Begonias are tender perennial , grown for their colored flowers and leaf . Most begonias can be grown outside in pots , in the primer coat , or in hanging baskets in filter out luminosity and moist , but well drained grunge . Where not stalwart , grow as annuals or indoors as houseplant . Most begonias can be propagated from leaf , stem or rootstock cuttings in add-on to being sow from seed . This upright begonia has bloodless cernuous flower and unincised green leaf . It ’s a wintertime bloomer . The bow is cane - like with evenly space nodes . This plant enjoys filtered igniter but can take some Sunday in winter . Soil should ideally be damp . begonia grow very well in peat - based compost also .
Google Plant Images : click here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will comment that sun and shadowiness patterns exchange during the solar day . The western side of a house may even be funny due to shadows cast by large tree diagram or a social organisation from an adjacent attribute . If you have just bought a new home or just beginning to garden in your older home , take clock time to map sunlight and shade throughout the day . You will get a more exact feel for your land site ’s true light conditions . Conditions : filter LightFor many works that prefer partially shady term , filtered lightis ideal . Good planting sites are under a mid to with child sized tree that lets some lightness through their branch or beneath marvellous plants that will provide some protection . Conditions : Full to Partial ShadeFull shademeans there is little or no light in the growing zone . Shade can be the final result of a mature stand of tree diagram or trace cast by a house or construction . Plants that require full shade are ordinarily susceptible to sunburn . Full shade beneath trees may pose extra problems ; not only is there no light , but competition for water , nutrients and root infinite .
fond shademeans that an expanse receives filtered low-cal , often through tall arm of an open growing tree . Root competition is ordinarily less . fond shade can also be accomplish by locating a plant beneath an arbor or lathe - like structure . suspect sides of a building are unremarkably the northern or northeasterly sides . These position also be given to be a little cooler . It is not rare for plants that can stand full sun or some sun in cool climates to take some shade in warmer mood due to tension placed on the plant life from deoxidize moisture and excessive heat . condition : Moisture - loving HouseplantsHouseplants that require ample water , or those label asmoisture - loving houseplantsrequire that they be irrigate thoroughly until the soil is saturated and then drain freely from trap in the bottom of muckle . Re - weewee when pot land becomes ironical to the tactual sensation an inch or so below the soil surface . Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning admit : pinching , cutting , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is removing the stem tips of a young plant to promote branching . Doing this avoids the pauperism for more hard pruning later on .
Thinning involves removing whole branch back to the automobile trunk . This may be done to open up the interior of a plant to let more lighter in and to increase air circulation that can trim back down on flora disease . The best means to begin thinning is to start by removing deadened or diseased wood .
Shearing is leveling the surface of a bush using hand or galvanizing shears . This is done to maintain the desire shape of a hedging or topiary .
Rejuvenating is removal of honest-to-god branches or the overall reduction of the sizing of a shrub to touch on its original form and size . It is commend that you do not remove more than one third of a works at a time . Remember to remove branches from the inside of the plant as well as the exterior . When rejuvenate plants with canes , such as nandina , disregard back canes at various peak so that industrial plant will have a more natural look . Conditions : Bright Light for HouseplantsHouseplants requiringbright lightshould be place within 2 feet of an eastern or western vulnerability windowpane or within 2 to 5 foot of a southerly exposure window . condition : Light and Plant SelectionFor good industrial plant functioning , it is desirable to match the right plant life with the available light conditions . veracious plant life , right place ! Plants which do not receive sufficient light may become pale in color , have few farewell and a " leggy " stretched - out coming into court . Also gestate works to grow slower and have fewer flower when luminousness is less than desirable . It is potential to leave supplemental lighting for indoor plants with lamps . Plants can also receive too much light . If a shade loving works is exposed to direct sun , it may wilt and/or make leaves to be sunburn or otherwise damage .
Watering
If the problem is only on the surface , it maybe diverted to a drainage ditch . If drainage is pathetic where body of water table is high-pitched , install an undercover drainage organisation . You should contact a contractor for this . If underground drains already exist , check to see if they are blocked .
French drains are another option . Gallic waste pipe are ditches that have been sate with gravel . It is okay to imbed sod on top of them . More noticeable , but a good solvent where flavor are n’t as important , recall of the French drainpipe as a ditch filled with gravel . Ditches should be 3 to 4 understructure deep and have sloping side .
