Balsam room

The balsam plant (Impatiens) is a well-known representative of the Balsamin family. This genus includes almost 500 different species that are found in the African and Asian tropics and subtropics. Several species are found in North America. Due to its high decorativeness and unpretentiousness, balsam has long won the love of flower growers. These plants are grown both at home and in flower beds in the garden.

Among the people, this flower has many different names associated with its type or properties. Often, balsam is called touchy - during the ripening of its seeds, the boxes with them crack sharply both from touch and from the breath of the breeze. The Latin name of the plant - Impatiens - is translated as "sensitive". The very name "balsam" is associated with the aroma of tropical plant varieties. It comes from the Arabic "balm".

Because of the long flowering, the Germans nicknamed the flower "zealous Lisa", some call it "ever-flowering", and the bright color of the flowers of the plant gave it another name - "light". Balsam flowers bloom, literally illuminating a room or garden with their colors. In domestic culture, the bush is also known as "Wet Roly". Balsams react to high humidity by releasing sugar droplets at the edges of leaves after watering or on the eve of rains.

Description of balsam

The homeland of balsam is the island of Zanzibar, the African and Central Asian subtropics. In European countries, the exotic flower appeared already in the 16th century and quickly gained great popularity. Balsam was brought to Russia only 300 years later.

Despite the huge number of types of balsam (about 500), only 15 are used in culture. Being natives of warm countries, balsams love bright light and humidity, but about 8 species are suitable for cultivation in temperate latitudes.

Among balsams there are both annuals and perennials. The former are usually used to decorate gardens, while the latter are grown at home. Such balsams are notable for the fact that they can bloom literally all year round.

Representatives of the genus have fibrous roots, lying at a shallow depth, and slightly transparent fragile stems filled with sap. The length of cultivated species can reach from 35 to 50 cm, although in nature there are also 2-meter specimens. The stems can be straight, bush-forming, or lodged. Their color can be green or purple. The foliage reaches 7 cm in length and has the shape of a heart or an elongated oval. They are arranged in sequence. The edges of the plates have denticles of different sizes, and at the tip they are supplemented with a medium-sized spine.The color of the foliage includes shades of green, and in some cases it can have a lilac or brown tint. The color of the veins is usually darker than the color of the leaf itself.

Balsam flowers are five-petal, but the shape and arrangement of these petals can be quite unusual. They can be loose or partially fused. Flowers grow in 1-2 pieces or form inflorescences, sometimes having a petal in the form of a spur. The color of the petals includes shades of pink and white, purple and red, and can also combine several colors at once. Hybrid varieties have even more varied colors, but the blue-blue range is not represented there. The buds are white and also vary in shape. There are also balsams with flowers of varying degrees of doubleness. After flowering, the fruit-box is formed.

Brief rules for growing balsam

The table shows brief rules for caring for balsam at home.

Caring for balsam at home

Although different types and varieties may have individual preferences, there are general rules for caring for balsam at home, the same for all varieties.

• The bushes should be kept in bright and warm places.
• Balsams are moisture-loving and more easily perceive waterlogging of the soil than overdrying it. From a lack of moisture, the bush can shed the lower leaves and become lethargic.
• For normal development, flowers need an influx of fresh air, but they should be protected from drafts and removed from the path of the air flow.
• Houseplants bloom most abundantly in slightly cramped pots.
• You can place balsams on light windowsills, but it is recommended to shade them from the midday sun.
• In winter, the bushes are moved further from the cold glass, but at the same time they are kept in a cooler (about 12-16 degrees) place. The volume of watering during this period is slightly reduced.
• For the summer, the bushes can be transplanted into open ground, returning the entire bush or its stalk to the pot by autumn. On flower beds, they are placed in the openwork shade of trees.
• Balsams can be propagated by cuttings and seeds that remain viable for up to 8 years. Bushes obtained from seeds are more branched and less often stretched. Annual plants can only be grown this way. At the same time, thanks to the "explosive" spread of seeds on the street, flower species can literally turn into a garden weed.
• Seeds on indoor balsams are tied only after artificial pollination, and may also not retain the characteristics of the variety. Many hybrid forms of indoor plants produce few seeds, so it is easier and faster to propagate such flowers by cuttings.
• The fragility of the twigs of a plant is one of the ways of its reproduction.
• It is believed that species with dark red-purple flowers are sick less than light-flowered ones.

