If you like flowering plants, a little lesser known, but very beautiful plant is Impatiens balsamina. ring a bell?
Also It has other names like balsamina, joy or madama, and it is one of the plants that you can have in the garden and enjoy its color. But how are you? What features does it have? Is it hard to take care of? We talk about all of this below.
How is Impatiens balsamina
The Impatiens balsamina plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is a herbaceous plant whose leaves are elliptical and oval. Also, if you touch them, you’ll notice they’re a bit waxy, especially on the beam. It does not exceed 60 centimeters in height, and the stems are very branched and straight.
But the most beautiful thing about this plant is not its leaves (which will already attract attention), but the flowers.
These come out in March and will easily last through June (you know it will depend on the weather too). It is very abundant in terms of flowers, which is to say it will give you plenty (provided you take good care of it, of course). The flowers can be of different colors; there are oranges, reds, purples (or bluish) and pinks. All have three sepals and a tubular spur. Although now you can find double or even triple flowers.
After the flowers, come the fruits. And you may not know it, but that’s where its scientific name, Impatiens (which, yes, means “impatient”) comes from.. The fruits generate what is called balochory that what it does is that when these fruits are touched, as long as they are ripe, they end up exploding and scattering the seeds. That’s why it’s called impatient, because it can’t wait for the fruits to be picked and the seeds to be planted.
Impatiens balsamina treatment
Now that you know Impatiens balsamina a little better, would you like to have it in the garden? It’s not a hard plant to find, although the most common way to get it is through seeds, which are cheap.
But buying it doesn’t mean it will outlive you. Because you need to know what the main care is. And we can help you with that.
location and temperature
The first thing you need to know is that Impatiens balsamina should be in full sun.. It loves sunlight and the more time it spends in the sun each day, the better it will grow and thrive. Now, depending on where you live and where you have it, it’s possible that direct sun could scorch it (for example, in southern Spain). In these cases it is better to have it in a semi-shaded place (in the sense of having a lot of indirect light but only a few hours of direct sun when it is not too intense).
As for the temperature, its ideal would be between 15 and 25ºC. However, it can withstand up to 5 ºC. Below, it is normal for its growth to stop. or even put your health at risk. On the other hand, when the temperature is above 30°C, the plant will have difficulty moving forward and you may see that the flowers fall.
Substrate
When planting Impatiens balsamina, keep in mind that this is a plant that does not like drought or waterlogging.
For this reason, our recommendation is to mix with sandy soil that has a pH between 6 and 6.5, somewhat acidic; and with a drain. If possible, add some fertile soil so that it has enough nutrients.
Impatiens balsamina seeds are planted in the spring, either in the ground or in pots.
Irrigation
We are not going to tell you that this treatment is easy, because it is the most complicated that you will find. As we have already told you, Impatiens balsamina is a plant that does not tolerate drought or waterlogging. And it also requires more water than other plants because the soil must always be moist or the plant will die.
Therefore, controlling this aspect is your priority.
A piece of advice we can give you is that in summer you water it once every two days, starting in the morning, so that it has enough humidity so that the sun does not dry it out. In the evening you should check if it is good (and add water if not). In spring and autumn, it can withstand watering every five days. While in winter you can water it once a week or every ten days.
Now, this is general data; You will have to adapt it according to the location and the temperature where you have it.
Subscriber
Being a profusely flowering plant, the subscriber is always welcome. It should only be fertilized in spring and summer, and always every two months.
Use a water soluble, although it also accepts a foliar (In this case, after two hours, water must be added to remove the excess fertilizer so that with the sun it does not end up burning the leaves).
Size
When an Impatiens balsamina reaches 25 centimeters in height, and to promote its development and growth, it is recommended to cut the buds from the upper branches.
However, as time passes and branches become old and thick, you may need to prune more to get new branches.
Another of the points to eliminate from the plant are the faded flowers, to prevent pests from damaging the plant.
Plagues and diseases
Impatiens balsamina is not a very “fighting” plant, but it is easily affected by pests or diseases. For example, leaf beetles, spider mites, aphids, whiteflies or fungi They are the most common the plant will have.
Regarding diseases, many will be caused by an excess or lack of water and/or lighting.
Multiplication
Finally, if you want to propagate this plant, you can do so through seeds as well as with cuttings. These should be picked up in the spring, always with at least 10 centimeters in length. Put them in a pot with moist soil and indirect light until they start to sprout on their own.
Do you now dare to have an Impatiens balsamina in the garden?