New Guinea impatiens from cuttings?

I need to fill a 20' bed beside a community centre and would like to use NG impatiens. Since we're doing this 'on the cheap' and these are pretty expensive, I thought I'd try buying some well-developed plants and taking cuttings. Can I just root them in something like ProMix? Or in water? Would they grow to blooming size fast enough?

Good question because they grow fast so a $10 plant would go along ways. Know Idea if that will work.

It should work, because a lot of the commercial New Guinea Impatiens plants are produced asexually by cuttings. However, I've never done it myself. I would use some kind of propagator unit, which involves either a plastic cover or a mister. I would use the plastic cover method, because it is less expensive. You will probably be starting these cuttings under fluorescent lights.

If I used Premier Pro-Mix BX, I would add a significant amount of Perlite to get a better draining medium. Or I might use a mix of Perlite and Vermiculite to root the cuttings. I wouldn't use water, because it doesn't give enough oxygen to the roots of many plants. Coleus seem to do well in water, but the water method isn't generally the best unless you have a hydroponic setup.

MM

I agree with MM. I'd get one of the seed starter trays with the little cells that you see in the stores this time of year. Fill it with moistened Promix/perlite or peat/perlite. Dip the ends of the cuttings in rooting powder and cover it in bright shade or under lights.

I just did 15/36 ct.trays yesterday. It's a no brainer. You take a tip cutting w/ a leaf node or two and just plunge it into the soil. You can use a powdered hormone but I watered mine in with a liquid form because of the number of cuttings I did( total of 4000 yesterday of NG impatients,coleus and sweet potatoes) and dipping them in powder would have slowed me down consideribly. I don't use any kind of cover over the tray but I do sit newly struck cuttings on the shady shelves for a week or two.

P

Thanks for the excellent advice. I'll proceed and report back here.

Good luck.

P