Hi All,
I'm a newbie in every sense of the word since I'm just learning about begonias and I've just begun a fascination for propagation. Can you give me any tips on the best way to propagate Riegers? I've got some real beauties that I'd love to see multiply.
I perused the board a little before posting and all I can say is WOW! I had no idea there were so many varieties of begonias and how stunning they can be. Oh boy. I see a new addiction in the making.
Thanks for any help and advice,
La
(Oops, please pardon my poor spelling. I before E and all that jazz).
This message was edited Apr 8, 2007 5:23 AM
Propagating Reiger Begonias
Hey All thanks for the help, but I think I've got it. After spending 2 days searching the net I think (hope) I found the info I needed.
Happy gardening,
La
La,
Most people treat Reigers as annuals but given the right care, you should be able to propagate them and keep them going. I doubt you could propagate these by leaves but it never hurts to try. Try water rooting the leaf with a humidity cover (water rooting works very well for me). You could also try rooting a leaf by either sticking the petiole in moistened Perlite and propping the leaf up so it doesn't come in contact with the medium or laying the leaf flat on top of the Perlite (increased chance of rot if the medium is too damp). Use a humidity cover in all instances to increase the success ratio of propagating begonias.
The trick I think would work for you is take a stem cutting, trim off the bottom leaves (leave a couple small ones at the top) and trim any blooms, treat the cut end with rooting hormone if you want to and let it callous for a few hours or a day. Keep the cutting plump by enclosing a bag over the top but leave the cut end exposed to air. When calloused, pot the cutting in a cup of moistened Perlite and keep a plastic bag securely fastened over the cup. I have propagated a few tuberous begonias this way in the past but they are not the easiest to work with.
The easiest thing to do is discard the plant after blooming and buy another one when you see one you like. They used to have a bronzy purplish leaf Reiger like begonia with orange blooms. I lost it time and time again and finally got one propagated only to lose it later on. I have never seen this begonia offered again (what a shame).
Hey HC, thanks so much for responding! I think it's the experimenter in me as much as anything that makes me want to give this a try. Heck the plant only cost $8.00 so it's not as if I can't buy a replacent. But wouldn't it be fun if I could start one myself? I've only recently begun propagations, and I keep eyeballing my plant stand, rubbing my chin (picture The Thinker), and uttering "hmmmm" under my breath. My poor plants! LOL!
Thanks again, I really do appreciate that you took the time to respond to my post.
La