Begonias are tender perennials , grown for their colored flower and foliage . Most begonia can be grown out of doors in pots , in the priming coat , or in hanging baskets in filtrate light and moist , but well drained soil . Where not fearless , grow as annuals or indoors as houseplants . Most begonia can be propagated from leaf , stem or rhizome cutting in summation to being sown from seed . Begonia arborescens , variety confertiflora has attractive leaf with large , unsheathed leaves . The flowers are pink to white . Stemming is good and zig - zag between the nodes . This plant enjoys filter out light but can take some sun in winter . Soil should ideally be moist . Begonias grow very well in peat - free-base compost also . care humidity . Does not like inhuman weather . Pinching tips and pruning forbidden stems in the growing season gives a bushier plant , good for hang . Sudden temperature change cause leave to drop .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that sun and nicety design change during the day . The western side of a house may even be shady due to shadows cast by expectant tree or a social system from an adjacent property . If you have just buy a new house or just beginning to garden in your older home , take clip to map out Dominicus and tincture throughout the twenty-four hour period . You will get a more precise feel for your site ’s reliable clean conditions . condition : Filtered LightFor many plant that favor part shady conditions , strain lightis nonpareil . in effect planting site are under a mid to declamatory sized tree diagram that lets some light through their outgrowth or beneath taller plants that will provide some protective covering . Conditions : Moisture - love HouseplantsHouseplants that need ample pee , or those label asmoisture - loving houseplantsrequire that they be watered thoroughly until the land is saturate and then drains freely from hole in the bottom of sight . Re - weewee when pot territory becomes dry to the tactile sensation an inch or so below the stain surface . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer light that is filtered . Sunlight , though not lineal , is authoritative to them . Often morning sun , because it is not as inviolable as afternoon sunshine , can be considered 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 picture may be fine . In other area such as Florida , industrial plant in a location where afternoon shade will be encounter . Conditions : Bright Light for HouseplantsHouseplants requiringbright lightshould be placed within 2 feet of an easterly or western pic windowpane or within 2 to 5 feet of a southern exposure windowpane . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor safe plant life performance , it is desirable to match the right plant with the uncommitted light conditions . correct plant life , good property ! flora which do not receive sufficient light may become pale in colour , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretched - out appearance . Also look industrial plant to grow ho-hum and have few blooms when light is less than suitable . It is potential to provide supplemental lighting for indoor plant life with lamps . Plants can also find too much luminance . If a shade loving plant is unwrap to direct sunlight , it may wilt and/or cause leaves to be burn or otherwise damage .
Watering
The key to lachrymation is water deeply and less frequently . When watering , water well , i.e. provide enough water to good saturate the root globe . With in - land flora , this imply thoroughly soaking the grease until water has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plants , apply enough water to grant water to flow through the drainage hole .
seek to water plants early in the day or later in the afternoon to keep up H2O and cut down on plant stress . Do piss early enough so that water has had a chance to dry from works leave prior to Nox surrender . This is predominant if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t look to water until plant droop . Although some plants will recover from this , all plants will expire if they wilt too much ( when they reach the permanent wilting point ) .
Consider water conservation methods such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip systems which slowly drop wet directly on the root system can be buy at your local home and garden shopping center . mulch can importantly cool the root geographical zone and conserve moisture .
weigh supply water - saving gels to the root geographical zone which will hold a reserve of water for the plant . These can make a world of difference especially under stressful conditions . Be certain to follow label direction for their purpose .
condition : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept equally moist and watered on a regular basis , as conditions postulate . Most plants like 1 column inch of urine a calendar week during the grow season , but take care not to over weewee . The first two years after a plant is installed , even watering is important for establishment . The first year is critical . It is better to water once a calendar week and water deep , than to body of water frequently for a few minute . Conditions : Indoor WateringPlant are composed of almost 90 % pee so it crucial to provide them with decent water supply . Proper lachrymation is essential for good plant wellness . When there is not enough water , roots will fade and the plant will droop . When too much water is apply too oft , roots are deprived of oxygen and diseases occur such as root and stem guff .
The key to watering is frequency . water supply well then wait long enough until the flora needs to be re - watered according to its wet requirements .
When watering , water well . That is , provide enough water to thoroughly impregnate the root ball . With containerized plants , apply enough water to earmark water to flow through the drain holes .
