How to Revive Petunias If They Are Dying

Raul Cornelius is a Senior Editor at BalconyGardenWeb and an expert in flower and herb cultivation based in Phoenix, Arizona. A frequent speaker at horticultural events, he is also an active contributor to Facebook flower groups. Holding an MBA and a BCom, Raul blends his gardening skills with strong leadership and analytical abilities. Passionate about writing and photography, he enjoys early mornings with coffee and books, and nature bike rides during weekends.
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Don’t know How to Revive Petunias If They Are Dying? With these tips, you will get your plants back to their flowering glory!

Revive Petunias If They Are Dying
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Like every other plant, if you aren’t going to take the right care of petunias, they will shrivel and die. If yours is going through a tough time, you can revive it with these tips!


What Causes Petunias to Die?

Overwatering or underwatering petunias is two of the biggest reasons that can result in the demise of petunias for starters. The second most important thing is the light exposure—you don’t give them 6-7 hours of sunlight, they’ll start becoming leggy and ultimately die.

Petunias are also heavy feeders, so if the soil gets depleted of essential nutrients, these flowers face problems. Smaller pots are also an issue, which makes the roots suffocated, causing the plant to wilt overtime.

Petunias can also die if there is too much exposure to Ethylene gas. You might not know it, but most fruits release this gas during ripening, and if you’ve planted your Petunias near a fruit tree, you should move them immediately.


How to Revive Petunias If They Are Dying?

How to Revive Petunias
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1. Give them Some Moisture!

If the leaves are floppy or wilted, the plant is not getting enough water. Stick to a proper watering routine and give them a good soak.

The best way to do it is water the plant thoroughly till the water seeps out from the drainage hole at the bottom. Make sure to saturate the medium properly. Do this every time when the topsoil goes a little dry to the touch.

Mulching is important for these flowers an inch of it at the base is all you need.

Note: Watering the foliage thinking it will revive the plant, will do more harm than good as it will attract fungal issues. Keep the leaves dry all the time! 

2. Check that Growing Medium

If you used 100% garden soil in the container of garden bed, well, you have to make some amendments my friend! What I suggest is to add plenty of compost or peat moss to a well draining potting mix. This will take care of its health for good!

3. Sunlight, Remember?

What’s the basic rule for flowering and fruiting plants? Sunlight, right? Growing these plants at a shady spot is a big NO. Pick an east facing location so that they get direct sunlight exposure for 4-6 hours and then bright, indirect sunlight for the rest of the day.

This will also ensure that the delicate petals and foliage remains safe from the afternoon sun, especially if you live in a warm climate.

4. Feed Them!

 Reviving Petunias to die .
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Petunias are fussy! Yes Sir! They are like teenagers and you got to make sure they are well fed all the time! So, what’ the best approach?

Simple, a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half of its strength, once in 2-3 weeks. They will thank you back with blooms that will make your neighbours watch in envy!

5. Get Rid of those Fading Flowers

If you see the plant drooping with fading flowers and full of yellowing leaves, it’s time to do some pruning! Take away all the dead foliage and blooms, and give it a nice soak.

This will help the plant to redirect its energy into growing new flowers and leaves, making it look fresh and healthy!

6. Space these Beauties

What works in the relationships also works the same for these flowers! Space! Never crowd two of these beauties together, or refrain from growing them too close to the other plants.

This promotes air circulation, which means the plant will be safe from fungal issues and pests.

7. Refrain from Overfeeding

Thought petunias are over-feeders, too much feeding can make the plant burn out! Do not feed the plant every week thinking it will help it flower better. Follow the rule that we discussed in the point 4th! Simple.

8. Deadhead it Out!

There will be times when you see the petunias getting overwhelmed with flowers. This can make the plant droop, suck it out of all the energy, and may make it exhausted into maintaining all those blooms. All this can take a toll on its health, making it fade out.

To save it from happening, it would be a good idea to deadhead some blooms to give the plant a nice, trimmed and handsome appearance. It will keep it safe and looking gorgeous at the same time!


The No: 1 Trick to Revive Petunias If They Are Dying

If none of the things above work, you can always use this hail mary shot-repotting. 

Yes, you read that right. You need to repot your dying petunia in a fresh potting mix so there’s proper root growth and oxygen flow. The fresh mix is revitalizing.

In old soil, hidden root rot or pest problems go unnoticed, but repotting will take care of these. Once you have transferred petunia to its new home, stick to the proper care routine, and it will grow back into a healthy plant.

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