Hello,

I recently had to hanging baskets on my front porch that had plants in them. They are the moss type of baskets that allow for adequate drainage. I accidentally fertilized them with Mir-acid instead of Miracle-grow and the plants died. :-(

Now, a few weeks later, I have purchased New Guinea Impatiens and put those in the baskets on the shaded porch. After planting them I watered them with Miracle-Grow. Their is a vinca vine growing in the basket with them. It has been three days and the New Guineas are extremely wilted! They are really drooping. The soil is still moist but not soaked. The weather has been wonderful the past few days. Not too hot, not too cold, not humid, mix of sun and clouds and some rain. They do not get rain water on the porch nor direct sunlight. Ample light though on the porch as there are no huge trees in the yard.

What do I need to do to bring them to life? Should I add limestone to the soil in case it is too acidic? Should I put them in direct sunlight a few hours a day? Should I re-pot the whole plant in new soil? Will re-potting them shock them even more?

Thanks,
Jamie

dear girlpower....... Working in a greenhouse, there's a lot of wilt going on with new guinea's...it's usually due to high heat and not enough water,aphids, etc. They need water at least every other day; not drenching but good moisture. Direct sunlight in the morning (east side..) shouldn't be too intense, just remove the basket as the morning leads into the afternoon. I wouldn't add anything to the soil at all right now because that will shock them even more, and don't transplant them again, either.(Don't make the mistake of fertilizing right off the bat, as transplanting any plant is stressful enough for the root system.)...just leave them alone and give them a chance to re-group. Remember, all seasoned gardener's have killed many plants in the learning process,until they've figured it out, so if the plants croak, buy new ones and try again! :-)