Fungus in Impatients

Hi,

Thanks for writing. Without being able to see your impatiens last year, it's tough to know for sure what the problem is.

Some fungal diseases will remain in the soil; others tend not to survive your area's winters and need to be introduced anew each year.

That said, especially wet, humid conditions encourage many fungal diseases --- so if you water your impatiens daily, that may be making potential disease issues worse. If you can cut back on the amount of water that area gets, it should help.

Also, do you add compost to the planting bed? If not, I'd definitely try that, as well. Compost will help the area drain better, so it doesn't stay wet (in case rot was an issue last year). It will also help introduce beneficial microorganisms to the soil that may help your plants resist disease better.

I hope this helps. Good luck! 

---Justin, Senior Garden Editor, BHG.com

Answered by BHGgardenEditors

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