Expert: C.L. Fornari - 4/28/2004

Question
Hello,
Could you give me any information on how to make my impatiens grow well this year?
Thanks,
Jackie  

Answer
Jackie,
I'd be happy to!  

Plant Impatiens in part sun or part shade.  They will tolerate full shade but won't be quite as full and flower-filled.  They will tolerate full sun in cooler summer areas but not in the heat of the south.

Success with Impatiens starts with the soil -  loosen the soil with a garden fork or trowel - try to loosen it down at least 8."  If your soil is clay or sand, or if there are many tree roots in the planting area, dig in some compost or composted manure (you can buy bags of either at your garden  center)  - but NOT peat moss.  (can keep area too wet.)  If you have good soil (not too much clay not too much sand or too many tree roots) you can just loosen the soil.  When you are turning the soil up with your fork or trowel, you can also work in some slow-release organic fertilizer such as Flowertone.  

When you plant your impatiens, loosen the root balls a bit if they are root-bound.  (If the plug looks like a solid mass of white roots that stay in the shape of the container, the plant is rootbound.)  Pull the roots on the bottom apart or snip into the bottom with the scissors.  

The closer you plant them the taller they will grow (streching to the light) so you can put them 6 to  8 inches apart to have them grow taller or 12 to 18 inches apart to have them shorter.

Water the impatiens right after you plant, and about every three days for the first three weeks.  For this time you can hand water if you want, but after three weeks start watering every five or six days using a sprinkler that runs for at least an hour.  A deep soaking less often is better than a little every day.  (Automatic sprinkler systems that come on every other day are death for Impatiens because they keep the soil surface wet but don't soak deeply.  The plants will get crown rot from the damp surface and won't  develop deep roots.

After the first week you can fertilize with a liquid fertilzer if you want, or use one of the time release products like Osmocote or Proven WInners Time Release... but DON"T fertilize every time you water like the Miracle Grow types tell you.  If you used an organic fertilize when you prepared the soil, an early summer and a mid-summer feeding are enough. (the organic kicks in later)  Or one application of time-release is enough.

Too much fertilizer makes plants tall and weak - combined with frequent rain or watering, and you have leaf-spot that causes leaves to yellow and fall off.  (Over-fertilized plants are more suseptible to fungal diseases.)

Let me know if you have questions or concerns I haven't addressed!
C.L.