Begonias are tender perennials , grown for their colorful flowers and foliage . Most begonia can be grown outdoors in pots , in the ground , or in hang baskets in filter light and moist , but well drained soil . Where not hardy , acquire as annual or indoors as houseplants . Most begonia can be propagate from leaf , stem or rhizome press clipping in addition to being sown from seed . ‘ Dorothy Grant ’ has attractive foliage with large , stark leave . The flowers are white with red hairs . Stemming is upright and zig - zags between the nodes . This plant love dribble light but can take some sunlight in winter . Soil should ideally be moist . begonia maturate very well in peat - based compost also . like humidness . Does not like stale atmospheric condition . squeeze bakshish and pruning out stems in the grow time of year gives a bushier plant , unspoilt for hanging . Sudden temperature change causes folio to send packing .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that sun and tone patterns change during the day . The western side of a household may even be shady due to shadow cast by large trees or a social organisation from an adjacent belongings . If you have just bought a new home base or just beginning to garden in your sr. habitation , take time to map sunlight and shade throughout the sidereal day . You will get a more exact tone for your site ’s dead on target swooning circumstance . Conditions : Filtered LightFor many plants that choose partly shady conditions , filtered lightis ideal . Good planting sites are under a mid to large sized tree that let some illumination through their branches or beneath taller works that will provide some protection . atmospheric condition : Moisture - loving HouseplantsHouseplants that require sizable water , or those labeled asmoisture - loving houseplantsrequire that they be water soundly until the soil is impregnate and then enfeeble freely from holes in the bottom of pot . Re - water when pot soil becomes teetotal to the touch an in or so below the territory surface . condition : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants favour luminance that is percolate . Sunlight , though not direct , is significant to them . Often morning time sun , because it is not as substantial as good afternoon sunshine , can be considered part Lord’s Day or part tone . If you live in an area that does not get much intense sunshine , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be fine . In other area such as Florida , plant in a location where afternoon shade will be receive . Conditions : Bright Light for HouseplantsHouseplants requiringbright lightshould be placed within 2 groundwork of an easterly or western pic window or within 2 to 5 feet of a southerly exposure windowpane . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor skillful industrial plant performance , it is worthy to match the correct plant with the useable light condition . veracious plant , right position ! plant which do not experience sufficient light may become wan in color , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " extend - out coming into court . Also carry plants to grow slower and have fewer blooms when luminance is less than desirable . It is potential to provide supplemental lighting for indoor plants with lamps . flora can also find too much lighting . If a shade loving plant is expose to unmediated sun , it may wilt and/or cause leave-taking to be sunburned or otherwise damage .
Watering
The key to watering is weewee deeply and less frequently . When watering , water well , i.e. supply enough water to exhaustively saturate the antecedent nut . With in - ground plants , this means exhaustively soak the stain until water has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 inch ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plants , put on enough body of water to tolerate water to flow through the drain maw .
attempt to water plants too soon in the day or after in the afternoon to conserve water and cut down on plant stress . Do water too soon enough so that water has had a chance to dry from works leave of absence prior to night tumble . This is predominant if you have had fungus job .
Do n’t waitress to water until plant wilt . Although some plants will recover from this , all plants will die if they wilt too much ( when they strain the lasting wilting point ) .
Consider water preservation method such as dripping irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip systems which slow dribble wet directly on the ascendant system can be purchased at your local home and garden center . Mulches can significantly chill the root geographical zone and keep up moisture .
Consider adding water - deliver gelatin to the root zone which will hold a stockpile of pee for the plant life . These can make a world of departure especially under stressful shape . Be sure to abide by label direction for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that ground should be kept evenly moist and watered regularly , as conditions require . Most plants like 1 inch of water a week during the spring up season , but take charge not to over water . The first two years after a works is installed , regular lacrimation is significant for establishment . The first year is critical . It is better to water once a week and water deeply , than to water frequently for a few minute . Conditions : Indoor WateringPlant are compose of almost 90 % water so it authoritative to supply them with passable water . right watering is all-important for good flora health . When there is not enough water , root will shrivel up and the plant life will droop . When too much water is applied too often , root are deprived of O and disease occur such as root word and stem rots .
The key to watering is frequency . Water well then expect long enough until the plant needs to be re - water according to its wet necessity .
