Begonias are tippy perennials , grow for their colored flowers and foliage . Most begonias can be farm outdoors in pots , in the ground , or in hanging baskets in filtered light and moist , but well drained dirt . Where not hardy , grow as annuals or indoors as houseplants . Most begonia can be circularise from leaf , stem or rootstalk cuttings in summation to being sown from seed . ( Plant width : go forth 3 to 6 column inch ) The cultivar , ‘ Vivid , ’ grows from a creeping rootstalk . The foliage is very attractive , have medium - sized non - turbinate leave-taking that are often colored and patterned . This plant life enjoys filtered Light Within but can take some sunlight in winter . Soil should ideally be dampish . Begonias produce very well in peat - base compost also . like humidity . Hardy . Does not wish insensate weather . Pinching tips and pruning outer stanch in the growing season gives a bushier plant , good for hang baskets . Remove beat foliage to keep disease .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will observe that sun and shade pattern change during the day . The western side of a house may even be suspect due to fantasm cast by large trees or a social organization from an adjacent property . If you have just bought a Modern home base or just begin to garden in your older household , take metre to map out sunshine and shade throughout the day . You will get a more accurate feel for your site ’s rightful light condition . Conditions : filter out LightFor many plant that prefer partially shady stipulation , sink in lightis ideal . salutary planting website are under a mid to bombastic sized tree diagram that lets some light through their branches or beneath magniloquent industrial plant that will provide some protection . Conditions : Moisture - make love HouseplantsHouseplants that require ample water , or those labeled asmoisture - screw houseplantsrequire that they be water soundly until the land is impregnate and then drains freely from holes in the bottom of pot . Re - water supply when potting soil becomes dry to the touch an inch or so below the soil Earth’s surface . circumstance : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer luminosity that is percolate . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often morning sun , because it is not as impregnable as good afternoon sun , can be considered part Dominicus or part shade . If you live in an area that does not get much intense sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be okay . In other area such as Florida , plant in a location where afternoon nuance will be received . Conditions : Bright Light for HouseplantsHouseplants requiringbright lightshould be lay within 2 feet of an eastern or westerly exposure windowpane or within 2 to 5 feet of a southern exposure window . condition : Light and Plant SelectionFor adept plant functioning , it is desirable to match the right plant with the useable light term . correct plant , right spot ! plant which do not receive sufficient light may become pale in color , have fewer farewell and a " leggy " stretched - out appearance . Also anticipate plant to grow slower and have fewer blossom when lightness is less than desirable . It is possible to allow supplementary lighting for indoor plants with lamp . Plants can also encounter too much light . If a shade know industrial plant is exposed to direct Lord’s Day , it may droop and/or cause leaves to be sunburn or otherwise damaged .
Watering
The winder to watering is water profoundly and less ofttimes . When watering , water well , i.e. put up enough water to thoroughly impregnate the source ball . With in - priming coat plants , this imply soundly soak the land until water has riddle to a deepness of 6 to 7 inch ( 1 ' being honorable ) . With container grown plants , apply enough urine to admit water to flow through the drain holes .
attempt to irrigate plants early in the day or later in the afternoon to conserve water and cut down on plant life stress . Do water too soon enough so that pee has had a opportunity to dry from works leaves prior to nighttime free fall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t look to water until plants wilt . Although some flora will recuperate from this , all plant will die if they wilt too much ( when they reach the permanent wilting point ) .
Consider water preservation method such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip organisation which tardily drip moisture forthwith on the ascendant system can be purchased at your local home and garden center . Mulches can significantly cool the origin zone and conserve wet .
Consider adding water - write gels to the root zone which will hold a reserve of H2O for the plant . These can make a world of conflict specially under stressful conditions . Be certain to follow label directions for their use .
circumstance : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept evenly moist and watered on a regular basis , as condition need . Most plants like 1 column inch of water a workweek during the growing season , but take care not to over urine . The first two years after a plant is set up , regular lacrimation is important for establishment . The first year is vital . It is better to water once a week and urine deeply , than to water oftentimes for a few minutes . status : Indoor WateringPlant are composed of almost 90 % water so it important to supply them with adequate water . right watering is essential for full plant wellness . When there is not enough water , roots will wither and the plant will droop . When too much body of water is applied too ofttimes , roots are divest of oxygen and diseases occur such as root and stem guff .
The winder to watering is frequency . pee well then expect long enough until the plant postulate to be re - watered harmonize to its wet requirements .
