Growing Begonias is not complicated

Begonias are beautiful plants and you can grow them in flower patches or in boxes on your balcony. You can also use these great flowers to decorate window sills – from the inside. So how to grow begonias properly?

Begonias variety

Begonias may be divided by the size of their flowers (small flowers and large flowers), by the root type (fibrous or fleshy roots) and also by the place of cultivation. An “overhanging” begonia is an excellent choice for your balcony. This plant is classified as tuberous cultivar and its fine pink and white flowers create a beautiful overhanging curtain up to 50 cm long. “Overhanging” begonias are not fond of direct sunlight and must be watered often. The toughest plant is Bonfire begonia (Begonia boliviensis) with red flowers. Begonias cultivated for indoor growing are popular for their showy decorative leaves. The most known and popular is Begonia rex, but also Begonia wax, which can be seen in parks, flower beds or flower pots all around us. These plants are very strong and bloom all summer long.

Begonias: Photo Pixabay

How to grow Begonias

Tuberous begonias can be grown from young plants or tubers. We shall show you how to grow it from tubers. Plant tubers at the end of February and the beginning of March and let them sprout in a dark but warm room. The ideal temperature is around 20ºC. Tubers in a box should be about 15 cm apart. Fill the box with a soil substrate and push the tuber inside, but leave the top slightly above the ground. Pour water over the box and cover it with glass to retain moisture. After about 14 days, move the box from dark room to a room with more light. When the plants sprout three true leaves, you know that they are ready for planting and that they have developed a good root system. You may plant them outside in mid-May and they should bloom until autumn.

Begonia and overwintering

Stop watering begonias at the end of September. Once dry, remove and store them, do not rush to pull them out of the ground. If the weather is still warm during autumn, the top buds will still bloom. You may wait until the second half of October because tubers will still grow. You can store them in a box filled with peat or sawdust, or wrap them in a newspaper and store them in a box and in a cool room. Make sure that the temperature in the room does not fall below 2 °C.

Begonias: Photo Pixabay