I just got these magnificent terrarium begonias. I think the one depicted is B. crispula.
Terrarium begonias, anyone?
Here are some others. I don't have my notes with me so I don't know all their names yet. B. Aridicaulis is on the right. Perhaps B. imperialis v. platinum is on the left.
i'm sorry,i don't know why any one would want terrarrium begonias.i'm new to the begonia game and i bought these begonias and had no clue how to care for them.i was told by the seller they would do fine on an east window sill.wrong i rushed right out and bought a little terrarium.they were doing fine and i looked at iron cross and saw it looked funny,so i took it out and touched the leaf and it started crumbling in my fingers.so i figured to much moisture(my son said lots of humidty with water beads on the glass).nope ,i don't think so.so now i keep the lid off at nite ,hoping they will get better so i can sell them.from now on i will stick to the cane variety.
Terrariums can be a challenge but I like them because they are more difficult but they are so beautiful. My goal is not to sell but to collect so it's always fun to try something new.Cheers.
I agree with Truongr, Great looking plants by the way ^_^. Some begonias have a 'failure to thrive" with out adequate humidity. Case in point: B. soli mutata. Mine did OK--but Butch said that they liked higher humidity and it is doing much better now that I have covered it. I don't have actual terrariums, but have several glass "houses" (not quite cloches) that I cover mine with. I have been really busy but will try to get some pics and post them here once I am caught up. Covering some plants based on info learned from folks in this forum has made the difference between "life and death" and "Ok and great"for a few of them. Once our seasonal humidity kicks in-- I will remove a few for the summer, and pop them back in this fall.
well i'm sorry if i stepped out of line but very disappointed but still have them in terrarium and hoping they survive but not really for sale.just want to keep them happy but really hate to waste money.and i will not buy any more like these..
There are many begonias that will do fine for you in "normal" house conditions. Not all require high humidity but if you have problems it could be your cultural practices (mainly watering) or perhaps the soil the begonias are in. If you want easy care plants I would suggest the big box stores' plants but even some of those are not "easy".
If you want beautiful plants then you need to learn what it takes to make them happy. Some drop all their leaves in winter, some are prone to mildew, some like lots of humidity, etc, etc. They all require good light and adequate water. Humidity and fertilizer will help them grow to their full potential. If it was easy then anyone could do it so don't throw in the towel, find out what you need to do to make them succeed.
here i'am with foot in mouth.
i looked as usual at the begonias and iron cross is getting a new leaf,i have really been trying hard to learn about these plants,trying one thing or another.
yes i really like plants and these are new to me but (i think )i'm learning what makes them happy.
i have house plants all over the place,and i have ordered 5 more yesterday.they will arrive next month from the glassworks in ohio.
and by the way ,you really do have some nice plants in your terrarium.
sorry all for being a wet blanket.
lilspirit, Hope you get your plants from Glasshouse Works (GHW) in a timely manner. The last two times I ordered from them it was 3 to 4 months. Then they usually send the wrong plants to boot.
Iron Cross (masoniana) is one of the more difficult begonias to start with. I've lost everyone I've tried including Escargot (a couple of times). I am trying the tricolor Iron Cross this time but I did put it in my big aquarium for safekeeping.
Tru, did you get your terrarium begonias from Mudhead on eBay? What did you think of the prices? I picked up two of his begonias at the Houston convention during an auction at one of the seminars. Lost both since they were so tiny. Easy come, easy go. I refuse to pay high prices for small plants from now on.
will let you know hcmcdole,when and if i get them,if they are anything but canes,i will send them back.
Butch,
I got 13 plants from Charles Henthorne on the yahoo group. They were very healthy. My limprichtii was huge and I had to upsize the pot I had intended for it. This is what I got:
1) paulensis 14
> 2) pavonina 20
> 3) wanda 14
> 4) Aridicaulis 14
> 5) microsperma 18
> 6) luzonensis 14
> 7) nimbaensis v. quasrialata 16
> 8) coriacea/raja hybrid 10
> 9) B Rex Red Fred 16
> 10 limprichtii 14
> 11) imperialis v. platinum plus 14
> 12) boom boom 11
> 13) crispula 14
And yes, those were the prices. Pricey but well worth it. They were packagedwith their roots in moss, and a ziploc over their leaves. There was no leaves lost. So far, everybody is alive and well. Two leaves fell off during my potting practice and now I am trying to root them with the water method.
I love microsperma, paulensis, limprichtii, aridicaulis the most.
I need to post a pic of all the jars lined up. It's very beautiful.
I thought that is who you got it from (Mudhead on eBay is one and the same). Looks like an impressive list and high prices. You made out on the limprichtii then if you got a big one - I paid a small amount for it but it hasn't done much either.
That was an expensive Red Fred (it isn't a rex). I think I paid $5 for it. I'm curious when Peacetree Farms opens for mail order how much they will charge.
