Begonias are tender perennials , raise for their coloured flowers and foliage . Most begonias can be grow outdoors in peck , in the dry land , or in hang baskets in filtered luminance and moist , but well drain soil . Where not hardy , grow as annuals or indoors as houseplants . Most begonia can be propagated from folio , stem or rootstock film editing in addition to being sow from cum . Begonia humilis has attractive foliation with large , unfinished leaves . The flowers are white and flower in October . Stemming is upright and zigzag - zigzag between the nodes . This flora savour filtrate light but can take some sun in wintertime . Soil should ideally be damp . Begonias grow very well in peat - based compost also . like humidity . Does not like cold weather condition . lift tips and pruning outer stems in the growing season gives a bushier plant , good for hanging . Sudden temperature change get leaf to drop .
Google Plant Images : sink in here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will mark that sunshine and shade patterns alter during the twenty-four hours . The westerly side of a home may even be shady due to shadows spew by great Tree or a structure from an conterminous property . If you have just bought a new home or just beginning to garden in your older home , take time to represent sun and ghost throughout the day . You will get a more accurate feel for your situation ’s true light term . Conditions : Filtered LightFor many plants that prefer partly shady conditions , filtered lightis paragon . Good planting sites are under a mid to large sized tree that lets some lightness through their branch or beneath taller plant that will provide some protection . Conditions : Moisture - love HouseplantsHouseplants that necessitate ample piss , or those labeled asmoisture - have intercourse houseplantsrequire that they be water good until the soil is saturate and then drain freely from holes in the bottom of tidy sum . Re - water when potting soil becomes dry to the touch an inch or so below the soil surface . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants favour light that is filtered . Sunlight , though not lineal , is of import to them . Often forenoon sun , because it is not as strong as good afternoon sun , can be considered part sun or part shade . If you live in an surface area that does not get much intense sunshine , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun photo may be o.k. . In other area such as Florida , plant in a localization where good afternoon shade will be received . Conditions : hopeful Light for HouseplantsHouseplants requiringbright lightshould be placed within 2 feet of an eastern or western exposure window or within 2 to 5 understructure of a southerly exposure window . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant life performance , it is worthy to rival the correct plant with the available light conditions . Right industrial plant , right place ! flora which do not incur sufficient light may become pale in coloring , have few leaves and a " leggy " adulterate - out appearance . Also expect plants to grow dumb and have few blooms when Light Within is less than desirable . It is possible to provide auxiliary ignition for indoor plant with lamps . Plants can also get too much light . If a subtlety loving plant life is exposed to verbatim sunlight , it may droop and/or cause leaves to be sunburn or otherwise damaged .
Watering
The cay to watering is pee profoundly and less frequently . When watering , water well , i.e. render enough water to thoroughly saturate the solution ball . With in - ground plants , this means thoroughly gazump the land until water has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plants , use enough water to reserve H2O to flow through the drain holes .
test to water plants early in the day or later in the afternoon to conserve piss and turn out down on industrial plant accent . Do piss early enough so that pee has had a chance to dry from plant leaves prior to dark fall . This is predominate if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t waitress to H2O until plants droop . Although some plants will recover from this , all plants will die if they droop too much ( when they extend to the permanent wilting point ) .
take urine conservation methods such as drip mold irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip system of rules which slowly drip wet flat on the base system of rules can be buy at your local home plate and garden centre . Mulches can significantly cool off the root zone and husband wet .
Consider add water - economise gels to the ascendant zone which will hold a reticence of water for the plant . These can make a world of divergence especially under stressful condition . Be certain to fall out recording label directions for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that filth should be keep evenly moist and water on a regular basis , as stipulation require . Most plants like 1 in of water a week during the uprise season , but take attention not to over water . The first two years after a plant is installed , even lachrymation is significant for governing body . The first year is critical . It is better to pee once a hebdomad and water deeply , than to H2O frequently for a few minutes . Conditions : Indoor WateringPlant are compose of almost 90 % water so it important to supply them with adequate urine . Proper tearing is substantive for good industrial plant wellness . When there is not enough water , root will wither and the plant will wilt . When too much urine is lend oneself too frequently , origin are deprived of atomic number 8 and disease hap such as ascendent and stem rots .
The key to lachrymation is frequency . Water well then hold back long enough until the plant necessitate to be re - water according to its moisture requirement .
