Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Impatiens walleriana 'Xtreme Salmon' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Xtreme Salmon Impatiens, Busy Lizzie Salmon (Impatiens walleriana 'Xtreme Salmon').

More about impatiens walleriana 'xtreme salmon'

About Impatiens walleriana 'Xtreme Salmon'

Impatiens walleriana 'Xtreme Salmon' · also called Xtreme Salmon Impatiens, Busy Lizzie Salmon · flowering

A shade-loving busy lizzie with abundant flat salmon-pink flowers on a compact, mounded plant. Classic bedding and basket impatiens, it flowers non-stop in shade to part shade through summer. It needs consistently moist, humus-rich soil and shelter from hot afternoon sun, and remains self-cleaning, dropping spent blooms without deadheading right up to first frost.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Leggy growth with few flowers: Too much shade or excess nitrogen causes stretched, sparse plants. Provide bright dappled light and pinch tips early to encourage bushy, floriferous growth.

The reasons impatiens walleriana 'xtreme salmon' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming impatiens walleriana 'xtreme salmon' traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding impatiens walleriana 'xtreme salmon' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get impatiens walleriana 'xtreme salmon' to flower

Maximise sun. Give impatiens walleriana 'xtreme salmon' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for impatiens walleriana 'xtreme salmon' and get the feeding right with the impatiens walleriana 'xtreme salmon' fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Impatiens walleriana 'Xtreme Salmon' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full impatiens walleriana 'xtreme salmon' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Impatiens walleriana 'Xtreme Salmon' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my impatiens walleriana 'xtreme salmon' flower?

Impatiens walleriana 'Xtreme Salmon' blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make impatiens walleriana 'xtreme salmon' bloom?

Give impatiens walleriana 'xtreme salmon' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does impatiens walleriana 'xtreme salmon' normally bloom?