No luck propagating

I'd really like to propagate from this plant but my attempts have failed w/leaves(cutting nicks in veins and weighing down on top of potting mix). I've seen webpages where they cut up leaves and put them in baggies of damp vermucilite but I haven't tried that yet. There's a pretty dood size side plant that has sprouted but I don't want to remove it because I want the pot to be full and lush.

I've had little plants sprout on their own on top of a mother leaf still attacked to plant but they never survive the removal and potting up.

This is classified as a rhizomatous begonia but it has never made the long rhizomes like my Beefsteak and Tiger Kitten which I have great success propagating from rhizome cuttings. Maybe I'm not holding my tongue just right*S*

Peggy

I've never had luck with weighing down a leaf either - it usually ends up rotting. A lot of it depends on the variety of the plant (thin leaf, thick leaf, etc) and the age of the leaf. I cut the major veins in 'Challenger' and 'Plum Gorgeous' for instance and lay on a bed of moist perlite and most of the cuts have rooted and sprouted new plants. But if I lay down a leaf of barsalouxiae, it just rots away. So if you try this again, don't put a weight on top of the leaf, just lay it on top of a good potting medium and let the leaf root or rot. Cover with a humidity lid for best results.

As for little plants sprouting on top of the mother leaf, this should be a lot easier to start. Make sure you cover with some kind of clear plastic to keep the humidity high while the leaf is putting down roots.

Your plant in the picture is similar to 'Kit Jeans Mounger' and I have a couple of leaves of it stuck in a tray of moist perlite. Both have rooted but no new plants yet.

Picture of Challenger leaf with several plantlets.

Peggy, I'm no good at rooting lvs either. I used to have more success, taking a leaf stem or regular stem cutting, placing it in a small containerof water. I would cover the top of the cup, glass with tinfoil, punching a hole inthe top just large enough to stick the stem thru making sure it's down in the water.We used to do African violets this way to root em.  Change the water fairly oftenso it doesn't get nasty.  In a couple of weeks, you could have roots and a tiny baby plant growing on the rooted stem. Let it get larger, then pot it up. Don't cut off the oldstem part until your baby Begonia is looking healthy and growing well.
Something different for you to try.
Peggy, it's been so long since I tried this, I can't remember if this is more difficult to
accomplish in the winter than in early spring/summer.

Jackie

Sorry Butch, I took so long trying to type my reply, didn't realize you had posted.

Like Jackie said - water rooting works well for most (but not all) leaves of begonias. I find the large leaf, succulent types are hard to root using water because they usually rot.

On another note, if you put a plastic cup or bag over your water rooting, then you don't need to change the water but do watch that it doesn't completey run dry (it should never dry out but it is a safe precaution to keep an eye on it). I've had water rooted leafs in a terrarium for months with no extra water and no ill effects.

Any new begonias to show us Jackie? I'm keeping most of my canes under lights this year and they are doing a lot better.

Butch, wish I had some new canes. I don't deserve any new ones since I've
just let mine go, no bigger pots etc. :-(
Glad to hear yours are doing well.
Please send us some pics, I know you have new ones. lol

Jackie, I picked up a few this summer at the Houston convention, Harmony Foliage, and around town. I've made it a goal to fix problems when I see them instead of putting them off. That includes cutting off bad leafs, spraying for mildew, and potting up or down any begonias that look like they need all the help I can give them.

Here is a group shot of one of my shelves starting with the tall one and going clockwise: valida, 'Selph's Mahogany', 'Esperanza', 'Abu Dhabi', and a moth eaten 'Boomer'.

Gorgeous leaves Butch. Love the valida with it's pebbled leaf surface.

I thought for a long time that the one I call Beefsteak was Selph's Mahogandy but picture I found didn't look like it. I call it Beefsteak as that's what it looks more like.


Here's some pieces of rhizomes I put down a few weeks ago. See if you can tell me if my id (Beefsteak)is correct. I have the mother plant but after I took the cuttings,I gave her a real good haircut.

I don't think I could root the "Wineuma" in water. The leaves are really suculent and probably would rot. I wish everything was as to root as the cane type. I generaly am overrun with pots of the cane begoinas because when I give them haircuts,I don't seem to be able to toss out the trimmings...LOL

This message was edited Dec 13, 2008 4:38 AM

It is possible that it may be 'Selph's Mahogany' but it is hard to tell at this stage. Typically Selph is a more erect rhizome whereas beefsteak is a horizontal or creeping rhizome. Selph has larger thicker leaves than beefsteak too. Selph has a rougher feel to the leaf surface where beefsteak is quite smooth. Beefsteak has rounder leaf edge where Selph can be notched. It looks like your rhizome is more erect than sprawling so it may be Selph or something else entirely.

