Detailed Guide to Growing Impatiens from Seed, Easy for Beginners to Master

Impatiens is commonly propagated by sowing seeds, from March to September, with April being the most suitable time for sowing. Transplanting is not particular about timing, and the growing season runs from April to September. After the seeds are sown in a pot, they generally sprout and grow leaves in about a week. Let's take a look at how to grow impatiens from seed!

Before sowing impatiens seeds, the seedbed should be watered thoroughly to keep it moist. Impatiens seeds are quite small, so do not water immediately after sowing, lest the seeds be washed away. Then cover with a thin layer of soil about 3-4 mm, and be careful to provide shade. Seedlings can emerge in about 10 days. When the seedlings grow 2-3 leaves, they should be transplanted, and later gradually planted in place or potted for cultivation.

When impatiens grows to about 8 cm, keep 1-3 plants per pot. When impatiens grows to 20-30 cm, pinch off the growing tips. After planting in place, the main stem of the plant should be topped to enhance its branching ability and make the plant shape full. After impatiens has 5 leaves, apply decomposed dilute human manure or urine once every half a month, and apply phosphate fertilizer and plant ash once before and after budding.

Impatiens usually begins to bloom in early to mid-June, and the flowering period can last more than two months. After impatiens blooms, cut off the flower bases so that it does not set seed, and the flowers will bloom even more abundantly; remove flowers at the base at any time as they open, which will encourage the tops of each branch to bloom successively, but it is prone to mutation.

Impatiens can also be germinated in a greenhouse, but before planting it permanently outdoors, it must first be hardened off at night.