Growing Bauer's begonias at home
Bauer's decorative leaf begonia (Begonia bowerae) is a successful result of many years of breeding work. It is appreciated for the unusual color of the leaves - the variety of patterns and colors allows you to collect a whole collection. When bringing this flower into the house, it should be remembered that the decorativeness of begonia preserves only under certain conditions, which are not difficult to create in an apartment. It needs regular care, and every few years it is necessary to rejuvenate.
Description of begonia
Bauer's begonia is a small bush, the height of which does not exceed 25-30 cm. The rhizome is creeping, and in an adult plant its part protrudes strongly above the soil. There is no stem, a leaf immediately grows from the root on a long thin petiole. The petioles are covered with sparse hairs, which can be either light or reddish or brownish. Under the weight of the leaves, the petioles deviate downward, and the leaves hang beautifully on the sides of the container, hiding it. Because of this, Bauer's indoor begonia can be grown at home as an ampelous plant.
The leaves are varied in pattern. They can be strewn with spots, unusual streaks can stand out, sometimes there is a border along the contour of the leaf. Because of this, Bauer's begonia is familiar to many under the name "tiger begonia". The leaves are small, they can be either regular in shape or slightly asymmetrical. The shape of the leaf plate is rounded, in the form of a heart, or with a jagged edge. The colors are contrasting, but with the wrong lighting, the leaves fade or darken, and the pattern is smoothed.
Begonia growing in bright light blooms every year. Its flowers are not as attractive as the foliage. Many growers break off the buds that have not yet blossomed, so that after flowering the plant does not weaken.
Conditions for growing begonias
Begonia should not be grown in the shade or in full sun. Under intense sunlight, foliage loses contrast, sometimes the pattern can disappear altogether. In a dark place in the apartment, the leaves become faded and sometimes fall off. The most suitable place is southeast or southwest windows. You can place begonia on the south window, but you will have to shade it from the sun's rays. In the summer, the plant can be placed at a distance of about 1 meter from the southern window or taken out to the loggia, where there is no bright sun at noon.
Begonia loves warmth, temperatures below 20 ° C are undesirable for her. In this case, the humidity should be high. This should be especially closely monitored in hot weather in summer and in winter when the heating system is operating. Dry hot air can kill a plant in a few days.
Watering should be frequent, but excess water is unacceptable. Water only when the topsoil in the bowl dries up. There is no need to wait until the soil is very dry.
Care
Caring for begonia is not difficult, but it should be done regularly.
Care components:
- watering;
- top dressing;
- maintaining the required temperature and humidity;
- rejuvenation.
Pour with settled water, its temperature should not be lower than room temperature. Water is poured onto the soil, making sure that it does not fall on the leaves. Spraying is not carried out, even if the air in the room is dry - begonia does not like this.
Top dressing is carried out in spring and summer. For this, a complex mineral fertilizer is used. Breeding rules and the frequency of fertilizing should be spelled out in the fertilizer instructions.
For Bauer's begonias, it is important that the temperature does not drop below 18-19 ° C.She tolerates high temperatures well, but only with sufficient humidity and more frequent watering. In summer and winter, when the air becomes dry in room conditions, the bowl is placed on a pallet, into which expanded clay or pebbles are poured. Water is poured into the pan so that the stones are almost completely covered, but the water did not reach the bottom of the bowl.
Begonia rejuvenation
Begonia rejuvenation is carried out every two to three years. The root system of this plant is superficial, and over time it is almost completely bare. At the same time, the leaves become smaller, they are rarely located - decorativeness is lost. To prevent this, it is necessary to carry out a transplant.
- Choose a low and wide bowl.
- A small drainage layer is poured at the bottom.
- The soil is prepared loose and nutritious.
- The plant is removed from the old pot and cut so that the upper part of the roots with leaves remains.
- The roots are buried in the ground so that the point of growth of the leaves is at the level of the soil;
- Abundant watering is carried out.
- To reduce evaporation of moisture, a transparent bag is put on the dish, in which holes are made for ventilation.
- Airing is carried out periodically.
- The bag is removed when new leaves begin to appear.
Advice
When transplanting, leave 3 cm between the edge of the sides and the soil. In the future, when the roots begin to bare, the earth can be poured and thereby postpone the rejuvenation procedure for 1-2 years.
How to propagate Brower's begonia?
It is not difficult to propagate begonia if you divide the bush into several parts during the rejuvenation procedure. Each part is transplanted into a separate bowl and kept under the bag until rooting. Before planting in the soil, the root is placed in a solution of a root growth stimulator for 1-2 minutes.
To replenish the collection with an unusual variety, the question sometimes arises: how to propagate begonia without damaging the mother plant? In this case, the leaf cutting is rooted. This is best done in spring, in the second half of summer or early autumn.
For reproduction at home, you need to take a medium-sized leaf, with a petiole of at least 5 cm. The soil mixture is needed light, you can prepare it yourself: add the same amount of sand and peat to 1 part of ordinary leaf or sod land. The soil must be moist. The shank is buried in half and covered with a bag. Ventilate daily, and water only when necessary. Rooting is best done in cool conditions, at a temperature of 17-19 ° C. The term is 1-1.5 months.
Pests and diseases
Begonia can become ill or be attacked by pests only if it was kept in unsuitable conditions (too dry air, waterlogged soil) or when infected from diseased plants.
Of the pests, aphids or mealybugs (felt) are most often found. If the damage by pests is insignificant, then you can use green soap or a biological product "Fitoverm" to combat them.
You can apply an infusion of calendula, tobacco dust or ash.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of calendula into a glass of boiling water, filter and spray in a day.
- For 1 glass of water, take ½ teaspoon of tobacco dust, boil over low heat for 30 minutes. Cool, filter and dilute with water in a ratio of 1: 3.
- 1 teaspoon of wood ash with a slide is poured with a glass of hot water and insisted for 2-3 days. Spray after straining.
In case of mass defeat, the best means of control is treatment with chemical insecticides. It is carried out in two stages with an interval of 10-14 days.
Begonia can die due to root rot. The cause of this disease is excessive or too frequent watering. At the initial stage, the plant can be saved - the air humidity is slightly reduced, and the soil is allowed to dry out for several days between waterings. Water only with warm water in moderation. It is desirable to increase the air temperature. In such a quarantine, the plant should be until complete recovery.
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