When lachrymation , water system well . That is , supply enough water to thoroughly saturate the root ball . With containerized plants , apply enough piss to let water to flow through the drain holes .
nullify using cold water system especially with houseplant . This can shock tender roots . filling watering can with tepid H2O or allow moth-eaten water to sit for a while to occur to room temperature before watering . This is a good way of life to grant any harmful atomic number 17 in the urine to evaporate before being used .
Some plants are well irrigate by Italian sandwich - irrigation , i.e. lachrymation from the bottom up . This avoids splosh water on the folio of tender plants . just place the sens in a shallow pan fill up with tepid water system and let the plant sit for 15 minutes to permit the base bollock to be thoroughly sozzled . Take out and provide sufficient drainage .
Use an unpainted dowel to serve you determine when to re - water larger pots . Stick it into the soil ball & wait 5 minutes . The dowel pin will absorb moisture from the soil and turn a disconsolate vividness . draw out it out and examine . This will give you an theme of how blind drunk the grunge root ball is .
Roots need atomic number 8 to breathing time , do not take into account plant to pose in a dish aerial filled with water supply . This will only raise disease .
Planting
A hebdomad to 10 sidereal day before planting , add 2 to 4 in of aged manure or compost and work into the planting site to improve natality and increase water retention and drainage . If soil report is weak , a layer of surface soil should be considered as well . No matter if your soil is moxie or corpse , it can be ameliorate by bring the same thing : organic subject . The more , the good ; work deep into the soil . groom bed to an 18 inch deep for perennials . This will seem like a grand amount of work now , but will greatly give off later . Besides , this is not something that is easy done later , once plant life have been shew . How - to : Pinching and Thinning PerennialsOnce you plant a perennial , it does not mean that you will enjoy year of maintenance - free gardening . Perennials demand to be cared for just like any other plant . One thing that tell apart perennials is that they tend to be fighting growers that have to be thinned out now and then or they will loose vigor .
As perennials establish , it is important to prune them back and reduce them out occasionally . This will prevent them from completely pack over an field to the exclusion of other plants , and also will increase air circulation thereby reducing the incidence of diseases like botrytis and powdery mildew .
Many mintage also flower copiously and produce ample seeded player . As efflorescence slice it is advisable to deadhead your plant ; that is , to remove spent peak before they form seed . This will prevent your plants from seed all over the garden and will conserve the considerable push it take on the flora to produce semen .
As perennials mature , they may form a thick ancestor mass that eventually leads to a less vigorous plant life . It is advisable to occasionally reduce out a stand of such perennial . By dividing the root organisation , you may make novel plant life to plant in another surface area of the garden or give away . Also root pruning will stimulate new growing and rejuvenate the works . Most perennial may be successfully divided in either spring or fall . Do a little homework ; some perennial do have a orientation . How - to : devise ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an ornamental feature , a planting option when there is lilliputian or no soil to plant in , or for plants that require a soil character not get in the garden or when filth drainage in the garden is inferior . If growing more than one plant in a container , ensure that all have similar ethnical requirements . Choose a container that is mysterious and big enough to allow beginning development and increment as well as proportional counterweight between the to the full developed flora and the container . Plant big container in the place you destine them to stay . All containers should have drainage holes . A interlocking screen , broken clay pot pieces(crock ) or a paper deep brown filter send over the gob will keep soil from washing out . The potting soil you take should be an appropriate intermixture for the plants you have take . Quality soils ( or soil - less medias ) absorb moisture readily and evenly when wet . If water runs off soil upon initial wetting , this is an indicator that your soil may not be as good as you think .
Prior to filling a container with soil , wet potting dirt in the bag or seat in a tub or lawn cart so that it is evenly moist . fill up container about midway full or to a level that will allow flora , when planted , to be just below the lip of the mint . Rootballs should be unwavering with ground line when project is complete . Water well . How - to : Planting PerennialsDetermine appropriate perennials for your garden by consider sun and shade through the sidereal day , exposure , water necessary , climate , soil makeup , seasonal color hope , and position of other garden plants and Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
The best times to plant are spring and nightfall , when soil is workable and out of danger of Robert Frost . surrender plantings have the reward that roots can prepare and not have to compete with developing top ontogenesis as in the natural spring . Spring is more worthy for perennial that dislike wet condition or for cold areas , grant full formation before first winter . Planting in summertime or wintertime is not advisable for most plants , unless planting a more set up sized works .
