How to Grow Balsam from Seed

 

Actually Balsam requires about sixty to seventy days from sowing to produce flowers, so an early start is very important. Learn how to grow balsam plant and continue to enjoy the plant lovely colorful flowers through the end of the season. How do you plant Balsam? You can try growing Balsam plants from seed if you have a long growing season, or pick them up at your favorite nursery. Balsam plant care is actually trouble-free due to its resistance to a lot of common garden pests. The Balsam plant may be plagued by soil nematodes, powdery mildew or Oedema, but these problems are relatively rare.

 

Balsam Flower

The Balsam plant also known as Balsminaceae impatiens is a common sun to partial shade flowering annual. The Balsam plant is very easy to grow and widely available at nurseries and garden centers. Impatiens balsamina is known by the common name balsam or by the umbrella moniker of impatiens, which covers a wide variety of forms and tones. Balsam may also be found as “Rose Balsam.” The plant flowers bear double petals and come in an array of colors but are partially hidden by large attractive leaves with pronounced veins. Balsams come in orange, white, red, violet, yellow, and pink. These flowers resemble mini roses or camellias with the thickly spaced petals and tones. Some fun balsam plant info is found in another of its names: touch-me-not. The name is owing to the end of season pods which form and burst at the slightest touch.

 

How Do You Grow Balsam Flowers from Seed?

Start the Balsam plants indoors for an earlier color show. You may also directly sow balsam seeds in warmer climates where soils warm up early in the spring, but the majority of gardeners will find that sowing in flats at least eight weeks before the date of the last frost will yield the best plants. Do Balsam seeds need stratification? Cover the balsam seeds with just a dusting of soil and then keep moist. In garden flats you can cover the top of the soil with plastic in other to encourage germination and also keep in moisture. Expect germination when growing balsam plants from seed in approximately ten to fifteen days. However the young balsam plant care should include a time release fertilizer at transplant, when the balsam plants are at least two inches tall and they have a good root base.

 

Balsam Plant Care

The Balsam plants needs moist, well-drained soil and the plants perform best in partial shade locations. You can amend the soil with compost and break up clods before transplanting the young balsam. Spacing is twelve to eighteen inches apart. Make sure you water the Balsam plants from below to help prevent powdery mildew. A soaker hose or drip line system can really assist with this method of watering. The Balsam plants will need supplemental watering at least once a week in the dry months. More frequent watering is required when caring for balsam plants in containers and hanging baskets. Does Balsam plant reproduce by seeds? You can collect the seed pod carefully at the end of the season for another year of rose balsam beauty in your garden. Let the pod dry and then keep them in a closed plastic bag or jar in a dark, cool area of the home until spring.