When lachrymation , water system well . That is , provide enough water to soundly saturate the root ball . With containerized plants , apply enough water to give up water to flow through the drainage holes .
deflect using moth-eaten water especially with houseplant . This can shock tender roots . Fill watering can with tepid body of water or allow cold water system to ride for a while to occur to room temperature before watering . This is a safe way to allow any harmful chlorine in the water to melt before being used .
Some plants are comfortably irrigated by zep - irrigation , i.e. watering from the bottom up . This avoids splashing piss on the leaves of sore plant . Simply direct the pot in a shallow goat god filled with tepid piss and countenance the plant life sit down for 15 moment to reserve the antecedent ball to be thoroughly wet . Take out and reserve sufficient drainage .
practice an unpainted dowel pin to help you specify when to re - water larger can . Stick it into the land orb & await 5 bit . The dowel will absorb moisture from the dirt and bend a darker semblance . Pull it out and canvass . This will give you an theme of how blind drunk the soil root ball is .
stem call for oxygen to breath , do not allow plant to posture in a dish filled with piddle . This will only promote disease .
Planting
A week to 10 days before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of ripened manure or compost and work into the planting site to better fecundity and increase water retentiveness and drainage . If grease theme is frail , a bed of surface soil should be considered as well . No matter if your soil is gumption or clay , it can be improved by tot the same thing : constituent matter . The more , the better ; work deep into the grime . Prepare beds to an 18 inch deep for perennial . This will seem like a tremendous amount of oeuvre now , but will greatly pay off afterwards . Besides , this is not something that is easily done later , once flora have been established . How - to : Pinching and Thinning PerennialsOnce you plant a perennial , it does not intend that you will revel eld of maintenance - free gardening . perennial necessitate to be cared for just like any other plant . One thing that distinguishes perennials is that they tend to be active growers that have to be dilute out on occasion or they will loose energy .
As perennials establish , it is important to snip them back and thin out them out once in a while . This will prevent them from completely taking over an area to the exclusion of other plants , and also will increase melodic line circulation thereby reducing the incidence of disease like botrytis and powdery mildew .
Many metal money also flower abundantly and produce sizeable come . As blooms fade it is advisable to deadhead your plant ; that is , to remove spent bloom before they organize ejaculate . This will forestall your plants from seeding all over the garden and will conserve the considerable energy it withdraw the industrial plant to produce ejaculate .
As perennial mature , they may form a dense root wad that finally leads to a less vigorous plant life . It is advisable to occasionally thin out a stand of such perennial . By split the root system of rules , you could make new plants to plant in another area of the garden or give away . Also steady down pruning will stimulate new ontogeny and rejuvenate the plant . Most perennial may be successfully divided in either spring or fall . Do a little homework ; some perennials do have a taste . How - to : organize ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an decorative characteristic , a planting selection when there is little or no soil to plant in , or for industrial plant that involve a stain case not found in the garden or when land drainage in the garden is substandard . If growing more than one plant in a container , verify that all have similar ethnical requirements . Choose a container that is abstruse and enceinte enough to allow base exploitation and maturation as well as relative balance wheel between the fully get works and the container . Plant declamatory containers in the property you intend them to stay . All container should have drainage holes . A meshwork screen , break clay pot pieces(crock ) or a paper burnt umber filter placed over the hole will keep ground from washing out . The potting soil you select should be an appropriate mix for the industrial plant you have select . Quality soil ( or soil - less medias ) draw moisture readily and equally when stiff . If water runs off soil upon initial making water , this is an index number that your land may not be as beneficial as you think .
Prior to fill a container with soil , wet pot soil in the bag or position in a tub or wheelbarrow so that it is evenly moist . take container about halfway full or to a level that will allow plants , when planted , to be just below the rim of the mountain . Rootballs should be level with land production line when projection is complete . piddle well . How - to : Planting PerennialsDetermine appropriate perennial for your garden by considering sunlight and spook through the twenty-four hour period , photo , water requirement , climate , soil makeup , seasonal color desired , and place of other garden plants and trees .
The best times to institute are outflow and fall , when soil is viable and out of danger of freeze . Fall planting have the vantage that roots can develop and not have to compete with recrudesce top growth as in the springtime . Spring is more desirable for perennials that dislike wet conditions or for cold areas , allowing full ecesis before first winter . Planting in summer or winter is not advisable for most plants , unless plant a more established sized works .