To plant container - spring up plant : Prepare planting holes with appropriate depth and place between . irrigate the plant thoroughly and let the excess water drain before cautiously removing from the container . cautiously loose the root testis and set the plant in the kettle of fish , working stain around the root as you fill . If the plant life is extremely tooth root bind , separate roots with fingers . A few slits made with a pocket knife are fine , but should be kept to a minimum . Continue filling in soil and water exhaustively , protecting from direct sun until stable .
To plant unfinished - tooth root plants : works as shortly as possible after leverage . Prepare suitable planting holes , distribute roots and cultivate soil among roots as you occupy in . Water well and protect from direct sun until stable .
To plant seedlings : A number of perennials produce self - sow in seedling that can be transplant . You may also startle your own seedling bed for transplanting . devise suitable planting holes , space appropriately for plant development . lightly lift the seedling and as much surrounding soil as potential with your garden trowel , and replant it immediately , firming soil with fingertips and water well . Shade from direct Dominicus and water regularly until stable . How - to : Potting Indoor PlantsMake sure that the plant life you have choose is desirable for the condition you are able to bring home the bacon it : that it will have enough unaccented , space , and a temperature it will like . Remember that the expanse justly next to a window will be cold than the rest of the elbow room .
Indoor plants require to be transplant into a larger container periodically , or they become great deal / beginning - bound and their growth is retarded . irrigate the industrial plant well before start , so the dirt will bear the etymon testis together when you slay it from the pot . If you have trouble get the plant out of the pot , try run a blade around the sharpness of the pot , and gently whack the sides to relax the soil .
Always use fresh ground when transplanting your indoor plant . occupy around the plant mildly with land , being careful not to jam too tightly – you want air to be capable to get to the roots . After the plant is in the new bay window , do n’t fertilize right out … this will encourage the roots to fill in their new home .
The size pot you pick out is important too . Select one that is not more than about 1 column inch groovy in diam . retrieve , many plant prefer being somewhat quite a little bind . Always start with a clean pot !
Problems
Rhizoctoniais a fungus that is discover in most land and enters the plant through the roots or the stem at soil floor . Prevention and Control : First of all , do not overwater and if you suspect Rhizoctonia may be your problem , decrease lachrymation . If a plant is too far go ( all the leaves from the bottom up are wilted ) , remove it . If your plant is in a container , discard the stain too . Wash the pot with a 1 part whitener to 9 function water root . Fungicides can be used , according to recording label directions . confer with a professional for a legal recommendation of what fungicide to apply . Pest : ThripsThripsare small , winged louse that attack many types of plants and expand in hot , dry conditions ( like heated houses ) . They can reproduce quickly as a female person can lie up to 300 eggs in a life span of 45 days without mating . Most of the wrong to plants is have by the youthful larva which run on tender leaf and bloom tissue . This leads to distorted emergence , offend flower flower petal and premature efflorescence cliff . Thrips also can transmit many harmful plant life viruses .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down and use screening on windows to keep them out . bump off or discard infested plants , keep them off from non - infested plants . Trap with yellow sticky calling card or take advantage of raw enemies such as predatory mites . Sometimes a good steady rain shower of water will dampen them off the plant . Consult your local garden center professional or county accommodative extension office for legal chemic recommendations . Pest : Spider MitesSpider mitesare belittled , 8 legged , spider - like creatures which prosper in hot , dry experimental condition ( like het business firm ) . Spider mites feed with piercing mouth parts , which cause plants to appear yellow and flecked . folio drop and works dying can occur with heavy infestations . Spider mites can multiply quickly , as a female can lay up to 200 eggs in a life span of 30 sidereal day . They also give rise a entanglement which can hatch infested leaves and flower .
Prevention and Control : Keep widow’s weeds down and slay infested plants . Dry zephyr seems to decline the problem , so ensure works are on a regular basis watered , especially those favour high-pitched humidity such as tropicals , citrus , or tomatoes . Always chequer new plants prior to take them home from the garden center or nursery . Take advantage of raw enemies such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is recommended by your local garden gist professional or county Cooperative Extension billet , read and postdate all label direction . Concentrate your efforts on the undersides of the parting as that is where spider jot generally live . Pest : MealybugsSmall , wingless , muffled - white , soft - bodied insect that bring out a waxy powdery covering . They have piercing / give suck mouth parts that suck the sap out of flora tissue . Mealybugsoften look like small pieces of cotton and they tend to congregate where leafage and stems branch . They attack a across-the-board reach of plants . The unseasoned run to move around until they ascertain a suitable eating spotlight , then they give ear out in colonies and feed . mealy bug can undermine a plant lead to white-livered leafage and leaf fall . They also give rise a sweet substance called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can top to an unattractive black surface fungal ontogeny called coal-black mould .
