Image - Flickr / Kai Yan, Joseph Wong
All the guinean joys, also called New Guinea Hybrids, are very colorful flowers and that is why they are beautiful to have in the garden. The scientific name of these flowers is Impatiens hawkeri and they are the younger sisters of the popular joy of the house (Impatiens walleriana).
That is why if you have joys of the house in your home you should take similar care with the Guineans. As with them, the plant gives us flowers in spring and summerAlthough if we are lucky they may last a few more months. Even so, it is an annual plant, that is, it is discarded every year.
Origin and characteristics of Guinean alegrías
Image - Wikimedia / Forest & Kim Starr
Guinean alegrías are herbaceous plants native to New Guinea, which develop green, tan or reddish leaves, simple and lanceolate. They reach a height of about 20 to 30 centimeters, and their flowers are of different colors: pink, red, white, yellow. They bloom from spring to summer, after which they produce fruit with seeds before dying.
This is so because their life cycle is annual, that is, in a year (actually, in less time) they germinate, grow, flower and give seeds. For this reason, its growth rate is quite fast.
What care do these plants need?
If you want to have a copy of Guinean joy, we recommend providing the following care:
Location
- Interior: it can live well indoors if you put it near a window, as it needs a lot of light (not direct) to grow.
- Body exterior:: place in a bright area, but without direct sun. This will prevent burning.
Irrigation
It is a plant that needs to be watered when it is hot, but avoid getting it wet when it is not sunny as then mold can appear on the leaves and flowers. The watering must be abundant but avoiding that the roots get puddled because then they rot. Irrigation should be abundant in summer and scarce in winter.
To avoid losing it, it is advisable to water it 2-3 times a week in summer and a little less the rest of the year. However, if in doubt, check the moisture of the substrate or soil, for example with a digital moisture meter or by digging around a bit.
Humidity
Do not spray / spray its leaves as they will rot. If the humidity in your house is very low, it is better to place glasses with water or a humidifier around it.
Earth
Image - Wikimedia / Forest & Kim Starr
- Flower pot: fill with universal substrate mixed with 30% perlite.
- Garden: the garden soil must be rich in organic matter, and facilitate the drainage of water.
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From early spring to late summer:
- Flower pot: In order to produce a large quantity of flowers throughout the season, it is advisable to fertilize it regularly with a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants (on sale here) following the instructions specified on the packaging, or if you prefer something more natural, with guano (for sale here) or seaweed extract.
- GardenFertilize the soil with mulch, compost, or herbivorous animal manure.
Planting or transplanting time
Guinean joy has to be planted in the garden in spring. In the case of having it in a pot, it will be enough to pass it once to a larger one as soon as you buy it.
Multiplication
Multiply by seeds and cuttings in spring, following this step by step:
Seeds
- First, a seedling tray is filled with soil specific for seedlings, or with universal substrate mixed with 30% of perlite.
- Then, it is watered conscientiously, moistening the whole earth well.
- Afterwards, a maximum of two seeds are placed in each alveolus, and they are covered with a thin layer of substrate.
- (Optional but recommended): put a little copper or powdered sulfur on top to avoid the appearance of fungi.
- Finally, place the seedbed outside, in semi-shade.
Keeping the soil moist but not flooded, they will germinate in about 10 days. When the seedlings measure about 8 centimeters, they can be transferred to pots or the garden.
Cuttings
A faster way to get new copies is cutting stems and placing them in a glass of water. This water must be changed daily, and once it has roots, the plant must be planted in a pot with substrate or in the garden.
Pruning
To help plants in their growth it is recommended sprout young stems in spring so that it branches, and thus achieve that it produces more flowers.
Do this with previously disinfected scissors, and trim only the first inch of each stem.
Pests
It is quite resistant in general, but can be attacked by aphids, Red spider y White fly. All of them can be treated with ecological insecticides like potassium soap (for sale here) or diatomaceous earth.
Rusticity
Guinean joy cannot stand cold or frost.
Image - Wikimedia / Forest & Kim Starr
What did you think of Guinean joy?
I have a guinea, it has flooded and the plant looks deteriorated. What I can do?
Hello Josue.
The first thing I recommend is that you take it out of the pot and wrap the root ball with absorbent paper, such as kitchen paper for example. Keep it like this for 24 hours, in a room with lots of light, but not direct.
The next day, plant it back in the pot. And don't water until 2 days have passed.
From then on, water once a week, maximum two; in summer 2-3 times.
For prevention, it is highly advisable to treat it with a broad spectrum fungicide, since fungi could affect it.
Good luck.
.i alegria is pure leaves but very small leaves and the flowers fall very fast
Hi Ana,
Well, each plant has its characteristics 🙂
If you like those with large leaves and / or many flowers, there are the hydrangeas for example.
Regards!
