How Can I Save My Hanging Impatiens Plant?

I bought the plant in May, 2005. It hung outdoors until November (New England), and it has since hung in the window over my kitchen sink. I tried putting it out for a few hours in Spring, but it looked worse the wear for it. I tried feeding it a little recently, but it still looks like its on its way out. It has very, very long but sparse branches, no blossoms, healthy looking leaves toward the center, but yellowish green stems in places. A couple of the long "tentacles" shrivelled from the root, so it had flat stems at the pot but healthy looking ends of about ten inches long. At this point I don't know if I've underwatered or overwatered.

How Can I Save My Hanging Impatiens Plant?
Impatiens are really easy to grow from cuttings, so I would suggest that you cut off the healthy looking ends of the stems and and start some new plants, which will be identical to the parent plant since they are literally clones. You can put the cuttings into water or into soil and then keep the soil moist. I don't even use rooting hormone on impatiens cuttings because they do fine without it, but my climate (northern California) is milder than yours and I grow my impatiens outside.


After you take the cuttings, cut off all the dead growth and cut back the entire plant to healthy green growth - 3 or 4 inches is enough. Then repot the plant using fresh potting soil. You can use the same pot, pruning the rootball a bit if you need to. Impatiens are hardy little guys, and I have had great success in renewing my potted ones in this manner. Good luck!
Reply:If I were you I would take some cuttings, place them in a small jar of water until they root ( this happens very quickly and is fool proof ), when the roots are about 1 inch long transfer into 2 and a half inch pots of a good quality compost. You'll have loads of plants then !
Reply:You have to cut the long stems back ; give it some fertilizer , and it should be fine. Cut about 1/3 of the long stems back, about 1/3 of the way ( back to newer , greener looking growth ) Let it dry out , just a bit , so you know where you stand , water - wise... then keep it moist , but not drowned. You can also save some of the branches you cut off, place them in a glass of water near a window, and they should produce roots in a week or so... Pot them up , and you 'll have a whole new plant .... Good Luck !