Content
Garden balsam has many varieties. It blooms for several months and is easy to care for. Most often they decorate balconies and loggias, and are used in rock gardens, rock gardens and city flower beds. Tall and large-flowered plants look great in the garden.
Description
Garden balsam is a herbaceous plant with a height of 20 to 70 cm. It has narrow lanceolate leaves with serrated edges. The erect stem of garden balsam (pictured) is strewn with continuously blooming single, double or semi-double flowers. They are located at its top.
Balsam blooms from May to September, indoor specimens - until December
Most species have simple, irregularly shaped flowers about 10 cm in diameter, consisting of 5 petals. Some look like carnations, others like camellias, others like small roses.
Among the people, garden balsam is often called Vanka wet, Ogonyok, Impatiens. It received one of its names for the droplets of sweet nectar secreted by the leaves to attract insects. Outwardly, it seems as if the flower is crying. It is called the Light for its brightness and richness of color, and the Touch-me-not for the sensitivity of the seed pod. Even with a light touch to the ripe crowns, they crack and scatter seeds.
There are about 500 varieties of balsams, mostly growing in tropical and subtropical zones.
Types and varieties of garden balsam
The variety of garden varieties is represented by dwarf, medium- and tall-growing plants, the height of which is 15-20 cm, 50-70 cm and 2 m, respectively.
Several prominent representatives of different varieties of balsam:
- Waller's touch-me-not native to Africa, therefore, in garden conditions, flowers must be planted in sunny areas with fertile soil. In the natural environment it grows up to 60 cm. It is difficult to tolerate cold and rain, and can die from bad weather. Leaves are oval or lanceolate. Thin and fragile fleshy stems easily break even from a weak breeze. Large double or simple flowers are located at the end of the stem. The most common colors of the variety are salmon, white, pink, orange, and red.
Waller's flowers are shaped like a rose
- Hawker's Balsam (pictured) is a low-growing variety originally from New Guinea; in our region it is grown in garden plots, balconies, loggias, and greenhouses. The flowers of this variety are large, have an intense purple color and an almost white center. The strong stem is covered with ellipse-shaped leaves, dotted with light veins.They can be of different colors: green, purple, bronze. The plant loves shade and partial shade, blooms most luxuriantly with regular watering and fertilizing. Does not tolerate drafts. Among the hybrids there are also tall species of Hawker's balsam, reaching 90 cm in height.
To stimulate the flowering of Hawker's balsam, it is recommended to periodically get rid of drying inflorescences
- Small-flowered – a weed plant that actively blooms from May until the first frost. The culture was brought from northeast Asia. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, so they are not used for decorative purposes. The plant is found in forests, city parks, and along roadsides.
Small-flowered balsam is an aggressive weed, so it is not cultivated by gardeners
The leaves are light green, lanceolate, located on a thin, slightly curved stem. The height of the plant does not exceed 60 cm. - Impatiens Impatiens common grows on almost all continents. It can be seen in forests, ravines, along streams and rivers. The thick stem is covered with small yellow flowers and lanceolate leaves with jagged edges. The culture has fibrous roots.
Impatiens balsam is widely used in folk medicine for the treatment of the genitourinary system, healing of wounds and ulcers.
The plant is an annual plant and dies with the onset of the first frost. Can grow up to 170 cm in height. Prefers shady areas with coniferous or deciduous trees. Propagates by self-sowing.Important! The plant is poisonous; for medical purposes it should be used strictly according to the recipe, having previously studied the possible reactions of the body. - Balsam variety - annual, 70-80 cm high, with serrated ellipse-shaped leaves and a dense fleshy stem.Large flowers can have different shapes: camellia-shaped, rose-shaped, carnation-shaped and simple. Consist of five irregular petals.
Balsam-type flowers bloom in the axils of the leaves, tightly surrounding the stem of the plant
The crop blooms from early June until frost. Flowers can be double or simple - white, red, lilac and pink.
