My Impatiens Plants Have Buds but Why Won't They Bloom?
Noted for being the most popular bedding plant in America, garden impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) produce flowers in shadier sites than most other annuals or perennials. This tender perennial is generally grown as an annual, though it can overwinter in frost-free U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 12. Ranging from 6 inches to 2 feet tall, impatiens bear blossoms in all colors but yellow and true blue. One type produces double flowers that look like roses. When bloom problems occur, you should check moisture, light and fertilizer levels.
Impatiens may drop their buds or fail to bloom if they are stressed by drought, receive too much sun or are planted in deep shade.
Moisture Stress and Flowers
Impatiens perform well only in moist, but well-draining, soils. Moisture stress can result in the abortion of flower buds and a decrease in blooming. During periods of extreme heat, you may need to water daily. Use soaker or drip hoses that put the water where it is needed in your flower beds.
While wilted plants recover quickly after a thorough watering, if impatiens start to look spindly as summer heats up, cut the plants back using sterilized shears or anvil pruners to within a few inches of the base. The pruning should encourage renewed growth and blooming. New foliage emerges a few days later, followed by flowers covering it in about two weeks.
Always sterilize your pruning tools with rubbing alcohol or Lysol to prevent the spread of diseases. Allow the blades to air-dry. Avoid chlorine bleach; it corrodes the metal blades of your tools.
Light and Impatiens Not Blooming
Although impatiens have a reputation as a shade plant, partial shade works best. They thrive in sites that receive two to four hours of filtered sunlight during the day or sun through the morning and afternoon shade, according to Clemson Cooperative Extension.
If grown in heavily shaded locations, impatiens tend to become leggy, and blooms will be less profuse. In addition, some of the newer strains have been bred to require more sun than the traditional impatiens.
Fertilizer for Impatiens
Before planting, test the pH of your soil. Impatiens prefer a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5. If your soil tests more acidic than this, add some lime to raise the pH level. During the growing season, apply a water-soluble fertilizer as you water, every six to eight weeks, to encourage both foliage and flower development.
Floridata recommends applying a balanced fertilizer for impatiens, such as a 13-13-13 solution . If you're growing impatiens in containers, fertilize more often, approximately every two weeks.
New Guinea Impatiens
A new group of hybrids, mostly with Impatiens hawkeri parentage and native to the island of New Guinea, have been gaining popularity over the past few decades. Often more temperamental than common impatiens, they can withstand more sunlight, especially strains like SunPatiens.
New Guinea impatiens grow taller and more upright, with 3-inch flowers rather than the 1- or 2-inch blossoms of traditional varieties. Eastern exposures suit the New Guinea cultivars. Although they require more sun than other impatiens, the flowers will be smaller and fewer in number with too much sun. Provide some dappled or light shade in the afternoon to reduce stress. Also, check the soil moisture frequently as the plants wilt badly when the soil is too dry.