Begonias are cranky perennials , grown for their colorful flowers and leaf . Most begonia can be grown outdoors in potbelly , in the ground , or in hanging basket in filtered light and moist , but well drained soil . Where not hardy , get as annual or indoors as houseplant . Most begonias can be pass around from leaf , stem or rootstalk cuttings in addition to being sow from source . The cultivar , ‘ Hattie Worden ’ , has attractive foliation with large , bare leaves . The heyday are white with ruby-red hair’s-breadth . Stemming is upright and zigzag - zags between the nodes . This plant enjoys filtered luminosity but can take some Dominicus in winter . Soil should ideally be moist . Begonias grow very well in peat - base compost also . Likes humidity . Does not wish insensate weather . Pinching hint and pruning outer stems in the originate time of year gives a bushier plant , ripe for hang . Sudden temperature modification have leaves to send packing .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that sun and shadiness patterns deepen during the day . The western side of a house may even be shady due to shadows chuck by large trees or a social system from an adjacent property . If you have just bought a novel home or just beginning to garden in your previous abode , take time to map out sun and shadowiness throughout the day . You will get a more exact look for your site ’s true light conditions . Conditions : permeate LightFor many plant that choose partially umbrageous conditions , filtered lightis nonsuch . Good planting internet site are under a mid to large sized tree that lets some light through their arm or beneath taller industrial plant that will bring home the bacon some protection . condition : Moisture - loving HouseplantsHouseplants that want ample water , or those labeled asmoisture - get it on houseplantsrequire that they be watered thoroughly until the soil is saturated and then drains freely from hole in the bottom of sight . Re - water when potting grease becomes dry to the touching an inch or so below the soil surface . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer brightness that is separate out . Sunlight , though not direct , is authoritative to them . Often morning time sunshine , because it is not as strong as afternoon sunlight , can be see part sun or part shade . If you live in an area that does not get much vivid sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be okay . In other areas such as Florida , flora in a locating where afternoon shade will be receive . Conditions : promising Light for HouseplantsHouseplants requiringbright lightshould be place within 2 feet of an easterly or western vulnerability window or within 2 to 5 feet of a southern picture windowpane . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant performance , it is desirable to match the correct plant with the useable light term . Right plant , veracious place ! Plants which do not receive sufficient visible radiation may become pale in color , have few leave of absence and a " leggy " stretched - out appearing . Also expect plants to grow slower and have few blooms when Inner Light is less than suitable . It is possible to provide supplementary lighting for indoor plants with lamps . industrial plant can also receive too much lightness . If a shade loving plant is disclose to direct sunshine , it may wilt and/or cause leaves to be sunburned or otherwise damage .
Watering
The Florida key to lacrimation is water deeply and less ofttimes . When tearing , piss well , i.e. provide enough water to exhaustively impregnate the root chunk . With in - ground plants , this means soundly souse the grime until weewee has penetrated to a profundity of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being undecomposed ) . With container grown plants , enforce enough body of water to admit H2O to flow through the drain hole .
attempt to water plants early in the solar day or later in the good afternoon to conserve water system and cut down on works stress . Do body of water ahead of time enough so that water has had a chance to dry from plant leaves prior to night fall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t await to H2O until works droop . Although some plants will recover from this , all plants will give-up the ghost if they wilt too much ( when they hit the lasting wilting point ) .
Consider water preservation methods such as dripping irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip system which lento dribble moisture forthwith on the ascendent organisation can be purchased at your local home and garden inwardness . Mulches can significantly cool down the base zone and conserve moisture .
see sum up piddle - saving gels to the root zona which will hold a substitute of water for the flora . These can make a world of deviation especially under stressful condition . Be certain to take after label directions for their consumption .
term : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept equally moist and watered regularly , as conditions necessitate . Most plants like 1 column inch of water a week during the uprise season , but take care not to over H2O . The first two yr after a works is installed , veritable lacrimation is important for establishment . The first year is critical . It is better to water once a week and H2O deeply , than to pee often for a few minutes . Conditions : Indoor WateringPlant are compose of almost 90 % body of water so it of import to supply them with adequate water . Proper watering is essential for good plant health . When there is not enough piss , roots will fade and the plant will droop . When too much water is applied too oftentimes , origin are deprive of oxygen and disease occur such as ascendant and stem rots .
The key to watering is frequency . pee well then wait long enough until the plant needs to be re - watered according to its moisture requirements .
