Rex Begonia Guide: How to Grow & Care for "Begonia rex-cultorum" By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Begonia tubers increase in size each year and after three years or so, the flower display will begin to deteriorate. Nothing should go to waste. They frequently have large leaves (up to 6 inches long) that are brightly colored in various shades of green, red, silver, and even purple. Why are the leaves on my Begonia rex fading? These cuts (and the stem cut) are where the new plantlets will form. Cut a healthy leaf. How to Propagate Begonias | HGTV Can You Grow Begonia Rex From A Cutting? - Study Nature The problem is that a rex begonia with some leaves bitten off is really a disaster on the gardening front. The begonia foliage should be trimmed back, and the tubers can be dried and stored in a cool, dry location through winter, just as canna or dahlia bulbs are stored. Flip the begonia leaf over and use your knife to make a 12-inch cut across five or six of the main veins. Let me show you the secret to propagating rex begonias from leaf cuttings. However, if you have over-fertilized your begonia, it may seize the opportunity to really get going, shooting up and becoming leggy. Keep your leaf cutting near 70 degrees and give it plenty of humidity. When it comes to fast-draining soil, porous soil works the best. This is it! You should fertilize your winter-blooming plants with a high-phosphorus, water-soluble fertilizer that contains little or no nitrogen. The best way to thicken the stem of your begonia is to simply wait. How to Water Houseplants It drains well while retaining a good amount of moisture, and the slow but steady decomposition of the moss provides a consistent amount of nutrition. These elegant plants arent hard to propagate. They should always be your last resort because they contain chemicals that can harm the environment. The petiole is the stalk that attaches the leaf blade to the plant stem. Find out how, in our step-by-step guide. Keep in mind youll want to use distilled water for this plant. The most common affliction from too much direct sunlight is the scorching of leaves. Gently transplant the babies into 3-inch pots. Finally, pinch back stray leaves on a regular basis to keep your begonia lush. Fertilize your begonia no more than once a month during the growing season for best results. Divide a Rex begonia when it begins to outgrow its pot or once the plant is at least three years old if you want to add more begonias to your houseplant collection. Powdery mildew is a pain to get rid of, but its possible with a lot of effort. Plantophiles.com is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to affiliates. Begonia Rex- Insightful Care Guide to Make Painted-Leaf Begonia Happy Have a lovely tuberous begonia who has been blooming well since August but is leggy now in December. Make a hole in your planting medium with a dibble stick (or if you're like me, use that pencil sitting on the counter) and insert your stem into the hole. Deer will eat the former and turn up their noses with the latter. Above: Moist soil, happy begonia. Gently remove the begonia from its container and immediately transplant it into the new medium. 1. Examine your growing environment and choose a location for your newly trimmed begonia that receives more light than its previous location. Advice on chopping top half do you have to cut where - Reddit Begonias easily form new roots in water, and some indoor plant enthusiasts simply replant the rooted cutting with the parent plant, resulting in dense arrangements that give the appearance of a larger, thriving begonia. Porous soil allows excess water to drain instead of holding onto all that unneeded water. Cissus discolor Care and Propagation - Rex Begonia Vine Fibrous rooted and rhizomatous begonias do not die back once a year like tuberous begonias. . Please note the tuber I split here in the images is nowhere large enough to need splitting but it is all I had on hand to demonstrate with! Plant growth is costly and necessitates the use of nutrients. % of people told us that this article helped them. Rex begonias are not only lovely and graceful, but they are also very simple to cultivate from leaf cuttings. How to Propagate Begonia Rex in Water by using a single leaf | plant Propagating Experiments. Take a transparent bottle half filled with water. Ingestions may lead to vomiting, kidney failure in grazing animals, and salvation in cats and dogs. Theyre tiny and hard to detect. Its a great way to get your begonia bushing out instead of legging it upwards. Unlike other types of legginess, this is not caused by excessive growth. The bright side is if you find an infestation early, its easy to get rid of. The biggest plant disease you want to avoid from over-watering is root rot. If you must use soils in your growing medium for any reason, make sure there is plenty of organic material scattered throughout to allow for proper drainage. This plant pot should have drainage holes on the bottom. I just call them all fancy-leaf begonias, but they divide into several structural groups: Fibrous-rooted ones have