Lighting

At home, balsam grows best on south or southeast windows. Abundant light and warmth are the main conditions for good growth of the bush. Many types of plants can tolerate a little shade, but they should not be kept in deep shade, as well as in too bright sun. Young specimens in the afternoon are recommended to be shaded from the scorching rays with the help of light curtains. In order to avoid burns in the summer, such bushes can be kept on the east or west windows. In winter and in the off-season, balsams are not afraid of such bright sun. During the short daylight hours, they should be focused on the brightest place.

Most varieties of balsam do not bloom at all in the shade. Shading leads to the fact that the shoots of the bushes will begin to stretch, and the stem will become bare due to the falling of the lower leaves. Flowers can appear only on the top of such plants. If the bush is kept in the light, its flowering can continue from early spring to late autumn. After a short winter break, flowering resumes.

To provide the balsams with fresh air, in the summer you can take them out to the balcony or veranda. The main thing is that the flower corner is protected from gusty winds and heavy precipitation.

Temperature

In summer, balsams require a normal room temperature of 20-28 degrees. Flowers can thrive in hot weather as well as mild heat, but sudden changes should be avoided. In winter, when the dormant period begins, it is recommended to keep the plants cool (about 12-16 degrees). But it should not be too cold in the room - the flowers are thermophilic and only need a short break between flowering.

Watering

Soil moisture plays an important role in the cultivation of balsams. The soil in a pot with it should not dry out deeper than 1 cm. In summer, watering is carried out often - daily or every other day, in winter, their number is reduced to a couple of times a week. For irrigation, it is necessary to use settled water for at least a day or filtered water. If the surface of the soil in the pot is covered with plaque, too hard water is used for irrigation. In this case, it is recommended to replace the top layer of the earth with a fresh one.

Despite the moisture-loving nature, it is also not worth overmoistening the plantings. Excess water from the pan must be drained. It is better to water the bushes more often, but little by little. Constant stagnation of moisture in the soil can lead to root decay, as well as to the appearance of sciarid midges. The risk of the onset of the disease increases especially strongly in the cool and in poor lighting. To prevent it, it is necessary to put good drainage in the flower pot and choose containers with holes in the bottom. With proper watering, small water droplets should appear on the balsam foliage, gradually becoming sugared.

When watering, you should pour water into the pot more carefully so that it does not pour onto the root collar of the bush. To improve the air flow to the roots, it is recommended to slightly loosen the soil in the flower pot after watering.

Sometimes balsams can be used for water treatments. The dusty leaves of the bushes are washed under cold running water, covering the ground in a pot with a film. A layer of dust can interfere with chlorophyll production.

Humidity level

Usually, balsams do not react too much to moisture levels. The exception is periods of intense heat, due to which the foliage quickly loses moisture. During such periods, it is recommended to maintain a humidity of about 50% near the bushes. You can place open containers with water next to the pot, use humidifiers, and in winter, cover the batteries with a damp cloth. The air next to the bushes can be sprayed from a fine spray gun, but you should not direct the jet to the bushes themselves. During the flowering period, this can lead to damage to the buds or loss of decorativeness of the flowers.Species with fluffy foliage should also not be sprayed.

Capacity selection

In order for the balsam to develop well and bloom profusely, it is important to choose the right pot for it. For flowering, the bush must completely cover the soil lump with roots, so the plant will best develop in small containers. Too spacious large pots will lead to the fact that all the forces of balsam will go to the formation of roots. In addition, such a capacity often leads to soil acidification and root diseases.

Drainage holes should be provided at the bottom of the pot. Before filling the soil with soil, a drainage layer should also be laid there, where, in addition to pebbles, expanded clay or other similar elements, crushed activated or charcoal was added. The pot must be placed on a pallet, which will collect excess water.

The soil

It is best to grow balsam in light, fertile soil, loose and breathable enough. To do this, you can use universal substrates for flowering species or prepare a soil mixture yourself. For this, turf, humus, sand and leafy soil are used, adding half of the peat to them. The finished mixture should be disinfected by steaming, freezing or processing with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Top dressing

Feeding balsam is carried out from mid-spring to October, fertilizing it every 10-14 days. For this, formulations for flowering species containing potassium and phosphorus are used. The dosage can be reduced depending on the fertility and freshness of the soil. In the spring, you can feed the balsam with nitrogen - this element activates the growth of foliage, so its introduction at a later date will harm flowering. In winter, feeding is carried out less often or not at all, depending on the conditions of the flower. If necessary, fertilize the flower during this period, use potassium-phosphorus compounds.

