Begonia, the most popular indoor plants

The flowers of some begonias are spectacular

All the begonia They are very beautiful and popular flowering plants, ideal for decorating the interior of a home. But the truth is that it is very difficult to choose one: of the 1.500 species that currently exist, 150 are marketed for use in gardening, in addition to the 10.000 varieties and hybrids that are discovered or created from time to time.

Among so much beauty, sometimes one does not know where to look. And that's not to mention that their care, well, their care is not as simple as it might seem to us. But that's what we are for, to make your life easier 🙂. So read this article to know absolutely everything about these wonderful plants.

Origin and characteristics

View of the flower of tuberous begonia

Our protagonists are herbaceous plants native to the world's tropical forests, especially from Central America. Depending on the species, they can have evergreen or deciduous leaves if they live in areas with a cool climate. The leaves are asymmetrical, of very different colors (green, variegated, dark tones ...).

The flowers are also very diverse both in size and color, but all of them are unisexual (there are female and male); the female ones have a lower ovary with 2 or 4 branching stigmas. The fruit is a winged capsule that contains a large number of tiny seeds.

They are classified into three groups:

  • Fibrous roots: like the begonia semperflorens which is a plant that blooms almost all year round and is widely grown indoors.
  • Rhizomatous: like Begonia rex, which has beautiful leaves.
  • Tuberous: like Begonia x thuberhybrida, which has very large and showy flowers.

Main species

Talking about the 150 species that we can find in nurseries would give us a book 🙂, so let's talk about the most common:

begonia elatior

Begonia elatior specimen

It is a plant native to Brazil whose current scientific name is Begonia reniformis. It has greenish leaves with very visible nerves, and some flowers that could well remind us of those that rose bushes have.. It grows to a height of about 30-40 centimeters.

Begonia rex

Begonia rex 'Escargot' specimen

It is a plant native to tropical Asia that It has leaves with spectacular designs: some, like the one in the image above, are very reminiscent of snails, but there are others that have a very beautiful deep red color. It grows to a height of about 40 centimeters.

begonia semperflorens

Specimens of semperflores begonia

It is a plant native to Brazil that can behave as a perennial or annual depending on the climate (if it is cold it will die in winter). It has oval, rounded green leaves and small but very pretty pink, red or white flowers. It grows to a height of about 20-40 centimeters.

What are their cares?

If you want to get a copy, we recommend providing the following care:

Climate

Being tropical plants they can only be grown outside all year round if the weather is warm and there is no frost. From experience I can tell you that B. semperflorens It is the one that best withstands the cold, but if the temperature drops below 0 degrees it starts to have a bad time.

Location

  • Interior: in a room with plenty of natural light, away from drafts. In order for them to have good growth and development, they also have to be in one that is humid. To increase the humidity we advise you to read this article.
  • Body exterior:: in semi-shade (more light than shade).

Earth

Black peat, ideal for your begonia

  • Flower pot: universal culture substrate mixed with 30% perlite. If you don't know where to get them, to buy the first one you can do click here and for the second here.
  • Garden: the garden soil must be fertile, with good drainage.

Irrigation

Every 2-3 days in summer and every 10 days the rest of the year. We must avoid waterlogging.

Subscriber

From spring to late summer must be paid with liquid fertilizers such as guano (you can get him here) or the universal (you can buy it No products found.).

Multiplication

Seeds

One way to get new specimens is by sowing their seeds in spring. The way to proceed is as follows:

  1. The first thing to do is fill the seedbed with universal culture substrate mixed with 30% perlite.
  2. Afterwards, it is watered abundantly.
  3. The seeds are then placed on its surface so that they are as far apart as possible.
  4. Finally, they are covered with a thin layer of substrate and watered again.

In 15-30 days the first seedlings will appear.

Cuttings

Begonia is a plant that multiplies well by cuttings from young shoots in spring. For it, They should be cut with scissors previously disinfected with pharmacy alcohol and then planted in pots with vermiculite what can you get here.

If all goes well, in a month they will start to grow roots.

Pests

Snails can do a lot of damage to begonia

  • Mites: the leaves are deformed as a consequence of the attack of Tarsonemus or Stenotaronemus. They are fought with acaricides.
  • Sea Conches: they are mollusks that love to eat young leaves. They are fought with or with molluscicides Home Remedies.
  • Mealybugs: they can be of the cotton wool type or the limpet type. They feed on the cells of the leaves and the tender stems. They are fought with anti-mealybugs.
  • Beetles: Beetles feed on the edges, and Otiorrhynchus larvae affect the roots. They are fought with Chlorpyrifos.
  • White fly: it is an insect of about 0,5cm of white color that feeds on the leaves. It is fought with Chlorpyrifos.
  • Aphids: they are insects that are about 0,5cm long that can be yellow, brown or green. They also feed on the leaves, as well as the flowers. They are fought with a specific insecticide.
  • Trips: they are like earwigs but very small that feed on the leaves, where there are reddish-brown spots and organic remains of the parasites that are like black dots. They can be easily removed with a brush or cloth dipped in pharmacy alcohol.

Management

  • Crown gall: the bacteria Argobacterium tumefaciens forms galls on the crown of leaves, but also on the rest of the plant. There is no cure.
  • bacteriosis: they are diseases transmitted by bacteria Xanthomonas begoniae that cause the appearance of brown, rounded and moist spots on the leaves. There is no cure.
  • Botrytis: it is a fungal disease transmitted by the Botrytis fungus that causes the appearance of a gray mold on the leaves. It is fought by cutting the affected parts, reducing the risks and treating with fungicides based on copper.
  • Leaf spot: the saprophyte Myrothecium roridum causes the appearance of circular leaf spots that become irregular about 2,5 cm in diameter. It is fought and prevented by avoiding spraying the leaves.
  • Powdery mildew: it is a fungal disease transmitted by the Oidium fungus that causes the appearance of small, greasy-looking spots on the leaves, stems and flowers. It is fought with fungicides based on copper sulfate.
  • Stem rot: is a fungal disease transmitted by the Pythium fungus that causes blackening and rotting of the stems. There is no cure.
  • Xanthomonas campestris pv. begoniae: it is a bacterium that causes rotting of stem and leaf cuttings. There is no cure.

Planting or transplanting time

In spring.

View of the flower of Begonia maculata 'Raddi'

maculata begonia

What did you think of this special about Begonia?


Be the first to comment

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.