennials flowers and even some annuals are different. But Petunias are just plain famous for this kind of culture.  Remember, NO FERTILIZER.  Watch what happens.

Thanks for writing; keep me posted.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER