There are a lot of deciduous begonias, they differ not only in appearance, size, shape of the bush, color of the leaves, but also in the requirements for growing conditions. Some types of begonia are completely unpretentious, others are considered capricious. But if you want the extraordinary beauty of leaves, begonias need to be looked after.
Temperature
All begonias grow well at moderate temperatures - in summer 20-26 ° С during the day, not lower than 15-16 ° С at night, they do not tolerate heat well, especially when dry air (dry days without precipitation). In winter, begonias do not need to arrange a special period of rest, they grow perfectly in ordinary home conditions, but if you have dark windows and there is no way to illuminate plants, it is better to find a cooler place, where it is about 16-18 ° C, at least 15 ° C. Royal begonia hybrids are more thermophilic, they are comfortable in winter at a temperature of at least 20 ° C.
Lighting
Begonias are relatively shade-tolerant, not at all shade-loving, they feel good when the light is openwork, lace bright, through light shade in spring and summer. I.e. protection against direct sunlight at noon (from 11 to 16 hours from May to September). It is desirable that the lighting is uniform all year round. To do this, in summer, begonias are somewhat moved away from the window (but the place should be very bright), and in winter they are moved as close to the window as possible. If you have long, cold winters (in central Russia), then you can put pots for this period on solar windows from about September to January, direct sun will not harm.
This begonia has very long petioles, a clear sign of lack of light. From the hot dry air, the leaves droop.
Redness of leaves in begonias can be caused by too bright lighting or lack of nutrients.
Large-leaved begonias grow quickly and quickly deplete the soil, manifesting with pallor and yellowing.Watering
In spring and summer, begonias are watered abundantly, but not flooded - begonias do not like stagnation of water, as well as drying out of an earthen coma. In winter, watering is moderate, on cloudy, gloomy days, when there is very little light, watering is stopped altogether. Begonias are watered very carefully so that the water stream does not fall on the leaves, otherwise brown spots remain on them. The water should be soft, persistent. Between October and March, begonias are watered more moderately. From March to October, fertilizers are fed 1 times a week using liquid complex fertilizers for deciduous plants.
Air humidity
Begonias require high humidity. But bush begonias, for the most part with leaf pubescence, do not tolerate water getting on the leaves, so you can place pots of begonias on a tray with wet peat or moss (you can use a cat tray with a grill).
To increase air humidity, all methods are good. If there is no wide tray with wet pebbles, you can put a lot of small jars.
From systematic waterlogging of the soil, the leaves of begonia slightly droop, the edges turn inward.
The frequency of irrigation also depends on the size of the green mass. The larger the evaporating surface, the more moisture the plant needs.Flight connections
Annually or a year later, in the spring. In a cramped pot, begonia leaves pale and lose their decorativeness. The soil is nutritious - a mixture of humus, leaf and turf land with the addition of a small amount of coniferous land and river sand. Begonias prefer soils that have a slightly acidic reaction when pH = 5.5-6.5. Some species of begonia, especially rhizome (including Rex groups), prefer light, loose, well-drained soils, such that they easily absorb moisture and dry out quickly. For them, they make up the soil from leaf earth with the addition of pine bark, chopped fern rhizomes and sand.
Reproduction
Begonias breed with stem cuttings, leaves, part of a leaf, division and seeds. On cuttings, you need to cut the tops of branches about 15 cm long from small-leaved begonias, or a piece of stem with one to two sheets from large-leaved begonias. Cuttings can be put to root in water, roots appear within a week or two. When they grow 4-5 cm long, they can be burned in pots.
By the way, in rhizome begonias from rhizoma, it is enough to cut off pieces 2-4 cm long and put them for rooting in plates, preferably with soil heating, or in warm time, when the soil temperature is not lower than 25-26 ° C.
This begonia has little light (the bush is loose, the petioles are long), and salt deposition is visible on the soil.
If you water the begonia, preventing the soil from drying out, such spots appear on the leaves, petioles and stems rot.
Young rooted begonias need to be planted in porous well-drained soil.How to care for begonias
All deciduous begonias require high humidity. But the first problem of care is that almost all of them do not tolerate spraying, and need very good ventilation of the room. Therefore, if the room has central heating and the air temperature in winter rises above 22 ° C, then you need to try to maximize the humidity.
If you turn out to be the owner of chic hybrids of begonias with pubescent leaves and a painted pattern, then it is best to purchase an air humidifier, otherwise you can place pots on wide trays with wet pebbles (expanded clay or moss-sphagnum). At the same time, water from the tray should not fall into the pot. Central heating batteries in winter will have to be covered with wet towels, which are wetted in the morning and evening. At the same time, it is not advisable to put pots crowded with a large dense group, this makes it difficult to ventilate.
Begonia wild, Borneo Island. Begonias grow in nature on leafy ground - a loose pillow of decaying leaves and woody litter.The second problem is that begonias are mostly not as moisture-loving as they seem. I.e. increased air humidity requirements do not mean increased need for soil moisture. It is necessary to water moderately, so that the land for the next watering has time to dry in the upper third or even in the upper half of the pot. You can only check this by touching the ground with your finger.
And the third problem is the weak movement of air in the apartment. When the air is very humid, above 60-70%, there is always a risk of developing pathogenic microflora - a fungal and bacterial infection, from which moist brown spots appear on the leaves, roots and parts of the rhizome rot. So, in the absence of air circulation, with a large crowding of plants (group plantings, closely located pots), the risk of developing these infections increases many times over. Even if you ventilate twice a day, this is usually not enough, because in natural conditions, plants are constantly blown by the wind.
Therefore, if your humidity is high at home, and black spots appear on the windows or walls - fungi, then it is worth thinking, not only your flowers are under threat, but also the health of all family members (allergies, asthma, etc.). Usually fungal spots on the surface of the ceiling and walls are not just a sign of high humidity, but poor ventilation. By itself, air humidity of 50-60% is needed and important for flowers and humans. But it is necessary to check why the ventilation in the apartment is bad: there is no ventilation, there is no traction, after all, tightly closed plastic windows block oxygen.
But condensation on the windowsill does not mean that the whole apartment has high humidity. She may not be enough in the room. It is most correct to buy a hygrometer and find out for sure. If fungal plaque appears, the only correct solution is to install a ventilation hole in the wall.
Ornamental-deciduous begonias are mostly very shade-tolerant. They grow well on the northern windowsills, but further from the window, in the depths of the rooms without additional illumination, it will be dark, it all depends on how much sun the tulle curtains miss (or what hangs on the windows). There is no concept of shade-loving plants, it was invented by people who are far from ideas of how a leafy plant should look good. And many consider deciduous begonias to be shade-loving.
In fact, most begonias prefer bright diffused light, with some direct sun in the morning or evening. I.e. eastern windows, northwestern, northern will be ideal. On windows of southern and western orientation, shading is needed, but here begonias are bad not only from the sun, but also from the heat. In general, on especially hot days in summer, it is better to make pots with begonias on the floor, where the temperature is 2-3 ° C.