Begonias Anonymous - Attention Addicts and Enablers

I usually leave the petiole on (about an inch) but it depends on the leaf. A big leaf that is tough I may cut the petiole off completely and lay the leaf flat. Smaller leaves I usually try to keep the leaf from touching the surface.

If you are talking about a slit across the major veins and laying the leaf flat on the media then again it depends on the size of the leaf. Usually small leaves I never see any results - a lot of times it tends to rot but bigger leaves I have had it root and make new plants. Some of the leaves from last year that this worked on were Challenger, Caribbean King, Bashful Bandit, and Big Mac.

Here is a strange one I experimented with last year - Art Hodes. I did tip cuttings and leaf cuttings. Tip cuttings naturally had the biggest begonia in a short time compared to leaf cuttings but the leaf cuttings eventually caught up later in summer. The other strange effect I saw with Art Hodes is I trimmed the outer 3 inches from 3 leaves and instead of throwing this part away I started them in another pan of perlite - laid flat on the perlite. At the major veins I got rootings from most of the 3 leaves. I think I may have lost one leaf or just had one plant come up from it. The plantlets were a lot smaller than the leaf with the petiole but eventually they all caught up in size.

Here are two Art Hodes side by side - the bigger one started by tip cuttings and the smaller one from leaf cuttings.

Thanks, Butch. You are the best! I have a very healthy Art Hodes and now that Butch has explained how to propogate it, I will bring some cuttings from that one to the Frederick swap.

thank you for the instructions... always good to have another reminder

Thanks for the info. We will see how I do. I haven't had a lot of luck with begonias so far but I really do love them. Hopefully I will learn to do better.

Check out Brad's website for great details on propagation (about half way down).

http://www.bradsbegoniaworld.com/

nice site

As most of you have seen--I have a really old, big Beefsteak begonia.
It spends it's time in the growing season outside catching early AM sun and then bright shade.

it is amazing how big and lush this begonia grows every Summer! HUGE leaves all around---which slowly, but predictably fall off during early winter.

After reading all this propagation advice--I should just cut all those big leaves off after I bring the Mama plant inside and do the flat leaf form of propagation. I have done it once before and it worked OK.

And--the best containers I can recommend for this are the largest Salad Bar containers. Voila! Mini Greenhouse!
Poke/melt holes in the lid--of course for ventilation.

hcm--thanks for suggesting soilless mixes. So far--I have always used MG Potting Mix.....

Here's my big Beefsteak as it usually looks outside in the Summer....
Because it is an old plant--many of the stems are naked and curled around--like a snake.


Gita

Sometimes--one of these coiled stems just gives up the ghost somewhere along it's length and then I have to detach it at that point.
I have found that rooting these large sections are quite successful and they become, almost, instant plants.

Here are two that I took from a smaller pot of this Begonia--as it had started growing in, distinctly, two different directions.
Cut, cut---chop, chop----and I have 2 new plants under way. Both are rooted and growing by now.

Here is the spot my BIG Beafsteak spends the Winter--by a fairly bright window in my bedroom.
Some of the larger leaves you see here are already gone. Had to, again, remove one of the sections as the stem just withered.....Old age? That is a 16" ceramic pot it lives in.
Maybe I should re-pot it--but they are shallow-rooted and I am afraid they would not do too well being disturbed.....

Gita

I think begonias are a great plant to expand one's collection. This is the plant family I had a few years back (LOL) when I did my student teaching. (1959) We had excellent window space. Twenty five sixth graders and a teachers coach who was just great went to work on Project Begonia. A local greenhouse gave us plastic pots. Another gave us a bale of medium somewhat like Pro Mix. We started when school started in the fall. Come Christmas every kid had at least two rooted budded begonias. We spent my last day using floral wrap and ribbon. The day was priceless seeing the excitement of the kids having a school Christmas party and wrapping mom's present. With that much adoo there was no secret. The student class was easily 25% from poor neighborhoods or the surburbs of Tobacco Road.

My first year of teaching was a small city third grade. Yes we did it again and again in various positions for seven years. Kids were waiting for it. The biggest hit however was the year a local nursery gave us two flats of Harry Lauder's Walking Stick. (104 rooted cuttings) We grew them indoors in McDonald's milk shake cups for spring planting. That involved hardening off before planting.

