[Diddy Gardener]

I bought trailing impatiens as plug plants a couple of weeks ago. I potted them up and they were fine. However, over the last few days I've noticed the leaves losing colour and then dropping off. They're in a frost free greenhouse along with my other plug plants, seedlings etc... everything else seems to be fine. Any ideas?

[New shoot]

They need to be a little bit warmer than frost free.  We've got ours at work inside the shop and they get fleeced if the temperature outside overnight dips below about 5 degrees C.  Geraniums and petunias are a bit tougher but impats are softies.

If the leaves are yellowing, it could also be over-watering.  If they are little plants in big pots of wet compost, that could be it.

Can you bring them indoors for a bit to see if they perk up? 

[muckyboots]

HI,Diddy the may have the virus that has decimated the busy lizzie plant business lots of suppliers have stopped selling them,as there is no cure it happens in greenhouses as well.Its cost them millions so sooner or later we will  all have to find alternatives, have a look on the RHS site re Impatiens.Good luck

[Yorkie]

The virus is indeed a possibility, but if I recall correctly it only affected certain impatiens types - and I'm not sure whether Diddy's plants are one of the affected types.

[New shoot]

The thing that killed most impats last year was a type of downy mildew, which is triggered by weather conditions and there is no effective treatment for it available to the home gardener. Thats why they all went down with it in the south east when the rain started last summer.

The virus is about but not that common, but the 2 seem to be lumped together as 'the busy lizzie' disease.  New Guinea impats are resistent to the mildew, but I think the trailing ones can get it.  We are selling ours with a sign next to them explaining about the potetial downy mildew problem but we are still offering them  so people can make their own minds up.  We will have standard 6 packs in a few weeks as well as there are plenty of suppliers still growing them.

I think its unlikely plugs would show signs of either to be honest.  They are probably just a bit cold and/or wet

[Diddy Gardener]

Thank you chaps. There's no sign of any sort of mildew... just the leaves losing colour and dropping off - I'll bring them into the house and see if that solves it. 

[Diddy Gardener]

Well... I brought them into the house. About half of them are now fine, but the older leaves have dropped off of the other half - though there is new growth, so that's a good sign.

You guys were absolutely right about the temperature though. I took cuttings when I first got the plug plants (free plants!!  ) and put them into wee pots in the heated propogator... they are rampant and obviously very happy - roots appearing through the bottom of the pots and everything. 

Thanks for the advice... I love this place - can I move in? 

[mumofstig]

can I move in?

only if you pay the leccy bill now we've all got propergatory thingies on 

[Diddy Gardener]

Oh... I was hoping that maybe you'd feed me, do my  ???ironing... that kind of thing?