Expert: C.L. Fornari - 5/10/2010

Question
I have recently recieved a potted petunia, two varities.  The
larger plants have leaves that feel sticky and when you pinch
a flower off, it feels sticky.  Is there anything I should be
doing with the plant or has it something that I cannot control.v6

Answer
Beverly,
Many petunias feel sticky as this is the natural make up of the plant. The only time a plant's stickyness is of concern is when the floor around the plant is sticky - this indicates the presence of a sucking insect such as whitefly or scale. I'm sure that your plant is just naturally sticky, but look under the leaves and make sure that there aren't any small bugs or insect litter.

I don't know if you have regular petunias or the sterile varieties such as Wave or Superpetunias. The traditional ones need to be deadheaded by clipping off the blossoms by cutting the stem underneath the spent flowers. This cuts off the seeds, and the plant then produces more flowers in an attempt to make more seeds. Wave and Superpetunias don't make seeds, so you don't have to dead head them.

All petunias are kept fuller by clipping two or three of the stems in half each week, however. They produce flowers only at the end of the stems, so if you never clip them the flowers all end up at the bottom of the stems and there are long, empty branches. If you clip two or three of the stems back to 3 to 5 inches long, or just cut off between a half or two-thirds of the stem's length each week, then that keeps the plant fuller, and more flower-filled.

Be sure to fertilize every two weeks and water well before fertilizing - never fertilize a thirsty plant!

I hope this helps,
C.L.