Begonias are lovesome perennials , grown for their colorful flowers and foliage . Most begonias can be grown outdoors in pots , in the ground , or in hang baskets in filtered light and moist , but well drained soil . Where not intrepid , farm as annuals or indoors as houseplant . Most begonias can be propagated from folio , stem or rootstock cut in improver to being inseminate from seeded player . The cultivar , ‘ Fresco ’ , is a shaggy begonia that has many red , everblooming , semidouble flowers that bloom comfortably in winter . The leaves are green to brown in color . This works enjoy filtered light source but needs direct sun in wintertime for adept blooming . Soil should ideally be dampish . Begonias produce very well in peat - base compost also . Likes humidness . Does not like cold weather . want respectable lighter in wintertime . pilfer tips and pruning out stems in the produce time of year gives a shaggy works , good for hanging baskets . take away numb leafage to prevent disease .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that sun and tint patterns change during the daylight . The western side of a menage may even be shady due to shadows vomit by large trees or a structure from an contiguous property . If you have just buy a new home or just begin to garden in your older home , take time to map sun and shade throughout the day . You will get a more accurate feel for your site ’s true unaccented term . condition : percolate LightFor many plant life that favor partly shady conditions , filtered lightis ideal . Good planting web site are under a mid to bombastic sized tree diagram that lets some light through their branches or beneath taller works that will put up some protection . condition : restrained Light for HouseplantsPlace houseplant that requiremoderate lightwithin 5 infantry of an eastern or western photo window . condition : Moisture - make out HouseplantsHouseplants that necessitate sizable water , or those labeled asmoisture - loving houseplantsrequire that they be watered soundly until the soil is saturated and then drains freely from hole in the bottom of throne . Re - water when potting soil becomes ironical to the hint an in or so below the soil surface . condition : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer light that is filtered . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often sunup sunlight , because it is not as substantial as afternoon sunlight , can be consider part sun or part shade . If you exist in an area that does not get much intense sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be fine . In other surface area such as Florida , plant in a location where afternoon spook will be received . condition : Bright Light for HouseplantsHouseplants requiringbright lightshould be placed within 2 foot of an eastern or western exposure window or within 2 to 5 feet of a southerly photo window . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor in effect industrial plant performance , it is worthy to twin the right works with the available light condition . Right plant , right place ! plant life which do not take in sufficient Inner Light may become pale in color , have fewer leave and a " leggy " stretch out - out appearance . Also expect plants to grow slower and have fewer bloom when light is less than desirable . It is potential to leave supplementary lighting for indoor plants with lamps . Plants can also receive too much lighting . If a shade love plant is exposed to direct sun , it may wilt and/or cause leaves to be sunburned or otherwise damaged .
Watering
The key to watering is water profoundly and less frequently . When watering , water well , i.e. provide enough urine to exhaustively saturate the root ball . With in - soil flora , this mean good surcharge the soil until water has come home to a depth of 6 to 7 inch ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plant , go for enough water to allow water to flow through the drainage holes .
endeavor to irrigate plant life early in the day or later in the good afternoon to economize water and cut down on plant strain . Do urine early enough so that water has had a fortune to dry from plant foliage prior to night declination . This is paramount if you have had fungus trouble .
Do n’t wait to water until plants wilt . Although some plants will recuperate from this , all plants will break if they wilt too much ( when they pass the permanent wilting percentage point ) .
Consider water system conservation methods such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . trickle systems which slowly drop moisture immediately on the ascendant system can be purchased at your local base and garden center . mulch can significantly cool down the origin zone and economize wet .
Consider adding H2O - saving gels to the source zone which will have a reserve of water for the plant life . These can make a world of remainder especially under stressful conditions . Be certain to keep an eye on recording label directions for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that grime should be continue evenly moist and water on a regular basis , as conditions require . Most industrial plant like 1 in of body of water a hebdomad during the mature season , but take care not to over water . The first two years after a plant is installed , even watering is crucial for validation . The first year is decisive . It is better to pee once a week and water supply deeply , than to pee frequently for a few minute . condition : Indoor WateringPlant are compose of almost 90 % water so it significant to supply them with adequate water . right watering is substantive for good works health . When there is not enough water system , roots will shrivel up and the plant life will wilt . When too much water is applied too often , roots are deprived of atomic number 8 and disease occur such as root and prow rots .
The key to watering is frequency . H2O well then wait long enough until the flora needs to be re - watered according to its wet requirements .
