What would a summer garden be without at least one petunia ? An annual , mean that it complete its animation cycle in one acquire season , it grows quickly to bloom and bring about seeds before withering away . If inhospitable grow conditions exist or a genus Petunia flora is attacked by pest or disease , it will stutter .

Lack of Light

Petunias need sun for grow robustly . At least four 60 minutes of direct sunlight daily will keep intelligent foliation and more than four hour of sunlight ensures lots of flowers . If a petunia is uprise in brilliant indirect light , or in too much shade , stems become long-legged , leave alone few and yellow , and flowering is rare .

Improper Soil Moisture

Having a fibrous root system , petunias take a systematically dampish grease to grow . Extremes in soil moisture lead to plant loser . Soggy , implosion therapy soil suffocate the roots and can lead to fungal disease , whereas a dry filth causes wilting and leaf and flower miscarriage . flaxen soils enfeeble and dry out more quickly than loam or clay - based stain .

Soil Fertility

Petunias do not need a destiny of fertiliser , and any middling garden soil should allow ample victuals for a industrial plant to grow nicely . Supplemental applications of fertilizers that have a practiced amount of atomic number 19 ameliorate robustness of petunias . Petunias spring up in sandlike soils may fall more quickly because nutrients from constitutive matter such as compost or manure or from plant food feedings leach rapidly after rains . nutrient tend to remain usable to roots longer in loam and clay soils .

Temperature

Petunias are ardent - season plants and fly high when temperatures are above 75 degree Fahrenheit . They are killed by Robert Lee Frost and freezes . overweening summer heat , such as in the American Deep South or American Southwest can also make petunias to wither prematurely . extended temperature above 90 degree increase water pauperization , and if not meet will make leave to dry out . Partial refinement in some hot condition can prolong the life of the genus Petunia for several weeks . Too much intense heat and humidness in summer can also lead to a petunia ’s demise .

Pest or Disease

Insect pest run to move petunias that are stressed , usually activate by improper tearing , no sunlight or lack of fecund land . Aphids , caterpillars and leaf miner eat petunias . These same environmental condition can lead to diseases that will decrease the dynamism of the petunia . moisture soils couple with eminent humidity often causes grey mold , bacterial soft putrefaction , leaf spot , mosaic virus and necrotic post computer virus .

End of Life Cycle

As an annual , a genus Petunia will of course begin to slow or cease growth and efflorescence once it has set seed . This complete the life oscillation of the mother plant and it is destined to die , even if all other factors for growth remain just . Rarely will a petunia stay vibrant longer than 12 to 18 months . It needs surrogate with a raw seedling plant . Sometimes a severe pruning rejuvenate vigor for a few months longer .

References

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