Application in landscape design
Garden balsam is an ideal option for decorating the landscape; a continuous carpet of flowers of various colors and shapes will completely hide borders, ridges, and flower beds. It takes root well in indoor pots and flowerpots.
Designers use balsam as:
- balcony decoration;
- decor of terraces and gazebos;
- ground cover plant;
- decorations of flower beds and front gardens.
Features of reproduction
Garden balsam can be propagated by cuttings or seeds.
Cuttings are taken from a healthy plant. Each shoot (5-6 cm long) should have 3-4 leaves. The cuttings are first kept for 7-10 days in a shaded place, then planted in the ground. If the procedure is carried out in the spring, then garden balsam blooms in the summer; if planting occurs in July-August, then flowering will begin in the fall. Later cuttings require the creation of the necessary conditions - additional lighting and maintaining the desired air temperature.
It is necessary to sow the seeds of a garden plant in January-February, then you can admire the flowers of impatiens as early as May. It is better to plant seedlings in semi-shaded areas; balsams do not tolerate heat well and may die, and in the shade the flower will grow very tall.
Any flowers are suitable as neighbors.The plant is not whimsical, therefore it gets along with various crops, the best of which can be:
- fuchsia;
- verbena;
- begonia.
Growing garden balsam from seeds
Garden balsam is undemanding in care, but its growing conditions should be similar to a subtropical climate.
Perennial garden balsam must receive enough light, the duration of its flowering depends on this. For indoor varieties, choose the most illuminated windows - in the south, east or southeast. Moderate watering and moving from the balcony or veranda to the house for the winter will allow the plant to live for 3-4 years.
Flowerbed flowers are planted in light areas, protected from drafts and direct sunlight, but they do not grow in open ground for more than one year, since balsam is not able to withstand low temperatures.
Sowing time for seedlings
Garden balsam seeds are sown in January - March, this will ensure early and long flowering. And seedlings are transplanted into the ground no earlier than the first half of June in order to protect them from possible frosts. In southern countries it is allowed to do this 1 month earlier.
Selection of containers and soil preparation
A food container can serve as a container for growing garden balsam
Wide and not very deep dishes will make picking seedlings much easier
It is allowed to use peat cups, cassettes or pots with a volume of 200-250 ml.
The planting container must have drainage holes to allow excess liquid to escape.
It is preferable to choose fertile soil for seedlings.To fertilize, you need to mix garden soil, compost, humus and perlite in equal parts. The prepared soil mixture is poured with boiling water or heated in the oven and disinfected with a fungicide.
To grow balsam in open ground in the garden, choose areas with a light soil structure. Sandy loam soil with an acidity of 5.5 to 6.8 pH is suitable.
Planting garden balsam seeds
Before sowing, balsam seeds are pre-prepared.
Algorithm of actions:
- soak in manganese solution for 10 minutes;
- let it swell for 30 minutes. into warm water;
- fill the containers with soil and moisten it;
- sow balsam seeds at a distance of about 3-4 mm and cover them with a thin layer of river sand;
- cover with film to maintain the humidity and temperature necessary for germination.
The planting container is ventilated daily. After the balsam shoots emerge, additional lighting will need to be provided. You can plant seedlings after 2-3 true leaves have formed.
You can also germinate garden balsam seeds in damp gauze. After 3-4 days they will hatch, then they are planted in prepared soil.
Caring for garden balsam at home
Indoor varieties of garden balsam do not have a dormant period; if growing conditions are met, they bloom almost all year round
Caring for indoor plant varieties consists of regular watering, fertilizing, creating lighting, removing dried flowers and preventing diseases of impatiens garden.
You need to water the flower regularly, but not abundantly. Overwatering leads to rotting of the roots. Lack of water is also detrimental to balsam, its leaves wither and fall off.
Once every two weeks, the flower is fed with a complex fertilizer containing potassium and nitrogen compounds.
An important point in caring for indoor balsam is the regulation of lighting. If there is not enough of it, the plant will stop blooming.
