SAVE THE REXES !!!!!

You guys, Looking at all these pics makes me want to cry!!!! My rexes are not doing well at all!! First off, I couldn't wait until spring so I could set all of my beauties outside. I was able to keep them going just enough inside through the winter, hoping spring would soon bring the weather conditions that begonia's love. Here is the problem, I think. We moved at the begining of spring. My husband and I are saving to buy a house for our growing family of 5. We were paying so much on the house we were renting that we found it hard to save(and my growing addiction didn't make it any easier!). So, we decided to move into a house that is owned by my brother-in-law. I don't know what part of my brain I was thinking with when I agreed to move in because I didn't even notice the fact that there isn't one tree in the yard. Also, the porch isn't covered. My mom says it isn't a proch but a stoop!! I HAVE NO SHADE!!!!! To make matters worse the weather here this summer is dreadfully HOT. I am an outside person and lately I haven't even wanted to go outside because the heat is so bad it takes my breath! I truly am living in hell. What could be worse, it's hot and my begonia's are all croaking!!!

When I realized that I had a huge problem on my hands, I started trying to come up with a way for my begonia's to be outside. I just didn't know how I was going to produce some shade. What I ended up doing is craming them all on top of my patio table. The umbrella is made of shade cloth. I was hoping this would work. Well it isn't working!! The sun still comes in from the sides. Also, because the lack of trees, there isn't any breeze to help cool things off. I just don't know what to do, I have even contimplated bringing them back inside the house. My rhizo's and cane's are doing exceptionally well, but my rexes are pitiful! I have one rex that is just blowing my mind, Casey Corwin. This one is my champion right now. Also, my Black Taffetta and a new one, San Miguel are nice and healthy. I think more than half of all my rexes, about 30, have completely defoliated. The rhizomes are still good, just no leaves.

So, I need help!!! I have always turned to my friends here for great info and I am in dier need right now!! Any advice would be great!! Suggestions or ideas on a way to provide appropriate shade would be great! The past two days I went crazy and ordered a ton of begonia's!! Yes, I know I should solve my problem first. So, I am going to take them to my parents house. They have a nice shaded pond in the back yard and my dad's begonia's, are doing great there. All of my dad's begonia's, I propagated from my collection! Go figure!

One more thing, the begonia I mentioned earlier,San Miguel, is just awesome!! My sis picked it up for me at Pike's Nursery where she lives in Alpharetta, Ga. I had never seen one before. If you don't have it already it is a must for us begonia nuts. Logee's offers it on their site. The picture they provide isn't a good one because the plant is so dense it is hard to see leaf shape. The leaves are bronzy green on top, with red undersides. The leaves have tons of little red hairs on their surface. The texuture of the leaves are bubbly and each leaf is cupped. It has tiny white blooms and have been blooming since I got it at the beginning of spring. Lovely plant!!

Thanks for reading my post, I know it is long!! Once again, any advice will be greatly appreciated! I am going to start a new slogan. Instead of SAVE THE DOLPHINS, SAVE THE REXES!!

Thanks guys,
~ Kristi

Don't despair Kristi! We can put our collective thinking caps on and help you!

I have plenty of shade, but no frost protection. So the DH built me a (cheap) hoop house out of PVC pipe and shade cloth. We used 4 x 4's for the base so we had something to attach the hoops to and staple 6ml plastic to and though it's UGLY with a capital U, it does the job. Shade in the summer, frost protection in the winter. I put micro bark (just the tiny redwood bark used for orchids) on the floor so when I water, the evaporation helps keep things cooled down. And I put in a drip system along the spine of the roof to water everyone (on a daily timer) so that I can know that even if I'm busy, the Begonia babies get watered.

You could rig some kind of shade cloth awning and put them under it. Shade cloth isn’t expensive and HD or Lowes sells it in all shade %'s and different colors. It comes in a roll and you buy it by the foot or order an entire roll depending on your needs.

You could build any kind of cheap structure to cover and then get them underneath it.

Here you can see what we did. Maybe larger than your needs, but I have more than a begonia addiction so I need room for tons of stuff. (read other addictions! LOL)


SAVE THE REXIES!!

