When watering the New guinea impatiens, you should aim to use filtered water that is at room temperature. Filtered water is better for this plant, as tap water can contain particles that are harmful to its health. The reason that the water should be at room temperature or slightly warmer is that the New guinea impatiens comes from a warm environment, and cold water can be somewhat of a shock to its system. Also, you should avoid overhead watering for this plant, as it can cause foliage complications. Instead, simply apply your filtered room temperature water to the soil until the soil is entirely soaked. Soaking the soil can be very beneficial for this plant as it moistens the roots and helps them continue to spread through the soil and collect the nutrients they need.

Both overwatering and underwatering will be detrimental to the health of your New guinea impatiens, but overwatering is a far more common issue. When this species receives too much water, its stems and leaves may begin to wilt and turn from green to yellow. Overwatering over a prolonged period may also lead to diseases such as root rot, mold, and mildew, all of which can kill your plant. Underwatering is far less common for the New guinea impatiens, as this plant has decent drought tolerance. However, underwatering remains a possibility, and when it occurs, you can expect to find that the leaves of your New guinea impatiens have become brittle and brown. It is crucial that you notice the signs of overwatering as soon as possible when caring for your New guinea impatiens. Some of the diseases that arise from overwatering, such as root rot, may not be correctable if you wait too long. If you see early signs of overwatering, you should reduce your watering schedule immediately. You may also want to assess the quality of soil in which your New guinea impatiens grows. If you find that the soil drains very poorly, you should replace it immediately with a loose, well-draining potting mix. On the other hand, if you find signs that your New guinea impatiens is receiving too little water, all you need to do is water more regularly until those signs have subsided.

If your plant is in a pot. The most precise way to decide whether your New guinea impatiens needs water is to plunge your finger into the soil. If you notice that the first two to three inches of soil have become dry, it is time to add some water. If you grow your New guinea impatiens outdoors in the ground, you can use a similar method to test the soil. Again, when you find that the first few inches of soil have dried out, it is time to add water. During the spring and early fall, this method will often lead you to water this plant about once every week. When extremely hot weather arrives, you may need to increase your watering frequency to about twice or more per week. With that said, mature, well-established the New guinea impatiens can show an admirable ability to withstand drought.

When it comes time to water your New guinea impatiens, you should not be shy about how much water you give. With the first two to three inches of soil dry, this plant will appreciate a long and thorough watering. Supply enough water to soak the soil entirely. The amount of water you add should be enough to cause excess water to flow through the drainage holes at the bottom of your pot. If you don’t see excess water draining from the pot, you have likely underwatered your plant. But do not let the water accumulate inside the soil, which will be very dangerous to the plant as well. Alternatively, a lack of water draining through the pot could indicate poorly draining soils, which is detrimental to the health of this plant and should be avoided. If the plant is outside, 1 inch of rain per week will be sufficient.

The water needs of the New guinea impatiens can change depending on growth stages as well. For example, when your New guinea impatiens is in the first few years of its life, or if you have just transplanted it to a new growing location, you will need to give more water than usual. During both of those stages, your New guinea impatiens will put a lot of energy towards sprouting new roots that will then support future growth. For those roots to perform their best, they need a bit more moisture than they would at a more mature phase. After a few seasons, your New guinea impatiens will need much less water. Another growth stage in which this plant may need more water is during the bloom period. Flower development can make use of a significant amount of moisture, which is why you might need to give your New guinea impatiens more water at this time.

The New guinea impatiens will have its highest water needs during the hottest months of the year. During the height of summer, you may need to give this plant water more than once per week, depending on how fast the soil dries out. The opposite is true during the winter. In winter, your plant will enter a dormant phase, in which it will need far less water than usual. In fact, you may not need to water this plant at all during the winter months. However, if you do water during winter, you should not do so more than about once per month. Watering too much at this time will make it more likely that your New guinea impatiens will contract a disease.

It is most common to grow the New guinea impatiens indoors for any gardener that does not live in temperate and tropical regions. Those gardeners should consider the fact that soil in a container can dry out a bit faster than ground soil. Also, the presence of drying elements such as air conditioning units can cause your New guinea impatiens to need water on a more frequent basis as well. if you planted it outside. When that is the case, it’s likely you won’t need to water your New guinea impatiens very much at all. If you receive rainfall on a regular basis, that may be enough to keep your plant alive. Alternatively, those who grow this plant inside will need to water it more often, as allowing rainwater to soak the soil will not be an option.

