Not a Begoniac here... these are the only Begonias I have experience with growing. They were gifts from a fellow gardener. They have enjoyed the summer and grown beyond reason.
The canes are so tall I will not be able to overwinter them and hope to root cuttings for the coming summer.
Would anyone share their experience at rooting these beautiful plants?
Can I save those in pot when they are pruned back?
TIA ~ pod
podster, I'm not an expert, but I just break off the canes and stick them in starting medium. Keep them moist but not wet. I usually have 95 to 100 percent success rate with this method. Pam
Sounds easy enough ~ worth a try. Thanks...
I love these and wish there was a white one with plain green leaves. The look so cool and inviting in the heat of summer.
I just take about an 8 or 10" cutting (several of them) and root in water and leave on the kitchen counter.............they root so quickly in water...........(take the leaves off at the bottom that is down in the water)
Water? Interesting, I will try some in each. I have not been a good rooter in the past and had heard the roots in water are more fragile. Will give it a try... do you freshen the water often?
Actually they say not to change the water with rooting cane or angelwing begonias............just add a little more to what has evaporated on a daily basis...........or just check anyway...........good luck..............
Thanks ~ I'll give it a try tomorrow... pod
I find the cane/mallet type begonia's to be very easy to root. You can prune the "mother" plant and it will sprout new growth. And, you can root the cuttings in potting soil or in water. I have some that have been sitting in water for over a year! I've just never taken the time to pot them up! I just take the cuttings and remove the very bottom leaves and stick them in soil. They root very quickly. Sometimes I use Rooting Hormone but most of the time I don't remember it.
I have not had much luck at all with other types of begonia's but love the canes!
I had no idea there were so many cane begonias listed in Plant Files! http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=cane+begonia&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
hey pod...don't trash the plant!!!..(grin)...if you do cuttings can i get some?? or trade some or...something??
Dragon Wings are so available and inexpensive (cheap actually) anymore that it makes sense to treat them as annuals. I picked up a six pack at a local nursery this year for $5 and I've heard of others who got them even cheaper.
really...i can't find there here at all....i really want some but to know avail ....
Wal-Mart, Lowe's or Home Depot in your area? They usually have loads of them.
haven't had them....i make my rounds every week....
Nope, I'm like Sticks ~ none of the angelwings in the plant marts locally. The only one I've seen has small round leaves and white flowers. I don't understand why not, they do so well in the heat with ample water and shade. These came from a gal I know ~ no clue where she got them. Sticks if I am successful, I will share ~ cross my heart! lol ~ pod
Lin ~ you make it sound like snapping your fingers easy... I have had enough "cutting" failures that I get nervous. And remembering rooting hormone is not the problem here ~ finding it is! I know it's around here somewhere. lol
pod....yours is gorgeous...; even if you aren't successful....i have had others send me a moistened-papertoweled begonia and it made it and is now growing well.....; i can then root them for us both(grin)
i am on a rooting mission lately....i finally found a method that has SO increased my success so i have an area in my sunroom called ....propagation nation...
Wooo Nooo! I am NOT coming to your house... LOL Which begonias are you growing?
I never see the cane begonias around here either. I have one Dragonwing Begonia 'Benigo' that I've had for many years and keep taking cuttings from it. But none of the garden centers around here ever have the cane types. Just the little annual bedding begonia's. I had one called Orange Rubra that is just about dead! It was sooo pretty too. It got hidden behind some other plants and did not get watered. I am such a bad plant mom! Poor thing looks really bad ... I would be really stunned if it survived ... doesn't look like much of a chance! I have one other cane Begonia that I bought about two years ago that is one of my favorites called 'Frosty' but I haven't rooted cuttings from it in awhile. I might just have to go out and take some cuttings tomorrow. Here's a photo of 'Benigo' .... will have to take one of Frosty tomorrow and post it.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/131857/
Pod: That one in your first photo looks like Orange Rubra. That is gorgeous!
hcmcdole: Those are Beauties you have there too ... love the mixture of Caladiums and Begonia's and is that Impatiens or Vinca flowers mixed in there? Lovely!
ooooh Sticks: I love the idea of a Propagation Nation! I need to make room for a place just for propagation! Oh how I miss having a greenhouse!
Benigo blooms? What color?
I would wish for an Angel (Dragon) wing begonia in plain green (like mine) but with white blooms. In August in east Texas, that would be heaven! I had a pink one like the red but the leaves were more anemic green and I guess it just faded away.
This is a better (less blurry) photo.
