My hanging basket of petunias I got for Mother's Day is now very leggy. I heard you can cut them back to make them bushier and hopefully will look better. I am wondering how much they should be cut back though. Any help is appreciated.
Cutting Back Petunias
You can cut them fairly severely and they should rebound well.
Don't feel bad, even when I deadhead on a regular basis I end up with some leggy-ness. If you cut them back to the good green leaves, taking out the brownish stems, it will look a lot healthier. It may take a while to get more blooms though.
Leave at least 6 to 8 inches of plant, any shorter, it can rot easy.
Thanks for your help.
Sherlyn
After cutting back your petunias, make sure you give it a good dose of low nitrogen fertilizer. In a matter of weeks, they should be flowering again!
Can I get that from Wal-Mart or a store like it? Any particular brands of fertilizer I should look for? Thanks for your help!
Sheryln
Yes, Walmart, Kmart - any of those places. Fertilizers will numbers on the label that are for the Nitrogen-Phoshorus-Potassium levels, with nitrogen being the first number. You want a ratio that has a lower first number, and a higher second number. The numbers/ratios are what you are after.
That fertilizer is usually called "bloom booster" and comes in different brands like Miracle Grow, Pennington, Expert Garden....
Post a Reply to this Thread
More Beginner Gardening Threads
-
Curling leaves, stunted growth of Impatiens
started by DeniseCT
last post by DeniseCTJan 26, 20261Jan 26, 2026 -
White fuzzy stems
started by joelcoqui
last post by joelcoquiJan 29, 20263Jan 29, 2026 -
What is this alien growth in my bed
started by joelcoqui
last post by joelcoquiOct 15, 20254Oct 15, 2025 -
Jobe\'s Fertilizer Spikes
started by Wally12
last post by Wally12Apr 02, 20262Apr 02, 2026 -
citrus reticulata tangerine somewhat hardy
started by drakekoefoed
last post by drakekoefoedApr 01, 20261Apr 01, 2026