Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Seeds and Seedlings, 1 by hcmcdole

hcmcdole wrote:
Everyone thanks for the comments. I will keep you posted on this particular begonia. I would post some pictures of the canes but mildew has kind of messed up some of the leaves which makes it rather ugly. I sowed some seed I collected from maculata which is definitely prone to mildew. My crassicaulis didn't germinate at all so don't know what happened to it.

Hi Annette, I see you are from GA too. If you are into begonias you should plan on coming to the Atlanta chapter meeting next month (I will provide a date and time later when I find out). Charles Jaros (world famous begonia geek and ex president of the ABS) is supposed to be there and give another one of his presentations plus he usually brings in some plants for sale too.

Anyway to answer your question about seed - you would gather the seed after the seed pod turns brown and is close to splitting on the plant. The seed is very tiny (dust like in some begonias) so there should be thousands of seed in each capsule. Tear away the outer skin and sprinkle the seed on moistened prepared seed mix, cover with a clear lid and place under lights or close to a window. If the seed is fertile you should start to see little green dots in a week or more (some folks have reported that some species may take months to germinate). Be patient, overly patient and you may be rewarded.

As for broken stems you certainly may water root them and for canes, roots should appear in a few days. For best results keep the water closed to open air, i.e put a baggie over the cuttings or put aluminum foil or plastic wrap over the mouth of the jar/glass/cup and poke holes in the covering just big enough to push the broken or cut stems through. I believe a lot of water rootings rot due to water being open to germs in the air.

Here is Munchkin that started out with two small leaves from Lauray of Salisbury back in the early summer. It is in the same original pot it came in and has been in a terrarium from day one.