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new guinea plant
New Guinea belongs to the genus Impatiens, of the Balsaminaceae family. In its natural habitat it is a perennial, where it grows to form evergreen shrubs, round in shape and flowering almost continuously throughout the year. “bella di vetro” is related. to its predominant characteristic: the stems are so fragile that they break at the slightest touch. The New Guinea plant is vigorous, has dark green lanceolate leaves and emits bright, medium-sized flowers in shades ranging from white to pink to red. A curiosity: the term Impatiens derives from the “impatience” with which these plants want to get rid of their seeds: at the end of summer, all you have to do is touch a flower and the seeds are thrown everywhere.
cultural care
The New Guinea plant does well in partial shade, even in a sunny position, but under the shelter of a large tree or large bush, which protects it from direct sunlight. It can be planted in the ground or in a pot, it lives well in both cases. During the summer, watering garden plants should be plentiful and abundant, but without letting water stagnate. More moderate irrigation for plants grown indoors. Harmful in the same way is drought, so always fresh soil. To increase flowering, during the growing season, every 10 days, add fertilizer for flowering plants to the irrigation water. You can also mix a slow-release fertilizer into the soil.
Multiplication
The multiplication of these plants is very easy, by sowing or by cuttings, indistinctly. The only downside to cutting is that modern cultivars propagated in this way will hardly retain flower characteristics over time. From this point of view, the seed certainly gives more guarantees, that said if you want to propagate your new guinea plant you only have to take the cuttings in autumn or spring or in autumn or at the end of winter if you have opted for the seed, the ideal substrate is composed of half peat and half peat. when night temperatures no longer fall below 15°C, be careful because the cold kills New Guinea, as for the soil, it must be rich in organic matter, light and fresh.
New Guinea is quite hardy. However, it can happen that certain parasites attack it, such as moulds. Beware of botrytis and powdery mildew, which are favored by stagnant water and poor ventilation. If necessary, it is possible to intervene with specific products. Concerning insects, watch out for aphids and spider mites which feed on leaves and new shoots; while the larvae love the leaves. Even snails can feed on your plant, if it is raised outdoors. To counter them, it fights biologically with ladybugs, sworn enemies of aphids; with Phytoseiulus persimilis a predatory red mite and with Bacillus thuringiensis for caterpillars or insecticide; salt on the ground around the jar for the snails.