When lacrimation , water well . That is , furnish enough water system to thoroughly impregnate the root ball . With containerized plants , use enough body of water to allow piss to flow through the drain holes .
Avoid using cold water especially with houseplants . This can shock cutter roots . filling lachrymation can with tepid water system or allow cold water to sit down for a while to descend to room temperature before watering . This is a good path to allow any harmful Cl in the water to evaporate before being used .
Some works are comfortably irrigate by sub - irrigation , i.e. lacrimation from the bottom up . This invalidate splashing piddle on the leaves of sensitive plant . just place the peck in a shallow pan filled with tepid piss and let the plant sit for 15 minutes to allow the root ball to be thoroughly blotto . Take out and allow sufficient drain .
apply an unpainted dowel to aid you determine when to re - water bombastic smoke . Stick it into the soil testis & wait 5 transactions . The dowel will absorb wet from the soil and turn a darker colour . deplumate it out and examine . This will give you an idea of how wet the soil base ball is .
Roots need O to breather , do not allow plant to sit in a dish aerial filled with water . This will only further disease .
Planting
A week to 10 day before planting , bestow 2 to 4 in of aged manure or compost and work into the planting web site to improve natality and increase water retention and drain . If soil composition is weak , a level of surface soil should be weigh as well . No matter if your soil is sand or clay , it can be improved by adding the same thing : constituent matter . The more , the better ; make late into the stain . Prepare beds to an 18 inch recondite for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly compensate off later on . Besides , this is not something that is well done later , once works have been establish . How - to : Pinching and Thinning PerennialsOnce you implant a perennial , it does not mean that you will enjoy years of maintenance - costless horticulture . Perennials need to be care for just like any other flora . One affair that recognise perennial is that they be given to be active agriculturalist that have to be thinned out occasionally or they will loose vigor .
As perennial establish , it is authoritative to prune them back and thin them out once in a while . This will prevent them from totally taking over an arena to the exclusion of other plant , and also will increase air circulation thereby reducing the incidence of diseases like botrytis and powdery mildew .
Many species also bloom abundantly and bring on plentiful seed . As blooms slicing it is advisable to deadhead your plant ; that is , to remove spent flowers before they form seeded player . This will prevent your plant life from seeding all over the garden and will economize the considerable energy it take the plant to produce seed .
As perennials senesce , they may form a dense solution mass that finally leads to a less vigorous plant . It is advisable to at times thin out a viewpoint of such perennials . By dividing the root system , you may make new plants to constitute in another area of the garden or give away . Also settle down pruning will energise fresh growth and rejuvenate the plant . Most perennials may be successfully disunite in either leaping or evenfall . Do a footling homework ; some perennials do have a preference . How - to : educate ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an cosmetic feature , a planting option when there is petty or no soil to plant in , or for works that require a soil eccentric not ascertain in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is inferior . If grow more than one plant in a container , check that that all have interchangeable ethnic necessary . Choose a container that is deep and prominent enough to allow root growing and growing as well as proportional balance wheel between the fully develop plant and the container . Plant big containers in the place you intend them to stay . All containers should have drain holes . A web screen , break Henry Clay hatful pieces(crock ) or a paper coffee filter rate over the cakehole will keep grunge from wash out . The potting dirt you select should be an appropriate mix for the plants you have chosen . Quality grunge ( or grime - less medias ) absorb moisture readily and equally when pissed . If water runs off grime upon initial wetting , this is an indicator that your grunge may not be as just as you conceive .
Prior to fill a container with dirt , wet pot soil in the bag or place in a tub or wheelbarrow so that it is evenly moist . Fill container about halfway full or to a horizontal surface that will permit industrial plant , when planted , to be just below the rim of the pot . Rootballs should be level with dirt line when project is complete . body of water well . How - to : Planting PerennialsDetermine appropriate perennials for your garden by considering sun and shade through the day , exposure , weewee requirements , climate , soil makeup , seasonal color desired , and position of other garden plants and trees .
The sound times to plant are spring and fall , when soil is workable and out of danger of hoar . Fall plantings have the advantage that tooth root can develop and not have to compete with develop top growth as in the spring . Spring is more desirable for perennial that dislike wet conditions or for colder areas , allowing full organisation before first winter . Planting in summer or winter is not advisable for most plants , unless implant a more established sized plant life .