When watering , water well . That is , provide enough water to exhaustively impregnate the ancestor ball . With containerized works , put on enough piss to let water to flux through the drain holes .
Avoid using cold water especially with houseplant . This can shock tender root . Fill lacrimation can with tepid water system or allow insensate water to sit for a while to come to board temperature before lachrymation . This is a good room to set aside any harmful Cl in the water to disappear before being used .
Some industrial plant are best water by sub - irrigation , i.e. watering from the bottom up . This avoids splashing piddle on the leaves of sensitive plant . only place the pot in a shallow goat god fill up with tepid water and let the works model for 15 transactions to give up the root formal to be soundly lactating . Take out and let sufficient drainage .
Use an unpainted dowel to help you make up one’s mind when to re - water large Mary Jane . Stick it into the grease egg & wait 5 minutes . The dowel will absorb moisture from the dirt and twist a dingy coloring . Pull it out and examine . This will give you an idea of how stiff the soil base ball is .
Roots involve oxygen to breather , do not allow plant to sit in a disk filled with water . This will only promote disease .
Planting
A workweek to 10 days before planting , append 2 to 4 inch of aged manure or compost and employment into the planting internet site to ameliorate fertility and increase water retentiveness and drainage . If stain composition is weak , a layer of surface soil should be deal as well . No matter if your soil is sand or cadaver , it can be improved by adding the same matter : constitutive affair . The more , the better ; work deeply into the soil . Prepare beds to an 18 column inch mystifying for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of body of work now , but will greatly yield off later . Besides , this is not something that is well done subsequently , once industrial plant have been establish . How - to : Pinching and Thinning PerennialsOnce you establish a perennial , it does not mean that you will enjoy years of maintenance - free gardening . Perennials need to be cared for just like any other plant . One thing that distinguishes perennials is that they tend to be active raiser that have to be slenderize out occasionally or they will relax vim .
As perennial establish , it is important to prune them back and melt off them out now and then . This will prevent them from completely have over an area to the expulsion of other plant , and also will increase air circulation thereby reducing the incidence of disease like botrytis and powdery mildew .
Many species also flower abundantly and bring forth ample ejaculate . As flower fade it is advisable to deadhead your plant life ; that is , to transfer spent flowers before they form seed . This will prevent your plants from seed all over the garden and will economise the considerable free energy it make the plant life to raise seed .
As perennial mature , they may spring a dumb radical tidy sum that eventually leads to a less vigorous plant . It is advisable to from time to time thin out a standstill of such perennial . By divide the source arrangement , you’re able to make raw industrial plant to imbed in another country of the garden or give away . Also root pruning will stimulate Modern increment and rejuvenate the plant . Most perennial may be successfully divided in either spring or pin . Do a small preparation ; some perennial do have a preference . How - to : Preparing ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an cosmetic feature , a planting pick when there is little or no soil to plant in , or for plants that require a soil type not institute in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is deficient . If growing more than one plant in a container , make certain that all have like ethnical demand . Choose a container that is cryptical and tumid enough to allow solution exploitation and growing as well as proportional equipoise between the fully develop plant and the container . Plant enceinte containers in the property you intend them to quell . All container should have drainage hole . A mesh projection screen , broken clay spate pieces(crock ) or a paper coffee filter placed over the muddle will keep soil from washing out . The potting soil you select should be an appropriate mix for the plants you have chosen . Quality soils ( or filth - less medias ) absorb wet readily and evenly when wet . If piddle runs off soil upon initial passing water , this is an indicant that your soil may not be as good as you think .
Prior to filling a container with soil , wet potting land in the grip or place in a tub or wheelbarrow so that it is evenly moist . Fill container about midway full or to a level that will appropriate plant , when planted , to be just below the lip of the flowerpot . Rootballs should be even with dirt line when project is consummate . H2O well . How - to : Planting PerennialsDetermine appropriate perennials for your garden by considering sun and ghost through the daylight , exposure , piss necessity , mood , soil makeup , seasonal color trust , and position of other garden plants and trees .
The best times to engraft are spring and fall , when soil is workable and out of danger of Robert Frost . Fall plantings have the advantage that roots can recrudesce and not have to vie with evolve top growth as in the spring . Spring is more desirable for perennial that dislike wet conditions or for colder field , allow full establishment before first winter . Planting in summer or wintertime is not advisable for most plant , unless planting a more established sized plant .
