Hi All,
This plant was beautiful just before summer came.
Now, being hot and tropical, my begonia leaves are dying. They are sort of soaked/wet and curling up on me.
Can they get to much water in the leaves???? The soil is not soaked or even really wet.
It has become smaller with the leaves dying and they are not so beautiful green anymore.
Any thought anyone??
Debi
Debi, I just lost one also. It looked like rot to me. Try repotting it with fresh soil and very little water. Hope this helps
kathy
Thx Kathy,
I will definately do that first light.
I also wonder if it should be in a smaller pot?
Debi
Debi,, i don,t think the size of the pot matters, but i could be wrong. good luck
A smaller pot might help get it re-energized. Are you fertilizing it? Is it in full sun or part shade?
Hi Guys,
Well in winter it loved the top step with morning sun only. It was very healthy.
The summer started to come and I could see the gradual diff, so I moved the pot into a little less full on sun????
I stopped watering it thinking that I might be overwatering. So, at the moment it gets morning sun but not for such a long period now.
They have hairy leaves and I thought I read somewhere that hairy leaves don't like water on their leaves?? That to clean them, clean them with a paint brush???
I did fertilize it with "Thrive" here in Australia (5ml to a litre of water). BUT, if I remember correctly, I watered all over the plant. Could that have done it?????
Any help appreciated because it is such a beautiful plant when it is healthy.
Debi
Those look like what we call bedding begonias..............they are fine...........give the babies some water .........................they can't take our full sun in summer in zone 9 in south Texas.............we just put them where they get filtered light...............
I may have the wrong plant but I always say that annuals which a bedding begonia is loves to be watered overhead...................
Well rats, just lost all I typed in. One day I will learn to type it all in Word or Notepad first, then paste.
I would keep your plant where it was originally unless it starts showing signs of sunburn. I move mine indoors for winter and when I move them out in spring I have to provide shade so they can acclimate to their new environment. Some will inevitably burn due to no shade cover but they always recover nicely. I end up moving most to sunnier locations by the end of summer anyway. I firmly believe they enjoy more sun than most folks think. (I've seen them in full sun in Guatemala and Belize with no apparent damage). Ones in shade seem to be leggier and weaker than ones grown in brighter areas.
Watering always seems tricky. Too much all the time leads to rot while not enough will lead to wilt, collapse, and if prolonged - death. Usually a day of wilt will not cause any harm - a thorough watering usually perks them up again.
Fertilizing should be done with weak water soluble feedings (weekly or at every watering) or slow release (or both) during growing periods according to the experts. While outdoors I tried to spray a higher dose of water soluble fertilizer once a week on the leaves with very good results but I quit a month or so ago due to a total water ban so now they get bath/dish water just to keep them going. It's time to give them a rest anyway.
For insurance, you should cut the leggy stems and root those. This should encourage the remainder to send up some new growth.
Are we really going to try and make anyone who has traveled believe that the heat of 106 in south Texas equates to the gorgeous weather in Belize or any of the Central American countries of the world............I just checked.........until two days ago we were nearing 100 degrees in October...........it is now 74 in Belize tonight........
Why do Americans travel to the south.............(unless you go to the mountains of Mexico) the climate is ideal year round..............their summers must get up to 85 degrees sometimes...............that is called the "off season" for travelers....................
My family travels to Mexico, Costa Rica and all points south for their incredible beaches and weather...............all the flowers year round are breathtaking..............most of the family is spending two weeks in Cabo San Lucas for Christmas..........weather will be in the mid 70's with cooler nights.............
Here it will be rainy , dark and damp..................
hcmcdole,
That was some fantastic post!
You had me from the beginning and such good, understandable, and informative!
When cutting the long stems off, do you just put them straight in the soil, or would you let it calouse over?
Great Post, I am happy that it is not a sick planty............
Debi
Degarotty................sorry I was negative!!!!!!!
And a sincere apology to you, hmcole.............it is just so darn hot 4 months out of the year here that begonias have to be kept in the shade.............they look great right now as the temps are dropping............
This message was edited Oct 25, 2007 6:38 AM
gessie, iknow what you mean about the heat and begonias. had to bring some of mine in, others went under the shade tree
Debi,
I would water root any stems you cut off but you could stick them in a moistened medium as well (I've had limited success with different mediums - others report very good success so the idea is go ahead and experiment, but I have had very good success with water rooting). One method I just read about in The Begonian is to put your cuttings on a moistened paper towel in a "sweat box". I am trying that on a leaf in a ziploc baggie to see how well it works. I have tried the paper towel method in the past for seeds which does work but then trying to extract the roots out of the paper towel is aggravating.
hcmcdole (LOL)..............I am waiting for you to accept my apology?????????
Gessie,
I don't know your growing conditions and only you know what is best for your plants in your area. So take my comments with a grain of salt.
As for Belize and Guatemala I only report on what I have seen. If it is 90 in Feb, then I cannot imagine what it must be like in the heat of summer. I was surprised to see a dusty, miles long road that was lined on both sides with some species of begonia (one side was in full sun while the other was in shade as we rode by) plus seeing some other small species clinging to the face of limestone slabs (talk about epiphytic). One house had several different types of begonias in a side yard in Guatemala. It was in full sun when we were there but it may have been in full shade later on in the day (I don't know since we were only there for 15 minutes or so). I've seen very large begonias in full sun in Miami but maybe they provide shade later on in the summer (I don't know since I don't live there).
Anyway, don't shoot the messenger.
For some reason, I envy the cool nights that Florida, Mexico , California and Central America get at night.............just enough cool to keep flowers blooming year around.................
My flowers only picked up in looks the past few days..........with a high of only 85 and 87 and nights in the 50's.............what great temps for us................it won't last but a week the weatherman said though.................
hcmcdole,
As you said, explore and experiment with the different ways and in turn learn more!
As I said before, Great Post..................
Debi
Debi,
Something to be said about experimentation. What works for one may not work for another - so try something new.
Again referring to The Begonian here is a small quote about growers which I thought was kind of cute:
Here Here!!!!!
Great Stuff,
Debi
LOL Butch, I love that! You made me look for my Begonian and it was right on my desk in front of me. My husband must have put just put it there. I have never taken one out of the envelope. This one I will read! It has a great leaf on the cover.
