Begonia Beginner

I've just started to appreciate begonias, it started when I purchased 3 hanging baskets of begonia "Richmondensis", they are on my front porch w/ a SE exposure & look lovely! Then, I picked up 4" pots of 'Fireflush' & 'Benigo' to put into shady containers. I had seen a picture of 'Escargot' on another thread & LOVED it- I happen to work p/t in a garden center & when I walked into my boss's office today to ask a question, I spotted it! Almost forgetting my other question, I pounced "Where is it? Do we have more?"- I came home today w/ 'Escargot', 'NY Swirl', 'Iron Cross', 'Raspberry Crush', & a few more 4" pots-'Benitochiba', 'Sophie Irene', & 'Sinbad'-they are all so beautiful & I want them to thrive. Will a few hours of filtered sun outside, under a canopy (S/E/W exposure) be sufficient? Can I attempt leaf cuttings in perlite? & should I use rooting hormone? Any advice or tips would be welcome...Thistle

Congratulations, you have found some beautiful begonias.

I've rooted rex leaves in perlite. I've had better luck rooting in perlite than in potting soil. Whichever you use, they will need warmth and high humidity during the rooting process. Using a tray with a dome over it, or even putting them in ziplock bags with some air, will provide the humidity that is required. Or, if you have lots of leaves to root, an old aquarium is great. Just cover the top with plastic.

You will not be able to root the cane begonias ('Sophie Irene' & 'Sinbad') from leaves. You will need to take cuttings of them for rooting.

Filtered light is idea, no direct sun. They would benefit from being outside and receiving fresh air. I like to set mine under a big maple tree where they receive some indirect sun. The canes would benefit from more direct light, but still not full blaring sun.

Hope this helps,

Shirley

Welcome to the world of Begonia's, Thistle!!!! I got my first begonia last summer, Persian Brocade. I became addicted instantly and have not slowed up since!!! I have learned alot since I became a member here at DG. Everyone is friendly and happy to give advice.

When I first started trying to propagate, I used soil. I became very frustrated because every leaf would rot and wither away i just a few days. After having no luck, I decided to post a thread for help. I received ton's of advice and learned many different techniques for propagating. The only one that I have luck with is rooting in 100% perlite. It works everytime!!! Right now I have 3 trays of propagating leaves. Most all of the leaves have babies on them. So, I would highly recommend propagating in perlite. Just keep trying and you will eventually find the technique that best works for you!!

I have never used a rooting hormone and mine seem to be doing well without it. I do know however that the success of propagation depends on the leaf itself. Butch, an experienced grower on the forum, shared a tip with me that he had just learned from a friend of his that is an expert on propagation. She said that choosing the right leaf to propagate is very important. She doesn't use new leaves or older leaves but picks them somewhere in the middle. That way, the leaf is old enough to be able to root and also young enough to have enough growth hormone to produce babies. If the leaf is too old it has already use up all of its growth hormone and probably will not root. Makes perfect sense.

O.K., one last thing. The begonia that I have which produces more for me when I propagate using it's leaves is Escargot!! I was surprised because at times Escargot can be stubborn and picky. I thought because she is more of a challenge to raise, then the same would apply when trying to propagate her,I was wrong. Every leaf that I have tried to root from her has been successful!!! She enjoys the humidity in the tray and has really performed well for me!! I know you will have the same luck. Let me know, if you try propagating her, how things turn out. Right now I have 5 of her leaves in the rooting trays and all of them are loaded with roots and nice size leaves!! I saw the roots after 1 week in the trays.

Hope this helps!! Welcome to the forum, believe me, the addiction only gets worse!!

Thanks so much, the tips on rooting are great! Maple trees to put pots under, I have plenty of them, & the idea of picking the right size leaf (& using the perlite & tenting w/ bags)gives me somewhere to start...my next question is about potting mixes, it seems it's easy to kill them with overwatering, so I'd like to find a quick-draining mix. I grow orchids, as well as alot of miscellaneous plants, so I have the ingredients for soil mixes-peat, perlite, vermiculite, coconut husk chips, charcoal, pebbles, turface,pine fines, you name it...any suggestions? Also, would it be a good idea to move them to clay pots?

I don't think I will have a problem with overwintering, almost all of my orchids overwintered successfully in an attached sunporch, which probably goes as low as high 40s-50s, with additional flourescent lighting, (exposure is S/W/N, with long side being the West). I came home today & marveled at all the begonias again, I put them around my small fountain & they're so beautiful!

I am trying to get in the habit of adding H202 when watering to avoid any problems associated with overwatering. I found a quote from another forum