A soakway is a gravel filled stone where piss is disport to via undercover pipe . This works well on sites that have compacted ground . Your soakway should be about 6’wide and deep and filled with crushed rock or crushed stone , topped with sand and sodded or seeded .
Keep in mind that it is illegal to deviate water system onto other people ’s place . If you do not sense that you could implement a workable answer on your own , call a contractor . prick : Watering AidesNo nurseryman depends 100 % on natural rainfall . Even the most body of water conscious garden appreciate the proper hose , watering can or wand .
The key to watering is water deep and less often . When tearing , water system well , i.e. provide enough water system to exhaustively impregnate the radical orchis . With in - land plant , this means soundly soak the soil until water has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 in ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown industrial plant , utilize enough water supply to set aside urine to flow through the drainage hole .
endeavor to water plants early in the 24-hour interval or later on in the good afternoon to husband water and cut down on plant stress . Do water too soon enough so that water has had a luck to dry from plant life leaves prior to night fall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problem .
Do n’t hold back to body of water until plants wilt . Although some plants will recover from this , all plants will die if they wilt too much ( when they reach the permanent wilting point ) .
turn over body of water conservation methods such as drip mould irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . trickle system which slowly drip wet straight off on the root system can be purchased at your local home and garden center . Mulches can significantly cool the root zone and conserve moisture .
Consider adding water system - saving gel to the rootage zona which will carry a reserve of water for the plant . These can make a worldly concern of remainder particularly under stressful conditions . Be certain to come label directions for their purpose .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept equally moist and water regularly , as condition involve . Most flora like 1 column inch of water system a workweek during the growing season , but take care not to over weewee . The first two years after a plant is installed , steady lachrymation is crucial for governance . The first year is critical . It is better to water once a week and water deeply , than to urine frequently for a few minutes . Conditions : Indoor WateringPlant are compose of almost 90 % piss so it crucial to furnish them with adequate pee . right lachrymation is essential for good plant health . When there is not enough water system , origin will wither and the plant will droop . When too much pee is lend oneself too frequently , ancestor are impoverish of oxygen and diseases occur such as root and prow rots .
The samara to tearing is frequency . water system well then wait long enough until the plant ask to be re - watered according to its moisture requirement .
When watering , water well . That is , provide enough water to thoroughly saturate the ascendant clump . With containerized plants , apply enough water to allow water to fall through the drain holes .
Avoid using moth-eaten pee especially with houseplants . This can shock ship’s boat root . filling watering can with tepid water or leave inhuman water to sit for a while to get along to board temperature before lacrimation . This is a good agency to grant any harmful atomic number 17 in the water to vaporise before being used .
Some plant are best irrigate by submarine sandwich - irrigation , i.e. watering from the bottom up . This avoids splashing water on the leaves of sensitive plants . Simply place the pot in a shallow genus Pan filled with tepid water supply and countenance the plant sit for 15 minutes to allow the root ballock to be soundly fuddled . Take out and let sufficient drain .
employ an unpainted dowel to help you mold when to re - water larger pots . Stick it into the soil ball & wait 5 minutes . The dowel pin will absorb moisture from the soil and release a dark color . Pull it out and examine . This will give you an melodic theme of how wet the soil solution ball is .
root ask oxygen to breather , do not grant plants to sit in a dish aerial fill with body of water . This will only promote disease .
Planting
A week to 10 days before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and work into the planting situation to improve prolificacy and increase water retention and drainage . If land composition is weak , a layer of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your soil is sand or clay , it can be improved by bestow the same thing : organic matter . The more , the good ; work deep into the soil . Prepare bed to an 18 in thick for perennials . This will seem like a enormous amount of work now , but will greatly pay off afterwards . Besides , this is not something that is easily done afterward , once plants have been established . How - to : Pinching and Thinning PerennialsOnce you implant a perennial , it does not entail that you will revel years of care - free horticulture . Perennials need to be cared for just like any other plant . One affair that distinguishes perennials is that they tend to be alive growers that have to be thinned out occasionally or they will loose vigor .
As perennials found , it is important to snip them back and reduce them out occasionally . This will prevent them from entirely hold over an area to the exclusion of other industrial plant , and also will increase air circulation thereby trim the incidence of diseases like botrytis and powdery mildew .
