Have you ever grown beautiful impatiens flowers and wished you could save the seeds to plant again next year? I have great news – with a little knowledge and preparation, saving impatiens seeds is totally doable for any gardener!
As an avid gardener myself, I used to think seed saving was confusing and difficult. But once I learned a few simple techniques I realized how rewarding it can be to collect and store seeds from your own flowers. Not only is it inexpensive, it allows you to replant heirloom varieties year after year.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about successfully saving impatiens seeds, step-by-step. Let’s get started!
An Overview of Saving Impatiens Seeds
Impatiens, also known as “busy lizzies,” are a popular annual flower grown for their colorful blooms and ability to thrive in shade. Most gardeners purchase new impatiens plants or seeds each year.
However, with a little planning, you can easily collect and save impatiens seeds to plant again the following spring. Here’s a quick overview of the seed saving process:
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Wait for impatiens blooms to fade and dry on the plant.
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Collect the dried seed pods and remove the tiny seeds inside
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Dry and store the seeds in a cool, dark place over winter.
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Sow seeds indoors 10-12 weeks before your last expected spring frost.
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Transplant seedlings to the garden after danger of frost has passed.
While impatiens seeds don’t remain viable for many years, they can successfully be saved from one season to the next with proper harvesting and storage.
When and How to Harvest Impatiens Seeds
Timing is important when collecting impatiens seeds. You’ll want to wait until the flowers have faded completely and the seed pods have started to dry out and burst open. This usually occurs in late summer or fall.
Here are some tips for identifying when impatiens seeds are ready for harvest:
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Watch faded flowers closely for seed pods to form. Mature pods will turn yellow or brown and become crispy or papery.
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Give pods a gentle pinch. If they crush easily between your fingers, the seeds inside should be ready to harvest.
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Look for pods that have already burst open on their own, exposing the small, round seeds within. This means seeds are mature.
To collect the seeds, simply pinch or twist the pods to release seeds into a container. Small paper envelopes, plastic bags, or glass jars all work well.
You may find it easiest to harvest seeds in the morning after any dew has evaporated but before the heat of day causes pods to burst open prematurely.
How to Dry and Store Impatiens Seeds
After collecting impatiens seeds, it’s important to properly dry and store them to maintain viability. Here are a few tips:
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Spread seeds in a single layer on coffee filters or paper plates. Allow to dry at room temperature for about 2 weeks.
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Gently stir or roll seeds occasionally to ensure even drying. Seeds are ready when they break instead of bend.
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For short-term storage (up to 3 months), place dried seeds in an airtight container like a glass jar or plastic bag. Store in the refrigerator.
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For longer storage, put seeds in moisture-resistant envelopes and keep in the freezer. Viability may decrease after 1 year.
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Always label envelopes or containers with the seed variety and year collected. This helps avoid confusion later!
Proper drying and storage keeps seeds from molding and allows time for seeds to mature. Refrigeration at 35-40°F is ideal for maintaining seed viability over winter.
How to Grow Impatiens Plants from Saved Seeds
The process of growing impatiens from saved seeds is very similar to starting seeds purchased new each year. Just follow these steps:
Start seeds indoors:
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Plant seeds indoors 10-12 weeks before your expected last spring frost date. Impatiens require a long growing season.
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Use a seed starting mix and plant 1-2 seeds per cell in a tray or pot. Cover seeds lightly with mix.
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Maintain warm soil temperatures around 70°F until germination, which takes 14-21 days.
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Place seed trays on a heat mat or warm spot like the top of a fridge.
Care for seedlings:
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Water carefully to keep soil moist but not saturated. Reduce watering once sprouts appear.
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Move seedlings to direct light right after germination. A sunny window or grow lights work well.
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Transplant carefully to larger containers when true leaves appear. Use potting mix and bury stems slightly deeper.
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Harden off plants over 7-10 days before transplanting outdoors. Slowly introduce to outdoor conditions.
Transplant outdoors after frost risk has passed:
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Impatiens should be transplanted outdoors after all danger of frost has passed, when night temps stay above 50°F.
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Space plants 8-12 inches apart in a shady garden spot with rich, well-draining soil. Water thoroughly after transplanting.
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Pinch back tips when 6 inches tall to encourage bushy, branching growth. Enjoy flowers all season!
With proper harvesting, drying, storage, and planting techniques, you can easily save impatiens seeds and regrow these beautiful flowers each year. It’s so rewarding to watch new generations of plants grow from your own seed collection.
Tips for Success Growing Impatiens from Saved Seeds
Growing impatiens from your own saved seeds does take some patience and attention to detail. Here are a few tips to help ensure success:
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Select healthy parent plants – Collect seeds only from your best, most vigorous impatiens plants that are free of disease. This gives seeds a head start.
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Harvest seeds at peak maturity – Letting pods fully ripen and dry before harvesting ensures seeds reach maximum viability. Don’t collect too early!
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Control humidity while drying – Excess moisture can ruin seeds quickly. Dry on paper towels initially, then move to sealed containers with desiccant packs for storage.
