Impatiens plants are usually bright and cheerful plants that bring a smile to people’s faces, but unfortunately, this is not always the case, as these plants can develop some problems that cause them to wilt. So, what will cause your Impatiens plant to wilt?
There are many reasons why your Impatiens plants may start to wilt. Some of the main reasons include under or overwatering your plant, a pest infestation, a disease attacking your plant, and keeping your plant in the wrong temperature range. All these can kill your plant if they are not fixed.
Impatiens plants are gorgeous and delicate plants, but they can develop a few problems that can cause them to wilt. Below is a list that you can use to help you find the problem and fix it before your plant suffers permanent damage.
Why Do Impatiens Wilt?
It can be extremely discouraging when your beloved Impatiens plant that you put a lot of effort into begins to be a bit worse for wear and starts to wilt.
There could be many causes that can make your Impatiens plant begin to wilt, which means it can be challenging to figure out the problem with your plant and how to treat the problem if you can treat it at all.
Here are some of the reasons your Impatiens may be wilting:
- Improper watering
- Temperature problems with your Impatiens plants
- Your plant could have a disease
- Your plant could have a pest problem
A lot of these issues that can cause your Impatiens plant to wilt can also lead to the death of your plant if the problem is not treated immediately. So, let’s go through these problems in more detail and see how you can treat them and avoid these problems in the future.
1 – Improper Watering
Not watering your Impatiens plant correctly can begin to cause problems for your plant. Both underwatering your plant and overwatering it can cause negative effects on your plant but overwatering your plant will cause more issues.
If you underwater your Impatiens plant, the plant will begin to dehydrate, which will cause it to wilt. To fix this, you need to gradually increase the frequency that you water your plant until your plant recovers and then stick to this schedule.
Overwatering your Impatiens plant will cause your plant to wilt, but this will also cause your plant leaves to become mushy, and overwatering your plant can lead to certain diseases like root rot developing. This can easily kill your plant and needs to be treated immediately.
To treat this, you will need to repot your plant and place your plant in well-draining soil. Then do not water your plant for a few days to allow it to dry out a bit. If your plant has root rot, you need to trim the affected roots off when you repot your plant.
To ensure you do not have watering problems in the future, you need to keep to a watering schedule for your plant. Water your Impatiens plant when the first 2 inches of soil are dry.
2 – Temperature Issues
If you do not keep your Impatiens plant in the correct temperature range, this can start to cause problems for your Impatiens plant. The perfect temperature range for Impatiens plants is between 65° and 70°F.
If your plant is kept in a temperature that is higher or lower than this temperature range, your plant will start to wilt. If the temperature is higher, your plant will become dehydrated due to the evaporation of water from its soil, which will cause the plant to wilt.
If the temperature is lower than this range, the plant’s soil could become oversaturated with water as there will be no evaporation happening. This will cause your plant to wilt and then become mushy.
So, it’s important to monitor the temperature you are keeping your plant in. you should also ensure that your plant is not receiving too much sun as this will also cause the plant to wilt and die almost instantly as these plants are sensitive to sunlight.
To dodge this problem in the future, you must place your plant in a cool and shady location and keep the soil moist in the summer.
3 – Disease
Another reason your Impatiens plant may be wilting is that the plant is infected with a disease of some kind. There are two diseases that Impatiens plants are particularly susceptible to, these are Verticillium Wilt and Mildew, both of which will cause your Impatiens plant to wilt.
Verticillium Wilt is a fungal infection that is soil-based. This disease will cause your plant’s leaves to wilt and turn yellow. To identify this disease, you need to check whether the plant’s new growth is being affected, as this disease will only affect the old growth of the plant.
So, if the new and young growth of your plant is still green and healthy, then this is most likely the disease attacking your plant. Unfortunately, there is no way to treat Verticillium Wilt, so you will need to dispose of the affected plant before the disease spreads to your other plants.
Mildew is another fungal disease that this plant is prone to. This disease is an easy one to diagnose as this will present as fuzzy grayish-brown, purple, or pale-brown spots on the bottom of your plant’s leaves.
If the disease is advanced, these spots will extend to the plant’s stems, and the leaves of the plant will have yellow or brown spots all over them. This disease will cause your plant to wilt in the advanced stages.
Unfortunately, this disease is highly contagious, spreading from plant to plant easily, and there is no treatment. So, when your plant is infected with Mildew, you need to dispose of it immediately.
4 – A Pest Problem
Impatiens plants can also be affected by pests to the point where the plant will begin to wilt. Some of the main pests you may struggle with in your Impatiens plants life include mealybugs, aphids, spider mites, thrips, and nematodes.
These pests can also cause your plant to have stunted growth and irregular flower shape when your Impatiens plants bloom. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for two of these pests, thrips and nematodes. These will kill your plant. The other pests can be treated with insecticidal soap and then prevented in the future with a neem oil spray.
Final Thoughts
Impatiens plants are beautiful and delicate little plants that can have some problems that can cause them to wilt. A few of these issues are an easy fix, while a few others have no cure, and your plant will, unfortunately, succumb to them in the end. The best way to protect your Impatiens plant is through prevention.
Good luck with your Impatiens plant!
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.