Very nice site and such a lot of good info.
Gita, Very pretty beefsteak. I was thinking that I needed one of those salad bar containers not sure if I still have any in the garage.

Gita,

Great looking beefsteaks!

My first recollection of a big beefsteak was at a Datsun dealer when I bought my first truck ('82). It was in a 24 inch if not bigger and was completely full and dangling over the sides. I should've made it a condition of buying the truck to throw in a few cuttings from the mother plant but at the time I doubt I would've known how to start a new one.

I've bought a few beefsteaks (so many different ones) over the years and gotten some in trades. I had a huge one a couple of years ago but it was one that didn't make it through the winter. Thank goodness I prop'ed a few from it.

It's always a good idea to propagate soon after you get a plant that you definitely want to keep. I wished I had that piece of knowledge when I first started (I've lost a gazillion it seems like).

Here is Red Fred from the convention this past year. The lens cap is almost 3 inches across for size comparison. Red Fred is a sport from Freddie.

Forgot to add I use MG (which is soilless) for potting most begonias now. In the past I would mix liberal amounts of perlite in potting soil but not this year. I use perlite to start new cuttings in though for the most part.

Freddie wasn't too big in this picture. I think it has grown some since it has been indoors.

Butch, I love that RedFred. That's a really good idea about starting babies from every new plant. I think I will start doing that. Thank you for that website.

Doc, Very nice story. Wonder how many of those kids still grow Begonias. Fraid I never had any such imaginative teachers.

Gita, you can not believe the roots on the 360 degree begonia that I have rooted for you. Now, I just have to keep it alive until the Frederick swap.

WOW that leaf is huge.

hcmc, how are the plants doing in MG without perlite? I have pro mix right now so wonder how much difference you think there is. If I need to buy miracle grow for my begonia's, then I will. You grow such beautiful plants. I want to, also :).

I just barely keep some over the winter, and some I lose, too. I lost exotica, and I am so sad. It arrived cold damaged, lost all the leaves, they wouldn't root, the stem sections were next, they rotted, too, and the nub tried to put up a leaf, it never opened and finally I messed something up and it died. If I get it again, it will be in the spring so that I can enjoy it at least for a season, sigh.

All the begonias that I potted up this summer in MG grew beyond my expectations. Any premium potting mix should serve you well. I started using MG after Home Depot ran out of Jungle Growth a couple of year ago. I buy the large bags of MG at Sam's until they run out (seasonal product) and then pick it up at HD.

I have read that some growers repot all begonias each year which I thought was excessive. I generally don't repot unless it needs to be potted up (or down) but this year I bit the bullet and repotted 70% or so. I was very pleased with the results. I think I went through 10 huge bags of MG. The ex-president of the ABS said it is amazing what fresh soil will do for begonias - I tend to agree with that statement now but I am not sure I would do this every year - maybe do 1/3 each year so they get fresh soil every 3 years. If that doesn't help then reduce it to 1/2 each year.

These begonias are some that didn't get fresh soil this summer and they looked pretty good. (Passing Storm, Bashful Bandit with lens cap, Black Cauldron, Esperanza, and a puny beefsteak).

Butch, I really like that Bashful Bandit. Does the soil changing improvement indicate that Begonias are heavy feeders? I had put some Alfala Meal and Kelp in the pots when I potted them. I'm not sure how long it takes for those nutrients to become depleted.

I don't think begonias are heavy feeders but they do need nutrients. I guess that is one thing the MG provided - some time release fertilizer. Old soil will compact over time too.

I had fertilized begonias in the past with garden fertilizer and killed a bunch of small young ones. Play it safe with slow release and weak water soluble fertilizers.

This is my first winter with B. imperialis not being covered. So far it is doing better than I expected. There are a few leaves where the edges are dried out and I can live with this through winter. I do keep it watered well since the soil is fast draining.

