"marci" wrote in message
...

I bought a hanging basket with petunias in it in June. The plant looked
wonderful when I bought it, but now it has turned brown and brittle in
certain areas. The main large stems are green, but most of the off
shoots have turned brown. (stem and leaves) Only the ends flower now. I
have been watering them everyday and they recieve plenty of sun. I have
noticed that there are tons of tiny black ball like things all over the
plant. I was wondering what they are. They come off easily. The ground
is usually covered in them. My plant is on the balcony of my
apartment, so I doubt it's an insect (unless they were on there when I
bought the plant)

If you need a picture to understand what I am talking about, just let
me know. Thanks!


--
marci

One of the disadvantages of growing plants in containers, in the sun, is
that many plants don't do well when their roots are hot. Naturally, the
containers are as hot as the surrounding air. The plants sometimes end up
looking ratty and worn out before an identical plant growing in the ground,
where the soil's usually cooler. With pots on the ground, you can sometimes
arrange for the pots themselves to be shaded, but that's not always possible
with hanging pots. So, you may just have to get new plants. Better nurseries
know this, and should have fresh plants available. It's also a good reason
to buy seeds and plant second crops yourself at whatever time is appropriate
for the plants you want.

The black things: What color are your petunias? Petunia flowers can shrivel
up to a pretty small size, and dark blue or purple flowers may look black
once this happens.