Far from damaging the plant, regular pruning will actually encourage New guinea impatiens to produce more blooms. There are two primary forms of pruning for New guinea impatiens. The first is deadheading, which is the gardening term for removing spent flower heads once they start to wither. This concentrates the nutrients for the other flowers and allows the plant to flower better. The final process for pruning New guinea impatiens is the removal of yellow and diseased leaves, which increases plant ventilation and light penetration and facilitates plant growth. When nature runs its course, New guinea impatiens will bloom once, produce seed heads, and attempt to reproduce for the rest of the year. But, by consistently removing flower heads before they go to seed, you encourage the plant to continue producing more blooms for a longer flowering time. When the plant starts to wilt during the full, you should cut off the wilted part above the soil as well.

There are two primary forms of pruning for New guinea impatiens. The first is deadheading, which is the gardening term for removing spent flower heads once they start to wither. This concentrates the nutrients for the other flowers and allows the plant to flower better. The final process for pruning New guinea impatiens is the removal of yellow and diseased leaves, which increases plant ventilation and light penetration and facilitates plant growth. Since New guinea impatiens requires two types of pruning, you’ll be trimming your plants throughout the growing season. Pinching is most effective in the early spring before the plant develops any flower buds. Removal of yellowing or diseased leaves can be done at any time during the growing season. When nature runs its course, New guinea impatiens will bloom once, produce seed heads, and attempt to reproduce for the rest of the year. But, by consistently removing flower heads before they go to seed, you encourage the plant to continue producing more blooms for a longer flowering time. Finally, deadheading takes place as soon as the plants are producing full flower heads. Expect to take off spent blossoms from mid-summer through the first frosts of fall. When the plant starts to wilt during the full, you should cut off the wilted part above the soil as well.

New guinea impatiens doesn’t take much special equipment for pruning. A basic pair of scissors or garden shears should do the trick. It’s a good idea to ensure they are clean before use—you can soak them for thirty minutes in a solution of one part bleach diluted in nine parts water. This reduces the risk of spreading disease lingering on contaminated equipment into your flower garden. Some gardeners avoid using tools altogether and merely pinch off the blossoms with their fingertips. That can be a faster technique, but you run a larger risk of bruising the plant stems or accidentally pulling them out of the ground completely.

Here’s an overview of pruning instructions for New guinea impatiens based on which of the two types you’re completing. By completing these two types of pruning over the lifespan of your New guinea impatiens, you’ll encourage them to produce bigger, better flowers for far longer than the plants would otherwise. It only takes a few minutes to complete each step of the pruning process, and you’ll reap the rewards of your efforts for weeks to come. Deadheading Deadheading is a fast, easy way to refresh your garden by removing old flowers and providing space for new ones to take their place. You can use your fingers to pop off old flower heads as soon as they look tired, although you’re less likely to damage the plant if you use shears instead. When deadheading, make sure you cut well below the flower so that you aren’t left with a long, flowerless stem sticking out in your garden bed. Instead, cut the stem to just above the point where the side stem joins the main plant. Remove yellow and diseased leaves, this increases the ventilation and light penetration of the plant and facilitates its growth. When pruning, the leaves need to be trimmed off together with the petiole. It is best to use sterilised scissors to cut them off. Note: It’s a good idea to ensure scissors or garden shears are clean before use—you can soak them for thirty minutes in a solution of one part bleach diluted in nine parts water. This reduces the risk of spreading disease lingering on contaminated equipment into your flower garden.

New guinea impatiens typically needs full, indirect sunlight in order to thrive indoors. This means that the plant should be exposed to bright sunlight that doesn’t hit it directly from a window or another light source, like a grow light. You can easily protect it from direct sunlight by placing a sheer curtain between your New guinea impatiens and the window, or by placing it behind a part of the window with a dark screen.

If this is your first time bringing your New guinea impatiens home, then it might be a good idea to try to ease it into the sunlight it needs, rather than place it in bright, indirect light right away. Over the course of two weeks or so, you can slowly move your plant into the sunlight to avoid shock or burning of the leaves from sudden intense light exposure. By easing it into the light, your New guinea impatiens is much more likely to adapt to your home environment well.