cane-like stems and often wing-like leaves. Painted-Leaf Begonia Plant Care: How to Grow Rex Begonia 1. Replace any fluids lost during pruning by giving your plant a good drink and returning it to its original location to recover. Then, to keep the cuts in contact with the mix, start pushing T-pins through the leaf into the soil. Very good article. Mixing plants in a small indoor pot is not recommended in general, but when it is literally parts of the same plant, you can avoid the pitfalls of over-planting your pot. You'll notice if the leaves of your lovely rex begonia begin to wilt, which is one of its most common problems. It can harm or even kill your plant. Once fall hits, the plant goes dormant. They assume that the plant needs more water. The original leaf probably will have torn apart and may have even disintegrated. Make sure the sun or artificial light isnt shining right on the plant. And some are smooth, some fuzzy. Get the plant pot ready. Grows up to 10-12 in. Ideal daytime temperatures are around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, nighttime temperatures around 60 degrees, and a constant humidity level around 50 percent. Plant with the flat or concave section of the root facing up. Dip each piece into hormone rooting powder and shake off the excess. Rex begonias make excellent house plants, and are easy to divide so you can gift them to friends. Water Rex begonias require regular water, but be careful not to overwater them. This article was last updated on 12/27/21 The first thing you do is to dig up your Rex Begonia plant. Begonias are prone to fungal infections, and bleach kills any lurkers. So what are you waiting for? You could also put your leaf cuttings in an east window as long as the temperature stays consistently warm. Your plant cannot photosynthesize and produce food if it is not exposed to light. Or pink with silver edges. While this may appear barbaric, it will prompt your blushing beauty to produce not one, but two new sprouts from the trimmed tip. As a result, you might find that the same crosses have different names in different garden centers. Bright indirect sunlight, and can tolerate direct sunlight too. Place the cutting at a 45-degree angle in a fresh pot of peat moss and perlite. It should be getting bright indirect light. Appearance. There are three types of begonia propagation: stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, and division. This stops any plant disease from spreading. The leaves are narrow and spotted white. - . Rex begonias require high humidity and heavy fertilization during the growing period. The plant needs more light, but not intense light. To water propagate your Begonia, all you have to do is partially submerge the stem in water, leaving the leaves sticking out. I changed the water ones a week.Rubber plant propagation PART Ihttps://youtu.be/yXjvCQt5K0sRubber plant propagation PART IIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBx3UjgMHPQ\u0026t=3sMonstera propagation https://youtu.be/Oa2Bdz14vJMInstagram https://instagram.com/lushgarden.lak?igshid=1awg76y1j643hThanks for clicking and I hope you've enjoyed this video!Stay tune for further updates. Use a well-draining soil mix to care for Begonia rex and provide bright indirect light. Brush off the excess soil and inspect the rhizome to find the buds. long stem cutting from a healthy Begonia Rex. Rex-cultorum begonias can be propagated in three ways, based on their type: by softwood cuttings, by leaf cuttings, or by dividing the rhizomes in summer. Post #8301529 Quote CindyMzone5 Hobart, IN Jan 10, 2011 Should I try to evenly divide the roots so that all of the clumps have some roots? 2 Let the soil surface become dry to the touch before watering. They thrive on humidity but be careful if misting leaves that they don't stay too wet and encourage powdery mildew. Don't water the leaves, only the soil to avoid fungal disease issues. To be cautious, I always rinse all my supplies (and my hands) in a solution of 1 teaspoon bleach to 1 quart of water. It needs bright, but indirect sunlight and the soil should always be slightly moist. An older begonia may become leggy as the leaves on its older stems fall off. The temperature should be between 65-75F (18-24C). You should only fertilize this plant during the growing season when new growth emerges. How to divide rex begonias - removing old leaves Step 2 Divide the plant by prising the root ball apart from the top, being careful to keep buds on each section. It takes about 1,000,000 begonia seeds to make up 1 ounce, with each seed weighing about 28 micrograms. Plantophiles 2023 |UpVision GmbH | Privacy Policy | About us, Common Problems with the Begonia Rex (Pests and Diseases), Your Begonia Rex has Crispy Leaves or is Losing Leaves, Your Begonia Rex has Silver or Grey Spores, Your Begonia Rex has a White Powdery Substance. . 