Transfer

Balsam is a perennial that, as it grows, depletes the nutrients of the soil and partly loses its decorative effect. Young bushes outgrow the volume of their pots faster, so they should be transplanted into a new container every year. Its size should be only slightly larger than the previous one. Usually, transplants are carried out in the spring before the plant begins to bloom. Flowering bushes should not be disturbed unnecessarily.

The bush is transplanted into a new pot, transferring it there along with the soil clod. Care should be taken not to damage the fragile stems and roots of the balsam. To make it easier to pull it out, the day before the procedure, the bush must be well watered. After removing, you should examine the balsam roots and remove damaged, old or diseased parts of the plant. Places of cuts are treated with crushed coal, then they put the bush in a pot and add soil there. The transplanted flower is watered again and, if necessary, poured into the pot of earth. A few days after this procedure, the balsam should be held in a shady place - this time will be spent on acclimatization in a new container. Flowering will begin when the bush has fully mastered the increased volume of soil.

Several balsam bushes can be placed in large containers at once, maintaining a distance of 5-7 cm. Plants with flowers of various colors will look especially decorative.

Adult shrubs with a large number of bare shoots, instead of transplanting, can be rejuvenated by re-rooting their apical cuttings. At the same time, plants that go to rest in winter do not lose their attractiveness as quickly as those blooming all year round.

Pruning

The balsam's fast growth rate requires regular pruning of the bush throughout its life. Even when grown from seeds, seedlings are pinched from an early age to form a beautiful crown.

Pruning is carried out in the spring. Last year's gains are being cut by about half. In the future, the formation of the crown will consist in pinching the shoots at the required level. This will allow the bush to form lateral stems that can bloom as well.The tops of the shoots remaining from trimming can be used as cuttings for propagation of the bush.

Sanitary pruning is done throughout the year as needed. Old and too elongated branches, wilted leaves or flowers, as well as diseased parts of the bush are subject to removal. To form a uniformly developed crown, the bush must be turned towards the light in different directions. Careful inspection and cleaning of the bush will help not only preserve the beauty of the plant, but also notice the signs of illness or the appearance of pests in time.

With the help of shaping, you can turn a balsam bush into a kind of tree. For this, plants with a woody main stem are used. All the lower foliage is removed from them, and the stem is pinched. The sections are treated with charcoal powder. Then the formation of the growing lateral shoots is carried out. It is advisable to feed the cut plant with vermicompost or urea.

Dormant period

Although balsam does not have a pronounced dormant period, the plant needs time to rest after flowering. Usually, the bushes rest during the winter months when daylight hours are reduced to a minimum. It is desirable that they spend this time in the cool - about 16-18 degrees. A critical temperature drop for balsams is 10 degrees.

If the flowers are in a cool room, they should be watered less often, but also make sure that the soil does not dry out. If the room is hot and dry enough, you should try to increase the humidity level. Top dressing is not carried out in winter.

The lack of light in winter can be compensated for with lamps. In this case, it is permissible to leave the balsam warm and take care of it as usual. Top dressing is carried out once a month using a reduced concentration of the composition.

Reproduction of balsam

Balsam can be propagated by seeds and cuttings. Reproduction by seeds is more laborious. They are poured into moist soil, creating a greenhouse effect, but it is not a fact that the expected appearance of a flower will be obtained. But it is better to propagate indoor balsam using cuttings. The top of the plant is cut off with a length of 6-7 centimeters with two internodes. The lower leaves are removed on it. The stalk is deeply immersed in water, otherwise it will dry out. In two weeks, the stalk will sprout. Can be planted in the ground. Cuttings also take root in the sand, in the soil mixture. You can make its composition yourself. To do this, take one part of peat, one part of the mulching substrate (vermiculite) and two parts of perlite. You can land in plastic dishes. The balsam will begin to grow, gain strength. Over time, it can be transplanted to the intended place.

Diseases and pests of balsam

Diseases

Balsam flowering problems can be caused by several reasons. The bush could be overfed with nitrogen fertilizers during bud formation, cut too deep or watered poorly. Flowering is also affected by excessive moisture and lack of light. If the flowers and leaves of the plant begin to fall off, poor lighting, insufficient watering, or too dry air may be the cause.

If wet, rounded spots appear on the leaves of the plant, this is a sign of bacterial rot. Such spots darken, begin to merge and give off an unpleasant odor. At the same time, the stems turn brown. It will not be possible to cope with this disease, so the affected specimens will have to be destroyed. In rare cases, you can try to preserve the plant by removing affected parts or re-rooting healthy shoots. The bush itself and the soil are sprayed with copper oxychloride. In order to prevent the appearance of such a disease, the flowers should be properly watered and air circulation should be monitored.

