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Annuals/Petunias not blooming

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Expert: - 7/4/2006


Question
I purchased some white petunias at Home Depot last month. They looked very healthy and were blooming very much at the time. I planted them in bright sun. We have been watering them when needed (it has rained a lot so not every day)and I fertilized with Miracle Grow twice. The blooms stopped and they are now just sitting there doign nothing. I have a lot of sun in that area. We purchased quite a few of the white ones. I don't remember the name. Can you tell me what I am doing wrong? They should be blooming a lot by now. Did they bloom too early?

Answer
Biggest mistake people make with Petunias: Too much tender loving care.

Leave them alone. Cut off the tops of the center stem to encourage a branching. In two weeks, they will be blooming like a house on fire.

Stop fertilizing them.  They don't need it, they don't want it and they won't bloom if you keep doing it.

And never use Miracle Gro on ANYTHING.  There are better ways to spend your money and better things to put in your garden.

Water the Petunias, remove the dead flowers, cut the center stalks off (in half is good), and wait.

In 2 weeks they'll be off and running.  I guarantee it.

Annuals

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Long Island Gardener

Expertise

Decisions, decisions... If you can't make up your mind which Annuals to grow, you're not alone. Problem with your new flowering Annuals flats? I`ve been there, done that. Petunias, Sweet Alyssum, Larkspur, Marine Blue Lobelia -- they all grow here at my house on Garden Street on Long Island, N.Y.. Cutting and Cottage Gardens, Sun and Shade Gardens, White Gardens and Night Gardens, I`ve done them all. Annuals are the perfect summer flower, bursting with color June through fall's first frost. I can`t speak on Cactus or tender Tropical Plants -- they don`t grow outside in my Zone 7. I`m no Farmer, so I cannot guide you on Fruits and Vegetables. But whether it`s an Annual you want to start from seed, mail-order or pick up at your local garden center, I can help you grow amazing blooms this Summer. Yes, together, we can turn your neighbors green with envy.

Experience

I have a lifetime of gardening behind me here on the North Shore of Long Island. While I have degrees in related fields, there's nothing like hands-on work to build real knowledge. I stay on top of current science -- there's a boom in research, and Kingdom Plantae is filled with surprises. By the way, I really do live on Garden Street.

Publications
Gannett newspapers, The New York Times, and hundreds of others - but not on Annuals.

Education/Credentials
B.A., botany; graduate credits in European Intellectual History and Political Science; minor coursework in related fields, docent training at our local botanical gardens (required for volunteers). I'm currently working on an advanced biochemistry degree.

Awards and Honors
I could tell you, but then you'd know who I am.

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