Kristi sorry about your plants. I know it must be hard moving and not having your own home right now you can't just start building greenhouses...
I wish I had Rex Begonia plants I'd send you tons of cuttings but I'm not a big collecter though I'm seeing more I need / want lol.
I bought three new ones a couple weeks ago . Smaller growers for our kitchen sink shelf. But I love growing the in our garden beds too . We may be moving and we will have more room then I think I'll get more !
Where did you just but your's from ? The ones you just ordered !

Kristi
Do you think your rex's have gone dormant beacause
of extreme too high or too low a temperature, even for a short period of time. will cause the plant to go dormant, loosing all it’s leaves ?
Rex cultorum: This is the brightly colored, big leafed begonia plants sold widely in the winter time. These plants are also rhizomatous, but because of their high commercial value, they are classified separately. These plants are beautiful, but difficult to grow because too high or too low a temperature, even for a short period of time. will cause the plant to go dormant, loosing all it’s leaves. Many rex cultorums never recover from this dormancy in ordinary home growing condition.

Oh Kristi, I hear your pain. I kill Rexes too, they like lots of water! I do better with them inside. My other rhizomatous do great in mostly shade outside year round. But rexes like it warmer and wetter than I have it here.

Listen to Lali, she is the begonia brain around here. She knows her stuff and is a doll on top of all of that knowledge. I have a hoop house every winter and they are so inexpensive and so easy to build. In your heat, you would need one more like what Lali girl has.

Lali does know it all Kristi !
The info I gave you I read off a Begonia thread culture I fount on the link Kell posted with all the pictures.
Me I'm blessed with hot humid weather and high electric bills.
I know it's hard living in someone else house but soon you all will have you own home and maybe your Hubby can build you a hoop house out of PVC pipe and shade cloth. Until now those shade cloths sound nice. Around here were not even able to have clothes lines .
Please tel me where you got your plants ! Some places won't ship them now as it's too warm.

Kristi I like to read and this link was off of the link Kell posted with the pictures
http://absastro.tripod.com/culture/class.htm

Under Culture and Begonia
Show Classifications there is little info Rex cultorum: .
When you moved and put the plants outside maybe they got a little up-set with the enviroment change ?

Hiya Kristi,
I can share your pain of the heat & unhappy plants.
We just moved too and many of my plants were very unhappy, too. We didn't have much shade but even that didn't help because we don't have humidity either...lol
I can share with you what I'm doing with my Rex begonias & few other plants and see if maybe you can find soemthing in it that will work for your set up.

I have several 10 & 20 gallon fish tanks,clear plastic containers , cookie jars etc & have added a stand with lights for them just like my African Violet light stands.
Some Rexes I have placed in their pots inside the fish tanks & some I have planted in them, too. They are doing very well there. They get the right amount of light & humidity they need that they weren't getting outdoors in our new desert home.

Almost any plant will grow under lights & in a "terrarium" type set up so you have nothing to loose by trying.You can try it out and see how it works for you.
I love it because I can't take the heat here either, so I can enjoy my plants in the house & tend to them.

If you think about trying it, just post on the terrarium form & we can chat about what you might do...

Hugs & Good luck,
MsC

That is what I call loyalty to your plants!! And such dedication.

Oh Kell, You have no idea..lol
We also added a 16X20 Tent with a mister & fan for the plants that didn't get to come in outta the heat..lol

So far I've only lost a few plants to the Arizona heat... not sure what I'm gonna do come winter??? Maybe a really BIG TEXAS size BBQ fireplace???

MsC:)

What a nice husband he must be. Or a guilty one for bringing you there. I guess you better get real fond of cactus and succulents.

He's a keeper... and so far all the indoor plants, AV's, Gesneriads, etc are doing fine.The tropicals..well..we will see.lol

Cactus & Succulents aren't on my favorites list~ YET!


MsC

Your doing great Msc. I've had a few friends that great Av's, Gesneraids, Begonias and more in AZ . It was a challenge at times but the plants adjust and they will all do fine ! I do know they could not use the water they had to buy water.
Will the Winters get cold there ?

Thank you guys for all of your advice. I knew where to come when I started having problems. Everyone here is always generous with their suggestions and experiences! I have learned so much from this forum, I probably would have given up on my beloved begonia's if it had not been for the help I have always recieved here. Thanks again, I am hopeful now that something can be done for my babies.