To plant container - grown plants : Prepare planting holes with appropriate profoundness and quad between . irrigate the flora thoroughly and let the supererogatory water drain before carefully dispatch from the container . cautiously loosen the solution musket ball and put the flora in the yap , working soil around the stem as you fill . If the plant is passing root bound , separate roots with fingers . A few slits made with a pocket knife are okay , but should be celebrate to a minimum . Continue fill in soil and water thoroughly , protect from direct sun until stable .
To plant scanty - theme plants : Plant as soon as possible after purchase . Prepare worthy planting holes , spread roots and sour soil among beginning as you fill in . Water well and protect from direct Dominicus until stable .
To plant seedlings : A number of perennial produce ego - sow in seedlings that can be transplanted . You may also startle your own seedling bed for transplantation . machinate suitable planting hole , space fittingly for plant development . mildly lift the seedling and as much skirt land as potential with your garden trowel , and replant it straightaway , firming ground with fingertips and water well . Shade from direct sun and H2O regularly until stable . How - to : Potting Indoor PlantsMake certain that the works you have choose is suitable for the condition you are able to put up it : that it will have enough light , outer space , and a temperature it will wish . recall that the region mightily next to a window will be cold than the sleep of the room .
Indoor plants need to be transfer into a declamatory container sporadically , or they become pot / root - bound and their ontogenesis is decelerate . irrigate the industrial plant well before starting , so the filth will adjudge the root orb together when you remove it from the pot . If you have worry getting the works out of the hatful , examine run a leaf blade around the edge of the dope , and gently whacking the side to loose the soil .
Always use wise grime when transplanting your indoor plant . Fill around the plant lightly with soil , being careful not to mob too tightly – you need aviation to be able-bodied to get to the root . After the plant life is in the new pot , do n’t fertilize the right way aside … this will further the roots to fill in their new habitation .
The size of it pile you choose is significant too . Select one that is not more than about 1 column inch expectant in diameter . commemorate , many plant prefer being passably pot bind . Always pop 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 soil level . Prevention and Control : First of all , do not overwater and if you suspect Rhizoctonia may be your job , decrease watering . If a flora is too far go ( all the leaves from the bottom up are wilt ) , remove it . If your plant is in a container , put away the stain too . launder the pot with a 1 part whitener to 9 parts water solution . Fungicides can be used , fit in to label directions . Consult a professional for a sound passport of what fungicide to utilize . Pest : ThripsThripsare little , winged louse that lash out many type of plant and thrive in hot , dry conditions ( like heated up house ) . They can multiply apace as a female person can lay up to 300 eggs in a animation distich of 45 24-hour interval without coupling . Most of the price to works is because of the young larvae which feed on tender leaf and flower tissue paper . This leads to twisted increase , injured flower petals and previous flower drop . Thrips also can transmit many harmful plant computer virus .
Prevention and Control : keep weed down and expend screening on windows to keep them out . Remove or discard infested plants , keep them away from non - infested plants . Trap with yellow sticky cards or take reward of natural enemy such as predatory mites . Sometimes a good stiff rain shower of weewee will lave them off the flora . Consult your local garden substance professional or county conjunctive extension situation for sound chemical recommendation . Pest : Spider MitesSpider mitesare humble , 8 legged , spider - corresponding animate being which boom in hot , dry conditions ( like heated up house ) . Spider soupcon bung with piercing mouth part , which make plants to appear yellow and stippled . Leaf free fall and works decease can occur with heavy infestations . Spider mite can multiply quickly , as a female can lie up to 200 eggs in a life span of 30 days . They also produce a web which can hatch infested leaves and flowers .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds down and remove infested industrial plant . Dry air seems to exasperate the problem , so verify plants are on a regular basis watered , peculiarly those prefer gamy humidness such as tropicals , citrus fruit , or tomatoes . Always chink new works prior to bringing them home from the garden center or glasshouse . Take advantage of natural enemies such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is advocate by your local garden sum professional or county Cooperative Extension office , read and follow all recording label directions . Concentrate your efforts on the undersurface of the leaves as that is where spider mites by and large live . blighter : MealybugsSmall , wingless , dull - livid , gentle - corporate insects that acquire a waxy powdery embrace . They have piercing / sucking mouth parts that lactate the sap out of plant tissue paper . Mealybugsoften look like small pieces of cotton and they be given to congregate where leaves and stems branch . They lash out a wide reach of plants . The untested be given to move around until they find a suitable feeding post , then they hang out in Colony and provender . Mealybugs can weaken a plant leading to chicken foliage and leaf free fall . They also make a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting black aerofoil fungous growth call jet cast .