Here is a closer look at a young plant I started from the mother plant this summer.

Hmmm? Think I'm going to have to stick to Beefsteak. My mother plant has a creeping fashion to it and leaves are completely round and smooth.

Here is my beefsteak (B. 'Erythrophylla' and B. 'Essie Hunt' is in there too but is smaller, lighter green and has a red spot at the umbo) about 3 years ago. I have since moved Essie out and the beefsteak is in the same pot doing okay.

mine is a dark green w/ burgundy reverse and what looks like red/burgundy hairs on leaf stem

Two of my favorites are 'Frosty Fairyland' and 'Erythrophylla Helix' (aka curly beefsteak). I wonder if 'Freddie' is in the same class - it can get huge.

Here is Helix.

I likey the curled sinus. My Wineuma does that a little in the summer.Use to have several w/ curled sinuses but I kilted them dead~~~~~~$:>{

LOL Peggy, me too.

I have better luck with the cane type. Looking Glass has always been a strong grower for me. I have another NOID that grows good and just this passed spring aquired cuttings of My Special Angel. Pink Charm is suppose to be more of an annual bedding plant but it grows well as a house plant for me. Tiger Kitten and the beefsteak has been the only rhizome types I have grow successfully. I had a few fancy leaf ones I got at Wallyworld....those are the ones I kilted dead.

I did wax begonia cuttings this year.. they worked really easy. I always take my cuttings after a rain. For some lame reason I have better luck with any cutting then.

I use the powdered root hormone and just keep them watered for a few days and gradually back off on them unless they look wilted.

Had great luck wit coleus cuttings this year

I was also able to get an endless summer blue hydrangea well rooted and ready for transplant!

But anyway, heres the mix of cuttings, begonias included.

What I have trouble with is doing impatiens cuttings and vinca...OY! Must be something in the water!

More wax begonias in an herb pot...

Has anyone tried rex begonias? I saw some at a greenhouse the other day and man, those are lovely plants.

Oh well......shaddup,Mz Smarty Pants...LOL. Nice looking tray of cuttings ya got thar gurly.

I finally kilted dead the Wineuma this spring.

LOL..
PROWD TA BEE A
2ND GRADE GRAD-GEE-ATE YANO!

SOZ, what next are ya gonna try ta kill?

I kilt 3.....no 4 impatiens Cong Cockatoo this spring too...and a calif native orchid ,some rosey pussytoes...and a WHOLE bunch of other stuff

wanna try and kill dees???
there is red, white and pink.. but I think the red is gone. Will have ta start more....it rained... snip snip, dip and whalah!

yeah, no reds for now...so whatcha think? I send you a few?

Here is da momma red, Red.

Sory bout da blurrrr.

da pank....

and da what!

Oh yeah and these...just got them in.. was looking for Rex but no luck there.. no cuttings yet though.. gimme time.

The color is a tad pale in this shot... they are much brighter.

Thanks for the offer but I just moved all the houseplants back inside and there's no more room on the light benches.

.............................besides I'm a serial killer

Oh RAY-yeD!

LOL

Yeller?!

patootie
*BSG*

BB,
stop showing off...LOL

Mixed up?

LOL! Well they aint rooted yet!

Peachy!

And looky what I found today. ...a Rex



Ok, I am begonia-ed out!

Amazed by the # of blooms on the peach. Beautiful color.

Jackie

until I butchered it....They are Reiger begonias...well hope I can get some starts growing and get the things that big for next season.....the cuttings survived a nite of 50 degree weather in my GPS and the mother Reiger plants are in my livingroom. I have never tried wintering begonias in the house. Its gonna be interesting what I get to surrive this time. If Red thinks she is a Serial killer... ooooh boy, I must be Charlie Manson of the plant world. LOL!

That yellow and red were huge too! I hated to chop them up in lil peices, but well, it was the cheapest way to get more. They were running about $5 per 4" pot!

That Rex was $6 and its a 3 inch pot.

The wax ones were easy starters, but they were started weeks ago and I have been bumping them up to larger pots already.

Im just wondering what I am gonna fertilize them with... Im thinking chicken poo tea. But wonder if that isnt gonna smell up my house. Course then cant be too much worst than the dog...?! The dog I am used too. LOL!

A former sister in law used to fertilize hers with egg shell tea.
When she cracked open the egg to cook breakfast, she would drop the shells in an old
pitcher and add water.
She let it set a day or two or three before she used it. I wonder how bad that smelled? LOL