I picked up an I. tinctoria for a friend earlier in the year. I took a cutting. It rooted and appears to be doing great. I just potted it up in a 1 gallon pot: It turns out my friend's plant isn't doing so well. It might not make it. Would it make more sense to take a cutting at some point and root it--if so, when? Or should I wait for it to go dormant and give her a tuber? Will a plant this size make enough tubers that one can be separated easily? Will it make so many tubers that it needs to be in a bigger pot this year? I just repotted it when it shot out a thick red root through one of the drainage holes.

Yes, it finally started to put out new growth last summer(2011) and has not gone dormant since. No flowers yet - hoping for this summer!

Hello Lalameija, welcome to the Garden Web, great place! Yes, Impatiens tinctoria is a tuber - one that can get mighty big! I had one plant split open a 5 gallon nursery container - no problem ! When I removed it from the container the tuber was the size of a soccer ball! This one has been hardy for me, however planting time is important as it should have some time to become established before the frost. Mine gets frosted back to the ground every year then regrows in the spring. Also important is that there is excellent drainage - I planted mine in a raised bed so that I new it would not be sitting in super wet ground over a wet winter. Lastly - gopher protection should be considered if you live in an area with gophers. I lost a couple of plants to the little monsters. I thought maybe not as they don't seem to bug my other Impatiens however I have found the tell-tale flopped over root-less foliage that usually points gopher damage (a huge problem in our area). I think that I might be tempted to grow your plant on in a container through this winter and plant it out next spring. Kept mine in an unheated hoop house for many years before getting brave enough to plant it out (yes that was the Amazing hulk plant). It would get a good 5' -6' tall and bloomed often (yes it is fragrant). The flowers are about the size of the palm of my hand. Initially I was told that this one did not grow from cuttings however I found that some of the limbs that had fallen and made contact with a damp debris area on the floor had rooted. All of those did grow on for me. I have not tried to root any more since then so I don't know if it was just the right set of circumstances or they do root easily. I'll have to try some next year. Hope this helps :~)

Alicia Very nice plant! I'm still waiting for mine to flower. Looks like we may be seeing a bunch of I. tinctorias for sale on ebay in the near furture. Each of those tubers should start a new plant I believe. Good Job. You can do cuttings on tinctoria but side shoot cut at the base of the main stem are always best. It will also set seed which is always nice. How to start them I am not really sure. But I think they would need a cold spell like balfourii.