While (estimated soil) temperatures are between 55-80*. I fertilize virtually all my floral containers weekly with full recommended strength solutions of MG 24-8-16 (or MG 12-4-8 - both are 3:1:2 RATIO fertilizers) and when temps are out of that range, I fertilize at reduced rates with Foliage-Pro 9-3-6. I can do this and get excellent results because of my watering habits and the fast soils I use. How often you SHOULD fertilize depends on the relationship between 4 things, primarily. They are A) the mass of the plant material in the container B) how robustly the plant material is growing C) how fast the soil is D) your watering habits. In my case, I NEED to fertilize that often because my plants ARE growing very robustly, the soil is fast, and I water copiously enough at every watering to insure that fertilizer salts and salts from the irrigation water don't build up in the soil. IOW, I flush the soil each time I water. It may be, that more plants in containers are killed by over-fertilizing than not fertilizing, but fertilizing containers is a very necessary part of producing productive or attractive containers. You cannot depend on whatever it is you mixed into your soil, or the soil components themselves to supply the necessary nutrients for container culture - especially not in a favorable ratio. I fertilize my indoor plants that grow under lights during the winter at every watering, using a 1/4 strength solution of Foliage-Pro 9-3-6. Again, my soils are fast & I can do this with what most consider exceptional results. I wouldn't be able to do this if I was using a water-retentive soil, however. Also, please AVOID bloom-booster fertilizers or ANY fertilizer where the NPK middle number is higher than the first or last number (N or K). No plant uses more P than N or K. Plants use on average, 6 times more N than P, and 4 times more K than P. The bloom-booster formula 10-52-10 supplies 32X more P than the plant can ever use in relationship to N. This added P makes it unnecessarily difficult for the plant to absorb water and the nutrients dissolved in water. It also causes deficiencies of Fe, Mn, and other micro-nutrients, and unnecessarily raises media pH. Al

Hi grny28, I am going to refer to The Ortho Problem Solver, seventh edition on this, because I am no expert on Petunias (zinnias are my "thing"). The book's coverage on Petunia problems starts on page 262 and continues onto page 264. It has articles on Gray Mold (everywhere in the US), Smog Damage (limited to relatively small coastal areas), Caterpillars, Cutworm Damage, and the last article on Crown and Root Rot (everywhere in the US) seems the most likely culprit. Crown and Root Rot is caused by Phytophthora (I don't think you can say that without spitting a little), a fungus that lives in the soil. It initially attacks the roots or stem at or just below the soil level. The dark dry decay of the lower stem tissue and roots reduces the flow of water to the leaves and flowers, causing the petunia to wilt and die. Crown and Root Rot is common in heavy poorly drained wet soils. The fungus (Phytophthora) is spread by contaminated soil, transplants, and tools. The solution is to remove and destroy infected plants and all the soil within 6 inches of their roots. How do you destroy soil? Well, I guess you could throw it into an incinerator, but I would just put it a plastic bag and send it to the landfill with the rest of the garbage. To prevent a recurrence of Crown and Root Rot, you should improve your soil drainage and drench it with a fungicide containing Captan. That's what the Ortho book says. Repeat the drench monthly during the growing season and let the soil dry out between waterings. I try to avoid problems of this sort with my zinnias by adding a lot of sand to my garden soil to create a sandy loam, and I add Perlite to my indoor growing medium to increase its drainage. "They were planted in larger containers along with other plants that are fine, What are the chances of a disease from so many different nurseries?" Many plants aren't susceptible to Phytophthora, and the problem is in your soil or growing medium, and not at the different nurseries. ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned or linked)

I've always had great results from WSown 'tunias, too. Laura Bush has reseeded so much that I see it being added to my "reseeds TOO MUCH" list. I've never tried impatiens. Seems to me, because they're such heat lovers, they might not look like much until too late for my liking. I don't know this to be true, just speculation on my part. I tried a few impatiens under lights last year. Even with lights and bottom heat, they took forever and a day to sprout and grow. But because they were done early inside, I had blooming impatiens in late May I think. My space under lights is very limited and mostly occupied by coleus which I overwinter as cuttings. Last year I only had two flats of cells of seeds started inside. All my other seeds were WSown. Karen

Hi Zesty - "Live Life Zestfully" I agree completely!!! I invested on my 5y/o grand daughter's joy, at the sight of a 5ft fully bloomed beauty of a Kyushu tree ... "She looks like a Princess, Mimi, I just have to have her!" Home, we came with our 'Princess Kyu' & never a moment's regret - May 2006! She danced like a graceful ballerina during a tornado grade storm - Jun 2007, survived a heavy ice-storm topped with heavy snow this past Winter (keeled over 45 deg. yanked back into place with straps & stake). Now, she is still her petite 5'2" & fast leafing out!!! Not a 'Splashy Big Daddy' but a zesty Princess that has not failed to fetch "wows" from walkers-by!!! Try Forever & Ever ... IMO, an improvement on ES ... are quite reliable bloomers w/heftier canes for our testy zone! ES & Big Daddy Hs are all over the place here ... I'd rather have Lace Caps & Paniculatas!