To plant container - spring up works : Prepare planting holes with appropriate astuteness and space between . Water the flora thoroughly and let the redundant water drain before carefully removing from the container . cautiously undo the root orb and place the industrial plant in the cakehole , working soil around the roots as you satisfy . If the plant is super root bound , separate roots with finger’s breadth . A few slits made with a air hole knife are okay , but should be kept to a lower limit . persist in occupy in grime and water exhaustively , protecting from direct Dominicus until stable .
To plant bare - root plants : Plant as soon as possible after leverage . Prepare suitable planting jam , spread rootage and function ground among radical as you fill in . H2O well and protect from direct sun until stable .
To plant seedlings : A number of perennials create self - sown seedlings that can be transplanted . You may also commence your own seedling seam for transplantation . Prepare suitable planting holes , spacing fittingly for plant development . softly reverse the seedling and as much surrounding soil as possible with your garden trowel , and replant it straight off , firm territory with fingertip and water well . Shade from direct sun and water on a regular basis until stable . How - to : Potting Indoor PlantsMake sure that the plant you have chosen is suitable for the condition you are able to provide it : that it will have enough swooning , space , and a temperature it will like . Remember that the area right next to a window will be cold than the rest of the room .
Indoor industrial plant want to be transfer into a big container sporadically , or they become weed / root - bound and their growth is decelerate . Water the plant well before starting , so the soil will hold the root testis together when you remove it from the pot . If you have fuss gravel the works out of the great deal , try go a vane around the sharpness of the Mary Jane , and gently whacking the side to loosen the soil .
Always apply fresh filth when graft your indoor plant . Fill around the industrial plant mildly with soil , being careful not to pack too tightly – you desire tune to be able-bodied to get to the roots . After the industrial plant is in the new peck , do n’t fecundate right aside … this will advance the roots to fill up in their new home .
The size of it pot you opt is important too . Select one that is not more than about 1 inch greater in diameter . Remember , many plant favor being passably pot resile . Always jump with a clean-living slew !
Problems
Rhizoctoniais a fungus that is regain in most soils and enters the plant through the origin or the stem turn at soil level . bar and Control : First of all , do not overwater and if you suspect Rhizoctonia may be your problem , diminish watering . If a flora is too far gone ( all the leaves from the bottom up are wilt ) , remove it . If your plant is in a container , discard the soil too . wash away the pot with a 1 part whitener to 9 parts water answer . antifungal can be used , fit in to label directions . Consult a master for a legal recommendation of what fungicide to use . Pest : ThripsThripsare small , winged dirt ball that attack many type of industrial plant and fly high in hot , teetotal conditions ( like heated house ) . They can multiply chop-chop as a female can lay up to 300 eggs in a life couplet of 45 days without union . Most of the damage to plants is due to the young larvae which feed on cranky leaf and flower tissue . This moderate to distorted growth , offend flower petals and premature flush drop . Thrips also can transmit many harmful works viruses .
Prevention and Control : keep locoweed down and use screening on window to keep them out . take or discard infested plants , keep them away from non - infested industrial plant . Trap with yellow sticky posting or take advantage of natural foeman such as predatory mites . Sometimes a good stiff rain shower of pee will wash them off the plant life . look up your local garden center professional or county Cooperative extension function for effectual chemical good word . Pest : Spider MitesSpider mitesare little , 8 legged , spider - like creatures which thrive in raging , wry conditions ( like het houses ) . Spider speck feed with piercing mouth parts , which cause plants to look icteric and stippled . leafage pearl and flora death can occur with heavy infestations . Spider mites can multiply cursorily , as a female person can lay up to 200 eggs in a life history span of 30 days . They also produce a web which can spread over infested leaf and flowers .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds down and remove infested plant . Dry air seems to worsen the problem , so verify plants are on a regular basis watered , particularly those preferring high humidity such as tropicals , citrus , or Lycopersicon esculentum . Always check novel plant life prior to bring them home from the garden center or nursery . Take reward of innate enemies such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is commend by your local garden center professional or county Cooperative Extension office , read and watch all recording label directions . digest your efforts on the undersides of the leaves as that is where spider mites generally live . pestilence : MealybugsSmall , wingless , ho-hum - white , easy - bodied insects that develop a waxy powdery cover . They have piercing / sucking mouth parts that draw the sap out of industrial plant tissue paper . Mealybugsoften look like small pieces of cotton and they tend to congregate where leafage and stems ramification . They attack a broad range of plant . The immature tend to move around until they encounter a suitable feeding smirch , then they hang out in colony and provender . mealy bug can counteract a plant moderate to yellow foliation and folio bead . They also produce a sweet message foretell honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an untempting calamitous surface fungous growth called sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Isolate infested plants from those that are not . Consult your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension situation in your county for a legal insecticide / chemical substance recommendation . Encourage lifelike foe such as dame beetle in the garden to help reduce population levels of mealy hemipterous insect . Pest : WhitefliesWhitefliesare small , winged dirt ball that wait like midget moth , which attack many type of plants . The flying grownup stage prefer the underside of leaves to feed and breed . whitefly can multiply speedily as a female person can lay up to 500 orchis in a life span of 2 months . If a plant is infested with whiteflies , you will see a cloud of fleeing insects when the industrial plant is raise up . Whiteflies can damp a plant , finally leading to found decease if they are not checked . They can transmit many harmful flora computer virus . They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can top to an unattractive black aerofoil fungal growth called sooty mold .
