if it were me .. since i have more than one ... i would definitely prune one back all the way to the basket ...

recovery will be much easier ... at reduced size ... if it recovers ... it will reflush insanely .. think of all those roots and the small plant on top ...

if it looks good in a week .... do the others ...

there is no reason to not prune back hard on petunias in summer ... you get rid of seed pods which take power to develop .... in doing so .. you release the plant to over-acheive to make more flowers, and more seed ... even if they are sterile .. the try to procreate ...

ken

Also give em a good dose of a soluble fertilizer as often as once a week! Waves are heavy feeders!

BUT.....do not feed a heat and drought stressed plant!!! Wait until new growth starts.
Linda C

What is the best fertilizer for wave petunias? I used fish emulsion, but they don't seem to like that...

Fish emulsion is among the best....why do you say they don't like it?
Linda C

Sally, for my pots and containers I use Miracle Gro once a week. Plants in the ground get the wonderful compost I make.

Sharon

The wave petunias used to be lush and the leaves were dark green, but their growth rate is very slow now and the leaves are a pale green and are now sickly.

Sharon, is any kind of Miracle Gro ok, or should I use a special kind?

Thanks!

Water!!....More water!! As a pot matures the soil fills with roots and it holds less water....the main cause of decline in hanging pots is lack of water!...A little fish emulsion is good too....but lots of water is very important!
Linda C

Sally, I just use the regular Miracle-Gro All Purpose Water Soluble Plant Food 15-30-15 all season long. I did try the Miracle-Gro Ultra Bloom 10-52-10 that is for before and during bud-set and bloom time a couple of years ago, but I didn't find any difference in flowering with using the regular stuff, the only difference I found is the higher price for the Ultra Bloom.

Sharon

I'm with you on this one Crazy Gardener...Miracle Gro 15-30-15 for Waves, Tidal Waves and Million Bells. You should see my pots of these. Hit 'em every 5 days!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you!! I will try it out. I do water them every day, so I actually was worried that I was over-watering them...

Yes Petunias like to be moist but they sure don't like to be wet, so I guess it all depends where you live....for sure gardeners would have to water their pots and containers once or twice a day if your temps are in the high 80-90-100F., but here in my zone where it is usually around 68-75F, I don't have to water everyday, some days I do but not very often, usually when I water my containers is every other day or third day and that too depends on the rain.

What I do before I water is to check the moisture, a plain simple test of sticking the forefinger into the side of the container tells me if its needing water ;)

Sharon

I have four baskets of hanging wave petunias. They were gorgeous when I bought them but now they are sickly looking. The flowers are getting sparse and the stems are turning yellow and the leaves are drying out. They face the south and are in the sun 90% of the time. I water them every second day. Would it help if I cut them back ?

It would help if you watered them every day.....or twice a day.
If a hanging plant has drainage, it's impossible to water too much...unless you are growing cactus.
Linda C

If you shear them all the way back just be warned that it can take 2-3 wks before they rebound. I would just shear back the yellow parts only and snip off the old flowers when they start to fade to encourage repeat blooming.

Yellow leaves can indicate too much water, check them always before watering again.
The frequency of watering will depend on the type of soil, weather conditions and the size of basket.

Are you fertilizing? Yellow foliage on petunias may also be caused by nitrogen or iron deficiency within the plant.
Most nursery growers use high PH peat soils, so therefore this can be corrected with the proper supplemental fertilizer such as Miracle Gro 15-30-15 which has iron added.

Sharon

I kept all my beautiful baskets stored in a cool dry place from last summer any tips on reviving them in the spring. Is it evan possible? Im talking about probably 40 baskets as I decorate a canopy where my picnic tables sit under.
Thanks,
Donna

Yes, petunias are perennials. They don't come back from the roots, you have to maintain a green plant over the winter. They are also heavy feeders so the potting soil may be used up and compacted. Mine are slowly growing and the potting soil is about 50 degrees. You have to keep them on the dry side when it's cool or their roots will smother in wet soil. Here they start early and stop blooming in the summer heat to restart in fall.