A south-eastern or eastern window is allocated for cultivation. In the midday heat, shade them with newspaper or cloth to prevent moisture from evaporating. Plants located on the south side are recommended to be shaded from 12 to 17 hours.
In summer, it is allowed to take balsam outside, having previously taken care of protection from drafts, precipitation and direct rays of the sun.
Growing garden balsam in open ground
Prepared balsam seeds can be sown directly into the ground. The site is selected taking into account all the requirements of the plant: protected from wind and sun. The stems of garden impatiens are quite fragile, the wind can break them, and the midday sun can scorch the foliage. A successful solution to the problem would be to plant flowers in the shade of trees or shrubs.
The garden soil is warmed up, carefully dug up, loosened, and weeds are removed. The grooves are formed at a distance of 15 cm, and the seeds are embedded. Then cover with film. The first shoots will appear in a week.
It is necessary to water after sunset. On rainy days, seedlings do not need watering.
Transplanting seedlings into the ground
You need to be very careful when transferring seedlings from the container into the ground so as not to break the fragile balsam stems.
Seedlings, previously accustomed to the street, are transplanted into the ground in the spring. The seedlings are carefully removed from the planting container and, together with the soil, are moved into holes located at a distance of 20-25 cm.Fill the hole, lightly press the soil around the stem, water and mulch with sawdust.
To stimulate growth, you need to pinch the tops. This will also strengthen the roots and improve flowering.
Watering and fertilizing
You need to water the balsam at the root. In hot weather, you can water 2 times a day - morning and evening, but not abundantly. Excessive watering leads to rotting of the roots, its leaves curl and fly off, and the flowers fall off.
The organic-poor soil is fertilized every 2 weeks with humate, potassium and nitrogen compounds, alternating fertilizing.
How to care during and after flowering
Caring for garden balsam during the growth process consists of pruning and covering for the winter.
In winter, flowers are dug up and moved into the house. The air temperature in the room should not be less than +10 °C, watering should be reduced. If the air in the room is warmed up to 18°C, then the garden balsam will continue to bloom and you can show off your gorgeous winter photos of flowers to your friends.
At the end of May, the balsam is shortened by 2/3 of its length and replanted in the ground. Pruning is necessary, otherwise the plant will stretch, lose its decorative effect and bloom less.
In the summer, shoots affected by diseases or pests are periodically cut off from the bush, and faded leaves and flowers are removed.
Diseases and pests
Not all problems with garden balsam are due to the presence of a disease. For example, the loss of buds is a consequence of a lack of nitrogen fertilizers, drying out or acidification of the soil, a decrease in air temperature, and poor bud formation indicates a lack of lighting. A lush crown with a lack of flowers is a sign of excess nitrogen in the soil.
Among the diseases and pests of garden balsam, there are 3 most common:
- Spider mite, eating the succulent stems and leaves of garden balsam. When it appears, it is recommended to spray the bush with chemicals. To protect the plant from spider mites, experts advise wiping the crown with a soapy solution.
- Viral mosaic appears on the leaves of garden balsam in the form of yellow spots and wavy lines. It is not picky about its habitat and can infect all garden plants, and through equipment or hand protective equipment it can infect vegetable crops and indoor flowers. The carrier of the virus is aphids.
- Bronze foliage – leaves affected by the disease stop their growth, become deformed and fall off. It is useless to fight the disease; diseased balsam bushes are disposed of and burned. Healthy flowers are treated with insecticides.
The risk of garden balsam being damaged by pests and diseases can be significantly reduced if, before planting in the ground, the entire area is treated with disinfectants: phytosporin, copper sulfate or lime.
Collection and storage of seeds
Garden balsam seeds are a fleshy, five-leaf, oblong-shaped capsule that cracks and disperses as soon as it is touched. Therefore, the material is collected unripe - in the last ten days of August, then put away in a dark and dry place. Ripe seeds are stored in a paper bag.
Conclusion
Garden balsam is a beautiful, low-maintenance flower that is equally good on the balcony, on the window, and in flower beds. It blooms long and luxuriantly, and is easy to grow and propagate.