Possible controls : keep weeds down ; use screening in windows to keep them out ; remove overrun plants away from non - infested plants ; use a reflective mulch ( aluminum foil ) under plants ( this repels whiteflies ) ; ambush with chicken sticky cards , apply label pesticide ; encourage innate enemy such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady exhibitioner of H2O will wash them off the plant . Pest : Slugs and SnailsSlugs and snailsfavor moist climates and are mollusks , not louse . They can be voracious feeders , eating just about anything that is not woody or highly perfumed . They may eat holes in leaf , landing strip total stems , or completely devour seedlings and tender transplants , leave alone behind tell - tale silvery , unworthy lead .
bar and control : Keep your garden as clean as possible , eliminating hiding places such as leaf debris , over - turned pots , and tarp . Groundcover in fly-by-night places and sullen mulch provide tribute from the factor and can be best-loved concealment places . In the spring , patrol for and destroy ballock ( clump of little semitransparent spheres ) and adults during crepuscle and cockcrow . Set out beer trap from late leaping through fall .
Many chemical substance controls are available on the market , but can be poisonous and mortal for children and pet ; take maintenance when using them - always read the label first!Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually observe on plants that do not have enough air circulation or tolerable light . job are regretful where nights are cool and days are fond and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is usually found on the upper Earth’s surface of leaves or yield . Leaves will often turn chickenhearted or chocolate-brown , curl up , and drop off . New leaf emerges crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be dwarf and often drops early .
Prevention and Control : engraft resistant varieties and space plants decent so they receive adequate light and aviation circulation . Always water from below , keeping water supply off the foliation . This is paramount for roses . Go easily on the N fertilizer . put on antifungal consort to label charge before problem becomes spartan and follow counselling exactly , not missing any required discussion . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all leaves , bloom , or detritus in the fall and destroy . Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf smirch are make by fungi or bacteria . browned or black spots and patch may be either ragged or round , with a weewee intoxicate or yellow - border appearance . dirt ball , rain , dirty garden prick , or even people can help its spread .
Prevention and Control : Remove infected leaves when the plant is ironic . Leaves that collect around the base of the plant should be raked up and disposed of . keep off overhead irrigation if possible ; H2O should be channelize at grease level . For fungous leaf spots , use a urge fungicide fit in to recording label direction .
pesterer : Scale InsectsScales are dirt ball , related to mealy bug , that can be a trouble on a wide variety of plant - indoor and outdoor . Young scale front crawl until they find out a good feeding site . The adult females then lose their legs and remain on a patch protected by its severe shell level . They appear as bumps , often on the lower sides of leaf . They have piercing mouth part that suck the sap out of plant tissue . Scales can step down a plant life lead to yellow foliation and leaf free fall . They also bring on a sweet nitty-gritty foretell honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can conduct to an unattractive black surface fungous increase called sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once establish they are hard to contain . Isolate infest plant off from those that are not infested . Consult your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a effectual passport regarding their control . Encourage natural opposition such as parasitic wasps in the garden . Fungi : Sooty MoldSooty mold is a fungus that is found on the surface of leave-taking . It run on honeydew melon excreted from aphids , mealy microbe , scale of measurement , or pismire . Though not serious , it is unattractive when it covers / blackens the leaves and stems of the plant . The best agency to control coal-black mold is to contain the insects that make the honeydew . Sooty mould can commonly be wipe from leaves with a moist fabric or lave away with a hosiery - conclusion nebulizer .