New guinea impatiens is one that can easily sunburn with too much sunlight. In the wild, these plants only receive mild, dappled light, filtered down from tree canopies. While they need more light than that to grow in our homes, too much can certainly cause issues. If your New guinea impatiens is getting too much light, you’ll notice that the foliage begins to look bleached or washed out, the tips of leaves may turn yellow or brown and crispy, and it may even grow too quickly to support itself.

Sunburn for plants is much less severe than sunburn for people. While it may look unsightly, crispy, burnt leaves can be removed if they’re too far damaged to recover, or over half of the leaf is damaged. However, you can also try trimming back the leaves just to remove any sunburn damage in an effort to save them, if there’s not too much discoloration. Move your New guinea impatiens away from its light source to avoid future light damage.

While some plants may be ready to face the sweltering sun straight out of the ground, New guinea impatiens needs some time to build itself up enough to tolerate bright light. Propagated cuttings should receive only moderate indirect light, while new leaves during the growing season should be shielded a bit as well. The tender new leaves are more prone to sunburn than any other part of the plant.

Fortunately, plants can communicate in their own language to convey whether they have adequate sunlight or not. Like most plants, your New guinea impatiens will tell you if it isn’t getting enough sunlight. The most visible sign is when your plant becomes particularly dark, or there is no new growth on the plant from one season to the next. You’ll also notice that leaves that do grow in may remain smaller than others, since there isn’t enough light to photosynthesize to support large new leaves.

Depending on how bright the sunlight is that your New guinea impatiens gets, the number of hours in a day may vary. If you have your plant in bright, indirect light, then there’s no need to try to restrict or increase the amount of time your plant gets this light each day. However, if light is less bright or further away from your New guinea impatiens, then you can try to aim for at least eight hours of full light per day.

For this tropical plant to thrive, you’ll want to keep them between 75℉ and 90℉ (25-32℃). Each species can handle temperatures outside of this range, but keeping it within several degrees of these limits will ensure they grow to their maximum potential. As for its extreme temperature limits, any environment below 50℉ (10℃) or above 95℉ (35℃) will begin to hinder its growth and cause various aberrations to its leaves and stems. This is especially true with low temperatures; even a light frost can cause your tropical plants to perish. Cellular death can begin to happen at a rapid pace, with some species dying in as little as 12 to 24 hours.

While New guinea impatiens doesn’t require any changes in temperature to enter different growing phases, it is important to stay consistent. Wild temperature fluctuations can slow down its growth regardless of its current phase, so it's always better to keep them in a controlled environment. That optimal temperature range of 75℉ and 90℉ (25-32℃) is vital to maintain, especially staying above the lower limit. Going above 90℉(32℃) isn’t ideal, but as tropical plant it won’t suffer too much. On the other hand, going below 50℉ (10℃) (and especially 40℉/5℃) will begin to directly damage this heat-loving plant species.

New guinea impatiens does not need different temperatures for different growing seasons. The most important step in seasonal care is to keep the environment within the optimal temperature range. That's why it's always best to keep this plant indoors. That way, you can control the temperature no matter what the climate is like outside. Light is also important for tropical species, with all of these plants preferring a partial side level of sun exposure. This means any light they receive needs to be dappled or filtered, with bright but indirect light being the best option when growing your plants indoors. Too much direct sunlight can negatively affect your plant’s leaves, reducing its growth potential.

