Expert: C.L. Fornari - 8/19/2008

Question
I have always had petunias on my patio in hanging baskets, flower boxes and etc. This year for some reason they are so dried out, not the flower so much as the leaves are turning brown. Am I over watering are they not getting the sun they need, please help they usually stay so beautiful till the end of Sept. I don't understand the change this year?? Thank-you, Donna

Answer
Donna,
Dried leaves can either mean that they did get too dry or that they were too wet. If the soil is too wet the roots rot and then the leaves wilt (because the roots can't supply the water they need) and then they turn brown and crispy.  But two other things that might have happened are: fertilizer burn - if the plant got too much or a too concentrated application of fertilizer, especially when the soil was dry that causes the plant to look burned and the leaves to get brown and dry. The other thing that can happen is if the plant gets mildew then those leaves will wilt and dry out - if you've had very humid weather this season, or if the basket might be getting spray from a sprinkler system or air conditioner that keeps it wet, then any of these conditions or a combination of them creates the ideal situation for mildew.

Keep in mind that it might be a combination of any of the above as well - sometimes plants die from two or three things piled up.  At this point you might put some ornamental cabbage or kale in the baskets and boxes to replace the petunias - these will not only look good through September but will get more and more colorful as the temperatures drop through the fall.

I hope this helps,
C.L.
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