If you ’ve ever saunter around a plant nursery , chance are you ’ve come up across a dramatic begonia either in theindoor houseplant sectionor in the out-of-door garden center . The begonia is a wide - ranging genus with around 2000 species that boast bold , asymmetrical leaves that add up in swirls , wings , and more — and yes , they can be indoor or out-of-door plants . Some have back breaker , others have silvery patch , many have flowers , and most have a slightly wrinkled foliage grain . If you ’ve ever wondered about how to care for a begonia and which one to bring home , we ’ve rounded up world-wide upkeep tips along with a rundown of five common metal money that you could add to your plant collection right now .
General begonia care
Maintaining begonias
Before we plunge into our favorite begonias , let ’s take a feeling at world-wide fear tips . First and foremost , keep your begonia in a moderately well - draining potting mix as play off to a operose garden soil or tight - drain cactus soil . Throughout the growing season , inseminate your soil once a month — debase , all - determination liquid food should work in a exigency for your begonia . In terms of temperature , if it ’s warm enough for you , it ’s warm enough for your plant .
Watering might be the slick thing about begonias , but you ’ll learn what your industrial plant likes with time . Before good watering your begonia , make certain that at least an inch of the top part of the soil is dry . Do n’t overwater : supernumerary dampness can cause the begonia to develop etymon rot andattract fungus gnats . To avoid other pests , remove dead leaves and blooms and once in a while check the undersides of your leaves . While you want to be prudent with lachrymation , think that begonias prefer humid environments , so keep a humidifier at the quick or impart a pebble tray to keep their leaves from get down crispy .
Identifying begonias by roots
The three main character of begonias are tuberous , rhizomatous , and stringy — which , as you may have already guessed , describe their root organisation . Tuberous kind have a fleshy storage organ , rhizomatous ones have thick fawn rhizomes , and stringy ones have feathery root systems similar to many houseplants .
Types of begonia
Begonia rex
One of the most ubiquitous types of begonia , the begonia rex can tolerate a fair amount of humble light , although it does well in hopeful indirect light . This variety of begonias typically come with stunning leaf that have swirls of green , Burgundy wine , and silver . They tolerate ironical air easily than many begonia coinage but will take account humidness . To share your begonia rex , simply divide the roots when you repot your plant life every one to two year .
Begonia exotica
Originally from New Guinea , this shrubby species boast fender - shape , dark green leaves with thick bands of metal Red River . When it acquire , prune it to keep it from get leggy and back it to keep it upright , as it ’ll shoot up anywhere between two to three infantry improbable . With this begonia , pay exceptional attending to humidness to keep its leaves lush and healthy . The exotica does well in strong temperature and will appreciate having its dirt more or less dry out in between waterings .
Begonia camouflage
The begonia camo show off swirls of mottled green and warm red leave , yielding heyday spikes in the summer . If you keep your plant outdoors , make certain that it comfortably resides in a shady dapple so that its leaves do n’t combust . Because it has rootstock , the best agency to share it is by agency of antecedent division during the growing season .
Begonia polka dot
The polka acid begonia feature white polka - dotted unripened leaves with crimson undersides . It can develop up to two feet magniloquent and give ruddy and silver flowers during the growing season . As with most begonia , the polka dot love moderate humidity . While it does like moist grunge as fight down to dry out , you never want your potting intermixture to feel doughy . To disseminate this begonia , simply take root word cutting off , removing low-spirited leaves and placing disclose nodes in water to root . The capital news is that cut back this motley back will help it grow even bushier , so you do n’t have to worry about over - pruning .
Begonia foliosa
This shrubby South American begonia feature tiny leaves that almost resemble frond , which is why it ’s commonly referred to as the “ fern begonia . ” In add-on to small leave-taking , it also features lean branch and blank blooms in the develop season , which make it perfect as a show - stopping hanging handbasket plant . In a way , you ’ll want to treat this begonia like a fern , as it revalue humidness and prefer cooler temperature to thrive .
Begonias may be finicky , but mastering their charge to nourish their beautiful leaves and blooms is by all odds worth your cause . For most varieties , you ’re on the right caterpillar track if you give your industrial plant a shady spot with collateral luminance and a source of adequate humidness . Whether you snaffle a begonia rex with silvery leaves or a foliosa with delicacy flowers , you ’re in for a stunning plant life .