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Store seeds properly – Cold, dark places like the refrigerator or freezer maintain seed viability longer than room temperature storage. Use airtight containers.
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Start seeds early indoors – Impatiens need 10-12 weeks of growth before going outside. Use a heating mat for best germination.
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Handle seedlings gently – Impatiens seedlings are delicate. Transplant carefully to avoid damage. Harden off before moving outdoors.
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Prepare shade garden bed – Impatiens thrive in nutrient-rich, well-drained soil and dappled sunlight. Amend soil if needed before planting.
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Water and fertilize regularly – Impatiens are heavy feeders. Consistent water and a balanced fertilizer produce the best growth and flowers.
Follow these tips and you’ll be rewarded with a bounty of vibrant impatiens flowers grown from your own saved seeds. What a great way to fill your garden with beauty at a fraction of the cost of buying new seed each year!
Frequently Asked Questions about Saving Impatiens Seeds
If you’re new to seed saving, you probably have some questions about the best practices for impatiens specifically. Here are answers to some of the most common questions gardeners have:
How long will impatiens seeds stay viable?
Impatiens seeds are relatively short-lived compared to some other plants. Properly stored seeds should remain viable for planting for at least one year, and up to three years in ideal conditions. Their germination rate slowly declines over time.
Can you save seeds from hybrid impatiens varieties?
Unfortunately, seeds collected from hybrid impatiens will not produce true-to-type plants. Hybrid varieties have been specially crossed, so seed traits reshuffle in unpredictable ways. Stick to heirloom “open pollinated” varieties for seed saving success.
Is it better to save seeds from single or double impatiens flowers?
Single impatiens flowers produce the best, most viable seeds for regrowing. The extra petals in double flower varieties seem to inhibit seed production. Prioritize collecting seeds from single blooms.
Do you need to isolate impatiens plants to save pure seeds?
Impatiens rarely cross-pollinate, so isolation is not necessary. You can successfully save seeds from a group of different impatiens varieties grown together. Label each variety carefully.
What causes stored impatiens seeds to die?
Exposure to heat, moisture, or sunlight will kill stored impatiens seeds quickly. Check containers for condensation or tiny mold spots, which indicate excess humidity. Discard any questionable seeds before planting.
When is the best time to sow saved impatiens seeds?
Start seeds indoors about 10-12 weeks before your last expected spring frost. This gives adequate time for germination and development of strong seedlings before transplanting into the garden after weather warms up.
Hopefully these tips have given you confidence
Why Bother Saving Seeds Anyways?
You are giving your future self a gift when you save seeds. You save seeds to have a steady supply for future planting, to give to friends, neighbors, and family, or to take part in seed swaps, seed circles, or to stock a seed library in your town or neighborhood.
- Save Money. Seed saving can save you money. For specialty varieties in particular, the cost of the seeds and how likely they are to grow can make buying them impractical or pointless. And very quickly, gardening and starting seeds can become an addiction that costs a lot of money to keep up. Seeds don’t last forever and do need to be replaced. It is definitely a good idea to save your own seeds to save money.
- Adaptation. I strongly believe that seeds that have been through the unique microclimates of your growing area will be better adapted and more resilient, and they’ll have stronger defenses for the next growing season. When farming, picking flower types that do well in our area, with all of its bugs and changing weather, can make the difference between blooms that do well and those that don’t.
- Self-selection. Consider beauty, size, vigor, and disease-resistance. If you want to save seeds, you can look at your plants and flowers at your leisure throughout the season. Then, pick out the ones you want to keep growing for your seed collection and mark them. Other things to think about could be the biggest bloom, your favorite color, the earliest blooming, or the most fragrant. These and other things can be used to make very smart breeding plans. At the end of the season, we sometimes just wing it and cut all the blooms off like crazy, save all the seeds, and cross our fingers. There is always next year to be more selective.
- Sovereignty. Seeds represent people, places and cultures. Many big companies are trying to patent and privateize the genetic diversity and availability of many plant species in order to make money off of them. This could threaten the types of seeds that can be saved and shared for free. Many communities are able to feed and stay alive because they save seeds, whether they are for flowers or food.
How to Save Flower Seeds
When the plants have completely dried out and turned brown is the best time to go around and pick the ripe flower seeds. The seeds are living things that have all the starter food and genetic information for the next season’s beauty wrapped up in their covering.
- Gather ripe seeds on a dry, sunny day.
- Using garden shears, cut the stalks or just the flower heads and put them in a bag with a label on it.
- At home, you will separate the seeds from the chaff. Clean the seeds by removing any husks or pods. As much as possible should be kept away from the seeds, since the chaff can hold insect eggs or fungi.
- Be sure they are dry—to a crisp. Before putting the seeds away, let them dry for about a week on paper, a cookie sheet, or a screen in a cool, dark place, even if they look dry when you get them. A gentle fan that moves the air around can help the drying process go faster.
- My system for saving seeds is simple. Writing the flower’s name and type on a small brown paper bag is what I do. The flower heads are then cut into the bags. How I treat each type of seed at home depends on how dry or ready to store it is.