deadheading petunia's

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creativedecor Dothan, AL(Zone 8b) May 16, 2007

Hi all,
I have a question about petunia's, when the bloom starts to wilt, do i just pull the flower out of the stem or cut the stem that it came from to.....?

I want to keep the baskets full and not scraggly.
Does it matter?

Thanks
Gail

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Tropicanna Clemmons, NC(Zone 7b) May 17, 2007

You can cut them back to the stem, and cut the stem if they start to get tall and scraggly. These have come back after winter here even.

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creativedecor Dothan, AL(Zone 8b) May 17, 2007

Thanks I thought it was okay to cut the stem too....
Gail

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WeeNel Ayrshire Scotland, United Kingdom May 18, 2007

Hi Gail, yes you MUST dead head your Petunia's, we can only grow them the one summer here in UK, but to get the baskets bulging with blooms, you also have to give them plenty water (every day depending on your weather) ever breezes can dry out the soil in the baskets, I feed a liquide feed once a week also as there is not a lot of soil in a basket for the plants to get food from, I use a tomato feed half doze and that seems to keep them good, I dont even cut my stems, I just nip off the faded flower heads with my finger and thumb, if you miss a day doing it dont worry, but every second day once they really get going or they will set seed fast, enjoy your basket,
WeeNel.

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azrobin Scottsdale, AZ(Zone 9b) May 18, 2007

Gail, I agree with WeeNel. You MUST deadhead as often as possible. I've grown petunias for years. When deadheading you don't have to "pinch" off anything. Just remove the spent, drooping blooms which will encourage new growth. When the plant starts to become leggy and sticky is when you cut them back. My word for it is sheer them off. The'll look ugly for a week or two but then BINGO, you'll have buds and blooms in no time. Keep them constantly moist and a little afternoon sun (at lease in my region, intensifies the fragrance when the sun goes down. I'd feed them with Miricle Grow every 2 weeks or so. Bloom booster even works well.

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sowmo Southern, CA(Zone 8b) May 27, 2007

This is my first year with petunias, and I am noticing the stickyness on them, is it sweet? will it attract ants? Just wondering.

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azrobin Scottsdale, AZ(Zone 9b) May 27, 2007

If you've been deadheading, the plant must be getting to lanky. Believe it or not, cut the entire plant back to about 3 inches. In about a week to 10 days you'll see new buds forming. Good time to fertilize with something like Miracle Gro also. I recently did that to mine and they came back and filled in nicely.

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