Tip #1: Don’t Leave Your Plant Near Windows in Colder Months If you want to make sure your plant isn’t exposed to colder temperatures, you may want to keep them away from windows. In colder months like late fall and winter, even the smallest draft can leak cold air into your home through cracks in your windows. While this air usually dissipates and warms up as it travels throughout your home, any plants placed in close proximity to the window will be affected. Move your tropical plants into an area where they will still get bright but indirect light, while making sure they won’t be affected by potential drafts. Tip #2: If You Find Dry Patches, Your Plant May Be Getting Too Much Sunlight or Heat You may notice the leaves become white or even scorched on a sunny day. These discolorations and unusual markings usually indicate that a plant is getting too much heat or sunlight, and it may be dehydrated. Excess light and heat will dry out the soil, stopping plants from getting the moisture they need to support their cellular structure. It also slows down or stops the process of photosynthesis, further hindering growth. If ignored for too long, these dry spots can spread and eventually result in the death of your plants. Tip #3: Avoid Frost at All Costs Colder temperatures and frost can damage your plants by causing ice crystals or disrupt normal physiological activity. This makes it nearly impossible for water to move freely throughout plant tissue, creating a deficit of moisture in their stems and leaves. You can tell a plant has been damaged by frost if it begins to suffer from hydrosis (it will appear as though it's soaked with water.) If the problem persists, your plants may begin shriveling and turning a dark brown or black hue. After that, the plant will almost certainly die.

The best way to maintain the right temperature range for New guinea impatiens is by keeping an eye on both the climate and humidity. You’ll want to try to keep each species in a room where you have access to climate control, keeping the heat in the temperature range best mimics its natural habitat. The humidity levels will also have a direct effect on temperature, so it's important to monitor these as well. You can artificially raise the humidity of your growing space by using a humidifier or lightly misting the leaves with water. If you intend to grow this species outside, you may find it difficult to maintain the right balance of temperature and humidity. If temperatures begin to drop or the air becomes too dry, your best option is to find room within your home and move your plant inside. An indoor growing space will allow you to control the climate more closely, helping your plant reach its full potential.

Fertilizer, and soil nutrients in general, are an essential form of fuel that your New guinea impatiens will use to maintain healthy growth. In general, plants use the nutrients they find in the soil to develop new plant material and keep their existing components in good condition. For the New guinea impatiens specifically, fertilization is necessary to help this plant display the best version of its flowers. Since the flowers are the main form of attraction to this plant, most gardeners will want to do all they can to ensure the flowers appear in their best form. Fertilization is one of the most reliable ways to help your New guinea impatiens produce the best possible blooms.

The New guinea impatiens goes through two main phases throughout each year. The first phase is the dormant phase, in which this plant will put forth minimal new growth. This dormant phase takes place during the winter. The other phase is the active growth phase, which takes place during spring and fall, which is when your New guinea impatiens will need fertilization the most. Generally, it is best to fertilize your New guinea impatiens starting in the spring months. You should repeat the feeding about once per month throughout the rest of the spring and through most of the summer. As fall approaches, you can begin to reduce your fertilization rate.

You want to support New guinea impatiens growth, but you also don’t want to cause root burn. Your plant is actively growing in the spring and summer, it’s when the extra nutrients are necessary. In the fall and winter, your plant will enter its dormancy stage. It’s when you want to stop fertilizing.

The ideal fertilizer for a New guinea impatiens is one that has a relatively balanced mix of the three main plant nutrients, with slightly higher amounts of phosphorus. Alternatively, some gardeners choose to improve their New guinea impatiens 's soil by adding organic materials such as compost, worm castings, and manure. Fertilizers can come in many forms, and most of these forms will work well for your New guinea impatiens. However, some of the best fertilizers for New guinea impatiens come in either a liquid or a powdered form. Regardless of which you use, you should ensure that you dilute your fertilizer and apply it while watering your New guinea impatiens.

Once you have found a suitable fertilizer and learned the ideal fertilization schedule for your New guinea impatiens, you are ready to learn how to apply your fertilizer. When feeding your New guinea impatiens, the most reliable method is to mix your liquid fertilizer with water before applying it to the soil. Each fertilizer may have different directions on how to feed your plants. Usually, it is best to follow the manufacturer's guidance on how to use the fertilizer they produce. These instructions should include information on how to properly dilute the fertilizer to prevent overfertilization. Mixing your fertilizer in water is an easy process, and once it is complete, all you need to do is pour the mixture into the soil where your New guinea impatiens lives.

Overfertilization is something that you should consider when caring for any plant, but it is especially important when growing a New guinea impatiens. A New guinea impatiens, when overfertilized, will show clear signs of distress, which, at times, may be so serious that they lead to the death of your plant. Overfertilized New guinea impatiens will likely show leaf discoloration as well, including browning. In the worst-case scenarios, excessive fertilization will draw moisture out of your plant's roots, which can cause it to decline quickly.