Red Fred was particularly small but he gave me an extra leaf. I am going to DC for the US Botanic garden show just before it closes the week of May 20-22 and I'll stop by Loyd to see what I can take home....
lilspirit, I have had my Iron Cross for a little over a year now. It has never been in any container. I water it about every 10 days and right now it is sitting on my balcony in the shade with a little bit of morning sun. A bit of a slow grower. My Escargot is a bit of challenge but I keep working with it. Butch is right. Begonias are a real trial and error. The soil that I use for my begonias is Fafard vs. Miracle Gro. The Miracle Gro just seems to heavy for the root system on begonias. I use it for my heavier tropical plants.
Hey Mary,
Did you get the Fafard at Hastings? For now I will stay with Miracle Gro and Jungle Growth unless Fafard becomes more mainstream (Walmart, Home Depot, etc.). One thing I noted on Fafard is when it becomes water logged it takes forever to dry (IMHO).
I just picked up two more Escargot this weekend. One will definitely go in a terrarium and the other outdoors but I will start spraying the outdoors one with Milstop and see if that makes a difference.
Butch,
Have you moved your plants outdoor yet. I want to wait a few more weeks.
I moved one room out which took five hours. Two and a half more rooms to go. It is pretty cool today but once they are out they don't come back in until late October or later.
I am not sure if you are one to aspire to become or not...Just visited Baker's Acres yesterday. Great deal of fun and plants were cheaper than phoe. They had some large 5 gallons size plants for just 20. I only had so much room in my van.
It's a labor (of love?) I don't know if it is worse to move them out or in. At least in summer, watering chores are easy either with the hose or after I set up micro irrigation and have it on a timer. Winter time is a drag with filling buckets and watering by pitcher.
Yes, Butch I do purchase from Hastings. I am guessing that the amount of water used, there isn't a whole lot of water log that I experienced. I have everyone of my begonia plants outside now. My regret is the pollen on the leaves. It was so heavy the plants look like their leaves faded. I have spritz water and was hoping the rain would wash it off. I guess over time they will look better. Other than that they are doing really well. My Alocasia plants are doing great too.
The pollen will disappear in time and the leaves will toughen up or fall off and be replaced by new ones. Part of gardening.
hello looking_glass1,i believe your weather there in georgia is more humid than here in ia.,i know at one time 30 some odd yrs ago ,i thought it was humid here,so i moved to ca.and now that i came back home after a 13 yr stay in texas,i don't find that true anymore.i lived in ca 30 yrs.i have tried them on my window sill and they started losing their leaves and i put them on a bed of rocks with water in the tray.but they do best in the terrarium and they do look pretty good i guess.at least they are still alive.but i will not buy any more rexs.thank you for inquiring
Rexes are a challenge.
There are different Fafard mixes. I use 3B for my container plants based on their reps recommendations.
How often are you going to spray Milstop outside?
I will start spraying in September (probably late in the month) and do it once a week or that is my plan right now. If I see mildew develop once I move them back indoors then I will be spraying indoors for a while too.
db that's what I use the 3B mix which was highly recommended.
I might spray during the summer if we have the constant rain and low temps like last year. I lost quite a few tuberous begonias to pm, and most of the survivors just sat in the pots. It was not a good gardening year between the weather and the late blight killing all the tomatoes.
The tuberous begonias are doing well in the greenhouse, but one kind is coming up loaded with buds. Should I pinch them all off?
I don't think we have to worry about cool summers here - drought a lot of years, flooding once in a while, but cool - no. PM starts in late Sep usually. 'Lynda Dawn' was the first to get it last year and it was just a couple of weeks that it was completely covered with it and leaves started falling off. I think that did it in. The funny thing (if you call it funny) is that Lynda was on the porch under a roof so PM does not need rain to spread.
Why would you pinch the buds off your tuberous begonias? To increase size? Are these flower buds or foliage? I gave up on tuberous but I might pick some up for annual color once in a while. The ones in CA have super huge blossoms - 7 inches and larger.
Anyone hear of or own B. 'Big'? It is a wax on steroids when it comes to bloom size. Here is one I bought recently. The blooms are supposed to be 3 inches across but so far it looks like 2.5" maybe. The lens cap is 67mm (about 2.6 inches) for comparison.
I was picking up some begonias at a nursery last night (got there as they were unloading the truck from Conn.). The nursery buyer was raving about Big - she said they planted a test plot last year in full sun next to the 4 lane major road and they were fantastic. If they can grow there, they can grow anywhere.
I'm trying my luck again with boliviensis - I got million kisses devotion and elegance. As well as what looks to be Benetochiba (spelling?) but is labeled Caribean Dreams.
I would pick off the buds to increase the foliage. The majority of the plants aren't doing this, but there are a few that sprouted with flowers ready to go.
B. 'Big' doesn't have large leaves (reminds me of Dragon Wings) but the blooms are a lot larger than any semp I've seen so far. I got the green leaf and bronze leaf.
I finally overwintered Bonfire successfully this year. Maybe I will get it right.