Very striking coloring on that B. Imperialis. I had noticed on a few of the young ones that I have struggling inside, that the soil seems to be too heavy for them. These are mostly new starts where I cut some canes down and planted them. I don't ever buy potting soil, but I could add a lot of amendments that I always have on hand to really lighten up the mix. I think I'll try doing that in the spring. If it still doesn't help, maybe I'll break down and buy some soil. That just really goes against my grain.

doc,

I would have loved being in your class in any grade you taught....:o)

Holly--
Just get one of the containers from the salad bar. Ask if you can have it. They won't say "No!"....
if NOT--throw 2 lettuce leaves in it--now they cannot say "you can't have it" as you will be "purchasing" something from the salad Bar....

hcmcdole--
Love your begonias!!! SO? Is the name "Beefsteak" a name that lumps all kinds of different Begonias with similar traits and leaves, in one category? Much like a "Beefsteak"-type Tomato?

Stormy---
What does a 360 degree Begonia look like? I may have seen it at a Swap--but I don't remember....
Looking forward to your gift....
I would have a hard time finding a place to keep too many new plants in my house...Same as outside in my Garden. Need to get rid of all these so-so plants (like zillions of Spider plants) that I seem to, compulsively, propagate and hang on to and then don't know what to do with them. At this time--I have about 18 small pots of Spiders all growing on my little window shelving. I can bring them ALL to the next Plant Swap--but most people already have these....Time to make room near my windows for something new.

Here's some of them--By now, both levels of these shelves have Spiders on them.

Gita, Follow the link that I posted for you above on this thread on Nov 22nd.

Just took these----

Here are the gnarled roots of the big Begonia. Sorry this pic did not turn out too well--the flash went off....
From these old roots--many of the larger leaves have by now fallen off.

I think I will "bite the bullet" and transplant this biggie in some fresh MG Potting Mix. Is it REALLY soil less?????
Just need reassurance here.....I have always used it--anyhow.

And--here are the two I split up and re-potted a while ago.

Stormy--I checked out your above post---WOW! What can I bring YOU as a "Thank You"?????

Gotta run--Today is play Volleyball day!

Gita

Gita, No thank you is needed. You've already given me 3 very nice Begonias! Yeah, today is a really dark day to take photos indoors. I have some that I want to take too, but the storm is not letting up.

Yes MG potting soil is soilless (kind of an oxymoron?) What constitues soil anyway? One more question - why do so many gardeners call potting soil "Dirt"? Gotta stop and get some "dirt" to pot up my pretties. Huh!!

Gita, I don't know if all similar round shaped begonias can be lumped into "beefsteak". Beefsteak is a lot easier to say (and remember for that fact) than 'Erythrophylla' - kind of like lettuce leaf is easier than 'Bunchii'. There are many similar begonias to beefsteak.

Mumtaz and George Fewkes look very much alike to me but "experts" say there is a difference so now if I take a picture of either I simply call it George since it comes to mind first.

Here was my big beefsteak(y) begonia in full bloom when I bought it 2 years ago (R.I.P.) but I got a few smaller starts off it before it succumbed. Forgive the clutter in the garage but it is the only picture of it in full bloom.

Stormy, crank up your ISO on your camera, turn some lights on and snap away.

Here are some beefsteaks (straight and curly) from today (starting to bloom).

And here is a beefsteak(y) looking one I got from Lauray a few years ago. It has been in a big tank for years and is finally starting to grow (probably my fault for not figuring out what it needed). I don't remember the name but it looks like Bunchii except it is a lot darker green.

LOL Butch, you really over estimate me. I have to figure out what the ISO is and read the manual to locate it. Have to do it anyway as I'm going eagle watching soon.

My Bunchii is overwintering very well as is my curly Erythrophylla. My Little Darlin' is doing exceptionally well. The canes all are looking poorly. Gita's gift, the one whose photo started off this thread, is growing quite a bit.

Gita, plant some extra spiders as annuals in your garden. I do things like that, I can't seem to toss the starts or cuttings, then I plant them outside for soil improvement, and enjoy them for the year. I like to keep 2 of any given spider though, as I have overwatered (or over fluoridated) them a time or 2 in the past....

I have lightly fertilized my begonias that are just putting up tiny growth and then dropping it before it develops. What causes this to happen? I don't want to waste plant reserves if I can figure out the cause.

hcmc, you have almost convinced me to get fluorescent light setup and move the begonia's out of natural light. I have a couple that really seem to thrive in it, but the rest just poke along. What are your thoughts on it?