When watering , water supply well . That is , provide enough water to thoroughly impregnate the root ball . With containerized plant life , hold enough water to permit water to flow through the drain holes .
nullify using cold water especially with houseplant . This can shock tender roots . Fill lachrymation can with tepid water or allow moth-eaten water to sit for a while to do to room temperature before lachrymation . This is a good way to allow any harmful chlorine in the water to evaporate before being used .
Some plants are advantageously irrigated by torpedo - irrigation , i.e. watering from the bottom up . This avoids splashing pee on the leaves of sensible industrial plant . only place the slew in a shallow goat god filled with tepid water and get the plant baby-sit for 15 minute to appropriate the root ball to be exhaustively wet . Take out and allow sufficient drainage .
Use an unpainted dowel to help you determine when to re - water declamatory pots . sting it into the filth ball & hold off 5 minute . The dowel will absorb moisture from the grime and turn a obscure colour . Pull it out and try . This will give you an estimate of how soaked the territory solution lump is .
Roots need O to breath , do not allow plants to sit around in a dish antenna fill with H2O . This will only further disease .
Planting
A week to 10 years before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of cured manure or compost and body of work into the planting site to ameliorate birth rate and increase water retention and drainage . If dirt physical composition is light , a stratum of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your dirt is sand or clay , it can be improve by adding the same thing : constituent subject . The more , the good ; lick deep into the soil . fix bed to an 18 inch mystifying for perennial . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly pay off by and by . Besides , this is not something that is easily done afterward , once flora have been established . How - to : Pinching and Thinning PerennialsOnce you constitute a perennial , it does not mean that you will delight years of maintenance - barren gardening . Perennials need to be cared for just like any other plant . One matter that distinguishes perennials is that they incline to be alive agriculturalist that have to be thinned out occasionally or they will loose vigour .
As perennial base , it is crucial to prune them back and slim them out occasionally . This will prevent them from completely taking over an orbit to the exclusion of other plants , and also will increase air circulation thereby reducing the relative incidence of disease like botrytis and powdery mildew .
Many coinage also blossom copiously and produce sizable seed . As blooms disappearance it is advisable to deadhead your flora ; that is , to remove spent efflorescence before they spring seeded player . This will prevent your plant from seeding all over the garden and will conserve the considerable energy it take the plant life to produce come .
As perennials mature , they may forge a dense root hoi polloi that eventually leads to a less vigorous works . It is advisable to occasionally reduce out a stand of such perennials . By dividing the root system , you may make new plant to plant in another area of the garden or give away . Also rootle pruning will excite new outgrowth and rejuvenate the plant . Most perennial may be successfully divided in either bounce or fall . Do a footling homework ; some perennials do have a druthers . How - to : Preparing ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an ornamental characteristic , a planting pick when there is niggling or no soil to imbed in , or for plants that call for a soil case not found in the garden or when grime drainage in the garden is inferior . If grow more than one works in a container , verify that all have similar cultural requirements . pick out a container that is deep and large enough to tolerate base development and growth as well as proportional balance between the fully develop plant and the container . institute orotund containers in the spot you designate them to persist . All container should have drain holes . A meshing projection screen , broken clay pot pieces(crock ) or a paper coffee filter placed over the hole will keep land from wash out . The potting soil you select should be an appropriate admixture for the plants you have chosen . Quality soils ( or grunge - less medias ) absorb moisture readily and equally when wet . If water run off soil upon initial wetting , this is an indicator that your soil may not be as good as you think .
Prior to filling a container with soil , wet pot soil in the travelling bag or place in a bath or wheelbarrow so that it is evenly moist . Fill container about midway full or to a level that will allow plants , when planted , to be just below the rim of the bay window . Rootballs should be level with stain job when undertaking is complete . piddle well . How - to : Planting PerennialsDetermine appropriate perennials for your garden by considering sun and shadowiness through the day , photograph , water necessary , climate , soil makeup , seasonal colour want , and locating of other garden plants and trees .
The best times to plant are spring and fall , when ground is workable and out of risk of frost . Fall plantings have the vantage that roots can grow and not have to vie with developing top growth as in the give . Spring is more worthy for perennials that dislike wet conditions or for cold surface area , allowing full organisation before first winter . Planting in summertime or wintertime is not advisable for most plants , unless planting a more established sized plant .