Hello, I wanted to make an inquiry. Yesterday it was very cold and my guinea pig now has a very decayed stem. Is it possible to recover it?
Thank you.
Hi luciano.
It's hard. Keep it in a place with lots of light but without drafts, and water it every time the substrate is dry.
And to wait.
Good luck.
Hello, I have two Guineans that I take care of in the same way, one is beautiful and the other for a few days the leaves and flowers have been flabby, soft and falling down. What could have happened to him? will have a solution?
Thank you very much!
Hello Maria Jose.
Sometimes it happens, even in plants with the same parents. But it may be that one has a better draining substrate than the other, or that it receives less light than the other, or that it is more exposed to the wind.
Solution: Check the humidity of the substrate before watering again. To do this, you can insert a thin wooden stick and insert it to the bottom. If when you extract it, it comes out practically clean, it is because it needs watering.
You can also give him a vegetable biostimulant (sold in nurseries) if you are in the summer.
A greeting.
My little plant is dying. I read that he can't stand the cold, I have it inside the house. Some advice so that it recovers and can survive now in winter.
Hey.
My advice is that you have it in a room where a lot of natural light enters, in an area where it is protected from drafts.
Irrigation has to be scant, only when the substrate is dry or almost dry.
If you have a plate underneath, remove it within 15 minutes of watering to prevent excess water from coming into contact with the roots.
You can add half a small spoonful of the fertilizer called Nitrofoska once a month. With this it is achieved that the roots withstand the cold better.
Greetings and good luck.
Thank you.
Greetings to you 🙂
My little plant is breaking from the stem, it becomes soft as if someone had bent it, what can I do?
Hello Marcela.
Is it a bright area you are in? It may be that it is growing a lot looking for light and this is weakening it. If so, you need to place it in an area with more light.
In the event that it is not that, it occurs to me that perhaps it is overwatering. If you have a plate underneath, you have to remove the excess water 10 minutes after watering.
A greeting.
Hello, you know I bought my plant in a store and after weeks the leaves began to fall, the following week it no longer had leaves, only the new ones that are coming out remain and in their encounters it has a little reddishness, it can be said that it was a week and a half without water. I took out all the dead leaves and only left the new ones that still look a little fallen and another good. Oh and I also left it in the bathroom in case it was lacking in humidity. I need your recommendations, I don't want him to die ...
Hi Matias.
How often do you water it? In summer it is recommended to water it two or three times a week, and the rest of the year 1-2 / week. If you have a plate underneath, you must remove the excess water ten minutes after watering.
Anyway, if you want to upload an image to tinypic (or any other image hosting website) and copy the link here so we can tell you better.
A greeting.
Here I send you the link of how the plant is now and I water it once a week (we are in winter).
Hi Matias.
Well in principle it does not look bad. It is normal that it does not have leaves (those that it has on the ground it is better to remove them so that fungi do not proliferate).
You can water it with homemade rooting hormones (here explains how to obtain them).
A greeting.
I bought my plant two days ago and today it dawned. With the fallen leaves that may have happened so that. It will change drastically
Hi Alina.
Do you have it in the sun? It has to be in a bright area, but without direct sun, otherwise its leaves will look bad.
Another option is that you are going thirsty. If the soil is dry, it is convenient to water it.
A greeting.
In fact, the care of the Guinean alegrias and those of the house, as well as their cultivation and demands are very similar. It has attractive bronze-green or reddish leaves, and flowers with a wide range of colors. It is used as an indoor or outdoor plant and is usually treated as an annual, that is, it is discarded every year. Place it in a place with light but not too sunny and it will bloom throughout the summer. It does not bear the cold; its stem deteriorates with frost. In addition, Guinean joy welcomes a spray on hot days, but keep it dry on dark days; otherwise mold will develop on leaves and flowers. Instead of spraying on leaves, place the pot on a tray with wet pebbles.
I have 2 plants of nativity scene or Guinean joy at noon it was very good and after a few hours I already had half of its leaves down, I do not know if it is due to lack of irrigation, only one the other still looks good, I already put water on it and I put it in the house, I put it on one side of the window but without direct sun, it is worth mentioning that only a little while the sun gave it in the place where I put it, it was already 3 4 days old and until today it was like that, it will be that Just having it watered and moved again, will it make it okay again?
Hello Consuelo.
From what you count, it seems that they have had a lack of irrigation. It is important that, every time you water, you pour water until it comes out of the holes in the pot. Of course, you also have to try not to water too much: only about 3-4 times a week in summer and somewhat less the rest of the year. If you have a plate underneath, remove the excess water after each watering.
Greetings.
Hello, last night little snow fell silent and my Orange magnum was out the way I took it out Xk it was raining and that happened right now they are burned x the cold and the snow will they die or I can recover
Hello Adriana.
You can remove all the leaves that are badly damaged, and otherwise we will only have to wait and see how it evolves.
Luck!