What are these? Photos taken just a few minutes ago, Southeastern PA (Bucks County). The petunias all have them -- 4 planters full. The flowers keep getting holes/dying off -- nothing seems to be crawling around/moving, but there are lots of these small "things" all over.
Photo 2
Photo 3
These look more like seeds than any insect pest. Are there nearby plants (including weeds) that have finished blooming?
Hmmm. The petunias are the ones that have these all over them. In 3 of the 4 planters, they're in with celosia. In the 4th, they're in with another flower (can't remember the name but photo included). The 3 planters are up on the fence (the 4th is down on a table). I've been keeping the weeds down in the yard (used to let them grow big big because they were pretty and the birds liked the growth but they were cleared out this spring), so nothing's bloomed in the immediate area -- but I live in a condo development and my unit's right by protected wetland with a stream and lots of trees/bushes/etc. -- anything's possible if "nearby" includes stuff within 20-40 feet.
I have vegetable plants in containers in the yard, too -- bush beans, snow peas, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, basil, cilantro, mesclun, pimentos) -- nothing's really done yet, but the bush beans and snow peas are probably closest to done.
Seeds, huh...interesting.
A friend just informed me that they're (big surprise, huh?) petunia seeds!! :)
Harvest those and plant them in early spring next year and you will have free plants for the summer!
Petunia seed pods are ripe when they turn brown, and split open, just as in your last amazingly clear shot - great photos.
I didn't look but I venture to say there isn't a photo of seeds out on the PlantFiles entry. You should try to find your variety of petunia and post it.
There are several hundred petunias, but you can eliminate all but the cultivated 'tame' ones.
Here is a link to get you started. It is quite massive. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a shout.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher[common]=petunia&searcher[family]=&searcher[genus]=&searcher[species]=&searcher[cultivar]=&searcher[hybridizer]=&searcher[grex]=&search_prefs[blank_cultivar]=&search_prefs[sort_by]=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
I agree that the images are great, and need to be posted somewhere, so that others can learn from it.
Thank you all for the compliments and suggestions about posting the photos -- I'll explore and see if I can figure out which it is and get it posted. (I was talking to a friend and she said she thought they were pests and had been spraying her petunias! Funny that something that should be so obvious is/was such a mystery!)
2zeus -- I did another check out there and found some ripe seed pods -- before they've split open. Do I grab them before or after they split? Got 2 shots to demonstrate both of those options. :) (Attached.)
melody -- I'll definitely take you up on that "shout" offer if I get stuck. :)
For petunias, I usually grab the pods and bring them inside when they look like this. Put them in an open yogurt cup or something similar. this will contain the seeds when they burst open. I let them dry like this for a couple weeks, and then put the lid on and label the container.
Now, the seeds may not produce plants exactly like the parent if they were hybrids. That usually does not bother most folks, because it is free seeds. Just keep it in mind, that you may have a surprise or two next season.
And the offer for PF help is open. We need many more images of the seeds, pods, roots and stems.The pretty blooms are what most people focus on, and they make a lovely statement, but the other aspects of the plant are quite important too.
Thanks melody -- I'm going to see if I can find a few closed pods -- so exciting!!!
I'm so new to all of this -- for many many years, I thought I had a black thumb (indoor houseplants were often neglected and droopy -- so thankful for peace lilies -- they were so forgiving) but this summer I started the container gardening on my patio and really got into the growing, and it turns out I think my thumb isn't so black! :)
I'll definitely see what I can do with taking photos of seeds, pods, roots, and stems. I'll spend some time in the PF to see what's customary.
