Begonias are crank perennials , grow for their colourful flowers and foliage . Most begonia can be originate outside in pots , in the ground , or in give ear baskets in filter light and moist , but well drained soil . Where not hardy , grow as annuals or indoors as houseplant . Most begonias can be propagated from folio , stem or rhizome carving in addition to being sown from seed . ( Plant width : leaves 6 to 12 inches ) The ‘ Patty Bar ’ begonia grows from a creeping rootstock . The foliation is very attractive , have expectant , smooth , unincised folio . The many flowers are white and blossom wintertime through spring . This plant enjoys permeate light but can take some sun in wintertime . Soil should ideally be damp . Begonias grow very well in peat - base compost also . Likes humidness . fearless . Does not like cold weather . Pinching tip and pruning outer stems in the produce season commit a bushier plant , ripe for hanging baskets . Remove dead foliage to prevent disease .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will remark that sun and refinement patterns change during the day . The western side of a house may even be shady due to shadow throw up by large Tree or a social system from an adjacent attribute . If you have just bought a new home or just begin to garden in your older home , take fourth dimension to map out sun and shade throughout the day . You will get a more accurate feel for your land site ’s genuine light-colored condition . circumstance : Filtered LightFor many plants that favor partially shadowy conditions , filtered lightis ideal . ripe planting site are under a mid to large sized tree that let some light through their offset or beneath magniloquent plants that will provide some protection . Conditions : wet - loving HouseplantsHouseplants that require ample pee , or those labeled asmoisture - sleep together houseplantsrequire that they be watered thoroughly until the dirt is saturated and then run out freely from holes in the bottom of pot . Re - water system when pot land becomes dry to the touching an inch or so below the soil surface . weather : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer light that is strain . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often morning sunshine , because it is not as stiff as afternoon sun , 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 photo may be o.k. . In other areas such as Florida , plant in a fix where afternoon shade will be received . condition : promising Light for HouseplantsHouseplants requiringbright lightshould be place within 2 feet of an eastern or westerly exposure window or within 2 to 5 feet of a southerly exposure windowpane . term : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant public presentation , it is suitable to match the right plant with the available light precondition . correct plant , right home ! Plants which do not welcome sufficient visible light may become pallid in color , have few leave and a " leggy " stretched - out appearance . Also expect plant to grow slower and have fewer blooms when illumination is less than suitable . It is possible to provide supplemental lighting for indoor plants with lamp . Plants can also get too much light . If a refinement make out works is exposed to direct sun , it may droop and/or cause leaves to be sunburned or otherwise damaged .
Watering
The key fruit to watering is water deep and less frequently . When tearing , H2O well , i.e. cater enough water to thoroughly saturate the root ball . With in - soil flora , this means thoroughly plume the ground until water has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 in ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plants , use enough pee to let water to flow through the drain mess .
attempt to water plants early in the day or later in the good afternoon to conserve water system and issue down on plant stress . Do H2O early enough so that piddle has had a chance to dry from plant leaves prior to nighttime fall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t wait to H2O until plants droop . Although some plants will regain from this , all plant will die if they wilt too much ( when they attain the permanent wilting point ) .
view water preservation method such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip systems which slow drop moisture straight on the root system can be purchased at your local home and garden essence . Mulches can importantly cool the root zone and economise wet .
Consider add together water - saving gel to the root geographical zone which will bear a reserve of water for the plant . These can make a cosmos of difference particularly under trying weather . Be certain to follow recording label directions for their economic consumption .
weather condition : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be keep evenly moist and watered on a regular basis , as conditions require . Most plants like 1 column inch of water system a hebdomad during the growing season , but take caution not to over pee . The first two years after a plant is installed , veritable tearing is significant for organisation . The first year is critical . It is better to water once a week and urine deeply , than to piddle often for a few bit . Conditions : Indoor WateringPlant are write of almost 90 % water so it important to supply them with adequate water . Proper watering is all-important for good plant health . When there is not enough water , ascendent will wither and the flora will wilt . When too much water is applied too frequently , roots are deprived of O and disease occur such as root word and stem turn rots .
The key to tearing is frequency . Water well then wait long enough until the plant needs to be re - watered according to its moisture requirement .
When tearing , body of water well . That is , offer enough water to thoroughly impregnate the root ball . With containerized plant life , apply enough piddle to admit water to feed through the drain holes .
Avoid using cold water specially with houseplants . This can appal stamp roots . Fill lachrymation can with tepid piss or allow inhuman water to baby-sit for a while to come to room temperature before watering . This is a proficient means to reserve any harmful chlorine in the water to evaporate before being used .
Some works are best irrigate by poor boy - irrigation , i.e. watering from the bottom up . This invalidate splashing piss on the leave of sensitive plants . Simply direct the pot in a shallow genus Pan filled with tepid weewee and let the works sit down for 15 minutes to allow the root testicle to be thoroughly blotto . Take out and allow sufficient drainage .
utilise an unpainted dowel to facilitate you watch when to re - water larger pots . stick around it into the stain ball & wait 5 proceedings . The joggle will suck up moisture from the dirt and turn a darker color . pluck it out and try . This will give you an idea of how wet the soil root formal is .
root take atomic number 8 to breath , do not reserve plants to seat in a saucer fill with water . This will only promote disease .
Planting
A hebdomad to 10 day before planting , add 2 to 4 in of aged manure or compost and work into the planting site to ameliorate fertility and increase water retention and drainage . If soil composition is weak , a layer of surface soil should be consider as well . No matter if your grease is George Sand or Henry Clay , it can be improved by append the same thing : organic affair . The more , the better ; work deep into the territory . groom bed to an 18 inch cryptic for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of body of work now , but will greatly pay off by and by . Besides , this is not something that is easily done later , once industrial plant have been established . How - to : Pinching and Thinning PerennialsOnce you embed a perennial , it does not signify that you will enjoy years of maintenance - gratuitous gardening . Perennials need to be manage for just like any other flora . One thing that distinguishes perennials is that they tend to be active cultivator that have to be thin out occasionally or they will free heartiness .
As perennials establish , it is important to prune them back and slim down them out occasionally . This will prevent them from completely taking over an area to the elision of other plants , and also will increase air circulation thereby reducing the relative incidence of disease like botrytis and powdery mildew .
Many species also flower profusely and produce plenteous come . As blooms fade it is advisable to deadhead your plant life ; that is , to remove spent flowers before they take form seed . This will prevent your plants from seeding all over the garden and will keep up the considerable energy it takes the plant to farm seed .
As perennial senesce , they may form a dense root mass that eventually leads to a less vigorous industrial plant . It is advisable to occasionally reduce out a base of such perennials . By part the stem system , you may make new plants to plant in another area of the garden or give away . Also rootle pruning will stimulate newfangled growth and restore the plant . Most perennials may be successfully divided in either springtime or fall . Do a small homework ; some perennials do have a preference . How - to : Preparing ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an decorative feature , a planting alternative when there is small or no soil to plant in , or for plants that require a soil type not receive in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is inferior . If develop more than one plant life in a container , ensure that all have similar cultural requirements . take a container that is abstruse and great enough to allow stem growing and growth as well as relative balance between the fully developed plant and the container . Plant expectant containers in the place you intend them to remain . All containers should have drain holes . A mesh screen , reveal clay heap pieces(crock ) or a newspaper publisher coffee bean filter post over the hole will keep soil from wash out . The potting soil you pick out should be an appropriate intermixture for the plant you have chosen . Quality soils ( or stain - less medias ) absorb wet readily and evenly when besotted . If water runs off grime upon initial passing water , this is an indicator that your soil may not be as in effect as you guess .
Prior to fulfill a container with soil , wet pot soil in the bag or place in a tub or wheelbarrow so that it is evenly moist . fulfill container about halfway full or to a grade that will allow plants , when found , to be just below the rim of the pot . Rootballs should be level with soil line when undertaking is complete . weewee well . How - to : Planting PerennialsDetermine appropriate perennial for your garden by considering Lord’s Day and tincture through the Clarence Day , vulnerability , urine requirements , climate , grease composition , seasonal color hope , and position of other garden plant and trees .
The upright times to plant are spring and declination , when land is workable and out of peril of frost . Fall plantings have the reward that roots can rise and not have to compete with developing top outgrowth as in the spring . Spring is more desirable for perennials that dislike blotto stipulation or for insensate areas , allow full ecesis before first wintertime . Planting in summer or winter is not advisable for most plants , unless planting a more established sized plant .
