A florist, knowing how to care for begonia, will give it a place of honor in his green collection. Widely known indoor flower begonia will become a decoration of the house if you provide proper care for begonia.
Ornamental-leaf begonias and flowering species can satisfy the taste of the most demanding aesthetes. The seeming simplicity of growing begonias has contributed to the wide popularity of the species.
Halo growth in the wild
The genus begonia is the most numerous widely known of the begonia family, numbering over a thousand species. This crop entered the rooms and greenhouses from the subtropics of South America, Sri Lanka, India, West Africa, the Malay Archipelago.
The popularity of ornamental-flowering and decaro-leaf begonias is due to the uncomplicated agrotechnics.
Begonia in the house does not require complicated care. In indoor floriculture, begonias are represented by a wide range of ever-flowering and DeCaro-leaf, bush and imperious, tuberous, and thick-stemmed species. The indoor begonia can be a sprawling half-meter bush or a compact, spherical bush.
Absolutely all begonias bloom annually and the division of species is very relative. A plant is classified as decaroforming if the leaves are superior to the flowers and vice versa. Widely popular in indoor flowering are the luxurious begonia and begonia Mason, poly leaf begonia and begonia Bauer, coral begonia, and ever-flowering begonia.
The color of the leaves of indoor crops varies from bright green with contrasting flecks, to red and dark maroon. The inflorescences of begonias are usually gathered in clusters of flowers. Ornamental-flowering begonias throw out panicles of small flowers in delicate tones, which are recommended to be removed to improve the coloring of the leaves. Decorative-flowering begonias delight the eye with a variety of bright colors.
Begonia Mason and Begonia Bauer are striking representatives of decorative-leafed houseplants. Missionaries and travelers brought Begonia Mason from New Guinea, while Begonia Bauer is a bred hybrid and has no direct relatives in the wild.
Begonia Bauer is known as tiger begonia and is a compact bush 30 centimeters high with thick roots. Toothed leaves grow from the root rosette, gradually forming a short, thick stem. The leaf plate has a characteristic spotted coloration.
Begonia Mason is commonly known as the indoor begonia. The efficacy of Begonia Mason is due to the unique coloring of the leaves. The characteristic dark-colored cross-shaped pattern stands out against the bright green background of the leaf plate. Begonia Mason is a compact, densely foliated bush 20 centimeters high with a tuberous root. During flowering, Begonia Mason throws out a panicle with small white flowers, which are recommended to be removed to preserve the decorativeness of the leaves.
Important conditions for growing begonia
The care and cultivation of begonia consist in the proper recreation of natural growing conditions. At home, begonias grow in tropical and subtropical forests, so in the house, the plant does not tolerate close proximity with other vases.
Care of begonia is the right choice of lighting, maintaining optimum humidity, watering and fertilizing.
Knowing how to grow begonia, you can get a beautiful copy of both flowering and DeCaro-leaf begonia. Indoor flowers are pleasing to the eye if care at home creates a microclimate closer to nature.
The primary task of a florist seems to be to choose the right place for a pot of a houseplant. In tropical forests, begonia grows in the penumbra of tall trees and receives diffused sunlight. Therefore, in room conditions, the pot with begonia is installed at some distance from the window or slightly shaded. Decorative-leaf begonias lose the spectacular coloring of the leaves under the influence of sunlight. A pot of begonia is perfectly suitable for the east or west window. It is acceptable to grow begonias in an ample plant cache.
The watering schedule for indoor begonias
The indoor begonia is a water-loving plant. Water should be allowed to stand for one or two days before watering the begonia. The plant responds well to watering with soft water at room temperature. Hard municipal tap water should be boiled.
In humid subtropical forests, it is almost never exposed to streams of water. Therefore, when watering begonias, you should avoid getting water on the stems and leaves. A true indicator of the timeliness of watering is the drying of the top layer of the substrate. The plant does not tolerate overwatering of the soil, it is better to plant begonia in a pot with legs, and water from the tray should be poured out.
During active vegetation, water begonia twice a week. During the hot season, moisten the substrate every other day or every day. Many species of indoor begonias have a short period of winter dormancy, which lasts two to three weeks. During this time, watering is reduced, not allowing the ground humus to dry out, and tuberous begonias are not watered at all.
Rules for maintaining air humidity and temperature
Careful attention should be paid to the microclimate requirements of keeping tropical plants, which are characterized by high humidity and compliance with the temperature regime. It is not allowed to humidify begonia by spraying, because from water droplets getting on the leaf surface, unaesthetic spots are formed and the plant loses its decorativeness.
The best solution is to plant begonias in a flower pot with high stems. Water in the tray, not reaching the drainage hole, will serve to humidify the air. Vessels of water placed in close proximity to the begonia will increase humidity nicely. A double tray system is used if there is not enough space on the window sill. The lower tray is filled with pebbles, on which the upper tray with the pot is placed. The lower container is filled with water.
In terms of air temperature, the optimal range for begonias is +20+24 °C during active growth. In winter, the temperature in the room with the plant should not drop below +15 °C. Begonia can die completely in a cooler room. Humidity requirements remain the same throughout the year.
Begonia responds positively to airing, provided that drafts, which lead to hypothermia of the plant, are avoided.
Fertilizer complex for begonias
Flowering and DeCaro-flowering begonias need different sets of mineral fertilizers. Phosphorus fertilizers should be applied to the substrate with ornamental-flowering crops, while decalogue-leaved plants need nitrogen fertilization. Fertilize indoor plants no more than twice a month, subject to timely transplanting. Fertilizing flowering begonia species begin when the first buds appear to extend the flowering period and maintain the plant. During the vegetative dormancy, begonias are not fertilized so as not to disturb rest and preparation for spring.
