Expert: C.L. Fornari - 5/2/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have no experience with flowers before.  I planted wave petunias from seed.  After about a month now, they are about 6-8" tall, and I don't know if I should cut them back or how or where to cut them back. I have them in hanging baskets and each plant has about 6 stems coming off the main stem (alternating on opposite sides of the main stem).  Any information would be helpful.

Thanks

ANSWER: Ryan,
The important things to know about this type of petunia are these:
1. They bloom at the end of the stems, so if you let all the stems keep getting longer you end up with flowers at the ends of long, green stems.  In order to keep them flower covered, do the following - pinch the very tips off of all of the stems now.  Cutting off the top 1/2 to 1 inch is fine.  

Then as soon as they grow a couple of inches over the edge of the hanging baskets, cut three of the stems (from random parts of the basket) in half every week. Yes, at some point you'll be cutting off the flowers, but that's OK - every place you cut will become two stems and be shorter, bushier and more flower-filled. If you keep this up each week to ten days all summer, your baskets will stay full of flowers.

2. Fertilize regularly - I usually use a tablespoon of Osmocote Indoor/Outdoor in May and another tablespoon in late July.  If you use a liquid, be sure to water the baskets first and mix according to directions.

3. You don't have to "deadhead" these petunias like you do the regular kind, so just let them shed old flowers.

all the best,
C.L.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much.  Just for clarification, each plant has about 6 stems coming off the main stem with a single leaf on each.  If i understand correctly i need to cut the end off the main growing stem as well as each of the 6 side stems (basically removing all of the leaves).

Thanks again

Ryan

ANSWER: OK - I thought there were more leaves on each stem right now. With only a single leaf on each wait until there are at least four leaves on each of those side branches before cutting off the tip of each of those. You don't cut off the main stem since it has already been pinched - that is what caused the others to sprout.  Let me know if this isn't clear.

all the best,
C.L.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: no.  right now each side stem is a few inches long terminating at a single leaf.  i just don't know when it is appropriate to "cut it back" so it forms a full plant not a spindly one.  I have never pinched these plants at all.  all i have done so far is put the seed in the dirt and water it daily.  I have attached a picture for you to see.  i placed a piece of paper behind the plant so you can see better so it doesnt blend with other plants.

Thanks again for all the help.  you are a godsend.

Ryan

Answer
Ryan,
A picture is worth a thousand words! Thanks for sending this - enormously helpful. You have one main stem right now with several leaves attached, each leaf at the end of a leaf-stem. You want to pinch the top tiny leaves off of the end of this main stem right now. The plant will put out more new stem growth in response, and that growth will come from the places where the leaf-stems attach to the main stem.

You'll see that in response to this pinching the plant will create more "main stems" - that is, stalks that have leaf-stems and leaves growing from them just as the ones you see now.  Once those new stems are 6 to 8 inches long (they'll have as many leaves as yours does now) you'll pinch those at the tip as well.

After that, let them grow as I described, clipping three of the stems in half every week or ten days.

Let me know if this is still not clear, OK?

all the best,
C.L.