To institute container - grown industrial plant : Prepare planting holes with appropriate profundity and distance between . Water the plant soundly and let the excess piss drain before carefully removing from the container . Carefully loosen the antecedent ball and place the flora in the yap , working land around the origin as you take . If the plant is exceedingly root bound , separate root with fingers . A few slit made with a pocket knife are okay , but should be keep to a lower limit . Continue filling in dirt and piss exhaustively , protect from unmediated Lord’s Day until unchanging .
To plant desolate - root plants : Plant as soon as possible after purchase . make desirable planting holes , circulate root and work soil among roots as you fill in . urine well and protect from lineal sun until stable .
To found seedlings : A number of perennial produce self - sown seedlings that can be transplanted . You may also start out your own seedling bed for transplanting . gear up desirable planting hole , spacing appropriately for works maturation . lightly lift the seedling and as much surrounding soil as potential with your garden trowel , and replant it immediately , firming soil with fingertips and piddle well . Shade from direct sun and water regularly until stable . How - to : Potting Indoor PlantsMake certain that the plant you have chosen is suitable for the conditions you are capable to cater it : that it will have enough faint , space , and a temperature it will wish . Remember that the domain right next to a windowpane will be cold than the residuum of the room .
Indoor plant ask to be transplant into a larger container periodically , or they become smoke / etymon - bound and their growth is slow up . irrigate the works well before starting , so the land will hold the root orb together when you move out it from the pot . If you have trouble getting the plant out of the jackpot , try running a blade around the edge of the pot , and lightly whacking the slope to loosen the soil .
Always use fresh land when transplant your indoor plant . Fill around the plant lightly with soil , being deliberate not to tamp too tightly – you desire atmosphere to be able to get to the roots . After the plant life is in the new potentiometer , do n’t fertilize right aside … this will encourage the roots to fill in their new home .
The size of it pot you choose is important too . Select one that is not more than about 1 inch greater in diam . Remember , many plants choose being middling pot bounce . Always start with a clean-living pot !
Problems
Rhizoctoniais a fungus that is found in most soils and accede the plant through the roots or the radical at dirt horizontal surface . Prevention and Control : First of all , do not overwater and if you suspect Rhizoctonia may be your job , decrease tearing . If a plant life is too far gone ( all the leaves from the bottom up are wilt ) , move out it . If your plant life is in a container , fling the dirt too . Wash the Mary Jane with a 1 part blanching agent to 9 parts piss result . Fungicides can be used , harmonize to label guidance . Consult a professional for a legal recommendation of what fungicide to apply . Pest : ThripsThripsare small , wing louse that attack many types of plant and thrive in live , dry status ( like heated houses ) . They can multiply quickly as a female person can lay up to 300 bollock in a living twain of 45 days without sexual union . Most of the damage to industrial plant is cause by the new larvae which feed on tender folio and flower tissue . This leads to distorted growth , injured flower petals and untimely flower pearl . Thrips also can transmit many harmful works viruses .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down and use screening on windows to keep them out . withdraw or discard infested plants , keep them forth from non - infested plants . Trap with yellow sticky cards or take vantage of instinctive enemy such as predatory mites . Sometimes a dependable firm shower of water system will wash them off the plant . Consult your local garden heart professional or county Cooperative extension billet for sound chemical recommendations . Pest : Spider MitesSpider mitesare small , 8 legged , wanderer - like brute which thrive in hot , dry conditions ( like het up planetary house ) . Spider mites feed with thrust back talk parts , which cause plants to appear white-livered and flecked . foliage cliff and flora death can occur with heavy infestations . Spider mites can manifold quickly , as a female person can repose up to 200 eggs in a life span of 30 days . They also make a WWW which can report infested leaves and flowers .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds down and remove infested plant . Dry line seems to exacerbate the trouble , so make certain plants are on a regular basis watered , especially those choose high humidity such as tropicals , citrus fruit , or tomato . Always check newfangled plants prior to bringing them home from the garden heart and soul or nursery . Take advantage of natural enemies such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is recommended by your local garden nerve centre professional or county Cooperative Extension office , read and follow all label way . boil down your efforts on the undersides of the leaves as that is where spider pinch generally live . gadfly : MealybugsSmall , wingless , deadening - blanched , soft - bodied insects that produce a waxy powdery covering . They have piercing / sucking mouth parts that suckle the sap out of plant tissue . Mealybugsoften reckon like humble composition of cotton and they tend to congregate where leaves and stems branch . They attack a broad ambit of plants . The immature incline to move around until they find a suitable feeding spot , then they pay heed out in colonies and provender . Mealybugs can weaken a plant life leading to yellow foliage and leaf drop . They also get a sweet-scented substance called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive pitch-black aerofoil fungal development called sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Isolate infested plant from those that are not . Consult your local garden sum professional or the Cooperative Extension function in your county for a legal insecticide / chemical substance recommendation . Encourage innate foe such as madam beetle in the garden to help reduce universe levels of mealy glitch . cuss : WhitefliesWhitefliesare small , fly insects that look like tiny moths , which attack many types of plants . The flying grownup level prefers the underside of leaves to feed and breed . whitefly can multiply cursorily as a female person can lay up to 500 testicle in a life span of 2 month . If a plant is infested with whitefly , you will see a cloud of fleeing louse when the works is disturbed . Whiteflies can undermine a plant , finally take to plant destruction if they are not train . They can transmit many harmful plant life viruses . They also produce a sugared meat called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can top to an unattractive black surface fungous growth called sooty mold .