Many metal money also blossom abundantly and produce sizeable seminal fluid . As blooms fade it is advisable to deadhead your plant ; that is , to remove spent flowers before they form ejaculate . This will prevent your plant life from seeding all over the garden and will preserve the considerable energy it takes the plant life to make ejaculate .
As perennials suppurate , they may shape a dense radical spate that eventually extend to a less vigorous plant . It is advisable to occasionally thin out a stand of such perennials . By dividing the root system , you could make new plants to implant in another sphere of the garden or give away . Also root pruning will stir new growth and rejuvenate the works . Most perennial may be successfully divided in either spring or fall . Do a little prep ; some perennials do have a druthers . How - to : prepare ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an ornamental feature , a planting option when there is footling or no soil to establish in , or for plants that require a grime character not find in the garden or when land drainage in the garden is inferior . If grow more than one plant in a container , make certain that all have like cultural requirements . Choose a container that is deep and with child enough to earmark root developing and ontogeny as well as relative counterbalance between the to the full originate plant and the container . Plant large container in the place you intend them to stay . All containers should have drain muddle . A mesh silver screen , break clay pot pieces(crock ) or a paper coffee filter placed over the maw will keep soil from washing out . The potting soil you choose should be an appropriate mix for the flora you have chosen . Quality soils ( or soil - less medias ) absorb moisture readily and equally when blotto . If water runs off soil upon initial wetting , this is an indicator that your soil may not be as good as you think .
Prior to fill a container with territory , wet potting soil in the bag or place in a tubful or garden cart so that it is equally moist . Fill container about halfway full or to a level that will allow works , when planted , to be just below the rim of the pot . Rootballs should be level with ground line when project is complete . Water well . How - to : Planting PerennialsDetermine appropriate perennial for your garden by considering Sunday and specter through the Clarence Day , exposure , water requirements , mood , soil constitution , seasonal color desired , and perspective of other garden plants and trees .
The good time to plant are spring and crepuscle , when soil is viable and out of risk of freeze . Fall plantings have the vantage that solution can develop and not have to contend with developing top growth as in the spring . Spring is more suitable for perennials that dislike wet condition or for cold areas , allowing full establishment before first winter . Planting in summertime or wintertime is not advisable for most plants , unless planting a more prove sized plant .
To plant container - grown plant : Prepare planting cakehole with appropriate deepness and outer space between . Water the plant thoroughly and permit the supererogatory piddle drain before cautiously removing from the container . Carefully loosen the root clod and place the plant in the trap , forge soil around the antecedent as you fulfil . If the industrial plant is super source tie , disjoined roots with finger’s breadth . A few slit made with a pocket knife are okay , but should be kept to a lower limit . preserve filling in soil and water thoroughly , protecting from verbatim sun until static .
To plant bare - root plants : flora as soon as potential after purchase . Prepare desirable planting hole , scatter roots and work grime among roots as you fill in . water system well and protect from unmediated sunshine until stable .
To establish seedlings : A number of perennials produce self - inseminate seedling that can be transplanted . You may also begin your own seedling bottom for transplanting . gear up desirable planting holes , space appropriately for flora development . Gently lift the seedling and as much surrounding soil as possible with your garden trowel , and replant it immediately , firming soil with fingertips and weewee well . Shade from direct sun and water regularly until unchanging . How - to : Potting Indoor PlantsMake sure that the plant you have choose is suitable for the shape you are capable to allow it : that it will have enough lightsome , space , and a temperature it will like . think back that the country decently next to a window will be colder than the rest of the room .
Indoor industrial plant require to be transplant into a orotund container periodically , or they become pot / root - bound and their growth is retarded . Water the plant life well before starting , so the ground will hold the stem ball together when you remove it from the pot . If you have fuss getting the plant out of the pot , try running a brand around the edge of the pot , and gently whacking the side to loosen the soil .
Always employ fresh soil when transplanting your indoor plant . Fill around the plant gently with filth , being careful not to mob too tightly – you want air to be able to get to the roots . After the works is in the new pot , do n’t fertilise the right way off … this will encourage the roots to satiate in their new home .
The sizing mint you choose is crucial too . Select one that is not more than about 1 inch dandy in diam . Remember , many plants prefer being moderately pot bound . Always set off with a clean pot !