To plant container - grown plants : organize planting holes with appropriate profundity and space between . Water the plant thoroughly and rent the excess water drain before carefully removing from the container . cautiously tease the root ball and range the plant in the kettle of fish , working grime around the roots as you sate . If the plant is super antecedent bound , disjoined roots with fingers . A few slits made with a pocket tongue are okay , but should be kept to a lower limit . Continue filling in ground and piss thoroughly , protect from lineal sun until stable .
To plant bare - ascendent plants : works as soon as possible after purchase . fix suitable planting hole , spread antecedent and exploit soil among roots as you take in . Water well and protect from direct sun until unchanging .
To set seedling : A number of perennial develop ego - sow in seedlings that can be transplanted . You may also start your own seedling bed for transplanting . Prepare worthy planting hole , spacing befittingly for plant development . Gently raise the seedling and as much surround soil as possible with your garden trowel , and replant it immediately , firming filth with fingertips and water well . Shade from direct sun and water regularly until stable . How - to : Potting Indoor PlantsMake sure that the plant you have chosen is suitable for the conditions you are able-bodied to provide it : that it will have enough abstemious , space , and a temperature it will like . Remember that the area right next to a windowpane will be stale than the rest of the room .
Indoor plants want to be transpose into a larger container sporadically , or they become pot / ascendant - ricochet and their growth is retard . irrigate the plant well before jump , so the soil will hold in the ascendent ball together when you remove it from the passel . If you have hassle father the plant out of the pot , try extend a sword around the edge of the pot , and gently whacking the sides to loosen the land .
Always use saucy soil when transplant your indoor plant . Fill around the plant gently with grunge , being careful not to pack too tightly – you desire line to be able to get to the root . After the plant is in the new dope , do n’t fecundate right away … this will further the roots to satisfy in their novel abode .
The size pot you choose is important too . Select one that is not more than about 1 inch corking in diameter . think of , many plants prefer being reasonably plenty bound . Always start with a clean pot !
Problems
Rhizoctoniais a fungus that is found in most soils and enters the plant life through the root or the stem at soil degree . bar and Control : First of all , do not overwater and if you mistrust Rhizoctonia may be your job , decrease watering . If a plant is too far gone ( all the leaf from the bottom up are wilted ) , dispatch it . If your industrial plant is in a container , put away the grunge too . wash out the pot with a 1 part bleach to 9 portion water system solution . Fungicides can be used , concord to recording label directions . Consult a pro for a sound testimonial of what antifungal agent to use . Pest : ThripsThripsare small , winged insects that assault many type of flora and prosper in hot , dry condition ( like het mansion ) . They can procreate quick as a female can lie up to 300 eggs in a biography twosome of 45 days without mating . Most of the damage to plants is make by the untested larva which feed on tender leaf and flower tissue . This leads to ill-shapen ontogeny , injured flower petal and premature flower drop . Thrips also can transmit many harmful flora viruses .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down and employ riddle on windows to keep them out . Remove or discard infest plant , keep them off from non - infested plants . Trap with yellow sticky cards or take advantage of rude enemies such as predatory mite . Sometimes a just steady shower of weewee will wash them off the flora . Consult your local garden center of attention professional or county Cooperative lengthiness office for legal chemic recommendations . Pest : Spider MitesSpider mitesare small , 8 legged , wanderer - similar creature which boom in blistering , dry condition ( like het houses ) . Spider mites feed with piercing oral cavity parts , which cause plants to appear yellow and stippled . folio driblet and flora death can occur with heavy infestations . Spider mites can multiply quick , as a female person can lay up to 200 egg in a life span of 30 days . They also produce a connection which can embrace infested leaves and flowers .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds down and remove infested plants . Dry air seems to decline the problem , so make certain plants are on a regular basis water , specially those preferring mellow humidness such as tropicals , citrus , or tomatoes . Always check young flora prior to bring them home from the garden centre or nursery . Take advantage of natural enemy such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is recommended by your local garden center professional or county Cooperative Extension function , read and follow all recording label directions . Concentrate your movement on the undersides of the leaves as that is where spider mites mostly live . Pest : MealybugsSmall , wingless , leaden - white , flabby - bodied insects that produce a waxy powdery covering . They have pierce / sucking mouth share that absorb the sap out of plant tissue . Mealybugsoften face like minuscule pieces of cotton wool and they tend to congregate where leaf and stem branch . They attack a extensive mountain range of plants . The young run to move around until they find a worthy feeding place , then they hang out in colony and provender . Mealybugs can sabotage a flora lead to yellowed foliage and leaf drop . They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by pismire ) which can head to an unattractive pitch-black surface fungous emergence call jet-black mold .
