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Sunday, June 12, 2016

Geranium and Petunia Damage on the Rise

Q. I had a beautiful  Geranium plant with lots of flowers in a large pot that has a dripper. Now that the blooms have died all the leaves are turning brown and  have holes in them. What went wrong? If I cut the plant back, will it bloom again.

A. Two things come to mind without looking at the plant, the soil or container. First of all, geraniums are cool weather plants and don't like the heat. If they are going to survive during the heat they need to have an Eastern or northern exposure which is protected from late afternoon sun. They do best in bright locations that have filtered shade. 

Secondly, this is the time of year we start to see flowers eliminated by tobacco budworm. Holes in the leaves are dead giveaway for tobacco budworm. Read more about it here.


It is possible to cut them back, fertilize and water them and get them to regrow but you should spray for the tobacco budworm to protect the new blossoms. If you have petunias, they can attack them as well.

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