I just bought Benitochiba from Rex Begonias Ltd. They have it listed as Benitochiva. I really don't care as much about names and spelling as the plant itself (I will agree with Lloyd on this point).
Gotta run and get this day started.
Butch would you recommend that I get back to Lloyd on B. Red Fred or is he pretty good about follow ups if you dealt with him before?
Mary, Lloyd is just opening his GH for retail mail order first time. On the Yahoo group he said it would be soon. You could inquire again and ask for a firm date. I take it the leaves didn't take that you got from me?
No, they didn't last and I am trying hard to hold onto B. Dorothy Behrens???. I see one hair like root. I moved it from the water jar to the perlite. It seems to like that better. The water was causing it to go soft quickly.
I just wish there was a simple way to say this will do good in water or perlite to propagate to start. It is pure trial and error. You are so open to give and it is so appreciated. Now you have provided plenty other begonias on visits to your place and at the club meetings that mine are thriving and looking great. The specialty ones I get from you can be challenging. Look how many times I had asked for the B. Challenger and finally it looks great. I just love it.
I got a B. Luxurian s from EBay a few months back. Now to me looks like B. Paul Hernandez is that possible?
Luxurians is a parent to Paul Hernandez but that is where the similarity ends. I bought luxurians from Taylor Greenhouses and it looks pretty good so far.
Hey Butch,
Do you repot your begonias when you move them outside. Also, you talked about micro irrigation on this thread earlier. Do you use the mini sprinkler type or the nipples type that drip at a certain rate or a mini soaker per pot? I am trying to figure out how I want to water my numerous begonias this year.
Tru, I just have too many pots to repot when I move them out. I will save that for later and only do the ones that need it the most. So far I have spent about 8 hours and moved 1.5 rooms out. I was hoping to move out one room yesterday but got involved with cutting trees and planting hostas and other potted annuals.
I use the mico-sprinklers since I have too many pots for drip. I was using drip on hostas and Japanese maples but may go to micro sprinklers on those too. I use the sprinklers on azaleas and new shrubs in the landscape - hard to beat and saves a lot on watering bills. Another thing I like is the portable timer with 4 zones from Orbit. There are two designs - the older one is harder to understand and program while the newer one is large readouts and easy to set up. You can buy these at Home Depot. The timer comes with two valves (you can buy the other two valves separate) and a 4 zone manifold. Easy to set up and use - just make sure you have hoses to use too.
The one thing you must do when using sprinklers is to get them above the foilage so it throws the water out far enough to reach all the pots centered around the sprinkler head. For this I invert a tall clay or glazed pot and stick the stake in the drain hole - it isn't pretty but is effective. The other thing I did at my last house is tie the sprinkler heads upside down in low hanging branches of trees or shrubs.
Thanks! I already have an electronic time I bought from Lowe's last year. It worked pretty well. I just need to get myself a 4 way manifold since I have a new veggie garden and more begonias this year. I have used the microsprinklers in the past and they have worked out well for me. I like your trick of putting them in the inverted pot. I get my microsprinklers from Worm's Way, a hydroponic store where I get my big grow light. Worm's way also carries micro sprinkler heads that are meant to be upside down ( ie hung from above the plants). I have not figured out where to hang them from.
With all our talk about PM this winter, I was worried about causing that with watering overhead but I guess the temp and outdoor conditions, plus good sense spacing should prevent PM.
You shouldn't have PM in summer unless you live in a cool area.
I found out at the last house that if you choose one drip system to stick with it when it comes to the main line since the sizes may not quite match another manufacturer so you won't be able to add on with splicers. The emitters, spaghetti hose, and sprinklers should be okay to mix. I get most of my sprinkler kits at Home Depot - quick and easy. The kits are great to start with and then buy extra emitters, spray heads as needed. The kits are less than $25 and come in two forms - emitters or sprinklers. The emitters have a lot more emitters while the sprinkler kit might have ten heads. The emitter kit seems lacking though when it comes to spaghetti hose which doesn't make a lot of sense. I suppose this is for veggie gardeners who can run the main line in a straight line and just plug in the emitters at each plant without much need for spaghetti hose at all. But the way I had my hostas and Japanese maples required a lot more spaghetti hose. I think I bought 3 or 4 kits over the last two years to handle most of my needs. Extra heads and emitters aren't that expensive either.
To hang heads upside down is a fairly easy thing to do. If you notice them at the gardening centers they usually use wire wraps to connect the tubing to steel pipe.
You can use twist ties or simply drape them through the branches of a tree. When I did it at the last house I had them hanging out of my crepe myrtle and magnolia tree. I would use a T connector and then a short piece of tubing to connect the head to so it hung straight down and go on from there to do the next head.
to hcmcdole,
the plants i ordered from the glasshouse works arrived today in excellent condition and the group i ordered.
and in a timely manner.i did not mind waiting a month to get them as long as they are good plants and they are.
i recommend this place to anyone who wants good quality plants at a resonable price.boy i can't spell any more.