Problems
Rhizoctoniais a fungus that is found in most soils and enters the plant through the roots or the stem at grease level . Prevention and Control : First of all , do not overwater and if you mistrust Rhizoctonia may be your problem , decrease watering . If a plant is too far gone ( all the leaves from the bottom up are wilted ) , remove it . If your plant is in a container , cast out the dirt too . Wash the pot with a 1 part bleaching agent to 9 parts water answer . fungicide can be used , according to label counseling . Consult a professional for a legal recommendation of what fungicide to expend . Pest : ThripsThripsare pocket-sized , winged dirt ball that attack many types of plants and thrive in hot , juiceless weather ( like heated business firm ) . They can multiply cursorily as a female person can rest up to 300 eggs in a living span of 45 days without mating . Most of the damage to plant is because of the untried larvae which fertilise on tender foliage and flower tissue . This lead to distorted growth , hurt flower petals and premature flower dip . Thrips also can transmit many harmful plant viruses .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down and use screening on windows to keep them out . Remove or discard invade plants , keep them aside from non - infested works . Trap with yellow sticky cards or take vantage of lifelike enemies such as predatory mites . Sometimes a good steady rain shower of piddle will wash them off the plant . Consult your local garden heart professional or county Cooperative extension office for legal chemical recommendations . Pest : Spider MitesSpider mitesare small , 8 legged , spider - like creatures which thrive in hot , dry conditions ( like heated up houses ) . Spider jot flow with piercing sassing parts , which cause plants to seem yellow and stippled . Leaf drop and plant decease can occur with heavy infestations . Spider soupcon can multiply quickly , as a female can lie up to 200 eggs in a life span of 30 days . They also make a entanglement which can cover infested leafage and blossom .
Prevention and Control : Keep widow’s weeds down and take away infested plant . Dry air seems to exacerbate the problem , so ensure plants are on a regular basis water , peculiarly those opt high humidity such as tropicals , citrus , or tomato . Always check new plants prior to bringing them home from the garden center or nursery . Take vantage of natural enemies such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is recommended by your local garden center professional or county Cooperative Extension office , understand and accompany all label focus . Concentrate your cause on the undersides of the leave as that is where wanderer jot generally live . pestilence : MealybugsSmall , wingless , obtuse - white , soft - bodied insects that produce a waxy powdery covering . They have piercing / sucking back talk part that suck the sap out of plant tissue . Mealybugsoften front like little bit of cotton plant and they be given to congregate where leave and stems leg . They attack a wide range of industrial plant . The immature incline to move around until they find a suitable feeding spot , then they hang out in colonies and feed . mealybug can soften a plant leading to sensationalistic leafage and leaf drop . They also produce a sweetened center call up honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can conduce to an untempting dim aerofoil fungal growth call in jet-black modeling .
Prevention and Control : Isolate infested plants from those that are not . Consult your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal insecticide / chemical passport . Encourage natural enemies such as dame mallet in the garden to aid reduce population levels of mealy bugs . Pest : WhitefliesWhitefliesare modest , fly dirt ball that look like tiny moths , which assault many types of plants . The fly adult stage prefer the underside of leaves to feed and stock . whitefly can reproduce quickly as a female can lay up to 500 eggs in a lifetime duet of 2 months . If a works is infested with whiteflies , you will see a swarm of take flight insect when the plant is disturbed . Whiteflies can weaken a plant , finally leading to plant end if they are not discipline . They can transmit many harmful works viruses . They also acquire a sugared substance predict honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can precede to an unattractive black surface fungal outgrowth called sooty mold .
potential controls : keep weeds down ; use screen in windows to keep them out ; take infest plant away from non - infested flora ; use a reflective mulch ( aluminum enhancer ) under plants ( this repels whitefly ) ; lying in wait with yellow sticky cards , employ labeled pesticide ; further natural enemies such as parasitic WASP in the garden ; and sometimes a upright unfaltering shower of water will wash them off the works . Pest : Slugs and SnailsSlugs and snailsfavor moist climates and are mollusc , not louse . They can be ravenous feeder , eat just about anything that is not woody or extremely scented . They may eat hole in leaves , strip entire stalk , or all devour seedling and tender transplants , bequeath behind tell - tale silvery , slimy track .
bar and control : Keep your garden as clean as potential , carry off hiding places such as leaf debris , over - turned pots , and tarps . Groundcover in shady places and heavy mulch provide protective covering from the elements and can be preferred hiding home . In the spring , patrol for and ruin eggs ( clusters of small translucent sector ) and grownup during gloam and dawn . Set out beer traps from late saltation through tumble .
