Question
petunia basket has stopped producing flowers and any flowers that remain are riddled with holes in the morning plus some bloooms are detached in the morning. I was told a moth or green worm is doing the damage. What can i spray on the hanging basket if it is a moth or worm? There are no visable insects on the hanging basket. ?

Answer
Paul,

There are many reasons why a plant stops producing flowers, some are insect related but some are not. Look carefully inside the flower buds for any sign of actual insects. Some plant-feeding insects live in the soil and come up at night to feed so would be hidden during the day.

You could treat the foliage with neem oil insecticide which would stop leaf-feeding insects. If this improves the plant then you have the answer. Otherwise the damage could be water (too much or too little) or fertilizer related. It could even be a disease.

Here's a link to information about neem oil insecticide http://www.livingwithbugs.com/neem_oil.html that may be useful.

Jack DeAngelis, PhD
Extension Entomologist (ret.)
My website about home and garden pests: http://www.livingwithbugs.com