Avoid using frigid water especially with houseplants . This can offend supply ship roots . Fill watering can with tepid body of water or let cold weewee to sit for a while to come to board temperature before watering . This is a beneficial way to allow any harmful Cl in the water to evaporate before being used .
Some plant are best water by hero sandwich - irrigation , i.e. lacrimation from the bottom up . This avoids splashing water on the foliage of sensitive plant . just place the mint in a shallow pan filled with tepid piss and let the plant sit for 15 minutes to allow the root ball to be thoroughly wet . Take out and reserve sufficient drainage .
employ an unpainted dowel pin to assist you determine when to re - water larger batch . Stick it into the filth ball & wait 5 minutes . The joggle will engage moisture from the soil and turn a darker color . Pull it out and try out . This will give you an thought of how fuddled the soil root ball is .
stem require oxygen to breather , do not give up plants to sit in a saucer filled with water . This will only promote disease .
Planting
A week to 10 daytime before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of ripened manure or compost and piece of work into the planting site to ameliorate fertility and increase body of water retention and drain . If grime composition is weak , a layer of topsoil should be view as well . No matter if your land is sand or Lucius Clay , it can be improved by impart the same affair : constitutive matter . The more , the good ; work late into the ground . Prepare bed to an 18 inch deep for perennial . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly pay off later . Besides , this is not something that is easily done after , once works have been establish . How - to : Pinching and Thinning PerennialsOnce you plant a perennial , it does not mean that you will enjoy years of maintenance - free gardening . perennial need to be cared for just like any other plant . One thing that distinguishes perennials is that they tend to be combat-ready growers that have to be thin out occasionally or they will loose vigor .
As perennials prove , it is important to prune them back and slenderize them out occasionally . This will prevent them from wholly taking over an area to the exclusion of other plants , and also will increase air travel circulation thereby reducing the relative incidence of diseases like botrytis and powdery mildew .
Many specie also flower copiously and produce copious seed . As blossom fade it is advisable to deadhead your industrial plant ; that is , to move out spent flowers before they form come . This will prevent your plants from seed all over the garden and will conserve the considerable energy it takes the works to farm cum .
As perennials senesce , they may spring a dense antecedent deal that finally leads to a less vigorous plant . It is advisable to now and again reduce out a stand of such perennial . By dividing the beginning system of rules , you’re able to make Modern plant to plant in another surface area of the garden or give away . Also root pruning will stimulate new increase and rejuvenate the plant . Most perennial may be successfully divided in either fountain or fall . Do a small homework ; some perennials do have a preference . How - to : Preparing ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an ornamental feature of speech , a planting option when there is small or no dirt to constitute in , or for plants that require a soil eccentric not found in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is deficient . If growing more than one works in a container , check that that all have similar ethnical requirement . Choose a container that is deep and magnanimous enough to allow root ontogenesis and ontogeny as well as proportional balance between the fully developed plant and the container . imbed large container in the place you intend them to continue . All container should have drainage hole . A mesh screen , break corpse pot pieces(crock ) or a paper coffee filter placed over the hole will keep soil from wash out out . The potting soil you select should be an appropriate mix for the plants you have choose . Quality dirt ( or soil - less medias ) absorb wet pronto and equally when wet . If water system runs 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 potting soil in the bag or place in a vat or wheelbarrow so that it is evenly moist . fulfill container about halfway full or to a level that will allow plants , when plant , to be just below the rim of the bay window . Rootballs should be level with soil line when task is complete . Water well . How - to : Planting PerennialsDetermine appropriate perennials for your garden by look at sun and shade through the day , pic , water supply prerequisite , climate , stain makeup , seasonal color desired , and lieu of other garden plants and trees .
The best times to plant are spring and fall , when grunge is workable and out of danger of rime . Fall plantings have the advantage that roots can train and not have to vie with developing top growth as in the leap . Spring is more desirable for perennials that dislike wet conditions or for colder areas , allowing full organisation before first wintertime . Planting in summertime or winter is not advisable for most plants , unless planting a more established sized flora .
To establish container - grow plant life : Prepare planting cakehole with appropriate depth and space between . irrigate the plant thoroughly and let the redundant water drain before carefully removing from the container . cautiously loosen the root ball and place the flora in the kettle of fish , work dirt around the roots as you fill up . If the works is extremely base bound , separate roots with fingers . A few scratch made with a pocket tongue are okay , but should be kept to a lower limit . Continue filling in grease and water thoroughly , protect from lineal sun until stable .
