Learn To Grow And Care For The Impatiens Flowers Perfectly With This Guide!

The best houseplant that you can grow even the most interior of your house is that of impatiens flowers that will give it a uniquely perfect and most realistic flowery touch. The impatiens flower plant can be grown simply in the way of your choice without you having to worry about putting in a lot of maintenance later. Read on to know more about the plant and a guide ongoing right about the growth and impatiens care.

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About the impatiens flower plant

The impatiens flowers plant is a native of the regions of New Guinea, Eurasia, and Africa.

There are many common names for this plant like Busy Lizzie which derives from the delicateness of the plant. This Latin term has been given to the plant because of the process of the flower where the seeds burst out from the pod upon getting ripened or getting touched even slightly. The term Impatiens is also a Latin word that means Impatient and denotes the same process of seed bursting.

The botanical name of this plant is Impatiens spp. and belongs to the family of plants called Balsam which makes it a relative of many other flower-bearing houseplant species. The name of the genus is Impatiens which is a group of tropical perennial plants that can grow in a wide variety of regions except for the extremely warm ones.

Different varieties of impatiens flower plant

There are more than 1000 varieties of impatiens flowers in the market developed by growers to be diseases resistant. Here are some of the popular ones:

Impatiens walleriana or Imara XDR with color mix flowers
Impatiens walleriana or Beacon with supreme diseases resistance
Impatiens balsamina or Torn Thumb with larger size flowers
Impatiens walleriana or Super Elfin with pastel color flower varieties
Impatiens walleriana or Swirl with red outlined orange and pink flowers
Impatiens hawkeri or New Guinea with most vibrant flower colors and taller height
Impatiens x or Bounce with a higher survival rate
Impatiens x or SunPatiens with salmon pink flowers

Physical characteristics of the impatiens plant

The plant appears very rich in looks and everything about it is eye-catching. Here are some of the highlighting features of this plant:

This plant produces the widest variety of colorful flowers that includes shades of yellow, purple, coral, violet, pink, red, and white. You get both bold as well as pastel shades and that gives you a plant of your taste. The flower usually has five to six petals that are neatly arranged around a minute stalk-center.
The foliage of this plant doesn’t have anything very exciting but the bright green colored leaves give an amazing contrasting background to the flowers that enhances their looks even more.
The plant grows as tall as 36 inches and can spread up to 3 feet at max.

Growing the impatiens flower plant

This flower-laden plant looks extremely charming as a bedding trail, garden piece, or hanging balcony pot, and here is all about growing and how to care for impatiens.

Basic requirements of the plant

You won’t find any problems in providing the essentials to this plant as they are the hassle-free needs:

This plant can survive in all types of shady conditions and with some sunlight too. This is their biggest strong point that they can grow in shade too and that makes them a great indoor plant as the light absence doesn’t affect the flower color. Protect them from direct light exposure.
The soil medium required for this plant needs to be well-draining and must be amended with rich organic matter to make it nutritious. Good drainage will prevent root rotting and give a successful start to the plant. A soil-free potting mix or sterile soil is better for the potted plants as it is even better at drainage.
This plant is heat sensitive and can’t survive beyond 85 degrees F along with needing more watering as per the heat levels. At the same time, they must be protected from frost.
The humidity levels required for the plant is that of medium level.

Method of propagating the plant

There are many ways in which you can start the plant and here is how:

With seeds-

You can get your seeds directly from the pod of other mature plants or any farm store. Sow the seeds in any standard soil mix somewhere around 6-8 weeks before the last date of frost so that they are ready for transplanting once the spring arrives. Keep the seed tray in warm and humid conditions to support better germination.

With stem cuttings-

This is an easier method and all you need is stem cuttings taken from a mature plant of around 4-6 inches in length. Clear some portion of the stems off all the leaves, pods, or flowers, and then leave it in a glass of water for some days to allow rooting. Keep the cutting in a lighted area and change the water after every couple of days for allowing air circulation.

Once the roots develop, insert the rooted portion in the prepared soil pot. Keep the soil moisture level checked always and plant in a lighted area.

Method of transplantation

The plants must be transplanted once the spring frost is gone as frost can affect the still tender younglings. These plants grow tall so transplant them evenly spaced accordingly to allow them space. Make sure to amend the soil before transplanting the seedlings with some slow-release fertilizer or rich organic compost.

Take out the younglings by lightly squeezing the soil to loosen it. Dig a small hole in the other pot or garden bed and carefully keep the plant intact in it and then cover the area with soil. Tap it gently and water.

Caring for the impatiens flower plants

Follow these tips to do the best impatiens flower care:

Water the plant appropriately where the water should neither be less nor be excessive. The soil must remain moist constantly for good foliage health but not waterlogged as that can cause fungal diseases to the plant. Water the potted plants accordingly as they need more of it other than the usual rule of giving it 2 inches water for a week or more in hotter conditions.
Feed the plant with any balanced and water-soluble fertilizer in alternate weeks during the summer and spring seasons or with a slow-release fertilizer once in each season.
Pinch the stems back to promote denser growth of the plant.
The plant usually does well without deadheading and pruning but you may want to remove the leggy stems or top third portion of the plant for encouraging newer and better blooms.
Pests and diseases are surely a problem with this plant that can emerge in absence of proper care. Issues like gray mold, leaf spot, caterpillars, aphids, whiteflies, nematodes, thrips, mildew, and spider mites can bug your plant and you can treat them with fungicide spray in case needed.

Conclusion

This was all about the spectacular impatiens flowers that keep the capability of making homes as well as moods happy by their charming and colorful vibes. All those growing and care steps only seem fuzzy but give the most promising results that make every effort worth it.

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