50%. Gather the items on the "Materials & Tools" list above. Insert the garden fork about 6 inches from the plant so the roots won't be damaged by the fork. Garden Guides | How to Divide Wax Begonias Pin into place with wire. They bloom in several colors, including pink, orange, and red. Begonia 'Escargot' (Rex Begonia) - Gardenia.net How to Divide Bearded Irises. For a previously leggy plant, a good all-purpose balanced liquid fertilizer is ideal. The original Rex Begonia had dark leaves with wonderful silver designs. I mist mine daily and water the soil once a week. External Information Resources (NCBI . To get rid of an infestation naturally, you should try neem oil. Lopping your begonias over-extended stems and pinching out its errant growth, as drastic as it may appear, is the most effective way to bring that growth back under control. All rights reserved. If you have a heat mat for seedlings, that will help the begonia leaf cuttings get off to a faster start. Divide the leaf into sections about 2cm long, each with . Step 4: Pin the rex begonia leaf into seed-starting mix Turn the begonia leaf back over and press it into the seed-starting mix. Male and female flowers are borne separately on the same plant, the male . A Begonia rex fools many plant lovers with dry leaves. Let the soil dry between waterings and avoid overwatering as it may cause fungal diseases or rot. Rex begonias are rhizomatous plants that grow from a, When the rhizome begins to butt up against the sides of the pot, however, it's time to. Flip the begonia leaf over and make a -inch cut across five or six of the largest veins with your knife. At night, the temperature should never drop below 60F (16C). High humidity isnt necessary for a Rex begonia. When the water evaporates, it creates moisture in the air. What if I told you that you could propagate a bunch of beautiful rex begonias for almost nothing? Make sure the water isnt running full blast. I am going to walk you through how to propagate Begonia using root division and through leaf cuttings. It can be a tattered, older leaf, but on the underside, the main veins should be plump and undamaged. How to Divide 45 Favorite Perennials Its beautiful leaves are sensitive to direct sunlight. Gather the items on the "Materials & Tools" list above. Step 1: Gather your materials for propagating rex begonias. I mist mine daily and water the soil once a week. This is an easy method, and it doesnt cost much. Painted-leaf begonia can be propagated in different ways, including: Leaf cuttings; Stem cuttings; Dividing the rhizome; Of the three, the most common is leaf cutting because it requires less work to set up. Its a natural oil and isnt known to harm many plants. Cover the whole cutting and pot with a plastic bag to help maintain the proper moisture levels needed for a begonia. Begonia rhizomes are sensitive to soggy soil or overwatering and may rot. Use as many as you need to hold the leaf flat. Rex begonias can also be propagated by pinning a leaf to the bedding mix and making small incisions in the leaf veins or by inserting a leaf (with a petiole) directly into the soil. They are resilient and thrive under that level of pruning. These flowers have a slight resemblance to roses. How to propagate Rex Begonia in water? This causes begonias, particularly cane varieties such as the popular Polka Dot or Angel Wing varieties, to grow tall and lean, with few leaves along the stems. How to propagate Begonia Rex from stem cuttings Take 4-6 in. This means it wont absorb the fertilizer. Its both economical and satisfying to watch your sad, leggy begonia transform into a thriving swarm of new plants. The water will evaporate over time, keeping humidity in the air at all times. Taxon 67(2): 267-323. Fill containers with fine-textured potting mix and moisten it. When it comes to repotting, your choice of potting medium is critical. How to divide rex begonias | Propagating plants, Begonia, Plants The Rex begonia is a rhizomatous plant with stems creeping on the surface. Here are some tips for the most common plant problems youll encounter. Because rhizomes have shallow roots, a shallow pot will do. It contains soluble calcium oxalates. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. There are several ways to create humidity for any indoor plant. But doing this can mean accidentally over-watering your plant, which makes using fast-draining soil super important. Allow the soil to dry out a little between waterings. A systemic fungicide can help. The rex begonia is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Its not uncommon for a clipped cane to produce two new shoots, resulting in an overall thicker and bushier plant. It's available in various colors. A brief period of unusual warmth will inspire your begonia to make the most of the summery conditions, resulting in a leggy plant. How to Divide Rex Begonias - BBC Gardeners World Magazine If you have a heat mat for seedlings, that will help the begonia leaf cuttings get off to a faster start. Repot in spring when the rhizome outgrows the pot. Rex begonia can be difficult to grow because of its need for high humidity. Begonia rex is toxic to pets such as cats, dogs, and horses, according to ASCPA. Cut the stem off all the way back to the base of the leaf. When an infestation is too big for you to handle, consider pesticides. Garden Guides | Care of Rex Begonias