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lcadena
Member
| Joined: | Sun Aug 19th, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 4 |
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Posted: Sun Aug 19th, 2007 07:00 pm |
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Hi Everyone: I am new to this site but need answers regarding the demise of my petunias. I was reading Corabelle's post and it is very similiar.
I recently rented a new house due to a divorce. It is a very charming small vintage home that I actually love. I live in So. CA it as you can imagine it gets very hot here in the summer. In the front yard, I have 2 long borders next to the walkway, probably about 15 to 20 feet long and about 2-3 feet wide. In late May and early June, I planted numerous plants in the border systematically, meaning both types of the same plants on either side. I am very partial to blue and purple flowers so at the tops I planted, lavender, and some other low blue plants. For about 3/4 of the planters, toward the street/sidewalk, I planted white, red, pink and purple petunias. I re-tilled the soil and added fertilized humus to the dirt before planting. The plants took off like wildflowers and I had vey beautiful walkways until about 5 days ago. My petunias on one side, half way down to the end, have all died. Due to the heat and full sun, I religiously watered every evening after dark. This is the only section the plants have died in and all other plants, including the other side are doing wonderfully. Does anyone know what happened or what I can do? When I moved in there were no plants in the borders and were empty for a long time. Many thanks!
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backyardgardener
Administrator
| Joined: | Tue Sep 2nd, 2003 |
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| Posts: | 262 |
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Posted: Mon Aug 20th, 2007 12:13 pm |
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Any signs of broken stems due to kids or a ball?
Backyard
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lcadena
Member
| Joined: | Sun Aug 19th, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 4 |
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Posted: Tue Aug 21st, 2007 02:55 am |
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No, nothing like that. It has me stumped. They are intact, just dead. Would pests only attack a few of them? Thanks.
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Newt
Administrator
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Posted: Tue Aug 21st, 2007 04:53 pm |
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Hi Icadena,
Congratulations on your new home! I hope you will be happy there.  Insect pests will often attack stressed plants. Could it be possible that these were more stressed then the others? They may have even been stressed in the nursery before your purchase and the delayed effects are showing up now. It's also best to water in the morning instead of the evening. Watering in the evening can lead to fungal problems. Watering in the morning will allow your plants to be better hydrated before the heat of the day.
Newt
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lcadena
Member
| Joined: | Sun Aug 19th, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 4 |
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Posted: Tue Aug 21st, 2007 10:07 pm |
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Thanks for responding. They have been in the ground for almost 3 months so I don't think they are stressed from the nursery. If so, wouldn't they all act the same? All of the other flowers are doing great and have spread and spilled over the walkway. I'm going to pull them out, but my next question is: what should I put in their place?
Thanks for the watering tip. I just read that somewhere else. Because it's so hot here, the only time I had to water was after work but I will try to change my schedule. If you think of anything else, please advise.
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Newt
Administrator
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Posted: Tue Aug 21st, 2007 10:31 pm |
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Icadena, you are very welcome! It's difficult to say if all the plants were raised together. If they were in the same pot then I'd say that's not the answer, but sometimes a pot or two misses getting watered a time or two. That could be just enough. Another possibility could be something in the soil. Look carefully for insect pests below the soil when you remove them.
As to what to plant, I'd say go to the nursery and see what might be available now. I live in Maryland and our climate is very different from yours. Consider something that would take you into the fall months.
Newt
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lcadena
Member
| Joined: | Sun Aug 19th, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 4 |
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Posted: Wed Aug 22nd, 2007 10:31 pm |
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Hey Newt:
You must think I'm a neurotic something or other......I don't know if anyone else enjoys reading about my demise, but I sure appreciate your feedback. I tempted to plant petunias again in the same place, but I just wonder if it would be safe for the new plants? Interestingly enough, I noticed the next plant up is dying like the others so I pulled it out too. I think it's an alien trick to drive me to drink! It's the first time I've planted anything in years (that wasn't in a pot), or roses, they are actually my favorite, that I've ventured into the art of gardening and look were it got me!
My other favorite plants are cacti and succulents. I have several pots of those in many different varieties but unless you purposely try, you can never kill a cactus!  It's actually a good thing I have them in several pots as I was able to bring them with me when I moved. I'm always looking for new varieties that I don't already have.
Since it's basically always summer here, I know there are a million plants I can plant in place of my dead petunias. I was just hoping for some type of flowers almost all year round. I can go with roses but the walkway is not that wide and I did not want to obstruct the small width, but I say the hell with it, I think I'll go for roses anyway. Are you an expert on those too?
Maryland is a beautiful place. I was born in the east and spent my childhood years there. My ex was stationed at Aberdeen many moons ago for about 6 months and I spent about 2 weeks in Maryland at that time. I absolutely loved it and drove all over the place while he was working. Maryland is a beautiful memory that I will always carry, but sadly, my ex is a memory I would love to forget. Ha Ha.
Take care.
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Newt
Administrator
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Posted: Thu Aug 23rd, 2007 07:40 pm |
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Icadena, I don't think you are neurotic at all. I've been through a messy divorce too!  Actually, I suspect you do have a problem now that you mention that more plants in the row are beginning to die off. I suspect some problem in the soil. It could be a pest but I suspect a disease such as botrytis blight, sclerotinia stem and crown rot or bacterial wilt. Do examine the roots for evidence of nematodes (a tiny insect) and even cut into the stems to see if you see brown spots inside which would indicate sclerotinia. Take a look here.
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/IPM/scoutinfo/alfalfa/disease/sclerotn/alfsclr1.htm
http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/flower/petunia.htm
Here's what sclerotinia looks like inside the stem.
http://www.oldhouseweb.com/gardening/garden/visuals/sclero02.jpg
An easy care plant I just thought of for you would be Melampodium paludosum. I don't think it has a common name but the plants have lovely small yellow daisy-like flowers. It blooms and blooms all summer and longer and you don't need to deadhead the flowers. It sets seeds easily and you could probably sprinkle them where you want them to grow the following year. It's drought tolerant. I realize the color isn't in your scheme, but maybe for next year. There is a white version called blackfoot daisy - Melampodium leucanthum but I don't know if it's in cultivation as it's considered an invasive weed in many areas.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/beyond/dir_melampodium.html
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/annuals/images/melampodium_million-gold.jpeg
http://twig.tamu.edu/blackfoot_daisy_melampodium_leucanthum_003.jpg
If you like cactus and succulents you might want to consider planting a mix and include aeonium. There are many different colors and sizes.
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&q=Aeonium&btnG=Search+Images
I enjoyed reading about you living in Maryland. Unfortunately you would be shocked to see how populated it is now.
Newt
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