Prevention and Control : Isolate infested plants from those that are not . Consult your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a sound insecticide / chemical recommendation . further instinctive enemies such as lady mallet in the garden to help oneself reduce population levels of mealy glitch . pestilence : WhitefliesWhitefliesare minuscule , fly insects that look like tiny moth , which attack many type of plant . The flying grownup degree choose the underside of leaves to feed and breed . Whiteflies can breed quickly as a female can lay up to 500 eggs in a life story span of 2 months . If a works is infested with whitefly , you will see a cloud of take flight insect when the plant is touch . whitefly can weaken a plant , finally leading to plant death if they are not checked . They can air many harmful plant viruses . They also produce a fresh substance bid honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting ignominious surface fungous growth send for jet mould .
Possible ascendency : keep pot down ; use screening in windows to keep them out ; remove infest plants out from non - infested plants ; expend a meditative mulch ( Al foil ) under plant ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with icteric steamy cards , apply labeled pesticide ; encourage natural opposition such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady exhibitioner of water system will wash them off the flora . Pest : Slugs and SnailsSlugs and snailsfavor moist climates and are mollusks , not insects . They can be voracious confluent , run through just about anything that is not woody or highly odorous . They may eat jam in leaves , airstrip entire stems , or entirely devour seedling and stamp transplantation , leave behind tell - story silvery , worthless track .
bar and control : Keep your garden as clean as potential , eliminate concealment place such as leaf debris , over - turn pots , and tarpaulin . Groundcover in suspect places and heavy mulches provide protection from the elements and can be favorite concealing places . In the spring , patrol for and destroy eggs ( clustering of small-scale translucent sphere of influence ) and adult during dusk and first light . Set out beer trap from late spring through fall .
Many chemical substance controls are available on the market , but can be vicious and mortal for child and pets ; take care when using them - always read the label first!Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis ordinarily found on plants that do not have enough aura circulation or adequate light . problem are bad where nights are cool and days are lovesome and humid . The powdery lily-white or gray fungus is ordinarily found on the upper control surface of leaves or fruit . leaf will often turn yellow or chocolate-brown , curl up , and drop off . New leafage emerges crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops betimes .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant change and blank plants right so they pick up adequate luminance and air circulation . Always H2O from below , keeping water off the leafage . This is preponderating for roses . Go easy on the N fertiliser . Apply antimycotic agent concord to label way before trouble becomes severe and follow direction incisively , not missing any required treatment . Sanitation is a must - scavenge up and remove all leaves , flowers , or junk in the fall and destruct . Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are because of fungi or bacterium . Brown or black spots and patches may be either ragged or rotary , with a water soak or yellow - edged appearance . worm , rain , dirty garden shaft , or even people can help its gap .
Prevention and Control : take out infect leaves when the plant is teetotal . parting that collect around the base of the plant should be raked up and chuck out of . Avoid overhead irrigation if potential ; water should be directed at soil level . For fungal leaf spot , use a advocate fungicide concord to label directions .
Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insect , related to mealy germ , that can be a problem on a extensive variety of plants - indoor and out-of-door . untried scale creeping until they find a just eating internet site . The adult females then mislay their legs and remain on a spot protected by its difficult shell stratum . They come along as bump , often on the low-down sides of leave of absence . They have piercing mouth share that suck the sap out of industrial plant tissue . shell can weaken a plant leading to sensationalistic leafage and leaf bead . They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive black airfoil fungal growth call off sooty mould .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are unvoiced to control . Isolate infested plant away from those that are not infested . confab your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control . Encourage natural foe such as parasitic wasps in the garden . fungus kingdom : Sooty MoldSooty mold is a fungus that is regain on the control surface of foliage . It feeds on honeydew melon pass from aphids , mealy bugs , scale , or pismire . Though not serious , it is unattractive when it covers / black the leaves and stems of the flora . The good way to control sooty mold is to contain the insect that make the honeydew melon . Sooty cast can unremarkably be wiped from leaves with a dampish fabric or washed aside with a hose - end sprayer .
