Waller’s Balsam ( Impatiens Walleriana ) is one of the most popular varieties of this crop. It is an elegant shrub with large bright flowers. For the unusual property of the plant to shoot with a seed box at the slightest contact, it was popularly nicknamed “touchy”. Waller’s balsam has a long flowering period, has many varieties. In care, it is demanding on watering. Nevertheless, every grower who has mastered the basic nuances of growing a flower in an apartment is able to cope with its cultivation.
Description
Waller’s balsam is a herbaceous plant, which is a perennial, reaching about 15 – 40 cm in height. In open ground conditions, it grows up to 60 cm. It is a lush spherical bush. The root system is fibrous, consists of thin, horizontally located roots close to the surface of the earth.
Stems branching, fleshy, dense. The leaves are obovate, with an elongated point at the end and with denticles along the edge. The surface of the leaf plates is smooth, with pronounced longitudinal veins. The color of the foliage depends on the variety and varies from dark to light green.
The size and color of the inflorescences are different and are a feature of each particular variety. Flowers can be single or double. Red, pink, lilac, white and orange colors of inflorescences predominate. There are varieties with variegated petals.
Flowering lasts for 3 months, starting from the beginning or from the middle of summer. In favorable conditions, the bush can bloom several times a year. At the end of flowering, fruits remain on the plant – boxes with seeds that shoot immediately after even a light touch occurs with them.
Varieties
Waller’s balsam is distinguished by a wide variety of varieties. Each of them has a unique beauty and personality. The most popular of them are described below.
‘Stardust’ is a compact shrub with bright pink double flowers. There is a white spot in the central part of the bud.
“Musica Pure White” – A terry variety of Waller’s balsam with buds that look like rose flowers. Petals of snow-white color are harmoniously combined with emerald foliage.
“Siphon” – a variety with a height of 15 – 20 cm with buds of various colors. During the flowering period, the bush is completely covered with bright buds, representing a spectacular sight.
‘Musica Bicolor Dark Red’ is a compact, low shrub, covered with rose-like flowers in a white-pink hue during the flowering period. It is one of the most beautiful varieties.
“Futura” – an ampelous variety of Waller’s balsam with thin, fleshy long stems hanging down. Fuchsia flowers are in harmony with large emerald foliage.
“Musica Fine Purple” – the variety has a powerful root system and strong fleshy stems. Purple buds bloom simultaneously on the plant, pleasing to the eye for 3 months.
“Starflake Rose” – reaches 30 cm in height. The plant is abundantly covered with rich green large foliage and purple inflorescences.
Fancyful Tropical is a beautiful terry variety with large coral-colored inflorescences.
“Orange” – a very bright variety of Waller’s balsam, which is a rounded dense bush 0.3 m high, covered with dark green large foliage. Bright orange buds look spectacular against the background of leaf plates.
‘Musica Red Crimson’ is a lush spreading shrub with numerous stems profusely covered with large dark green foliage. Inflorescences are fiery red.
“Stardust Lavender” is a spectacular variety whose flowers resemble roses in structure. The buds are large, pink and red tones.
“Temptation” – this variety of Waller’s balsam reaches 40 cm in height, looks very beautiful and expressive due to large inflorescences of rich colors. It is one of the most unpretentious to the conditions of detention. Tolerates short-term drought.
“Islands” – a hybrid mixture, including terry and semi-double varieties. Plants reach 20 – 30 cm in height. The color of the flowers is varied.
“Musica Orange Energy” – forms a large number of buds of an orange hue.
Reproduction
In indoor floriculture, two methods of propagating Waller’s balsam are practiced: using seeds and cuttings. Cuttings are suitable for those who have this culture. Planting material is harvested in August. To do this, a shoot 6–9 cm long is cut from the top of the plant, placed in sand or a glass of water. After a couple of weeks, the cuttings will form roots. After that, it is transplanted into a pot with a substrate.
Growing Waller’s balsam from seeds at home is more laborious and takes more time, but it makes it possible to get several plants at once at the same time. Seed material is purchased in a specialized store. If the apartment already has this culture, the seeds are harvested after the seed pods turn yellow on it.
