A six-inch stem stripped of all but its topmost leaves roots in two to three weeks and gives you back the parent plant exactly. That is how gardeners keep a favourite Sunpatiens going, though only for personal use, never for gain: hold the moisture steady and the cutting will flower as freely as the original.
On a practical level, though, if a Sunpatiens has problems, you can salvage a stem and grow a cutting from it to replace the dying one.
Notes:
You can prepare a cutting from your favorite sunpatiens ® before it dies, it will keep the exact same properties.
Here are the basic steps to prepare the cuttings:
With such a cutting, take care to ensure constant moisture or the blooming may be delayed. Without appropriate moisture control, it might not bloom at all. However, overwatering your cutting will lead to elongated stems with less flowers. Make sure the soil mix drains very well.
Cuttings, saved seed and a fresh trip to the garden centre do not give the same result, and they do not carry the same legal standing. Use this table to pick the route that matches what you actually want.
| Route | Legal standing | When | What you end up with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutting taken from your own plant | Personal use only, never for financial gain | Before the plant dies; roots form in two to three weeks | Exactly the same plant, same properties |
| Collected seed sown straight onto the bed | Seed offspring fall outside the patent and trademark | The spring following collection | A new hybrid, often quite different from the parent |
| Collected seed started indoors | Seed offspring fall outside the patent and trademark | 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost date | Seedlings large enough to transplant without dying off |
| New plants bought in a store | Propagated only by growers authorised by the owner | Whenever you replace winter losses | Genuine Sunpatiens, and more colours and sizes |
In short: cuttings keep the plant you love, seeds give you something new, and the shop is the only source of true Sunpatiens.
Stores don’t sell any Sunpatiens seeds, even online.
However, a few flowers might go to seed on a Sunpatiens. You can collect them for sowing in the following spring. If you yourself don’t have any sunpatiens planted, ask around the neighborhood or visit parks.
Often, when asked politely, people will be more than happy to share. They’ll at least let you check whether their flowers are bearing seeds or not!
Above, a seed pod of Impatiens hawkeri, a parent of Sunpatiens.
Seeds collected from a Sunpatiens need light to germinate. Place them atop the soil mix without covering them up.
You can either sprinkle the seeds directly on the growing bed (direct sowing) where they’ll sprout and grow, or start them as indoor seedlings 6 to 8 weeks prior to the last frost date in your area.
At that stage they’ll have grown enough to be transplanted without risk of dying off. For maximum success, check on how to minimize transplant shock.
Since Sunpatiens is an annual, it’ll die in winter if ever it freezes. Snip a stem off for each plant you’ve got and start a cutting off to extend its life over the cold season. Replace any dead ones with new Sunpatiens from a store to increase the variety of colors and sizes!
Propagating Sunpatiens from cuttings without permission is forbidden because the plant is patented and trademarked. However, you can make a cutting for personal use to replace a dying plant, as long as it’s not for financial gain. Only Sakata Seed Corporation is authorized to prepare and propagate Sunpatiens flower cuttings commercially.
Roots will form very fast on Sunpatiens cuttings, usually within two to three weeks. Once rooted, consistent moisture is important to avoid delayed blooming or failure to bloom altogether.
Yes, you can collect seeds if your Sunpatiens produces flowers that go to seed, though Sunpatiens doesn’t produce many seeds naturally. Seeds collected from a Sunpatiens are never true copies due to cross-pollination, so seedlings will often be new hybrids that differ from the parent plant and are not covered by the original patent or trademark.
Sunpatiens seeds require light to germinate, so they should be placed on top of the soil mix without being covered. You can sow them directly outdoors or start them indoors as seedlings 6 to 8 weeks before your area’s last frost date.
Sunpatiens cuttings need constant moisture to avoid delayed blooming or failure to bloom, but overwatering leads to elongated stems with fewer flowers. Water when the soil has dried slightly—enough to make leaves sag a little—which indicates the plant is focusing energy on root development. Ensure the soil mix drains very well.