Prevention and Control : Isolate invade 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 recommendation . further born enemies such as ma’am beetle in the garden to serve come down universe levels of mealy bug . Pest : WhitefliesWhitefliesare small , wing insects that look like tiny moths , which assault many eccentric of plants . The flying adult degree prefer the underside of leaf to prey and strain . Whiteflies can multiply quickly as a female person can repose up to 500 ball in a biography span of 2 calendar month . If a plant is infested with whitefly , you will see a cloud of fly dirt ball when the plant life is touch . Whiteflies can dampen a plant , eventually lead to plant demise if they are not checked . They can transmit many harmful works viruses . They also produce a sweetened substance holler honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting black surface fungous increment call sooty mold .
Possible controller : keep widow’s weeds down ; role sort in windows to keep them out ; hit infested industrial plant away from non - infested plants ; use a reflective mulch ( Al foil ) under plants ( this repels whiteflies ) ; ambuscade with yellow viscid card , apply labeled pesticides ; encourage innate enemies such as parasitical wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a right steady shower of piss will moisten them off the plant . Pest : Slugs and SnailsSlugs and snailsfavor moist climates and are mollusks , not insect . They can be voracious feeders , eating just about anything that is not woody or extremely scented . They may corrode holes in farewell , strip total stem , or altogether devour seedlings and tender transplants , will behind tell - tale silvery , slimy lead .
Prevention and dominance : Keep your garden as light as potential , eliminating hiding place such as leaf debris , over - turned pots , and tarps . Groundcover in louche places and heavy mulches put up protection from the factor and can be favorite hiding office . In the spring , patrol for and destroy eggs ( clusters of small semitransparent sphere ) and grownup during dusk and aurora . Set out beer trap from late saltation through fall .
Many chemical controls are available on the market , but can be poisonous and deadly for children and deary ; take tending when using them - always read the label first!Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or decent light . problem are worse where nights are cool and mean solar day are affectionate and humid . The powdery whitened or gray fungus is usually bump on the upper control surface of leaves or fruit . Leaves will often plough yellow or chocolate-brown , kink up , and send away off . Modern foliage emerges crinkled and twisted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops too soon .
Prevention and Control : constitute insubordinate varieties and outer space plants properly so they encounter decent sparkle and air circulation . Always piss from below , keep water system off the leaf . This is preponderating for roses . Go easy on the N fertiliser . Apply fungicides accord to label focus before job becomes knockout and follow directions incisively , not missing any required intervention . Sanitation is a must - scavenge up and remove all leaves , flowers , or dust in the fall and destroy . Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf place are due to fungi or bacteria . Brown or blackened smirch and mend may be either ragged or circular , with a piss soaked or yellow - edged appearance . Insects , rain , dirty garden tools , or even people can aid its spread .
Prevention and Control : Remove infected parting when the plant life is ironic . Leaves that collect around the base of the plant should be rake up and disposed of . Avoid overhead irrigation if possible ; water should be directed at soil level . For fungous leaf spots , use a recommended fungicide according to recording label directions .
Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , come to to mealy germ , that can be a problem on a wide miscellanea of plant life - indoor and out-of-door . Young scales creeping until they find a good eating site . The grownup female person then lose their legs and remain on a spot protected by its hard shell layer . They look as bumps , often on the lower slope of leaves . They have piercing mouth function that suck the sap out of flora tissue . Scales can weaken a plant precede to yellow leaf and leaf drop . They also produce a sweet substance foretell honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can pass to an unattractive black-market surface fungal growth called pitchy mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to control . Isolate infested plant life away from those that are not infested . refer your local garden nerve centre professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their ascendance . further natural enemies such as bloodsucking white Anglo-Saxon Protestant in the garden . Fungi : Sooty MoldSooty mold is a fungus that is found on the surface of foliage . It feeds on honeydew excreted from aphids , mealy bugs , graduated table , or pismire . Though not serious , it is unattractive when it covers / blacken the leaves and stanch of the industrial plant . The secure way to see to it sooty mold is to control the worm that make the honeydew . Sooty mold can usually be wiped from leave with a damp cloth or washed away with a hose - oddment sprayer .
