Hanging baskets punk out in a few weeks

Hi all. I have a dilemma with petunia hanging baskets I bought at a nursery. Every year I try different types of plants but they all seem to get spindly and ugly within a week or so of bringing home. See picture attached for this year's pick. I water diligently almost every day, and I rotate for sun exposure, and I put small amounts of fertilizer every couple of weeks. What more could I do to keep them nice looking all summer? I explained to the guy at the nursery that they get direct sun almost all day, and they assure me this is ok for petunias or what ever plants I get.
I would really appreciate help with this one. I want my deck to be pretty and colorful all spring summer and fall. I live in north east in 6zone at the base of the blue mountains in Hamburg pa.
Thank you! For help!

I believe the plant pictured there is a Calibrachoa.

Yes, Calibrachoa.
Small pots, such as these, dry out very quickly, especially when most of the volume is taken up by a root mass. Daily watering would almost certainly be needed.

If you are putting them out end of April or early May, it may be that it is still too chilly for these plants. This would be both in terms of absolute temperature, and whether or not you "hardened them off". Big hanging baskets were usually produced in a warm greenhouse for rapid growth. It is a big shock to the plants to suddenly go out where it gets cold every night. Traditional advice is to "harden them off" by putting them out a bit longer each day for a week or two. One of the nice things about the Calibrachoa (mini-petunia) and petunias is you can cut them back pretty severely when they get scraggly-in a couple weeks they will grow and bloom again. Next year you might want to wait until mid May or even later for things like this. Another cue that it is warm enough for 'tropical' plants like this is if tomatoes are growing well. Tomatoes also get shocked if it gets below 50 degrees at night.

Agree that Cali's require regular and consistent soil moisture and that can easily be daily watering and in summers heat even more often. They also, like most container plants, require regular feeding. How often depends on what you use and how often you have to water - some use a 1/4 strength diluted liquid fert every time they water, some use 1/2 strength once a week.

And keeping them well trimmed and dead-headed is mandatory. That is what stimulates new growth and a well-balanced appearance.

dave

I did the extreme cutting back after they all faded and now they are perking up. I guess this will cycle acouple of times during the whole season. I can deal with it but I am going to try something else that does not fade like this. Any ideas? I don't mind spending the money. But it I am going to I do not want this kind of ugly fading in just two weeks. I don't mind buying immature growth and waiting but once the color begins I would like to see it keep going and not get so ugly. These were to be the focal point of doorway.

I would try to replant into a larger hanging basket to give the roots room to grow as well as additional soil to preserve the nutrients from the fertilizer. The plants get awfully root bound in the greenhouse because they are started so early and the pots are jam packed with several plants. A good trim and a quarter strength balanced liquid fertilizer once a week should have them looking full and lush in no time at all. For that reason I try to avoid purchasing pre-planted pots.