How Often to Water Impatiens? A Detailed Guide to Watering and Fertilizing

Actually, there are many people around us who love growing flowers. The editor believes that growing flowers is a kind of sentiment: basking in the sun in one's spare time while tending beautiful flowers is fulfilling and elegant. Impatiens is a particularly beautiful flower with large blooms and rich colors, and many people like to grow it at home. So how should impatiens be watered and fertilized?

How to Water Impatiens (How Often to Water)

During the flowering period, impatiens has relatively higher water and nutrient needs than usual, so the frequency of watering and fertilizing can be appropriately increased. During the flowering period, a watering interval of 3 days is suitable, and a fertilizing interval of 15-20 days is suitable. The amount of water at each watering should not be too much; avoid waterlogging in the potting soil, otherwise root rot easily occurs and causes the petals to drop. Note that impatiens should not be watered when the sunlight is very strong, otherwise it easily causes discomfort to the plant. Water in the evening or morning.

How to Fertilize Impatiens

Before sowing: Impatiens has very strong vitality and does not need fertilizing in daily care. However, when sowing, mix a little liquid fertilizer into the sowing soil appropriately, and the seedlings will grow very plump and healthy.

After emergence: After the seedlings emerge, topdressing can be applied. Place them in a spot with sufficient sunlight to prevent leggy growth, and with the supply of fertilizer, the plants will grow up very robustly. When the flowering period arrives, there will also be more flower buds.

In daily care, if you feel the branches and leaves of the plant are not in very good condition, you can fertilize once every two months.

When fertilizing impatiens, apply liquid fertilizer. Or place granular fertilizer and then pour a little water onto the fertilizer. When fertilizing, keep away from the roots and stems, otherwise it will burn the seedlings and roots. Fertilizer water must not touch the leaves, otherwise the leaves will dry up. For fertilizer, choose phosphorus and potassium fertilizer as much as possible, and apply less nitrogen fertilizer. The amount of fertilizer should be small, otherwise it is not conducive to flowering.

What to Do If Impatiens Has Root Rot

1. Watering technique

Watering should be moderate, not too frequent. This is a mistake many beginners at growing plants often make. You should master the principle of watering when dry and stopping when wet. This should be paid special attention to during the dormant period of potted plants and the early stage of potting and repotting.

2. Drainage and ventilation treatment

Ensure the potting soil drains well and maintain good ventilation. Therefore, appropriately add organic humus, river sand, furnace slag, coal ash and other components to ensure the substrate has good air permeability and water permeability. Or repot again, cut off excess fibrous roots, otherwise over time the leaves will turn yellow and drop, and waterlogging will cause root rot and death.

3. Topdressing principle

When topdressing potted plants, the amount and concentration must not be too large, and the principle of “small amounts, many times” should be followed as much as possible. If the amount is too large, it will also burn the roots and cause rot.

How to Grow Impatiens at Home

1. Sowing

Sow from March to September, with sowing in April being the most suitable. In this way, it will bloom in early to mid-June, and the flowering period can last more than two months.

2. Seedling raising

Scatter the seeds on the culture soil, lightly cover with soil about 0.3 cm, and they will germinate after 5-6 days. Once there are 3-4 true leaves, they can be planted in flower pots, with a plant spacing of 30 cm.

3. Light

Impatiens likes light and can be grown on a sunny balcony. In summer, avoid exposure to blazing sunlight.

4. Water and fertilizer management

Watering: In hot weather, water once every 2 days; normally, water once every 4-6 days.

Fertilizing: Impatiens has very low nutrient requirements; even poor soil can still let it grow well. But if you want the flowers to bloom brilliantly and beautifully, applying some fertilizer is also fine. Apply liquid fertilizer once a month, or once every two months, both are acceptable.

5. Flowering period

The flowering period of impatiens differs according to sowing time. If sown in late April to early May, the flowering period is in July; if sown in July, it blooms in September. Frequent fertilizing can increase flower buds and extend the flowering period.

As mentioned above, although growing flowers seems easy, it actually requires a certain amount of care! The growing methods for each kind of flower are different. Some flowers and plants need frequent watering, while some flowers do not need watering every day, so everyone must be sure to understand the growing methods of the flowers!