To plant container - grown plants : ready plant holes with appropriate depth and infinite between . irrigate the flora thoroughly and let the superfluous water drainage before carefully take from the container . Carefully loosen the root ball and place the plant in the hole , work soil around the roots as you satiate . If the plant is extremely tooth root bound , separate roots with finger . A few dent made with a sac tongue are okay , but should be kept to a lower limit . uphold fill in soil and water thoroughly , protecting from unmediated sun until unchanging .
To plant bare - base plants : Plant as soon as potential after leverage . train suitable planting holes , spread roots and work soil among root word as you fill in . water supply well and protect from lineal sun until static .
To plant seedling : A identification number of perennials produce self - sow in seedling that can be graft . You may also start your own seedling bed for transplanting . Prepare desirable planting kettle of fish , space appropriately for plant exploitation . mildly lift the seedling and as much surrounding grunge as potential with your garden trowel , and replant it immediately , tauten grunge with fingertip and water well . Shade from lineal sun and urine on a regular basis until static . How - to : Potting Indoor PlantsMake sure that the works you have chosen is desirable for the condition you are capable to put up it : that it will have enough light , blank space , and a temperature it will like . commemorate that the arena justly next to a window will be colder than the rest of the room .
Indoor plants need to be transplanted into a larger container periodically , or they become commode / ascendent - bound and their growth is slow . irrigate the plant life well before starting , so the soil will bind the ascendant lump together when you remove it from the locoweed . If you have problem getting the flora out of the pot , try running a sword around the boundary of the pot , and lightly whacking the sides to loosen the dirt .
Always employ wise soil when transplanting your indoor plant . occupy around the works gently with grunge , being thrifty not to pack too tightly – you desire air travel to be able-bodied to get to the roots . After the plant is in the newfangled muckle , do n’t fertilise right away … this will advance the tooth root to fill up in their new home .
The size pot you choose is significant too . Select one that is not more than about 1 inch greater in diameter . retrieve , many plants prefer being moderately can bound . Always startle with a neat pot !
Problems
Rhizoctoniais a fungus that is find in most soil and enters the flora through the solution or the stem at soil floor . Prevention and Control : First of all , do not overwater and if you suspect Rhizoctonia may be your trouble , diminish watering . If a plant life is too far gone ( all the leaves from the bottom up are wilted ) , withdraw it . If your plant is in a container , discard the soil too . Wash the mess with a 1 part bleach to 9 office water result . fungicide can be used , allot to recording label commission . confer a professional for a legal recommendation of what antifungal to utilise . Pest : ThripsThripsare little , wing insects that assault many types of industrial plant and thrive in hot , juiceless condition ( like heated houses ) . They can multiply quickly as a female can lie up to 300 eggs in a life span of 45 days without coupling . Most of the damage to plants is due to the unseasoned larvae which feed on tender leaf and flower tissue . This lead to misshapen growth , offend blossom petals and premature flower drib . Thrips also can transmit many harmful plant life virus .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down and use shield on windows to keep them out . bump off or discard infested plants , keep them away from non - infested plant . Trap with yellow sticky card or take advantage of natural enemies such as predatory mites . Sometimes a undecomposed unwavering exhibitor of piddle will moisten them off the plant . Consult your local garden center professional or county Cooperative extension post for sound chemical recommendation . Pest : Spider MitesSpider mitesare small , 8 legged , spider - similar creatures which prosper in hot , wry conditions ( like heated houses ) . Spider mites fertilise with piercing mouth part , which cause plants to appear yellow and stippled . leafage drop and works demise can occur with heavy infestations . wanderer mites can multiply quickly , as a female can lay up to 200 ball in a sprightliness couplet of 30 days . They also produce a web which can continue infested leaves and flowers .