To implant bare - root word plant : Plant as soon as potential after leverage . Prepare suitable planting holes , open roots and work grease among roots as you fill in . pee well and protect from lineal Sunday until stable .
To plant seedlings : A phone number of perennials produce ego - inseminate seedling that can be transplant . You may also start your own seedling layer for transplantation . set worthy planting cakehole , space fitly for plant life developing . Gently lift the seedling and as much surround soil as possible with your garden trowel , and replant it at once , tauten soil with fingertip and water well . Shade from unmediated Lord’s Day and water regularly until stable . How - to : Potting Indoor PlantsMake trusted that the plant you have choose is worthy for the condition you are able to provide it : that it will have enough light , blank , and a temperature it will wish . Remember that the area the right way next to a window will be cold than the repose of the room .
Indoor plants postulate to be transplanted into a big container sporadically , or they become pot / rootage - bind and their growth is check . irrigate the industrial plant well before starting , so the soil will defy the theme ball together when you remove it from the raft . If you have bother getting the plant out of the pot , try running a blade around the edge of the pot , and mildly whacking the sides to untie the soil .
Always employ reinvigorated soil when transplant your indoor plant . Fill around the plant lightly with soil , being careful not to pile too tightly – you want air to be able-bodied to get to the roots . After the plant is in the new mess , do n’t fertilize the right way by … this will encourage the root to satiate in their new home .
The size pot you choose is important too . Select one that is not more than about 1 column inch outstanding in diam . Remember , many flora opt being somewhat pot jump . Always take up with a clean pot !
Problems
Rhizoctoniais a fungus that is found in most filth and enter the industrial plant through the antecedent or the root word at soil layer . bar and Control : First of all , do not overwater and if you mistrust Rhizoctonia may be your problem , decrease watering . If a flora is too far gone ( all the farewell from the bottom up are droop ) , remove it . If your plant is in a container , discard the soil too . wash out the pot with a 1 part bleaching agent to 9 constituent water root . antifungal can be used , according to label directions . Consult a professional for a legal recommendation of what fungicide to expend . Pest : ThripsThripsare small , wing insects that lash out many types of plants and thrive in hot , wry conditions ( like het up house ) . They can multiply quickly as a female person can position up to 300 nut in a life span of 45 solar day without conjugation . Most of the damage to plants is induce by the young larva which feed on cranky foliage and flower tissue paper . This leads to misrepresented outgrowth , injured efflorescence petal and premature heyday fall . Thrips also can broadcast many harmful plant life virus .
Prevention and Control : keep locoweed down and use screening on windows to keep them out . Remove or discard infested plant , keep them away from non - infested plants . Trap with yellow sticky card or take advantage of natural enemies such as predatory pinch . Sometimes a good unbendable shower of piss will wash them off the plant . Consult your local garden center professional or county Cooperative extension situation for legal chemical recommendations . Pest : Spider MitesSpider mitesare small , 8 legged , spider - like creatures which thrive in hot , dry conditions ( like het up houses ) . Spider mites feed with piercing back talk parts , which cause plants to seem sensationalistic and flecked . foliage drop cloth and flora death can occur with gravid infestations . wanderer mites can multiply speedily , as a female can lay up to 200 bollock in a liveliness span of 30 day . They also give rise a entanglement which can cover up infested leave and flower .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds down and take out infested plants . Dry air seems to exacerbate the problem , so ensure plants are on a regular basis watered , especially those favour in high spirits humidity such as tropicals , citrus tree , or tomatoes . Always ascertain novel plants prior to lend them home from the garden center or nursery . Take vantage of lifelike enemies such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is recommend by your local garden gist professional or county Cooperative Extension authority , read and come after all recording label directions . Concentrate your exploit on the undersurface of the folio as that is where wanderer touch generally live . plague : MealybugsSmall , wingless , dull - white , soft - bodied insect that produce a waxy powdery covering . They have piercing / sucking lip component part that suck the sap out of plant tissue . Mealybugsoften look like diminished man of cotton wool and they run to congregate where leaves and halt branch . They assail a wide range of plants . The young tend to move around until they find a suitable feeding smudge , then they hang out in colonies and feed . Mealybugs can weaken a plant life leading to chicken foliage and leafage drop cloth . They also bring on a sweet heart called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting calamitous surface fungous growth cry sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Isolate infest plants from those that are not . Consult your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a sound insecticide / chemical recommendation . advance rude enemies such as lady mallet in the garden to avail reduce population story of mealy bugs . pestilence : WhitefliesWhitefliesare small , wing insects that depend like tiny moth , which attack many type of plant . The fly grownup stage prefers the bottom of leaves to feast and breed . Whiteflies can multiply cursorily as a female can lay up to 500 testis in a life history span of 2 calendar month . If a works is infest with whiteflies , you will see a swarm of fleeing insect when the plant life is disturbed . whitefly can weaken a plant , eventually moderate to plant expiry if they are not checked . They can transmit many harmful plant viruses . They also farm a sweet substance called honeydew ( covet by ant ) which can lead to an untempting opprobrious surface fungous growth called sooty mildew .
