How to Grow Impatiens? These Cultivation Methods and Precautions You Should Know

Impatiens (garden balsam) is a very beautiful and useful flowering plant, grown in many courtyards and flower beds. Growing impatiens at home can beautifully enhance the home environment while also helping us cultivate a sense of aesthetics. So what exactly is the correct way to grow impatiens?

How to Grow Impatiens

1. Site selection and soil preparation: Impatiens is best planted in soil that retains water and nutrients, is moist, fertile, sunny and well-drained. At the same time, apply base fertilizer in good time, prepare the land and make beds, with a bed width of 1.2 m.

2. Sowing: Because impatiens seeds are relatively small and the plant has a long lifespan, direct sowing can be used. In the south, direct sowing is suitable in March; in the north, direct sowing can be done in April. Scatter the seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with soil promptly, and water promptly to help the impatiens seeds grow. After sowing, the soil should be kept moist. At a growing temperature of generally 25°C, seedlings begin to emerge in about 5 days. Impatiens generally uses 500 grams of seed per 667 sq m. Reasonable thinning of impatiens can help achieve high quality and high yield.

3. Raising seedlings: Scatter impatiens seeds onto the growing medium, press lightly and cover with 0.3 cm of soil; they generally germinate in 5-6 days. It is understood that once the true leaves reach 3-4 leaves, the seedlings can be planted out into flower pots.

4. Flowering period: It is understood that if you want to delay the flowering period of impatiens, you can sow in early July; you can also use the pinching method, and at the same time promptly remove early-opening flowers and buds so that the plant keeps growing larger, generally applying a top dressing once every 15-20 days. Impatiens generally forms more flower buds by the end of September.

5. Management. After impatiens seedlings emerge, to prevent weeds from taking away water, loosen the soil and weed in good time, and water promptly during drought. When impatiens reaches 30-40 cm in height, promptly remove the old leaves on the lower part of the stem and pinch off the growing tip, which can encourage more branching. Apply 40 kg of cake fertilizer per mu to impatiens, scatter the fertilizer into the furrows, and water promptly to help impatiens bloom.

Impatiens Cultivation Methods and Precautions

Impatiens has a well-developed root system and transplants easily. When planted in the open ground, it has low soil requirements, but when grown in pots or when growing rare varieties, sufficient base fertilizer should be applied, and during the growing period a dilute liquid fertilizer should be applied about once every half month. After the plant buds, spraying 1-2 times with 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate can make the flowers larger and more vividly colored, and prolong flowering. Impatiens is fairly drought-tolerant and grows robustly in slightly moist to somewhat dry soil. During the mixed seedling stage, water can be appropriately controlled to encourage new root growth, thus laying a good foundation for the plant's later growth. Summer drought often easily causes leaf drop followed by wilting, so attention should be paid to timely watering.

After the plant buds, watering should be appropriately increased, so that the flowers open more quickly and vividly. During the rainy season, pay attention to timely drainage. In damp, shady or poorly ventilated places, it is prone to powdery mildew, or snails may eat the leaves, so measures should be taken promptly for control. For flower bed planting, pinch in good time; generally when the plant reaches 20-25 cm in height, pinch off the top to encourage more side branches, which helps create a full plant shape. Afterward, flowers opening on the main stem and the base of the side branches should be promptly removed, until the plant becomes a bushy, branched shape. At this point, the tops of all side branches can bloom at the same time, thus increasing ornamental value. If you do not plan to save seeds, promptly cut off the faded flowers after flowering so they do not set seed, and the flowers will bloom even more abundantly. In addition, pay attention to collecting seeds in good time. Because the impatiens capsule cracks easily after ripening and can fling the seeds far away, causing seed loss, seed collection is best done in the morning.

The Flowering Period of Impatiens

The flowering period of impatiens actually lasts a fairly long time. Generally, impatiens blooms in summer and autumn, and the blooming time is mainly concentrated in the period from July to October. After the impatiens flowers fade, the plant enters the fruiting stage. The fruit of impatiens generally matures in about 20 days.

Is Impatiens Toxic?

Impatiens is toxic! The answer is that impatiens is mildly toxic, and even snakes are somewhat afraid of it. If someone grows a few impatiens in the yard, it is likely that snakes will stay far away when they see it. But gardening friends need not worry; as long as you do not eat impatiens raw, it will not harm people.

Growing impatiens is not very difficult, so we only need to provide suitable environmental conditions and then do a little timely management. However, impatiens is a toxic flowering plant. Although in usual care it will not have much effect on the human body, you should still be sure to pay attention!