Beautiful begonia's in all of your pics. I am thankful to see them :).

3jsmom, spiders would look cute in a bed, kind of like skinny hosta.

I just checked and even the Begonias that I thought looked dead are all putting out new leaves.

ISO is analogous to film speed. If you can manually set it to a higher value such as 400 or 800, then you can boost your shutter speed in dim light. It is not a cure all but can be helpful in some situations without resorting to a tripod or flash. Flash is a last resort if you can avoid it but sometimes you just have to break out the big guns.

I don't know why plants abort young leaves at times. Call it self preservation and let nature take its course? The important thing is keeping the plant alive in less than ideal conditions. I like to think of it as a leaf that wouldn't have made it anyway. The plant tried to put on too many and therefore some are destined to fail.

Natural light is great if the plant is happy - it is free and easy to use. Fluorescent lights aren't without their problems - set up, cost, changing bulbs (or fixtures) out, etc. but they do help keep the plants alive and growing for the most part in winter.

I never throw out a begonia that looks dead until I've given it a few weeks (or months). I never know if it might throw up some new growth from the roots - it has happened some times but a lot of times it is dead, dead, dead.

Here is another beefsteak but this one actually has it in the proper name - B. 'Omaha Beefsteak'. Red rexes seem to be the most susceptible to mildew. ARGH!! Oh well, rexes do make beautiful annuals at least.

Wow, That is beautiful. Some of my Rexes have lost most of their leaves, but others are hanging in fairly well.

Thanks, Butch. I will go try that with the camera. It's a lot easier than the old way of carrying multiple types of film.

I think I'm going to try Dragon Wing Begonias in my window boxes this year. They are on the plug list from my HGHA this year and I thought I would try them. Of course I have learned never to count my plugs until they are full grow plants. LOL

I like the dragon wings. So far I've found red and pink. Do they have any new colors? They get big and flower plentifully. I usually manage to keep them over the winter, but for the last few years, I've found them at the retail centers if I need a replacement in spring.

3jsmom, Are you talking about the bloom or leaf color?

bloom. Do they have colored leaves (besides green)? I live in the boonies, we get new things late :).

I love "Dragon Wings" too. It is, to me, one of the most underrated flower in the garden.
I have had them now for 3-4 years. I usually dig them up, re pot them ans save them inside--but it is too messy and last year--I gave up on it.
I can get 6" pots of new ones here for $3.

3jsmom--
Yes! Great idea planting these outside. I bet they would look great as fillers in mixed containers....
Spider Plants are even sold at garden centers as "accent plants"--along with Asparagus fern, etc. Cost--about $3 too.

Butch--what gets me is when people buy "top soil" to work into their beds for planting. I know the name is deceiving---and I try to educate people any time I can when i see someone rolling a big flat cart with a pile of top soil bags and all kinds of flowers to plant along with it. I always ask, "What do you plan to do with all that top soil?"
If they say--fill some holes in my lawn--I let them go with my blessings. If they say--"Plant my flowers in it"--they get re-directed to bags of MG Garden Soil and also the Potting Mix--if they plan to do containers. I like to mix these 2 12/and 1/2 for containers. Just Potting Mix for containers is too light. It will dry out daily.

Here's a clump of mu Dragon Wings in a bed last summer....

Nice plant! I have thrown purple heart tradescantia cuttings, wandering jew, and variegated spider plant cuttings in the ground in a shady area and it was colorful. Add a few impatiens for a show :). This year my outdoor garden will have elephant ears! I've never grown them much before, and I think I've cheated myself. Oh, yes, begonia's, too :)

Speaking of top soil, I don't remember the last time I bought any. One time long, long ago I bought several bags of it and some sand (or was it composted cow poo and some sand?). I turned over the soil (dirt) in our front bed with some other organic material (wheat straw and peat moss - the big bale stuff), then laid down a thin layer of the "top soil" and sand, sprinkled in several flower seeds and watered well. We had a smorgasbord of flowers - too thick in some areas. I don't know why I never did that trick again.

You can't go wrong with Dragon Wings. What a great begonia! They've become so mainstream that you can pick up a six pack for very little money.

I've grown them in patio pots, but never planted them in the ground. They surely do give lots of color, even in the shade.