Bushes affected by root rot have dark roots and shoots. This can happen with balsams planted in heavy and insufficiently drained soil. If you notice such signs in time, you can cure the plant.It is taken out of the ground, all affected areas are removed, treated with a fungicide and planted in fresh soil.

Pests

Of the pests on balsams, spider mites most often appear. At the same time, the leaves begin to turn yellow and become covered with a thin cobweb. Usually pests arise due to the high dryness of the air and with insufficient ventilation. An acaricide drug will help against the tick.

Sometimes a whitefly appears on the bushes. In this case, the foliage of the plant begins to turn yellow and fall off, and small white insects become visible on the inside of the leaves. Whitefly larvae leave sticky secretions on foliage. Special preparations should also be used against such a pest.

Types and varieties of balsam with photos and names

Waller's balsam

The species forms bushes with erect shoots and oval foliage of green or brownish color. Impatiens walleriana is considered one of the most common types for home cultivation. The maximum size of the bushes is about half a meter, but they usually have a small height of about 20 cm. The color of the foliage depends on the variety.

Such plants prefer warm and bright places. Flowers can be solid or a combination of two colors. They form on the bush in large numbers, giving it a very elegant look. These plants are often used to create hybrid forms.

Balsam New Guinea

A group of perennial hybrids, distinguished by especially bright and large (up to 8 cm) flowers. New Guinea Impatiens were bred in the 70s. They can be grown both in flower beds (as an annual) and at home - it is in the latter case that the bushes become the most decorative. Depending on the size of the bush, they are divided into three groups - compact up to 20 cm in height, spreading (often used as ampelous) and high from 60 cm and above. Such balsams have particularly strong and fleshy shoots, densely leafy and asymmetrical flowers. Such plants are not afraid of the bright sun and staunchly resist diseases and pests. Their foliage is colored dark green and has yellowish veins. In the warmth and in the light, the flowering of the bushes is especially abundant. The species is considered very sensitive to cold.

Balsam Kandy

Newly obtained variety, undemanding in care. Its bushes form succulent shoots with a smooth surface. Their length reaches 50 cm. On the stems there are green leaves with a pointed end. During the flowering period, large flowers of various colors appear. The flower petals have a velvety surface.

Balsam "Strawberry with cream"

Terry-flowered variety that forms compact and branched bushes. The flowers of this balsam have a two-color red-white color. Long-lasting flowering even in small partial shade.

Balsam Peters

This species resembles Waller's balsam, but is larger. Impatiens petersiana has dark, bronze-colored leaves and a red, slightly pubescent stem. Its flowers are usually painted in bright red, less often in lilac or pinkish. This species is grown at home.

Orchid balsam

The stems of this species are colored deep pink. The foliage veins of Impatiens velvetea also have a distinct red or pink color. The surface of the leaves of the bush is velvety, and they themselves are painted in a dark green color. Shoe-shaped flowers are white in color, sometimes complemented by a burgundy or yellowish-orange pattern. In addition to its decorative effect, the species is notable for its high resistance to spider mites.

Balsam "Boy with a finger"

The variety forms neat branchy bushes and many double flowers, shaped like a camellia. This plant is suitable for both home and garden cultivation. Such balsam prefers bright sun, but can develop in a shady corner, although shoots and flowers in this case will begin to grow smaller. The capacity for growth also affects the size of the bush: garden specimens will be larger.The variety is considered sensitive to drying out of the soil, therefore, it assumes abundant watering. For better tillering, the shoots are pinched.

Balsam "Cutie"

A universal variety forms elegant small (up to 20 cm high) bushes covered with foliage. Flowers can be white, red or pink. Despite the simple structure of flowers, due to the abundance of their appearance, the bushes look very impressive. At home, flowering lasts all year, and in the garden - in the summer. A heat-loving balsam that can grow both in a sunny area and in small shade.

Balsam Salmon Chiffon

A profusely flowering variety with especially large pink flowers of a rich salmon color. The height of the bush reaches 40 cm. Numerous delicate petals in texture resemble chiffon fabric, which is reflected in the name of the variety.

Despite the variety of balsam varieties, novice growers are not recommended to choose the most demanding and capricious varieties, despite their decorative effect. To maintain an attractive appearance, such bushes may require some and systematic care, so you should start with more unpretentious and well-proven subspecies.