Foolproof Impatiens cuttings

Great idea and very simple to understand technique. Thank you for taking the time to share with us.

Scotsgran - the bean bag filler is very cheap and totally sterile too. lasts for ever!

Thankyou Meanie, added to favs for future reference.....

Thanks for taking the trouble to share this with us. Blogs like these are perfect for someone like me. Especially the image of 'where to cut'.
Can I ask, what might be a silly question please? Why the boiling water and the microwave?

Thanks for your comments!

Scottish - it's all about sterilising the growing medium. One or the other should be enough, but you may as well cover it all ways!

Thanks for clarifying Meanie. I've often read 'sterilised compost' but never understood the term, let alone how to do it. Every day is a school day :)

I did not realise until I reread it that you microwave the bean bag filling? as part of the mixture. I would be worried it might melt or give off noxious fumes. I'm putting this in my favourites too. As Scottish says this is just the sort of blog that we can learn from.

"I did not realise until I reread it that you microwave the bean bag filling? as part of the mixture. I would be worried it might melt or give off noxious fumes."

Seems stable enough in my microwave!!!

That is good to know and it is a lot cheaper than perlite.

Meanie:

I can't believe you go through all that trouble to grow new cuttings! All you need do is cut the tips and put in any soil and it'll grow roots in a couple of weeks.

I've started them directly in the ground, also. Many times the stems will produce aerial root when it's hot and humid.

"I can't believe you go through all that trouble to grow new cuttings! All you need do is cut the tips and put in any soil and it'll grow roots in a couple of weeks.
I've started them directly in the ground, also. Many times the stems will produce aerial root when it's hot and humid."

I have so got to get you over here for a year!

This is the only method that I've found that gives me 100% strike rate. Takes far longer to read it than do it.

Two big problems with Impatiens cuttings are
1] Rot. Indoors there is very little airflow.
2] Humidity

The only Impatiens that I've had grow aerial roots is I.glanduliferer "Red Wine". I did make another plant from my I.niamniamensis in the ground by layering it, but the roots were so slow developing it was painful! Remember, we genuinely lack your soil temperatures. And we do lack your humidity, even in the summer.

So..............when are you moving in????

Meanie, on this website it is not necessary to copy what another member has said. Just add in your contribution. If you are answering several comments below the comment to which you wish to reply just start by typing in that persons name. It will save you a lot of work. I like the site for that reason. It is like having a conversation with lots of people at the same time but nobody talks over anybody else. I have to agree with your analysis of the different growing conditions in UK and California. I'm not sure if I would be bored by the temperture never dropping below 4.5 deg. Part of the fun of gardening is overcoming the propagation problems we have to solve in order to grow something non native. I was told by an old gardener friend not to water more than absolutely necessary to keep the overwintering plants alive in the greenhouse because too much moisture and fluctuating temperatures can cause damping off and other problems.

By cutting and pasting it makes it easier for others to follow the banter between Andy and myself!

"I'm not sure if I would be bored by the temperture never dropping below 4.5 deg."

I for one would be happy if it never approached that cold ever again!

"Part of the fun of gardening is overcoming the propagation problems we have to solve in order to grow something non native."
That's the bit I really love! This winters project is to get an Iochroma australis to survive the winter outdoors.

Iochroma australis has been reported as having survived -12deg in Kent, so you might be lucky. Its deciduous so planting fairly deeply or mulching deeply might help. Good luck with that. Do let us know if it survives. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can see my Pancratium maritima which i have grown from seed survive the winter.

I know of a very large one in Kent too Scotsgran. I think that I have it positioned well, so fingers crossed.

You're risking a Pancratium outdoors!!

I had to put them in deep clematis pots when the roots started coming through the bottom of the 5" deep seed pots. I did not split them up. I have four seedlings in one and five in the other. i also have a single seedling in a seedling pot. I was unsure how to sow the seed and googled it. There was a choice of three different ways of doing it. One was to pour boiling water over them and leave overnight. None of them have appeared so I guess they were well and truly sterilised. Second method involved soaking in luke warm water for 24hrs. Four of 5 of them came up. Last was just to sow one knuckle deep in a pile and they all five came up. The pots were kept on a west facing windowsill as I do not heat the greenhouse. The single seedling is from a pot using method three but kept in the cold greenhouse. I put them all outside in May 2013 and put them back in the greenhouse yesterday. I am hoping they will flower in four or five years time. I did read somewhere that a chap in Gloucestershire has one outdoors and a friend of a friend has them in a sheltered woodland garden just south of Edinburgh. He is a professional so will know what he is doing.

Wow! I love it! (Great conversation!) LOL!

Meanie:

Have you ever tried growing Impatiens in water? This is typically the easiest way to propagate most plants. I.niamniamensis I've propagated in water many times with great success.

I'd love to live in England for one year! Even though, I've been to Europe many times I've never been to the UK...so, don't make an invitation you can't keep...you never know I may show up at your door step (remember: I have your address) LOL! However, most likely you would be tired of me before the year was up and kick me out. LOL! :>)

On a serious note: I do need to make a trip to the UK one day. I hope to make it there before I get too old and can't enjoy it!

Scotsgran:

The temp here in urban inland San Diego very rarely even drops down to 4.5º C. You wouldn't get bored because you would get used to it. There's a lot to do outside here all year. Many people go to the parks, hike, surf, scuba dive, swim, jet ski, and so much more all year here.

Also, we do have a 365 day a year growing season here in San Diego, CA.

We actually do have to same problems with plants here as there. Although, it involves growing more the ultra-tropical trees/plants which present more of a challenge.
Another big problem here is that we receive so little rain. This means we have to water almost every day of the year here....except in El Niño years, when we tend to receive lots of rain.

We have had a wonderful hot summer and I struggled to keep up. I felt it was too hot especially in the middle of the day. Watering was a real problem here then. Now it is cold and wet and our arthritis does not like damp weather. It's a case of rush out at the first sign the rain has gone off and dive in to the greenhouse when it starts again. We had our first snow of the year on Saturday but it did not lie. We have been affected by the high winds but we don't panic about it and just welcome the slater when he gets round to us. Our roof is very high and steeply sloped to take account of the frequent gales at this time of year. It is just another season passing. I wish they would not be in such a hurry. I could do to have 48 hours in a day. I have been getting Christmas cards dropping through the post box and I have not yet finished making the ones I'm sending. It's time to put the tree up and I'm not ready to do that either. OH has travelled all over the world and he reckons the only other country he would consider living in permanently would be New Zealand. Their weather would be similar to ours. We are creatures of habit lol.

OH takes cuttings of this plant quite often and does as Delonix does, never had a problem, they grow too big in no time, so we have a constant supply of small plants to use.....

Do you plant yours out in the summer too DD?

No we grow them in large pots, we do not have a suitable border Meanie.