Method for Maintaining Impatiens Blooming Abundantly Throughout Summer
In the vibrant world of gardening, few plants are as beloved as the impatiens, affectionately known as 'Busy Lizzies'. These colourful flowers bloom from spring through fall, bringing a splash of life to shady corners. To ensure your impatiens remain picture-perfect and continue to bloom all summer long, follow these essential steps for deadheading.
Deadheading is a crucial practice that redirects the plant's energy back into producing fresh blooms. This process can be done at any point during the growing and flowering season, making it an easy way to encourage continuous blooming.
To deadhead impatiens, identify spent flowers that are wilted or collapsed, and remove the entire stem of the faded flower by pinching it off or cutting with lightweight and dainty scissors, ensuring to cut back to a node where new growth can emerge.
Regular deadheading not only encourages more blooms but also prevents outbreaks of grey mold (Botrytis disease) by removing spent flowers before they rot. Removing decaying flowers proactively helps maintain plant health and improves air circulation around the plant, reducing the risk of fungal infections.
When deadheading, avoid removing more than one-third of the plant at a time to prevent stressing the plant. Repeat this deadheading process weekly for best results. If plants become leggy (with large spaces between leaves), pruning to encourage bushier growth can be beneficial.
In addition to regular deadheading, maintaining good air circulation and avoiding waterlogging are crucial for preventing grey mold. Keeping humidity below 70% and removing old plant material can reduce fungal disease pressure, similar to recommendations for other susceptible plants.
Organic liquid fertilizer can help impatiens produce more colorful blooms after deadheading. Yellowing impatiens leaves may indicate a lack of nutrients, so try feeding them to improve their health and flower production.
By following these steps, you can ensure impatiens remain vigorous with continuous flowering while minimizing grey mold risk through early removal of decaying flower material and proper plant care. Happy gardening!
Incorporating deadheading into your home-and-garden lifestyle, specifically with impatiens, will not only ensure vibrant lifestyle blooms all season long but also maintain plant health by preventing grey mold. Weekly deadheading of spent impatiens flowers, followed by removing old plant material and maintaining good air circulation, will aid in reducing fungal infections and improving the overall lifestyle of these colorful flowers.