Many chemical controls are useable on the marketplace , but can be poisonous and deadly for children and pets ; take care when using them - always read the recording label first!Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on plant that do not have enough air circulation or adequate brightness . Problems are spoiled where night are cool and days are warm and humid . The powdery livid or grey fungus is usually found on the upper surface of leave or yield . leave of absence will often call on white-livered or brownish , curl up , and drop off . New foliation emerges crinkled and ill-shapen . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops too soon .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistive variety and space plants properly so they receive passable lighter and air circulation . Always weewee from below , keeping water system off the foliage . This is preponderating for rosebush . Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer . lend oneself fungicide grant to label directions before problem becomes austere and follow direction exactly , not miss any required treatments . Sanitation is a must - pick up and dispatch all leaves , flowers , or debris in the fall and destroy . Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are due to fungus kingdom or bacterium . chocolate-brown or black spots and speckle may be either ragged or circular , with a water soaked or yellow - edged appearance . Insects , rainfall , dirty garden tool , or even the great unwashed can aid its spread .
Prevention and Control : off infected farewell when the plant is dry . Leaves that pick up around the fundament of the plant life should be rake up and discard of . fend off overhead irrigation if possible ; water should be channelise at soil horizontal surface . For fungal leaf spots , apply a recommend fungicide concord to recording label counseling .
pestilence : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy bugs , that can be a problem on a wide variety of plant - indoor and outdoor . new scales Australian crawl until they find a good feeding website . The grownup female then miss their leg and persist on a spot protect by its hard shield level . They appear as bumps , often on the lower side of leave of absence . They have piercing sass portion that suck the sap out of plant life tissue . Scales can damp a plant leading to yellowed foliage and leaf drop . They also produce a sweet core called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive black-market airfoil fungal growth called jet mould .
Prevention and Control : Once establish they are hard to keep in line . Isolate infested flora forth from those that are not invade . Consult your local garden kernel professional or Cooperative Extension post in your county for a effectual passport regarding their dominance . boost rude enemies such as parasitic wasp in the garden . fungus : Sooty MoldSooty mould is a fungus that is found on the airfoil of foliage . It feeds on honeydew melon excreted from aphids , mealy bugs , scale , or ants . Though not serious , it is unattractive when it wrap up / blackens the leaves and stems of the plant . The good path to control sooty mold is to operate the insects that make the honeydew melon . Sooty mould can usually be wiped from leaves with a damp textile or washed away with a hosiery - end sprayer .
Miscellaneous
You will often take heed loam advert to as a arenaceous loam ( having more sand , yet still spate of organic matter ) or a stiff loam ( heavier on the Henry Clay , yet workable with good drain . ) The addition of constituent topic to either sand or clay will lead in a loamy soil . Still not trusted if your soil is a Baroness Dudevant , corpse , or loam ? Try this simple test . Squeeze a handfull of slightly moist , not wet , stain in your deal . If it forms a tight ball and does not fall aside when mildly tapped with a finger , your soil is more than likely Lucius DuBignon Clay . If soil does not form a lump or crumbles before it is intercept , it is sand to very sandy loam . If soil shape a ball , then crumbles readily when lightly tapped , it ’s a loam . Several agile , light dab could stand for a mud loam . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stem contain numerous bud that will grow and renew a plant when stimulated by pruning . There are three basic type of buds : final , sidelong and sleeping . Terminal buds are at the tips of twigs or arm . They maturate to make the outgrowth or sprig longer . In some example they may give rise to a efflorescence . If you cut the tip of a branch and dispatch the terminal bud , this will encourage the sidelong bud to mature into side branch resulting in a thick , bushier flora . sidelong buds are lower down on the branchlet and are often at the point of leaf fastening . Pruning them encourages the terminal bud , resulting in a long , thin branch . Dormant buds may remain inactive in the barque or radical and will only maturate after the industrial plant is abbreviate back . Glossary : FertilizeFertilize just before newfangled increment begins with a utter fertilizer . Glossary : PruningNow is the preferred time to trim this industrial plant .
