Petunias are gorgeous. With their diversity and vibrant blooms, they make a great addition to your beloved garden.
However, caring for plants requires a bit of effort and dedication. While petunias may be low maintenance, they can suffer from underwatering if neglected.
So, what should you do then? Can you save underwatered petunias?
In some cases, it’s possible to revive your wilted petunias if they’ve been deprived of water for too long.
In this article, you’ll learn the telltale signs of underwatered petunias, how long they can go without water, and how to bring them back to their lush nature. Keep reading.
Signs of Underwatered Petunias
When your petunias have a certain issue, they try to communicate that by showing some signs.
That’s why it’s essential to understand what your plants are telling you by keeping your eyes open.
Here are a few of the signs showing your petunias are underwatered:
1- Droopy Appearance: The droopy and wilted appearance is one of the most notable signs of underwatered petunias. Losing the vibrancy of blooms is a huge signal of distress.
2- Dry Soil: Check the moisture in the soil by sticking your finger into the top layer. If it feels dry, that’s another strong sign of underwatering.
3- Retracting Soil: When the soil becomes too dry, it starts to separate from the pot’s edges and contract.
4- Yellowing Leaves: Petunias may sacrifice old leaves to preserve water. So, if you notice the leaves turning yellow, it can be a sign of insufficient water supply.
5- Curling Leaves: When underwatered, petunias utilize a defense mechanism to prevent water loss through transpiration. As a result, they curl their leaves to reduce surface area.
6- Brittle Stems: Flexibility of the stem is a sign of a well-hydrated and healthy plant. As such, the stems of an underwatered petunia become brittle and break easily.
7- Slow Growth: The lack of water hinders the plant’s ability to absorb nutrients. This results in slow development and smaller booms.
8- Delayed Blooming: Producing fewer flowers and delayed blooming can also be signs of underwatering. Petunias need adequate water to support the process of flowering.
How Long Can Petunias Go Without Water?
Principally, petunias are drought-tolerant plants. So, they can handle dry weather conditions in most cases (although this may mean becoming less productive).
As a general rule, they may start to show signs of dehydration if they go without water for more than a few days.
That said, such tolerance varies depending on factors such as the plant’s health, age, and environmental conditions.
For example, in mild temperatures with adequate moisture-retaining soil, petunias can withstand short periods with no water.
However, during hot weather or in containers where the solid dries out quickly, this period might be shorter.
How To Save Underwatered Petunias
If you notice one or more of the previously listed signs, that doesn’t mean your petunias are beyond saving.
Luckily, there are a few tricks to bring your petunias back to their beautiful self.
Step #1: Assess the Damage
Inspect your petunias to determine the extent of dehydration. It’s an essential starting step to making the right decisions.
Begin by sticking your finger down the soil and feel how dry it is. Moreover, take a look at the plant’s appearance, including the leaves, stems, and blooms.
Step #2: Water Properly
Provide your dehydrated petunias with gradual watering to avoid shock. Try to water the plant deeply to make sure the moisture reaches the roots without overwhelming them.
Additionally, ensure proper drainage in your pots or garden beds. Otherwise, the plant may suffer from waterlogged soil, leading to root rot and other issues.
Step #3: Fertilize
Use a balanced, liquid fertilizer on your petunias to provide nutrients essential for their recovery. It’s important to apply it in moderation to avoid stressing your already weak plant.
However, you should never use fertilizers when the soil is still dry, as doing so can lead to root burning.
In general, using fertilizers for your petunias once every two weeks helps them regain their health and thrive.
Step #4: Prune and Deadhead
The next step is to refresh your petunias by removing any dead or damaged foliage and trimming back leggy stems. In addition, deadheading spent flowers works well, too.
To do that, use clean, sharp scissors or pruning shears. Remember that such a practice improves the plant’s appearance and contributes to the recovery process.
Step #5: Mulch
Apply a layer of mulch around the base of your recovering petunias to conserve moisture.
Mulch acts as a protective barrier, preventing fast water evaporation and maintaining adequate hydration levels.
Tips for Watering Petunias Properly
Ensuring proper watering practices is vital to maintaining healthy and vibrant petunias. The following tips will guide you through what you should do:
- Aim the water directly at the soil rather than going overhead. This ensures water reaches the roots and helps prevent foliage diseases as well as flower damage.
- Remember that overwatering is just as harmful for petunias as underwatering. So, don’t go wild with that water hose.
- Try to always keep the soil of newly planted petunias damp for the first one to two weeks.
- Monitor your petunias and water as needed (their needs may change according to the surrounding weather conditions).
- Adequate draining is key for maintaining healthy petunias and preventing waterlogged soil. Thus, you need to be careful with your choice of containers.
- Watering petunias early in the morning allows the plant to absorb moisture before the heat of the day strikes.
- Thorough, deep watering encourages a healthy root system and prevents surface-rooting that leads to drying.
- Petunias may go dormant during the winter months and consequently need less water.
How Often To Water Petunias
Petunias can handle a bit of drought. Yet, this doesn’t mean they can survive for too long without water.
That’s why maintaining adequate watering is a must to keep them from drying out.
Primarily, petunias may need more frequent watering than usual during the hot and dry weather. So, about one inch and a half of water per week is a good amount.
As for petunias grown in pots or hanging baskets, they may need more moisture.
Because they can dry out quicker than those planted in the ground, you should water potted petunias whenever the soil feels dry to the touch (at least once per week).
On the other hand, petunias grown in hanging baskets need even more frequent watering (two to three times per week).
In all cases, it’s essential to keep an eye on your petunias. According to the plant’s response and the surrounding conditions, you may need to adjust your regular watering schedule.
Final Thoughts
Seeing your beloved petunias sad and droopy can be depressing. You may think they’re gone forever, and there’s no way for them to come back to life.
However, the opposite might be true. Fortunately, in many cases, you can save your underwatered petunias.
Thus, if you’ve neglected those gorgeous blooming bushes for too long, you need to try and revive them.
All you need to do is check for the severity of the case, water properly, prune, fertilize, and wait for the magic to happen.
With a bit of love and nurturing, you may be lucky enough to witness your gorgeous petunias grow back. So, never lose hope.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.