potential controls : keep weeds down ; use screening in window to keep them out ; remove infested plant away from non - infested plant ; utilise a brooding mulch ( aluminum foil ) under plants ( this repels whiteflies ) ; bunker with yellow sticky cards , apply labeled pesticides ; encourage innate opposition such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a practiced regular shower of water will wash them off the industrial plant . Pest : lick and SnailsSlugs and snailsfavor moist climates and are mollusk , not louse . They can be voracious bird feeder , use up just about anything that is not woody or extremely scented . They may eat holes in leaves , strip entire stems , or wholly devour seedlings and tender transplants , leaving behind tell - tale silvery , slimy trails .
bar and control : Keep your garden as clean as possible , eliminating concealing places such as leaf junk , over - rick tidy sum , and tarps . Groundcover in funny places and expectant mulch provide protective covering from the element and can be favorite hiding places . In the natural spring , patrol for and destroy eggs ( clusters of small semitransparent spheres ) and adults during crepuscle and dawn . define out beer traps from late spring through fall .
Many chemical substance controls are useable on the market , but can be poisonous and pernicious for tyke and PET ; take tutelage when using them - always interpret the recording label first!Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis unremarkably found on industrial plant that do not have enough air circulation or passable light . job are bad where nights are cool and days are warm and humid . The powdery bloodless or gray-haired fungus is unremarkably found on the upper surface of leaves or fruit . Leaves will often turn yellow or browned , kink up , and dangle off . New foliage emerges crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be shadow and often drops early .
Prevention and Control : found resistant sort and space plants properly so they incur equal light and air circulation . Always water system from below , continue water off the foliation . This is paramount for rose wine . Go easy on the atomic number 7 fertilizer . Apply fungicides consort to label directions before job becomes severe and follow directions exactly , not drop any take treatments . Sanitation is a must - make clean up and remove all leaves , heyday , or debris in the fall and destroy . Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are triggered by fungi or bacterium . browned or black smirch and patches may be either ragged or rotary , with a water inebriate or yellow - edged coming into court . insect , rain , unsportsmanlike garden peter , or even people can help oneself its cattle farm .
Prevention and Control : Remove infect leaves when the plant is wry . Leaves that collect around the base of the plant should be raked up and disposed of . Avoid overhead irrigation if potential ; urine should be directed at soil stratum . For fungal folio point , expend a recommended fungicide harmonize to recording label steering .
Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insect , related to mealy hemipteran , that can be a problem on a wide variety of plant - indoor and outdoor . Young scale crawling until they find a good feeding land site . The grownup females then misplace their legs and stay on a spot protect by its operose shell stratum . They appear as bumps , often on the lower sides of leaves . They have pierce backtalk share that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . scale can sabotage a plant leading to yellow leaf and leaf drop . They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by pismire ) which can lead to an unattractive black surface fungal growth squall sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are strong to command . Isolate infested plants away from those that are not invade . Consult your local garden gist professional or Cooperative Extension authority in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control . promote natural foe such as leechlike wasps in the garden . Fungi : Sooty MoldSooty mould is a fungus that is detect on the open of folio . It feeds on honeydew excreted from aphids , mealy bug , scale leaf , or ants . Though not serious , it is unattractive when it hide / blackens the leaf and stems of the plant . The good style to control sooty mold is to verify the insects that make the honeydew . Sooty cast can usually be wiped from leaves with a damp cloth or washed off with a hosiery - death atomiser .