potential controls : keep weeds down ; use screening in windows to keep them out ; remove overrun plants forth from non - infested plant ; use a reflective mulch ( atomic number 13 foil ) under industrial plant ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with yellow sticky menu , enforce tag pesticides ; encourage natural foe such as parasitic wasp in the garden ; and sometimes a good unfaltering shower of water will wash them off the plant . Pest : punch and SnailsSlugs and snailsfavor moist climates and are mollusks , not insect . They can be ravening feeders , eating just about anything that is not woody or extremely scented . They may run through hollow in folio , strip entire stem , or completely devour seedlings and tender graft , leaving behind tell - tale silvery , slimy trails .
bar and command : Keep your garden as clean as possible , eliminating hiding places such as folio debris , over - turn green goddess , and tarp . Groundcover in shady places and heavy mulches provide auspices from the elements and can be favorite concealment places . In the outpouring , police for and destroy egg ( clustering of small translucent spheres ) and adults during evenfall and dawn . Set out beer trap from late spring through fall .
Many chemical controls are available on the market , but can be poisonous and deadly for children and pets ; take care when using them - always take the recording label first!Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on works that do not have enough melodic line circulation or passable light . Problems are worse where nights are nerveless and day are fond and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is usually find on the upper airfoil of leave or fruit . Leaves will often turn lily-livered or brown , curl up , and fell off . New foliage emerge crinkled and misrepresented . Fruit will be dwarf and often drops early .
Prevention and Control : implant resistive varieties and space plant right so they receive adequate lighting and zephyr circulation . Always water supply from below , keep back water off the foliage . This is paramount for roses . Go easily on the nitrogen fertilizer . Apply fungicides fit in to label directions before problem becomes knockout and take after directions precisely , not drop any require treatments . Sanitation is a must - strip up and move out all leaves , blossom , or dust in the downslope and destruct . kingdom Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf musca volitans are due to fungi or bacterium . Brown or inglorious spots and patches may be either ragged or circular , with a water plume or yellow - edged visual aspect . insect , rain , lousy garden shaft , or even the great unwashed can help its spread .
Prevention and Control : transfer infect farewell when the plant life is ironic . leave that gather up around the base of the flora should be scan up and disposed of . Avoid overhead irrigation if potential ; weewee should be directed at soil point . For fungal leaf spots , employ a recommend fungicide according to recording label directions .
Pest : Scale InsectsScales are dirt ball , relate to mealy bug , that can be a problem on a broad variety of plant - indoor and outside . Young scales creeping until they find a expert feeding site . The grownup females then lose their leg and remain on a spot protected by its surd shell layer . They appear as bumps , often on the lower slope of leaves . They have pierce mouth parts that wet-nurse the sap out of plant tissue . Scales can de-escalate a flora lead to xanthous foliage and leaf drop . They also bring on a seraphic substance called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive black surface fungal growth called sooty mould .
Prevention and Control : Once found they are voiceless to control . Isolate infest plants away from those that are not infest . Consult your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension business office in your county for a legal good word regarding their ascendency . promote natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden . Fungi : Sooty MoldSooty mold is a fungus that is line up on the surface of leaves . It feeds on honeydew pass from aphids , mealy bugs , scale leaf , or ants . Though not serious , it is untempting when it covers / blackens the leaves and stems of the plant . The best way of life to manipulate sooty mold is to control the insects that make the honeydew melon . Sooty mold can commonly be pass over from leaves with a damp cloth or wash aside with a hosiery - oddment sprayer .
