Beginner Gardening: Impatiens Cutting Back?, 1 by txflower

txflower wrote:
Hello all,
Ok I was wondering if you can "cut back" an impatiens plant? Mine was looking beautiful and smelling great, and then I forgot to water it for two day and wham-o! LOL The first day I forgot, and the second it had rained so I thought it got a good soak and forgot to check it before I went to bed to make sure!

Well Sad to say that in the morning when I checked it it was dry as a bone and had lost half its leaves!! HUUUUH :((

Anyway it has perked back up, but now looks leggy. I can see where some/a few new leaves are coming back but it is not as nice and pretty as it was!

I know it needs to be repotted to help with the moister problem, which was not a problem until this week! LOL

But I am not sure if I can "cut it back" a little? There are no new leaves on the longer steams, but ones coming out from the bottom, and a few new sprouts.

Will it kill it if I cut it back a little? Maybe down to the next to top leave set? Which is not more than an inch I don't think. But I know if I cut all the leaves off of it it can't breath and I will kill it! LOL

Also can I bring it in in the winter? Do they do well as house plants? I know some don't and have an odor once inside!

Thanks for the help!