Hi,

I'm never very fussy about which stems to cut back on my annuals in containers (petunias, Wave petunias, Million Bells, etc.). I just go around to the baskets every now and then and snip off whatever looks long and leggy and leave it at that. Sometimes, when a plant looks really bad, I go all around it and make the whole thing quite a bit shorter.

I've read on this forum that some folks regularly snip every other branch. It is probably more helpful to do it that way, but is it really necessary to keep the plants looking decent?

I went a little crazy this year and have lots and lots of hanging baskets but not all that much time to spend on them-I also take care of my 88 year old mother and I have chickens for eggs. FYI, mom has eaten two of my "home-grown" chicken eggs every day to the last two years and, for her age, she's doing great!

However, I do water and fertilize daily (using a very weak fertilizer solution-one teaspoon of Miracle Gro or similar fertilizer to a two gallon watering can) and this has gotten me great results in previous years. I just make sure I water early in the day so the plant foliage dries up before evening comes. I do my best to wet the foliage as little as possible.

Thanks for your help! Genie