Question
QUESTION: I recently puchased new rail planters to put on my deck and bought wave petunias to plant in them, along with other misc. flowers.  I purchased potting soil, mixed w/our own compost of kitchen scraps, veggies, etc.  I planted and watered, fertilized.  They were looking beatuiful and then noticed, one day, they started dying.  Not turning yello, just shriveled up and died.  I noticed all the pots all my wave petunias are dying.  I even took out the old ones and replaced, now they are dead or dying.  What has happened.  I looked on-line to see what could of happened.  I have looked for mites, and have saw very tiny small red (bugs) on the underside and on the stems.  I also have a sweet potato vine growing, and notice small holes, (like something has been eating) on them.  I am just ready to give up.  Can you tell me what happened?  could the compost I added have the bugs in it?  Please help me.  I am ready to empty each one, throw away, and maybe start over or wait until next year.

ANSWER: Lisa,
Insects don't usually make plants shrivel up and die unless it's something that has stripped the outside of the stem and girdled the plant so that it doesn't get water. This would be unusual but not impossible.

Insects with sucking mouth parts (aphids, whitefly, scale) make tiny holes that cause foliage to become stippled or distorted. Insects with chewing mouth parts make holes of various sizes, but this seldom kills plants unless the feeding strips all the leaves. In that case you'd see the leaves disappear, not die. Slugs usually eat foliage not stems, and you'd know it was slugs or snails because you could see the silvery slime trails they leave behind.

What you describe could be fertilizer burn. Did you fertilize with a liquid fertilizer or a granular or time release product?  Did you use it exactly at the rate recommended?  Also, did you fertilize when the plants were dry? If so, this could cause fertilizer burn - never feed a thirsty plant and always use only the amount recommended and mix according to directions.

Plants that just shrivel and die usually do so for these reasons: they dry up in between watering, fertilizer burn or they get hit with either a household product (window cleaner etc) or hot water from a hose not run until cool before watering. Plants that are over-watered usually wilt first, then die.  Be sure you have drainage holes in your boxes because if you don't the roots might be too wet and rotting.

I hope this helps,
C.L.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well I wish that was the answer.  I used Miracel Grow, but on the first ones, with the kinds that goes on the hose, and radiates it consistently.  On the new ones, no fertilizer yet, and yes they have all shriveled up and died within 2 weeks.  I really don't understand what could of happened.  They look wonderful, then overnite they start dying.  I really wonder if it is some kind of bug.  I also lined my boxes with Coco liner and my boxes have draining holes.  They drain fine.  If I start over, do I need to replace the liners, or can I use again.

Answer
Lisa,
Did you look at the stems to see if these were stripped? As I outlined before, this is the only type of insect damage that would cause what you describe. Is it possible that something got dumped in the soil? Even most diseases don't kill plants overnight but I suppose that it could be some sort of fungal action. Do you see any slight fuzz on the underside of the leaves on the dead plants?

Is it really hot where you live? Do you test the soil morning and evening to see if it's dry? Newly planted annuals dry out quickly so it's possible to water in the morning and still have them dry out by mid-afternoon in extremely hot weather.

When the first ones started doing poorly did you apply any pesticides to them? Some insecticides and fungicides make plants more sun-sensitive and can actually do damage, especially if applied on a hot, sunny day.

I think you can use the same coco liners but I'd probably start with fresh soil.  Do you always put your own compost in with the potting soil?  Do you think that there might be something in the compost that caused the problem?  If you're up for experimenting, you might fill a small pot with straight potting soil and another one with potting soil mixed with compost. Plant the same type of plant (something inexpensive!) in each and treat them the same way, and see if there's any difference in the two over time.

all the best,
C.L.