impatients

[i1crzymom]

:? OK... I have a problem with my impatients. They are growing sideways almost like ground cover instead of upright. They get
on average 6 hours of sunlight. They are watered daily, and when its very Hot and Sunny i water them more often. They get fed miracle grow every other week. I do have alot of blooms, but they refuse to
grow upright. Now their leaves are starting to become very pale, and
small. Can anyone help me figure out why? Any help would be greatly appreciated..... thanks in advance


i1crzymom :)

Around here impatiens are perennial, but nevertheless:

They are a very heavy plant and tend to spread over time.
Depending on your weather and your ground you may be overwatering
and/or overfertilizing. If they grow too fast they don't have time to grow
strong enough to support their own weight.

Try cutting down on water and fertilizer. And water less often, but deep.

Aloha,

Maren in Hilo, HI

[Newt]

Hi 1crazymom,
Good advice from Maren. I have found that my impatiens prefer shade and do well without getting leggy. Also, if they are in pots, look to see of they are rootbound.

Newt

[i1crzymom]

:D Thanks for all the advice....
it seems since the weather here in Michigan
has warmed up a bit, and its stopped RAINING
ive had to put down slug control and since then
my plants have improved..... i still water them
deeply once a day due to the HOT and Dry weather
we've been having.
Again, thanks for the help
:P

[Sandorn]

Hi guys. Boy I wish mine would bloom. I planted 20 of the New Guniea Impatients on the east side of my mobile home. I'm in FL. There is a humungus orange tree hovering over them. Therefore they get a lot of sade. Not much sun, mostly light.
Their growing good, but hardly no blooms. Maybe one or two if lucky.
How can I force blooms. There was fertilizer in the bag of mix, so I did add any. Do they need more?


Thanks for any help!

[Newt]

Sandorn, New Guinea Impatients require a bit more sun then in early spring, so if yours are in total shade you may have to be patient. You don't say when you planted them.

I'm a bit confused about your statement, "There was fertilizer in the bag of mix, so I did add any." I thought you said you planted these in the ground. Did you add potting soil to the ground? The best thing to add is compost to your soil. And no, don't add more fertilizer as you risk burning your plants. If you did add potting soil to the planting bed that contained a slow release fertilizer, wait at least 2 months before you fertilize again. These plants do not tolerate severe heat, so they may not last through the winter.

Newt

[Sandorn]

Hi Newt

I planted my NGI two weeks ago. I used the potting mix not soil that has the fertilizer in the bag. Five days later still only two on each. So I was told to put on a bloom booster. Still not many blooms. Was also told these will grow under that orange tree. They don't like sun. They don't get hardly any sun. Just light under there.
Been watering daily or every other day. Deep watering two a week.

Sandorn

[Newt]

Generally when planting new transplants into the ground, it will take as long as 3 weeks to see new flowers and growth. The roots will need time to establish themselves before they concentrate on flowers and leaves. I think you may be a little impatient.

It's always best to add compost to the existing soil and not potting soil. Compost is organic matter and will improve the texture of your soil, help with water retention and add good microbes and nutrients to your soil to support your plants.

Potting soil isn't soil at all, but peat moss with some perlite and maybe some timed release fertilizer. Peat moss is difficult to rewet once dry (ever let a houseplant dry out and when you water it just sits there?), so you may now need to water more often. I can't say how you should water as your soil is probably sandy and would drain quickly. Add to that the fact you used potting soil, you may find your plants will need more water then usual. There are no nutrients in peat moss so synthetic slow release fertilizer is added. Once that is gone you will need to fertilize on a regular basis. With compost the nutrients will leach out into the soil more slowly.

Hopefully you mulched your plants to help retain mositure. I would suggest you poke your finger into the soil to your second knuckle to see if they need watering. Over time you will be better able to judge how often to water.

When it's time to rip these out, I would suggest you add a 4" layer of compost to the planting bed and mix it into the soil before you plant again. Then mulch your plants after planting.

It sounds to me that you may be at risk of overfertilizing. The potting soil you used has fertilizer and now you've used a bloom booster. I'd say not to fertilize for at least a month.

Newt

[Sandorn]

Newt I used potting mix, not soil.

[Newt]

That's my 'bad'. I should have said mix as there is no soil in potting soil. It's potting mix these days. Sorry about the confusion, but everything else except the words potting soil still apply.

Newt