Expert: C.L. Fornari - 5/30/2007

Question
I have a beautiful hanging basket of red petunia's. Every night I water and pluck dead blooms.  I have noticed that on most, not all, of the flowers there are yellow dots on the petals.  Maybe one or two on some, more than others.  The dots almost appear like pollen.  What is this? and is it harmful?

Answer
Jenylle,
If the dots blow off, it probably is pollen! Many trees are in bloom now, in most areas of the country, and pollen is everywhere...including on my computer screen!  If the dots don't blow off, and appear to be attached to the flowers, it is probably a bit of leaf spot - if you could water in the morning instead of at night, so the flowers and foliage don't get wet and stay damp all night, it would prevent this from happening.  The good news is, I know of nothing that looks as you describe that kills petunias.  

By the way, most petunias are kept full and flower filled if you snip three or four of the stems in half every week.  So for instance, on every friday pick three or four of the longest stems and cut them in half...you can put the stems in a vase of water as cut flowers, and by doing this every week you will cause those cut stems to branch out and the plant will stay more full and flower-filled.

all the best,
C.L.