hello all, i'm a newbie to this board.:-)
i've had an angel wing begonia that an old friend gave me over 20 years ago. it grows like mad, is currently living in an old galvanized wash tub. however, in the whole time i've had it, it never has bloomed. doesn't matter what i feed it, what kind of light it gets, whether it is indoors or out.
what am i doing wrong??
angel wing begonia
That sounds lovely! It sounds huge!
I can't imagine what would cause an Angel Wing begonia not to bloom?? They need light , fertilizer and water for the most part .And there are a few types of begonias that are shy bloomers, but not any of the Angel Wing groups...??? That's what they are breed for.
Can you send a pic?
Thanks,
MsC
All I know, is that mine have all bloomed like bonkers since I put them outside under the crepe myrtles. Morning sun, midday shade and lots of humidity!
=) MKJ
Mine live indoors, but have been blooming too, and some are only a single cane! I got them in a trade, then in no time at all they bloomed. Tnmtnflower, why don't you give it a drink of Eleanor's VF-11 water? That seems to make everything I give it to bloom like mad.
Karen :~D
I have had an Angel Wing begonia longer than I can remember. Maybe 20 years or more...The same one--just endlessly propagated from cuttings.
Here's what i do--pretty much each year.
I have a 10" pot that has the "mama" in it. I have to bring it indoors for the winter, where it pretty much loses all but the top bunches of leaves. I have to keep it in my guest room, so I forget to water it sometimes. It spends the winter months in pretty much semi-dormant state. Not to worry! I just want the ends to live!
In early Summer I take it outside, cut off all the ends (about 10"-12"), remove some of the lower leaves, cut it WAY down to the nubs and discard the in-between stalks. I put the cut ends in a small bucket of water and leave it outside in a protected spot. In about 3 weeks, they all have rooted. I then repot the rooted ends in an 8" pot and keep it sheltered until it shows new growth. By now the "mama" plant is putting out new growth also. So, I usually have 2 pots of this going.....About every 3-4 years, I take the WHOLE root-ball of the Mama apart, discard all the old, fibrous, dead roots and re-pot the better ones in fresh soil.
Re blooming, I have found that if you don't cut it back, it will put out a bigger bloom show outside, but it blooms the other way too, just not as profusely. It also blooms end of winter inside--but not as prettily.
These are VERY hardy plants! I love the leaves on them! I will try to take some pictures tomorrow to post here.
Hope this helps. Gita
PS: Has anyone rooted cuttings from this plant directly in potting soil? I imagine they would root easily. I should try it!
thanks for all the replies!!
kachinagirl_ what is this magic mixture you mention??
gitagal- yes, one reason the plant is so big is that parts that have broken off, i just stuck them in the dirt and they lived. so now i'm wondering if the whole plant just needs a good cleaning up of old growth.
except it never bloomed when it was young either. maybe a good cleaning will jump start it?
Tnmtnflower, the magic dring I give them is Eleanor's VF-11 fertilizer. You mix it with water. Here's a link. I get it at the nursery or Lowes, etc.
K
http://www.vf-11plantfood.com/
MountainFlower,
As promised, I went out and took some pictures of my Angel Wing Begonia.
This one is the "Mama" plant. This was cut down to almost nothing this Spring. NO! I do not do anything special for it--just keep it watered. It sits on my front landing that faces north. I gets some AM sun, but barely.
Here's another picture of the same. On the previous one, way down on the right side, you can see a flower.
Here are the cuttings that I rooted and that survived. I say "survived" as many of them lose all thewir leaves in the bucket and sink to the bottom. I usually throw those out. I like to see at leas a couple of leaves in them before I pot them up.
What a gorgeous plant! Begonias would fry outside here, I'd come home to "cornflakes", LOL. How neat to be able to enjoy that plant on your doorstep!
k
So do most of you just start them in water??
I have had mine for approx. five years.....all the while it seemed to just survive.....until i got a new window......It is a southern window...and while i understand that AWB dont like direct sun, this one only bloomed about two weeks after the window went in.........not just a coinkidink.........i moved it over by the southern window...and viola! blooms on every stem.....It however, looks terrible cause its too tall.....but i am finding that new leaves are started on the lower portion of the stems.......maybe for now i will wait....here is the whole plant..and next will be the flowers on the first stem to bloom.....
here are the flowers.....
I think you're right. We always think of them as plants that will take a darker area of the room, and they do, but when moved to the light they get very excited! Mine are blooming like crazy now too. They sit where they almost get direct sun through a window.
k
I am new to plants and didn't know they wwere supposed to be shade plants so they hang from the gutter and get full sun until about 3PM. They get big and the wind breaks them so I just stick the pieces in potting soil and they grow. I do water them every day and use Osmacote every three months. Here's one that blooms all the time. Someone said if you start your cuttings in the sun, the plant will grow in te sun. Sofar, it's working.
Pati
HOLY COW! thats a beaut!!!!! really nice....and if you ever get any cuttings you dont need.......keep me in mind......lol.......
I would love to share. We are going to have a South Florida RU,. I think November, and I hope to have someone show me how to ship cuttings. The problem is I only started with two plants and all the plants from the cutting are alike. I really want spotted leaf to add in for variety.
