Expert: C.L. Fornari - 6/6/2007

Question
almost all my new flowers that are starting out seem to be dead.. Why are these not blooming into a full flower. Seems like all I'm doing is picking the little dead flower out of the green pocket. Do I pull only the flower out or pull that hole stem off?

Answer
Bill,
If the flowers on petunias never open, it could be any of the following reasons:
1. Water hitting buds on a regular basis - if the plant is getting hit with water freqently, this can cause fungal conditions that cause the developing flowers to rot.  Alter the watering.
2. Fertilizer burn - usually shows up in browning foliage too, however, but too much fertilizer, especially when applied to a thirsty plant, can cause flower buds to brown.
3. Too dry in between waterings - buds may dry up if soil gets too dry.
4. Too much shade - petunias need at least four hours of dead-on sun, including the noon hour in order to bloom well.

To properly deadhead petunias, snip the stem BELOW the flower, instead of just pulling flower out.  The purpose of deadheading is to remove the developing seeds, and these are in the stem directly under the part that holds the flower.  Using a pair of scissors is the best way to deadhead petunias.

I hope this helps!
C.L.