Ornamental plants of the genus Begonia belong to the Begonia family. They are annual, perennial herbaceous shrubs and shrubs. Distribution area South America and India, Eastern Himalayas, Malay archipelago, Sri Lanka island. Africa is considered the homeland.
Haitian Governor Michel Begon, who organized and sponsored research on the Caribbean islands in the 17th century, became the prototype of the name of this genus. In total there are 1600 varieties of begonias.
Description of begonia
The roots of the plants are creeping, ossiform and tubers. The sheets are asymmetric, simple or dissected, with a wave or teeth along the edges. They are decorative because of their color, from simple rich green to burgundy with various geometric patterns. Some varieties are covered with a small fluff.
Flowers of various colors (except for blue shades) can be small and large, same-sex, monoecious. Fruits are small boxes with seeds. Begonia blooms in summer and autumn. Homework can please until the new year.
Types of begonia
Plants of this genus are divided into types.
Decorative foliage
This group has no stems, the leaves grow directly from the roots and, due to their unusual nature, are decorative.
Most Popular:
| View | Description Flowers | Leaves |
| Royal (Rex) | About 40 cm. Small, pink, to stimulate the growth of foliage must be removed. | Length up to 30 cm. Forms of a red, pink, purple heart with a serrated silver or greenish border. |
| Masoniana (Mason) | No more than 30 cm. Small, light beige. | About 20 cm. A light green heart, in the middle of which a dark Maltese cross, grow on burgundy legs. |
| Metallica (metal) | Branching, grows to 1.5 m. Pink. | Length 15 cm. Dissected, serrated, reddish veins stand out against a dark green background with a silver tint. |
| Laminate | Height - 40 cm. White, pink. | Up to 20 cm. Lighter veins, rounded, cut against a dark green background, resemble hogweed. |
| Cuff (collar) | Reaches 1 m. Creeping. At a high 60 cm peduncle bright pink. | Diameter 30 cm. Light green with serrated edges on cuttings long with a red edge. |
| Brindle (Bauer) | Small 25 cm. Shallow whites. | About 20 cm. Toothed with a white fluff at the ends, green-brown with light spots that give them a tiger color. |
| Cleopatra | Height - rarely 50 cm. White-pink, spectacular. | They look like maple, the upper side is olive, the lower side is burgundy, grow on fleshy long cuttings covered with light hairs. |
| Leafy | Grows to 40 cm. Pinkish small. | Located on short thick legs, bright green on top and burgundy on the bottom. |
Shrubby
Shrub begonias grow up to 2 m, consist of lateral processes with branched stems resembling bamboo.
Leaves and flowers of various shapes and colors. Flowering can last year round. Most often, the following are bred in room conditions.
| View | Description | Leaves | Flowers |
| Coral | Erect, with bare stems, reaches 1 m. | Oblong, reminiscent of an egg. Colors of lush grass with small silver spots. | Bright pink simple, small. |
| Fuchsiform | High highly branching branches growing up to 1 m. | Small oval, deep green, shiny. | Pink red hanging down. |
Tuberous
Begonias of this species have a tuberous root system, stems 20-80 cm and a variety of flowers.
There are grassy, shrubby and ampelous plants. Bloom continuously from late spring to mid-autumn.
| View | Varieties | Description | Leaves | Flowers | |
| Upright | Picoti Harlequin | Small, no more than 25 cm. | Wavy, green. | Terry, 12 cm in diameter, yellow with a bright border. | |
| Bud de rose | Miniature, about 25 cm. | Toothed, grassy hue. | Large (18 cm). Pale pink resembling a rose. | ||
| Duck red | Low, 16 cm. | Oval with small teeth, green. | Terry scarlet with a diameter of 10 cm, similar to a peony. | ||
| Crispa Marginata | Small, does not exceed 15 cm. | Emerald with a purple border. | Delicate, wavy, white or yellow with a pink border and a yellow middle. | ||
| Ampelic * | Roxsana | Long, drooping stems. | Toothed, green. | Orange | |
| Kristy | White. | ||||
| Girl (Girl) | Pale pink. | ||||
| Bolivian * | Santa Cruz Sunset F1 | It grows up to 30 cm, then begins to cascade down. | Oblong small. | Red color. | |
| Copacabana F1 | Bell-shaped scarlet. | ||||
| Bossa Nova F1 | Fuchsia from white to red. | ||||
* Relate to ampel.