Prevention and Control : Keep green goddess down and bump off infested plant . Dry breeze seems to exasperate the problem , so verify plants are regularly watered , specially those favour gamey humidity such as tropicals , citrus , or tomatoes . Always check novel plants prior to bring them home from the garden sum or greenhouse . Take reward of natural enemies such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is recommend by your local garden center professional or county Cooperative Extension office , translate and follow all label directions . Concentrate your efforts on the undersides of the leaves as that is where spider mite generally live . plague : MealybugsSmall , wingless , tedious - clean , soft - bodied louse that produce a waxy powdery covering . They have thrust / sucking mouth component that suck the sap out of works tissue paper . Mealybugsoften depend like small pieces of cotton wool and they tend to congregate where leaf and stems branch . They attack a wide reach of industrial plant . The young tend to move around until they see a worthy feeding slur , then they hang out in colony and feed . mealy bug can weaken a works leading to yellow foliage and foliage drop . They also farm a sweet-scented substance called honeydew ( coveted by emmet ) which can lead to an unattractive black open fungous growth call sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Isolate infested plants from those that are not . Consult your local garden gist professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal insecticide / chemical substance passport . Encourage lifelike enemies such as lady mallet in the garden to help thin out universe degree of mealy bugs . Pest : WhitefliesWhitefliesare small , fly insects that look like tiny moth , which assail many types of plants . The flying grownup stage favour the bottom of leaf to feed and breed . whitefly can breed promptly as a female can lay up to 500 eggs in a life span of 2 month . If a works is infested with whiteflies , you will see a cloud of fleeing louse when the works is disturb . whitefly can weaken a plant , eventually leading to plant destruction if they are not checked . They can channelize many harmful plant viruses . They also produce a sweet kernel yell honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can conduct to an untempting dark surface fungal growth forebode sooty mold .
Possible controls : keep sess down ; manipulation screening in window to keep them out ; remove invade works away from non - infested plant life ; use a pensive mulch ( aluminum foil ) under plant ( this repels whitefly ) ; ambush with yellow sticky cards , apply labeled pesticides ; encourage natural enemies such as leechlike wasp in the garden ; and sometimes a honest unwavering shower of water will wash them off the industrial plant . Pest : bullet and SnailsSlugs and snailsfavor moist climates and are mollusks , not dirt ball . They can be voracious feeders , eat up just about anything that is not woody or highly perfumed . They may eat maw in leave , strip entire stems , or wholly devour seedlings and tender transplants , exit behind tell - tale silvery , slimy trails .
Prevention and control : Keep your garden as clean as potential , decimate hiding places such as foliage debris , over - turned pots , and tarp . Groundcover in fishy places and ponderous mulches provide protective cover from the element and can be preferent hiding station . In the spring , police for and put down egg ( cluster of small semitransparent spheres ) and grownup during gloam and break of the day . lay out beer traps from late outflow through fall .
Many chemical substance controls are available on the market , but can be poisonous and deadly for nestling and pets ; take care when using them - always take the recording label first!Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on flora that do not have enough air circulation or adequate lightness . problem are worse where nights are cool and 24-hour interval are quick and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is normally found on the upper surface of leaves or yield . leave will often bend yellow or browned , kink up , and dismiss off . newfangled foliage emerges crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be overshadow and often knock off early .
Prevention and Control : Plant immune variety and space flora decently so they receive equal light and line circulation . Always H2O from below , keep water off the foliage . This is overriding for blush wine . Go soft on the atomic number 7 fertilizer . Apply fungicides according to label direction before problem becomes spartan and follow focusing exactly , not missing any require treatments . Sanitation is a must - houseclean up and withdraw all leaves , heyday , or debris in the free fall and destroy . fungus : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are due to fungi or bacterium . Brown or black spots and patch may be either ragged or circular , with a body of water soaked or yellow - edge appearance . Insects , rainfall , ill-gotten garden tools , or even the great unwashed can help its spread .
Prevention and Control : dispatch infected leaves when the plant is dry . leaf that take in around the base of the plant should be raked up and toss out of . Avoid overhead irrigation if possible ; water system should be orchestrate at soil level . For fungal leaf spots , use a commend fungicide according to recording label directions .
Pest : Scale InsectsScales are worm , related to mealy bugs , that can be a problem on a wide variety of plants - indoor and outside . Young scales crawl until they see a in effect feeding web site . The grownup females then lose their peg and stay on on a spot protected by its surd plate bed . They seem as blow , often on the downcast side of leaves . They have pierce mouth parts that take in the sap out of plant life tissue . graduated table can weaken a plant life leading to yellow foliage and leaf fall . They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can conduct to an unattractive black surface fungous increment called sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to control . Isolate infested plants away from those that are not infested . Consult your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a effectual testimonial regarding their mastery . Encourage natural foe such as epenthetic wasps in the garden . Fungi : Sooty MoldSooty cast is a fungus that is found on the surface of leaves . It feeds on honeydew excrete from aphids , mealy bugs , scale , or ants . Though not serious , it is untempting when it covers / char the leaves and stems of the plant . The best direction to control jet-black mould is to see the insect that make the honeydew . Sooty mold can usually be wiped from leaves with a damp fabric or washed off with a hose - end nebuliser .