BTW, how much plant do I leave when I take cuttings?
Oh I wonder if there is a cane begonia with solid green leaves and white flowers? I would love to find one too!
I'm not sure what to tell you about how much plant to leave when taking your cuttings. I have cut mine way back at times and the canes left in the pot will leaf out with new leaves. I don't think I would cut it real close to the soil cause I'd be afraid it would stress the mom plant too much and cause it to die.
Maybe some of the Begonia experts on this forum will have some advice regarding that.
Pod,
I took 4-5 cuttings off a straggly plant my (then) soon-to-be husband had, and rooted them in water, then potted them up.....20 years ago.
These plants are indestructible, as far as I'm concerned. LOL
Every year when I bring one or two of the large patio pots of them in, I cut them back almost to 10-12 inches, completelt defoliate them, cut out all the "old" canes. I water them very sparingly during the winter, but still, by warm weather they have put on a lot of new growth, so I cut ehem back all the way to 12-16 inches or so, completely defoliate them again and stick them out on the patio in morning sun.
This way, they don't go into shock, and either lose their leaves, or get all ratty looking. They take off almost immediately, and by fall are 4 ft tall and about 4-6 foot wide.
I know this sounds ruthless, but the plants have always thrived, with this regimen. The original mother plant lasted for 15 years, before it just wore itself out, but, meanwhile I had taken dozens and dozens of cuttings over the years and always have a large patio pot or two going that are from young stock.
Enjoy your plant!!
Sasha
pod not sure which begonias i am growing....it has kinda like pom pom blooms....quite pretty:)
plant lady...that is a beauty !!!
plant lady....i have been seriously thinking about a greenhouse but keep talking myself out of it cause of the ventilation issue/temparature control; right now i have my sunroom where last year i did 500 coleus cuttings and overwintered bouginvillla..ivy's etc...; i took all my geraniums to my unheated store with a south window....there were 50 geraniums, 50 ivy, and others...the temp went down to 20 in my unheated building and nothing died....this year i am adding a room to the mix....south facing, but i am just wondering if i would like a greenhouse better....
Sasha ~ Well done and spoken like a true gardener. Almost an heirloom after all those years. I will work up the courage and tackle it. Need to do it soon as days grow shorter.
Edited to ask ~ if there is a good "moon phase" to take cuttings in? LOL
This message was edited Aug 27, 2007 9:55 PM
pod...it is so sad that the days are growing shorter and we are starting to lose our gardening time ....i so dread it....i hate the winter
Same here! It is starting already. I can't seem to get enough sleep as days grow short and want to eat (all the wrong foods) like I am getting ready to hibernate. I hate it... For that reason, a heated greenhouse with lights and green plants and a lounge chair in the middle would be wonderful!
OMG that is me all together....i hate to be in my house unless it is night time....i have to get out as soon as i can and delay the day so i can stay in my yard...;
Wow! Now don't tell me y'all are getting some cooler weather already?? If so, I am sooooo jealous! Weather envy here!
We are still mid 90's but supposed to have a (according to weather people on t.v.)cool down to @89! later in the week.
Unfortunately we won't have any real cool weather until probably late November sometimes we still are in the 80's at that time of year too. At least the humidity isn't real bad that time of year!
No, no cool weather here ~ mid to high 90's. The short days drive me nuts. I am a morning person and wake with the sun all summer.
This time of year I start dragging myself out of bed to the alarm and it's still dark! In order to get woke up, I have to turn on every light in the house... LOL I'm thinking of becoming an equator bird in the winter maybe... hmmmm.
pod...the way i am 'inconvenienced' by this time of the year is that my patio which most of the summer is hot sun....well now it is shade cause the sun is moving....hate it...
on the other hand i am not a morning person at all....i get up between 9 and 10....it is starting to be cooler when i get up but my patio..hangout, is shaded instead of having sun
I'm a morning person too .... my favorite time is sunrise. Haven't done it in quite awhile, but I love going over to the beach and watching that big orange ball rise over the ocean!
edited to add: Of course last night's full moon was really a gorgeous sight too! Well, actually tonight is the full moon, but it sure looked Beautiful last night too!
This message was edited Aug 28, 2007 12:46 PM
Ahhh but this morning when I got up, it had disappeared. Lunar eclipse. See what ya miss in the AM Sticks.... : ))
pod...but you miss stuff when i am up being a night owl....grin
Sorry, Lin that I didn't see your question earlier. That is pink and purple vinca in the bed with lantana, caladiums, and Dragon Wings.