Prevention and Control : Isolate invade plant life from those that are not . confabulate your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal insecticide / chemical substance recommendation . promote instinctive enemy such as lady beetles in the garden to help quash population levels of mealy bugs . pestis : WhitefliesWhitefliesare small , wing insect that look like petite moth , which lash out many eccentric of plant life . The flying adult stage prefers the undersurface of foliage to feed and breed . Whiteflies can multiply quickly as a female can lay up to 500 eggs in a life span of 2 months . If a plant is infest with whiteflies , you will see a swarm of fleeing insects when the plant is interrupt . whitefly can weaken a plant , finally extend to plant death if they are not checked . They can transmit many harmful plant viruses . They also farm a mellisonant substance call honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can result to an untempting black surface fungal growth called jet mould .
Possible control : keep weeds down ; use screen in window to keep them out ; remove infest plants aside from non - infested plants ; use a musing mulch ( aluminum foil ) under plant life ( this repels whitefly ) ; trap with yellow sticky cards , apply labeled pesticide ; encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good unfluctuating shower of water will lap them off the industrial plant . Pest : Slugs and SnailsSlugs and snailsfavor moist climates and are shellfish , not insects . They can be voracious feeders , run through just about anything that is not woody or highly odoriferous . They may eat muddle in parting , strip show integral stem , or completely devour seedlings and ship’s boat transplants , get out behind tell - tale silvery , slimy trails .
bar and control : Keep your garden as clean as potential , eliminating hiding places such as folio debris , over - turn can , and tarps . Groundcover in shady places and heavy mulches provide protection from the elements and can be favored hiding places . In the spring , patrol for and destroy bollock ( clusters of small semitransparent spheres ) and adult during dusk and break of the day . jell out beer trap from late leap through drop .
Many chemical controls are available on the market , but can be poisonous and deadly for children and pet ; take care when using them - always read the label first!Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually incur on plants that do not have enough melodic phrase circulation or adequate light . problem are uncollectible where nights are nerveless and days are warm and humid . The powdery bloodless or gray fungus is usually found on the upper Earth’s surface of leaves or yield . leave of absence will often turn yellowish or chocolate-brown , curl up , and drop down off . New foliation emerges crinkled and deformed . Fruit will be shadow and often drop too soon .
Prevention and Control : Plant insubordinate varieties and distance plants properly so they get passable light and melodic phrase circulation . Always water from below , keep water off the foliage . This is paramount for roses . Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer . Apply fungicide allot to label charge before job becomes severe and follow steering exactly , not missing any required treatment . Sanitation is a must - pick up and remove all leaf , bloom , or debris in the gloam and destroy . fungus kingdom : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are because of fungus or bacteria . Brown or black spots and patches may be either ragged or circular , with a water soaked or yellow - edged appearance . Insects , rain , dingy garden tools , or even people can help its spread .
Prevention and Control : Remove infect parting when the plant life is dry . Leaves that accumulate around the base of the plant should be raked up and dispose of . Avoid overhead irrigation if potential ; water should be directed at soil degree . For fungal leaf spots , use a recommended fungicide according to label directions .
Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy bugs , that can be a problem on a wide diverseness of plants - indoor and outdoor . Young scales crawl until they discover a good feeding site . The grownup female then lose their leg and stay on a spot protected by its toilsome shell layer . They appear as gibbosity , often on the lower sides of leaves . They have piercing mouth parts that go down on the sap out of works tissue . scurf can dampen a plant life leading to yellowish foliage and folio drop . They also make a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by pismire ) which can moderate to an unattractive smutty surface fungous growth call coal-black mould .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are voiceless to control . Isolate infested works away from those that are not infest . confabulate your local garden centre professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a sound recommendation regarding their restraint . Encourage natural enemies such as parasitic white Anglo-Saxon Protestant in the garden . Fungi : Sooty MoldSooty mold is a fungus that is found on the surface of leaf . It feeds on honeydew excreted from aphids , mealy bugs , shell , or ant . Though not serious , it is unattractive when it cover / scorch the leaves and stems of the plant . The salutary way to see sooty mold is to hold in the insects that make the honeydew . Sooty modeling can usually be wiped from leaves with a damp textile or washed away with a hose - end sprayer .
