Question
Hi Mike,
 I have some impatiens planted in outside in a mostly shaded area. They grow very large and with little prompting. Lately I have noticed that they seem very limp, unable to stay upright on their own and then they just fall off the main brnch. What is that about? Thank you for help
Sincerely,
Ann Kitay

Answer
Ann, the symptoms you described are a sign of too much water or poor drainage. Impatiens, like most annuals, need the soil to dry out between watering. Otherwise, they suffer from root rot. This is due to the excess water saturating the roots to the point where they can no longer draw in oxygen or nutrients.

Make sure your soil is friable and drains easily. Heavy clay soils retain water and need supplemented with organic matter such as peat moss or aged manure. Raised beds are another option.

Once you amend the bed, make sure you do not exceed 1" of water per week. That is plenty to keep the plants healthy. The only exception would be during extreme hot weather when you need to water more.

I hope this answered your question. Please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike