What are those black dots all over my petunias?

Question

They are dying and I'm wondering what those little black dots are. Is there any way I can get rid of it? I have a beautiful basket of cascading petunias and they are dying!

Answer 1

it is not a fungus or virus,it is a condition called peroxyacetyl nitrate.it is caused by air pollution.there is no way to control it.some petunias can be fine,while others die.it happens to lots of plants,but the petunias are the worst ones.

Answer 2

The black dots are most likely the evidence (poop) of Tobacco Budworms. They love petunias and geraniums. Examine your plant in the early morning or in the evening. Look at the bud (or where the bud used to be) and check for these tiny worms. They eat the entire bud, so there will be no blooms, just foliage with black dots everywhere. Some say to just pick them off, but this can be time consuming and they take on the color of the actual bud, so can be very hard to see. if you only have a few petunia plants, this would be the environmentally correct way to rid yourself of these pests. go to your local garden center to see what they recommend. i have had success with bayer's 3 in one product. sevin does not work. good luck

Answer 3

Your petunia's are releasing their seeds more than likely.
The plant is an annual and will begin to decline around this time of year.

You can cut it back by half - yes, half... and expect new growth before fall.

I'm not saying the other suggestions here are wrong rather, this is the most normal "black dot" situation we will see on Petunia's.
Break open a seed node from the plant. You will see it is filled with those same little black dots.

Answer 4

I had them on my petunias, I just hosed them off. Also you can prune your petunias back by a third. It will rejuvenate them. I do it all the time.

Answer 5

http://ca.wrs.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geumIahK5GcDQBjqfrFAx.;_ylu=X3oDMTE5cGZhamxwBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZANDQTAyNjZfMjY2/SIG=12l1opnjp/EXP=1185928602/**http%3A//www.ppath.cas.psu.edu/EXTENSION/PLANT_DISEASE/petunia.html