Blooming
The group includes beautifully blooming begonias.
| View | Varieties | Leaves | Flowers |
| Forever blooming It blooms all summer. | Baby Wing | Green or bronze. | Plain or variegated of various colors. |
| Ambassador | Original, dark green with a red stripe around the edge. | Different shades, simple. | |
| Cocktail | Brick colors. | Plain pink with a yellow middle. | |
| Eliator Year-round flowering. | High (Louise, Renaissance) | Small grassy, glossy top, matt bottom and lighter. | Scarlet, pink, orange terry. |
| Medium (Annebel, Kuoto) | |||
| Low (Scharlach, Piccora) | |||
| Gluard de Lorrain. Winter flowering. | Competitor | Rounded, shiny lime, red spot at the base. | Drooping, pink. |
| Marina | |||
| Rosemary |
Home begonia care at home
Begonia is an unpretentious plant, but nevertheless, with its content, adhere to certain recommendations.
| Factor | Spring Summer | Autumn winter |
| Location / Lighting | Windows in the east, southeast, northwest, west. He does not like drafts and direct rays of the sun. | |
| Temperature | + 22 ... +25 ° C | + 15 ... +18 ° C |
| Humidity | Constant about 60%. Support by placing a container of water or a humidifier next to the plant. | |
| Watering | Abundant. | Moderate. (they do not water the tuber, they put it in storage). |
| When drying the upper soil by 1-2 cm. Do not allow stagnation of moisture in the pallet. Water is used at room temperature. | ||
| The soil | Composition: sheet land, sand, chernozem, peat (2: 1: 1: 1). | |
| Top dressing | 2 times a month with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers for flowering begonias. For deciduous species with a high nitrogen content, to improve foliage growth and slow flowering. Before that, they watered. Organic matter can be added (liquid manure 1: 5). | Need not. |
Features of planting and transplanting begonias
Every spring, the stored begonia tubers must be planted in a new container.
For species with a branched and fibrous root system, transplantation is needed as it grows.
- The pot is taken ceramic, 3-4 cm more than the roots of the flower. At the bottom lay 1/3 of the drainage, pour a little substrate.
- When transplanting, the plant is removed from the old container, carefully released from the soil (lowered into a light solution of potassium permanganate).
- If there is damage, they are cut off.
- They are placed in a new soil, sprinkled with earth not to the brim, they add up when the roots are slightly dry.
- Quite often watered, but adhere to the recommendations.
- Do not expose to the sun, adaptation is necessary.
- At this time, undercut to form a new crown.
Features wintering tuber begonia
When growing tuber begonia at home, preparation for wintering is relevant for it, in contrast to other types of plants. It consists of the following activities:
- In October, the remaining leaves are cut off on the flower, placed in a cool dark place.
- After 2 weeks, when the entire aboveground part dies, they dig up tubers.
- They are stored in a dark, dry, cool room (not lower than + 10 ° C) in boxes or containers with sand.
Begonia propagation methods
Begonia is propagated in the spring by several methods:
- cuttings;
- separation of a part of a bush or tuber;
- seedlings grown from seeds.
Cuttings
Prepare the soil mixture: sand, peat (3: 1). As a stalk take a shoot of at least 10 cm or a large leaf. In the first case, freshly cut planting material is placed in a moistened substrate and placed in a darkened room. Rooting lasts 1-2 months. In the second, the leaf is placed in the ground with a petiole, preventing the leaf plate from touching the ground. The container is also cleaned in place without lighting.
Seminal
This process begins in December:
- Prepare the soil (sand, peat, sheet land 1: 1: 2), pour it into a fairly wide container.
- Seeds are distributed and slightly pressed into the ground.
- After 10 days, when sprouts appear, they are dived.
Division of a bush or tuber
Bush begonias propagate, separating the overgrown parts of the plant. The roots of the flower with a bud and a sprout are separated from the mother, the dried leaves and flowers are removed, the damaged areas are treated with activated carbon. Planted in new containers, watered.
In the spring, tubers are pulled out, divided into parts on which roots and buds remain. The cut places are treated with coal and planted in a pot with peat, leaving part of the tuber above the surface. Water and monitor its constant hydration.
Diseases, pests of begonia
Failure to comply with the recommendations for the maintenance of the plant can lead to undesirable consequences.
| Manifestation | Cause | Remedy |
| Decay of the leaves and trunk. | Fungal disease - powdery mildew due to waterlogging. | Remove diseased leaves. Reduce watering. |
| Lack of flowering. | Lack of lighting, low humidity, temperature difference, draft, excess fertilizer. | Do not make mistakes in leaving. |
| Falling buds. | Violation of the irrigation regime, excess or lack of light, fertilizers. | Follow the recommendations for the content of begonias. |
| Yellowing leaves. | Low humidity, soil depletion, pests in the roots. | Change the substrate, after soaking the plant in a solution of potassium permanganate. |
| Blackening. | Moisture on leaves and stems. | Be careful when watering, do not spray. |
| Stretching plants, blanching foliage. | Lack of lighting and power. | They feed, take out to a brighter place. |
| Leaf twisting, drilling and brittleness. | Too high temperature or lack of moisture. | Rearrange in a shaded place, watered. |
| The appearance of mold. | Low temperature, high humidity. Defeat gray rot. | Damaged parts are removed, treated with fungicide (Fitosporin). |
| The tips turn brown. | Lack of moisture. | Comply with watering rules. Provide the necessary humidity. |
| The appearance of insects. | Red spider mite. | They are treated with insecticides (Actara). |
