Impatiens care
Growing Impatiens
From the time they were discovered in East Africa, impatients have become one of the largest selling annual bedding plant. After 40 years of breeding, Impatients have come a long way with new varieties introducing a rainbow of colors (except blue), single and double flowers and assorted heights. A favorite shade plant, it provides a non-stop floriferous splash of color to any low light area all season long until a killing frost will finally put it to rest.
Impatiens are one of the easier plants to grow. Given the right conditions, they will provide mounds of brightly colored flowers 1-2 ft. tall from spring to fall. They are great in borders, containers, window boxes and hanging baskets.
Care: Primarily considered a shade/ semi-shade plant, newer varieties (Viva) also tolerate sun.
Because it is a heat-loving, tropical plant, it should be planted after all danger of frost has passed or when the soil temperature is 60F.
Plant 6″ to 12″ apart in well-drained, rich organic soil in shade/semi-shade. In the North plant them in full sun and in the Southern states in morning sun. In either climate, Impatients need protection from the hot afternoon sun.
Watering: Impatients like moist but not wet soil in order to grow well. Be sure they get 1″ of water every week and water more often in the heat of summer and if in full sun. If allowed to dry out they will wilt dramatically and sulk dropping its leaves and flowers. Wilting also causes stress and drains energy making them more susceptible to insect or disease damage.
When planting, feed with a slow-release fertilizer or monthly with a balanced fertilizer. Feed more often when container grown or if plants are competing for nutrients such as growning under a tree. Too much fertilizer can cause leggy plants and reduced flowering.
If your Impatients are tall and leggy by mid summer pinch them back to 6 inches and they should regrow as bushier plants.
Propagation: Softwood cutting taken in late winter, early spring. Seeds-sow indoors 10-12 wks before last frost date. Seeds need light and temperatures of 70-75F to germinate cover with plastic to provide humidity. Germination takes 15-20 days.
Troubleshooting:
Root rot- over-watering, poor drainage
INSV Impatiens necrotic spot virus-leaf & stem ring spots that are yellow, white, gray or brown/black.
TSWV Tomato spotted wilt virus – ring spots on foliage transmitted by thrips
Fungal leaf spots-plant stress
Spider mites, thrips, mealybugs and aphids.
No related posts.
Yellow leaves
my impatiens leaves are turning yellow and some have little or no flowers, what am i doing wrong and what should i know
I live in southern CA and have always had great luck with growing impatiens. This year although I have replanted several times I am continually losing all the leaves on my plants. The only difference I am aware of in this area is a new resident lizard. Is it possible he is eating my plants? If so what can I plant in a partially sunny southern facing spot where I want lots of color that my lizard won’t like to dine on? Thanks
I have a beautiful impatiens plant that I would like to keep over the winter for next year. Is this possible? I live in Missouri.
thx for the tips on how to take care of my impatints! i really needed it! =) =P
I have a double impatien plant which I kept over the winter and probagated to make about 8 new plants did very well and the new plants looked healthy and nice. I then put them outside for the summer with new potting soil. The potting soil, (actually I used two different potting soils on two different occasions)was supposed to be organic. Anyway, now the leaves are small and slightly curly and there are not new buds on the stems. It is this way with all the plants even though I used different potting soil. Do you have and answer for this?
Thanks for info on impatiens. I have a pot full that are very tall and leggy. You say they can be pinched back. Excatly what does that mean? CanI merely snip them off at 6 inches or so? Or is there a point on the stem that will be best? The plant seems otherwise fairly healthy. Just not too pretty any more. I appreciate the qweb help.–Janet
My impatients are not blooming as they usually do. Too much fertilizer or too much water?
I, too, have been having trouble with my impatiens. I think my fertilizer had too much nitrogen. Can I reverse the nitrogen content somehow so they will continue to bloom?
What can i do if our impatiens in hanging baskets are getting too much water from too much rain here in massachusetts. We have already lost 4 baskets .
I live in downtown Richmond, VA and traditionally have had wonderful blooming & vibrant impatiens which seemed to be the case for this year as well. I decided to plant some Tomato plants in pots along side my impatiens and also started off well, however about a month ago my tomatoes seem to have caught some sort of mold / disease ( believe it is “Gray Mold” …. or so I have read and for which I was told nothing could be done?). Now it seems that my impatiens have contracted some sort of fungi / mold where the leaves and blooms are turning white, somewhat botchie? Is this indeed something from my Tomatoes? Is there anything that can be done? I’ve never had this problem in years past?? Never have had tomatoes in past years either.
Thanks for your advice and expertise.
I share the same predicament with one of your reader here. My impatiens are losing their color and the buds doesnt bloom. They opened up a little and then died off. I think didnt overwater them nor did I over-fertilise them. Need your expertise here. Thanks !
Leggy and spindly plants
hi dear the leaves of my impatiens become long and slim what can i do.
Small, spindly growth
I have alot of impatiens here in san diego, all in 20″ planters. They were doing fine last season but this season quite a few of them are growing weird. They tend to be growing stems from every node on every branch and turning into this multi legged tiny leaf growth of a plant. I tried cutting them back but they grow the same way. eventually they just get so spindley and very little leaf growth I have to get rid of them. I have them on a timer with 3 days watering at 10 minutes. they get plenty of water but i don’t think too much or is 3 days too much? why do they grow this way? it looks pretty ugly and I want to stop it from happening on more of my impatiens. any suggestions? Thanks!
Buds dry and drop
i bought impatiens a week ago and i hav planted it in a pot since i live in an apartment.. the problem is that its buds are not blooming…the buds become dry and fall off….could u pls give me some suggestions so that the buds starts 2 bloom into flowers…
Thrips
i have a greenhouse for the first time, my plants were doing great, now i have a white mark around the leaves which is spreading what might it be and how do i solve it
Wilty impatiens
My daughter bought me an Impatient plant, for Mother’s day, from her school. It came in a little plastic cup. The flowers are falling off and it looks like it is wilting. Since it is not officially Mother’s day, I am not really supposed to have seen this plant. My daughter is devistated about this. How can we fix this poor little plant?
Yellow leaves
I have some impatients on the north side of the house that get some morning and some evening sun (live in Central Wisconsin). The leaves are starting to turn yellow. What could be causing this problem? Please inform.
Thank you,
Julie
P.S. to the above: My impatients that have the most yellowing leaves have a spike plant in the middle. Will these two plants work together or are they not compatible? Please inform.
Thank you,
Julie
Yellow leaves
My impatients have yellow leaves and have not opened yet. What am I doing wrong?
thank you
Elizabeth
Impatiens attack
hi,I live in Michigan and my impatients are growing nicely after I’ve planted them but then in some places I find ripped or thorn appart branches and it looks like someone bit them from the bottom trunk;I even have put some moth balls arownd them; the flowers are so beautiful and I want to cry for them; I am desperate to find what is killing them; they are so lovely ….do you think it is an animal or they are getting rotten; maybe I love them to much….
White spots on flowers
hi, i have bright purple impatiens. they get morning sun until about 11:00am then shade for the rest of the day. the flowers now look like someone poured bleach on them. thay have white streaks and sploches all over them. what causes this. i never let them wilt, but i don’t keep them wet all the time either?