For sowing, they take wide and not too deep boxes, fill them with soil for growing seedlings. The seeds are buried by 1 cm, leaving a distance of 5 cm between them. After that, the ground is sprayed with settled water, covered with glass or film and cleaned in a warm place with a temperature of 24 – 27 degrees.
The shelter is periodically removed to remove condensate. Water moderately after the top layer of the substrate has dried. After 10 – 15 days, sprouts will appear on the surface of the earth. The cover is removed. Containers are transferred to a room with a temperature of 14 – 16 degrees.
After the seedlings reach 2 cm, they are transplanted separately into disposable glasses or other small containers. Sowing seeds of Waller’s balsam for seedlings is carried out in the first spring month.
Care
Location. Waller’s balsam is photophilous, but direct scorching rays will damage the foliage. East-oriented window sills are suitable for a flower, or places in an apartment with diffused light. It should be borne in mind that the plant should be in bright light for 12 – 14 hours a day. With a lack of light, you will have to use a phytolamp.
Air temperature. This culture feels good at a moderate air temperature in the range of 22 – 25 degrees. It reacts negatively to drafts and temperature changes. In the warm season, it is recommended to keep it on the loggia, veranda or in the garden under a canopy. In autumn and winter, you should keep the plant at a temperature of 15 – 17 degrees.
Air humidity. When caring for Waller’s balsam when grown at home, it should be borne in mind that this species develops well at air humidity levels of 40 – 50%. The flower does not tolerate excessive dryness, as well as high humidity. In extreme heat and the heating season, it is necessary to spray its leaves 2 times a day, or put an air humidifier near the plant. For spraying, use soft water at room temperature.
Soil and pot. Waller’s balsam is unpretentious to the soil composition. For growing suitable universal soil for indoor flowers. You can prepare a substrate from soddy, leafy soil, sand and perlite, which are taken in a ratio of 1:3:1:1.
The container for growing this crop should be slightly cramped, this will contribute to the abundant formation of buds. For an adult specimen, a pot with a diameter of 17 – 20 cm is suitable. Moisture quickly accumulates in bulk dishes, which leads to acidification of the soil.
- Topdressing. This culture develops and blooms throughout the year, so regular feeding is necessary. Fertilizers are applied every 10 days, using a mineral complex containing potassium and phosphorus. This work is done during irrigation. It must be borne in mind that this plant does not tolerate organic matter.
- Watering. The substrate must always be kept moist. When the earth dries up, the flower drops its buds, the ends of the leaves dry up. Waterlogging the soil is also fraught with negative health consequences for balsam. The root system is affected by fungal diseases, as a result of which it loses its attractiveness and gradually rots. To prevent moisture stagnation, a layer of drainage is laid on the bottom of the pot when planting. The container in which the flower grows must have holes for excess water to escape.
- Pruning. Pruning shoots of Waller’s balsam is combined with transplantation. This work is required to maintain a neat appearance of the bush, the formation of a rounded crown, stimulating growth and active flowering. Too long stems are shortened, leaving a length of up to 3 buds.
- Transfer. When growing this crop, an annual transplant into a pot of the same size is necessary. Transplantation is carried out in the spring by transshipment. The bush is removed from the pot, the roots are cleaned from the ground, inspected, damaged ones are removed. During planting, the root neck is not deepened. After transplantation, the substrate is moistened, the plant is placed in the shade for several days for better adaptation.
Growing problems
Sometimes when breeding Waller’s balsam at home, flower growers face some problems. As a rule, they are associated with improper care. The most common of these are described below:
- Stretching shoots indicates a lack of light.
- Withering and shedding of leaves occurs at low temperatures (from 10 degrees and below), as well as when the earth dries out in a pot.
- Brown and brown spots on the leaf plates will tell about the presence of fungal diseases.
- At high temperatures, dry air and drying out of the soil, the plant begins to drop buds.
- The leaves fade as a result of the invasion of harmful insects on the bush and with a lack of light.
- The reason for poor flowering is a lack of fertilizer in the soil, or an excess of nitrogen in the substrate, which provokes the violent development of foliage and inhibits the formation of buds.