![]() ![]() It is easier for homeowners to propagate rooting cuttings or starting from seed. Although some growers divide begonia tubers, they must make the divisions when the plant is actively growing, and the tuber pieces often become diseased and rotten. Unlike potato tubers, you can't cut begonia tubers into pieces to produce more plants. Check the tubers occasionally for rot, softening or withering, and discard bad tubers immediately.Ī completed forsythe pot ready for cuttings.A spare refrigerator can be an ideal place to store tender bulbs and other bulb-like plant parts, such as tubers. An insulated but unheated attic or three-season porch may be cool enough. Store in a cool, dark place at a temperature range of 40 to 50, much cooler than most basements.Place the tubers in a perforated plastic bag filled with peat moss or vermiculite.Pull off stems and any roots or soil, but don't wash the tubers.Cut the stems to about five inches, and allow tubers to cure (dry) indoors at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, until the remaining stem pieces are dry and loose.Dig begonia tubers when the foliage starts to yellow, or after the first killing frost.Some gardeners may choose to remove any flower buds that form in September to encourage dormancy and the storing of energy in tuber. Gradually reduce watering and stop fertilizing at the end of August.Left in the ground during a Minnesota winter, they would be killed. (Some others, such as Rieger begonias, are a better choice as indoor flowering plants.) During the dormant period, begonia tubers must be stored indoors. Tuberous begonias will enter a dormant period no matter how they are grown, whether in a greenhouse or outdoors, so they are not suitable as year-round houseplants. They will be bushy and bear lots of smaller flowers, especially if the tips of the stems are pinched in May or early June. Some varieties, such as those used in hanging baskets, are grown for quantity of flowers, not for large blooms. Small tubers should have two or three stems, large tubers three to six stems, so pinch off any extras. ![]() If you would like bigger flowers, thin the shoots when they're about 3 inches tall. Flower size is not affected by tuber size, but by the number of stems on each tuber. Small tubers will produce small plants large tubers, large plants. Providing supplemental lighting or moving the plants to a brighter location will help form short, sturdy stems rather than tall, leggy ones. ![]() Once they have reached this size, it's time to repot the tubers into larger containers, either 5- to 6-inch pots, or their permanent summer containers. After about one month, the stems will be 1 inch tall. Roots will develop from the bottom, sides and top of the tuber, and stems will sprout from the top. ![]() Tuberous begonias growing in a decorative container Supplemental lighting, such as grow lights, is not necessary during this stage of growth. Place the flats where the temperature is around 70F, and they will receive indirect light. Plant the tubers right-side up in the flat, so the peat moss or vermiculite just covers them.ĭuring this time, the tubers are very susceptible to rot, so it's important to keep the medium fairly moist, but not wet, and not to let water accumulate in the hollow part of the tuber. Find the upper surface of each tuber, the side with the depression or hollow. Otherwise, fill the flat with fresh peat moss or vermiculite. If the stored tubers show no signs of disease, you can use the same medium in which they were stored. Plant the tubers in a flat of peat moss or vermiculite. Tubers started in February should begin to bloom in June those started in March or early April should bloom in July. In late winter or early spring, purchase tubers or start those you have stored. Tuberous begonias are fairly heavy "feeders", so fertilize with a dilute balanced fertilizer throughout the growing season for best bloom and growth.Ī tuberous begonia tuber sprouting in a container. Moss-lined wire hanging baskets work particularly well to provide adequate drainage. Allow the soil in containers to become slightly dry before watering. If they're growing in the shade of trees or in containers under a roof, you must pay even more attention to keeping the soil properly moist. Early morning and late afternoon sun will not harm them, but they need good indirect or dappled light at other times.Īlthough tuberous begonias must be grown in well-drained soil, they are not drought tolerant, so it's important to water them when it hasn’t rained. Once you have plants, choose a site for tuberous begonias that is somewhat protected from wind, where the soil is well-drained, and plants will be shaded during most of the day. You can buy tuberous begonia plants in spring at garden centers or you can start tuberous begonias from tubers (see next section). Tuberous begonias (‘Go Go Yellow’) planted in a shady, protected site ![]()
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