I didn't know about cutting them back, so the wind took care of it for me! I guess that's why they are so full. LOL
Pati
PS Those two in the picture rode out the two hurricanes last year in my shower. They loved it!
This message was edited Aug 9, 2005 12:20 PM
that is awsome!! hope you enjoy your vacation!! I dont have the spotted leaf, but i do have this one....
Ooooo..that's a beauty! I would love to have a piece of that. When the weather cools off maybe we can exchange?
Pati
absolutely! i really dont know how to pack 'em either, but i will ask around.......
Hi, Pattischell,
LOVE your hanging Begonia!!! What a sight!!!
By "spotted" do you mean like my picture on the front landing of my Begonia? Go back and take a look (post by Gitagal--July 30). If these are what you are looking for, I could share some cuttings. The smaller pot in my post (the rooted cuttings) has grown leggy by now and it needs cutting back. Let me know.
As far as packing--and not that I have done a lot of mailing--I think the main thing is not to pack anything in plastic with the exception of the existing roots--if any. Then you should wrap them in moist newspaper and then put some plastic wrap around that part only.
Stem cuttings and leaves travel best wrapped in dry paper towels or such. The thing is to let air get to them en route. Pack plenty of "cushioning" around the cuttings so it won't suffer from the package being tossed or stacked. They DO do that, you know!!!!!
And--Welcome to Daves!!!! Gita
Hi Gitagal! I've been hanging around Dave's for awhile now, but this Begonia thread is new to me. This is just my second year of gardening.
I LOVE your spotted leaf! I am a foliage fan and most of my summer plants are Coleus and Caladiums. Now I've discovered Cannas, especially the one with varigated leaves. I've always had wax Begonias, but the Canes were new to me. Picked two up at a yard sale and now I have little pots everywhere. LOL I had a sad experience with an expensive Rex from a nursery, so I won't go down that road again.
Thanks so much for the packing advice. Would it be better to ship UPS? Is it better to ship cuttings or rooted plants? As soon as this weather cools off I am seriously going to learn how to ship for exchange.
Pati
I read somewhere that you should prune back the cane begonias in the spring so they won't get so leggy and also they will put out more blooms.
It doesn't matter if you ship rooted or un rooted cuttings as long as they are wrapped as Gita described - I ship lots of plants as I am a seller on Ebay. I use paper towels, wet them and seal with plastic wrap, then wrap the whole plant in dry newspaper and pack in the free Priority boxes from the PO. Pack the free space in the box with peanuts newspaper or other lighweight packing. If you print you labels from the USPS site, you get free delivery confirmation. Here is a good thread with some of the basics. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/502752/ .
Pattischell,
I have never grown Rex Begonias (well-maybe once, and it died too), but from all the years I have worked in Greenhouses and in the Houseplant section of two major retail stores, Rexes are not the easiest plants to grow. They do need to stay on the dry side, but at the same time, they need a huge amount of humidity to thrive.
Many times, as they arrive from YOUR state to all the stores here and there, they will go through a slight "temper tantrun" and yellow and lose a bunch of leaves. Patience!!! They will re-grow once the plant gets settled in the new environment. Many people just do not have patience to see a new plant through it's adjustment period.
I think Rexes are just beautiful! Love all the leaf shapes and patterns! In big stores (like HD where I work), it really takes a knowlegable person to be selective as to WHAT they water and how much they water (individual) plants in a HUGE greenhouse. Most people just would turn on the hose and treat everything the same. I am still at HD, but have not worked in the Greenhouse for two and a half years now. I am a Phone Operator now--old age, bad knees--and you get to SIT! My heart is still with the Houseplants, though! Grateful I still have a decent-paying job, though! I love all the people in our store, even though they come and go--like the tides of the seas.....I have been there 7 years now.
I think the "Iron Cross" Begonia is one of the most impressive, however, if my memory serves me right, it is NOT in the Rex family....Anyone out there that can verify this? Or correct me???
SO, Patti--if you want some cuttings from my AWB, send me an e-mail! I will be glad to share! And, YES!!! Keeping them cut back and rooting all the cut off tops, really DOES produce nice, full plants. Next Spring--you do the same thing all over again! This way, there is always a lot to share! ALWAYS a nice gift to take to someone's house when invited. I always bring plants!
Have you seen my posts and pictures of mt "Beefsteak Begonia"??? MNot the most common, but a single leaf can be groen in a decent sized plant in about 3 years. I will add a picture here, just in case you have not "cruised" all the foruns enough to have caught it. I think it is on the Begonias Forum---DAH!.....
Have you fallen head-over-heels in love with the Sun Coleus like half the people on DG???? They are just awsome!!! And the Kongs?? Got a bunch this year! Read up on those on the Coleus Forum. Ain't Daves great!!!! All this knowlege out there made simple for you!!!!
Sunny wishes to you, Gita
Here's m,y "Beefsteak Begonia" last Summer. There are about 4 plants in this 14" pot--all strated from a single leaf by the "leaf-propogation" methid a few years ago. Note the trowel next to it to give you some idea of it's size....
Beautiful - I was told that you can't start the Rex or thik stemmed begonias from a leaf, that you had to have part of the stem to root them?? I gues that is incorrect if you did it! I know the canes can be started by a leaf, or do I have it backwards??
I have been searching for that "Begonia" forum - do we have one??
This message was edited Aug 9, 2005 9:08 PM