Rules for transplanting begonias
The basic rules for transplanting begonias are the proper timing of the stressful procedure, the optimal soil composition, and the size of the vase. All of these factors should be considered before planting a begonia, as a mistake can lead to the death of the plant.
Planting and care of transplanted begonia have a number of rules, compliance with which guarantees the successful adaptation of the plant to new soil. Transplanting is carried out in March before the beginning of active growth. Young plants are transplanted every spring in the first three years. The following transplants are carried out every two or three years or as needed.
Begonia will signal the need for transplanting by stopping the growth and filling the entire substrate with the root system. Often the roots of the plant begin to emerge to the surface of the soil or come out through the drainage hole. The new vase should be slightly larger than the previous one.
Care should be taken to prepare the soil and the vase before planting the begonia. Begonias require compact, thick-walled pots to prevent the roots from overheating on hot days. A pot that is too large can cause the soil to rot because the root system of indoor begonias is slow to assimilate the substrate.
Begonias are well suited to prepared mixtures with acidity levels in the range 5.5-6.5 Ph. For ornamental-flowering begonias choose a substrate for flowering indoor crops because it contains the optimal amount of phosphorus. Decorate-leaved begonias need a substrate with high nitrogen content. Attention should be paid to the composition of the soil mixture. The substrate should contain one part of sod soil and peat for every two parts of leaf soil.
How to plant begonia correctly
Begonia requires no special preparation for the stressful procedure. The clod must be moist enough so that the substrate does not cling to the roots of the plant. The pot with begonia is transferred to a horizontal position and the vase is carefully released from the contents. Then the root system is shaken off the soil. Carefully inspect the condition of the roots, removing dead or rotten. The cuts are treated with charcoal dust to prevent contamination by putrefactive bacteria.
Roots of tropical plants often suffer from rot when grown in pots. The begonia root system is placed in a disinfecting bath with a weak solution of manganese potassium for half an hour. The therapeutic bath is prolonged to one hour if transplanting a sick plant is carried out. It is allowed to use adaptive anti-stress preparations for better rooting.
Indoor begonias of all types do not tolerate overwatering of the soil, so the bottom of the pot must have holes for the outflow of excess water.
The vase is filled by one-third with a drainage mixture consisting of claydite, pebbles, or broken tiles. Then follows the bottom layer of soil, on which the root system of the begonia will be placed. The plant should be oriented in the center of the vase. Holding the bush at the base with one hand, with the free hand cover the roots and fill the pot with soil.
The first watering of begonias is done immediately after planting in a new vase. It is not necessary to arrange a mini-greenhouse. Daily watering of the transplanted plant in combination with high air humidity will create optimal conditions for successful adaptation. The first feeding should not be done before seven to eight weeks.
Propagation methods for indoor begonias
Over time, having a beautiful specimen in the collection of indoor plants, florists wonder how to grow begonias for a gift or for sale. Indoor begonias are practically not propagated by seeds. Due to natural characteristics, begonia seeds have an extremely low germination rate. Several new begonias can be obtained by breeding by cuttings, sprouts or by dividing the tubers and bush. All of these methods are not very difficult if you follow the key rules. Each type of begonia has its own optimal propagation method.
Propagating begonias by cuttings
Propagation of begonias by cuttings is carried out during the period of active growth. As a cutting, a ten-centimeter part of the stem of a plant with several internodes is used. The uppercut of the cuttings is powdered with carbon dust, and the lower cuttings are buried in a moist planting substrate. If the cuttings contain only one cut and the other side ends in a growth bud, it should be pruned so that the twig does not become exhausted.
For rooting cuttings, a shallow container with drainage holes is suitable, which is filled with an earth mixture. As a planting substrate, a mixture of peat and sand in a ratio of 1:3 is used. Mini nurseries are covered with transparent material and removed from the light. Dormant buds move into growth not earlier than one to two months. During this period, high soil and air humidity should be maintained. Cuttings of high-growing types of begonias hastily germinate in water.
Growing begonia from a leaf
Large-leaf begonias are propagated by using a leaf plate. The technology of obtaining new plants from the leaf requires a low plane with drainage holes and a tray, sand disinfected in the microwave or oven. Leaves of begonias have pronounced veins, which need to be incised in several places.
After that, the leaf is placed on top of the wet sand and fixed with wooden pins. The pot is covered with transparent material and placed in a dark place. The sand is moistened by adding water to the tray. After two months, the first roots will appear at the incision sites. The plants are brought out into the light after the growth points appear.
Propagating begonia by seeds
Seed propagation of begonia will require a low flat container with a pallet and a soil mixture similar in composition to that of adult plants. Sowing is carried out on the eve of active vegetative growth in late February or early March. Seeds of begonias are very small, so they are not embedded in the soil, and are sown on the surface of the moist substrate. Mini-bed is covered with polyethylene or glass and left in the light. Careful attention should be paid to the moisture content of the soil. Water through a tray or by spraying.
Reproduction of tuberous begonias
Tuberous begonias are propagated by separating the tubers from the mother plant. The cutting places are treated with crushed charcoal. The tubers are planted in peat, covered with glass, and stored in a dark place. Periodically water the tubers, not allowing overwatering. The seedling is transplanted to a permanent place after the appearance of the second leaf.