Also, I was wondering. How often should you water begonia's when placed outside? I am always scared to overwater, so I hope I am not underwatering. I have started a journal for myself because I have a hard time sometimes diagnosing a problem because many problems have the same symptoms. For example, say the leaves on one begonia are droopy. Does it need less water or more? I am trying to learn what the signs are for different conditions effecting my plants. Like crispy edges, sometimes around the leaf edge there is feathering, etc. My dad says that I am too overly concerned about them. In my quest for perfection I tend to over care for them. He says I shouldn't try to fix every little problem right away. He is right, I check them atleast 5 times a day and every little thing I think is wrong I go trying to fix. Maybe I am over loving them!!

About the watering, Lali I noticed that you said you put in a sprinkler system in your building to water daily. Should I try misting my begonia's daily. I am just unsure about the watering, common sense tells me that in this heat more water is needed but I am very reluctant because I have lost too many to death by drowning!! I did notice however, my healthiest plant Casey Corwin, I have been keeping the soil pretty wet. It was an accident at first. When I noticed the soil was so wet I paniced but then I saw how the plant looked and decided to keep the soil wetter than the others just to see. She is doing nicely, seems to be very happy. I just wanted to ask your opinions first before I go to town watering.

Thanks again for all the advice. Violet Treasure, I had wondered that myself, about the plants going dormant. It is such a change going from inside my house to outside in HELL!! I have decided just to leave them in the pots, the rhizomes still look good. Maybe they will begin to adjust to the environment and start putting on new leaves.

Oh, MsC, I do have several terrariums inside but I don't want to put all of my begonia's in them. Unless you get large tanks, I am limited to how big they can grow. I do love growing them in there because it is almost worry free!! Wish all of them was like that!!

Talk to you later! Keep your fingers crossed for me!! SAVE THE REXES!!
~ Kristi

Kristi, your water schedule is really going to be unique to your environment and soil type. I can water everyday here because our temps hover around 95-105º and the humidiy pretty low so watering the surrounding area allows for a great deal of evaporation. I also use a well drained soil so they don't stay soggy (lots of perlite, orchid bark and coarse sand), water runs right through the pot - generally speaking Rexies dont want to be wet, but do want humidity around them.That's why pebble trays work well. In my case, keeping the ground under the pots wet works too.
Since all the plants in my hoop house are on the same water schedule, I am forced to adjust everyone's soil accordingly. For example the succulents have realllllly well drained soil so they can take daily water.

I don't know about misting due to your humidity. That might be a good question for Butch since his climate is similar in the summer.

Keep an eye on your rhizomes, as long as they are firm and not mushy or rotting you should be able to revive them. I've only ever had drooping leaves on dry rexies - nothing tepid water didn't cure. As for the edges being crisp, I get those with our hot dry winds (we call them Santa Anna winds) and if the air surrounding them is too dry. Sometimes it happens even if the soil is plenty wet.

When did you feed them last and are any of them over potted? If they are over potted, you'll find that sometimes they just sit there and you think nothing is going on, but what they are doing is spending energy sending out roots. They like to be a bit pot bound and I only ever pot up one pot size at a time. (learned this the hard way! LOL)

hope this helps, and hope Butch weighs in on the misting/humidity thing

Hi Kristi I hope you get your problems solved..I was wondering about you..I thought maybe you gave up on them..Right now mine are doing great..I need to know what Allison uses for her potting soil it is such a nice blend...I think that was one of my problems my soil...Good luck and don't give up..!! :o)))

Loretta
Hi :)) I think your plants may be in 10 quarts of Bayer advance 3 in one potting soil , mixed well with water slight moist with 8 quarts of perlite...
This above I like best been using for two months now can't find it anymore.
Before this for a year or so I used MG potting soil, 50 plus percent Perlite.
Then it was mixes with Hubby magical hands and arms. I use a lot.
He knows exactly how it should feel !

Kristi !
I know your plants will be back growing well as soon as they get adjusted ! Good luck.

Without having to purchase and / or build something, though....can't you place them in your north or east windows where the sun is less harsh?

Hey Ms. Critterkeeper:There you all..Lots of people have been looking for you.

How are your chi's doing?
So you're no longer in Texas I see?

Susan

Hiya Susan!
We are all doing just fine the Chi's are grown & beautiful!
They are such a hoot,too. I'll see if I can post some pics over in the pet forum for ya.

We moved to AZ just a few months ago, & I like it here,it's uhm, ok...

Thanks so much for thinking of us .

MsC