What is bright red begonia and how to care for this houseplant?
The most common name for this begonia is Fimbriata begonia. The plant itself is very unusual, so it will be a very interesting addition to any home.
In terms of care, the plant will appeal to both beginner gardeners and professional, to say nothing of its many, as well as no less exciting ways of propagation, the most interesting of which can rightfully be considered propagation by cuttings. We will talk about all the features of this plant in this article.
Description, history of occurrence
The flower belongs to the Begoniaceae family of perennial flowers. At the moment, this species has 900 natural, as well as 2000 hybrid varieties. The first mentions begin in 1700. You will learn about the diversity of begonias in this article.
REFERENCE! The biologist who discovered this species was called Michel Begon, and his name was called a flower. It was first found on the Antilles, where it was described by a biologist.Appearance
The main feature of the flower are very large, bright flowers. The petals are thin, delicate, the edges of the petals are strongly corrugated with carved tips, which gives the flower a bizarre appearance. The diameter of the flower is 10-15 centimeters, the duration of flowering of each peduncle is 2-4 weeks. The height of the begonia reaches 25-40 centimeters, with delicate dark green patterned leaves that go well with lush red flowers.
Photo
Next, you can see the photo of begonia bright red:
Landing requirements
To begin with, we will describe everything in general terms. In principle, planting any ornamental plant is troublesome, but when planting our guest, who is also called an “unpretentious foreigner”, strict requirements should be observed. Be sure to take into account when planting begonias:
- The trouble may not be the germination associated with the freezing of tubers.
- When buying, you should pay attention to the presence of rot on the glomerulus. Small tubers can be removed
the roots. It should be processed in a special liquid.ATTENTION! A fungicide is an excellent preparation for processing; the proportions for dissolution can be found on the packaging. Processing takes from 20 to 40 minutes.
- The pot should not be deep, since the roots will not be long in the future. Drain must fit at the bottom of the pot. Drainage should not fill more than 10% of the pot volume.
- The earth must be loose, and also have a large amount of air. You can buy such land in specialized stores. Debris such as pebbles or sticks must be removed. It is not necessary to accept the earth, the looser it is, the better. Vermiculite will not be superfluous.
- The tuber does not need to be deepened much, relatively speaking, the tuber sits “on the shoulders”.
- Until the begonia has grown stronger, watering is carried out along the edge.
- Do not cover with dishes to create excess moisture.
Lighting
Red begonia loves bright and scattered sun rays. You can arrange the plant in partial shade. But in no case do not allow direct sunlight to fall on begonia, it is fatal to it and can lead to the death of the plant.
The soil
The earth, as for all other begonias, should be loose and enriched with various trace elements. Peat and chernozem can be added to the earth in a ratio of one to one. You can buy soil at any flower shop, or mix it yourself.
Adult begonia is not particularly fastidious to the soil, but when planting and germinating, the soil should be loose, have a large supply of oxygen, and should also be enriched with mineral and trace elements. Soil is one of the most important factors affecting the beauty of your begonia.
Home Care
- The most favorable is the temperature range from 13 to 22 degrees Celsius, however, do not forget to maintain a stable air humidity. The optimum level of humidity is 60 percent.
- Since our begonia is a herbaceous species, the dormancy lasts from October to February. To transfer the plant to this state, watering is reduced and wilted shoots are cut.
- Some experts advise keeping begonia tubers in the dark at a temperature of 10 to 12 degrees Celsius for up to two months.
- The best growth properties are manifested when the plant is in partial shade.
- Watering is done only after the top layer of the earth has completely dried.
- To ensure the begonia the humidity necessary for it, the pot should be placed on a tray of water, but so that the pot is not in the water, or placed on wet peat.REFERENCE! In order for the pot not to be in the water, pebbles are poured onto the tray, or the pot itself is set on an inverted saucer. If the humidity level is too high, begonia rots, so do not overdo it.
- On hot summer days, the air around the begonia is sprayed, but so that water does not get on the leaves.
- The room in which begonia is located must be periodically ventilated, but so that the plant itself is not blown by a draft.
- Transplantation is carried out only in cases of emergency.
Diseases and Pests
Begonia is most susceptible to four diseases:
- Powdery Mildew It is a fungal disease caused by a fungus called Erysiphales. It develops on leaves and on surface shoots, representing a white coating, which due to its location is difficult to detect in the early stages.
The disease leads to desiccation, and subsequently to rotting of the leaves. You can destroy the fungus by spraying with special drugs.
The more common name for the fungus is mycelium. If desired, it can be grown independently on bread.
- Gray rot. Like powdery mildew, begonia is covered with a touch, but this time gray-white or completely gray. This disease can be detected without problems at any stage. As a therapeutic agent, trichodermin can be used.
- Bacterial spotting. Blots of brown-red or brown spots appear on the leaves.
- Ring spotting. The appearance of white spots with a clear shape.
Begonia can be affected by the following parasites, spider mites, white moths, and so on. The tick is considered the most annoying, the struggle with which is complicated by the fact that it quickly lays larvae. In this regard, the processing will have to be performed 3-4 times a week, approximately within one to two months.
Important! The best solution is powder in ampoules. Such a tool has proven itself very well, especially considering the price / quality ratio.Types and features of reproduction
There are many ways to propagate begonias. The method of growing with a nodule was described above, and of the features I would like to add the following: the tuber has two parts, convex and dented. Contrary to popular belief, the tuber should be planted with the convex part down and not up, since the sprouts germinate precisely from the dented side. However, in addition to the tuber method, there are many others. About them below.
Vegetative
The vegetative method includes two subtypes:
- Reproduction by children. For it, it is necessary to cut off the top of the rhizome with a length of not more than 7 and not less than 5 centimeters. Then this process is placed in the ground, after which it is covered with a plastic bag, to create a greenhouse. After 4 weeks, the seedling is required to shoot, which will mean success.
- Tuber division. This method is almost the same as nodule, but for it, the tuber must be divided into parts, each part must have at least one kidney.
Cuttings
Like the vegetative one, it has two subtypes.
Leafy
This method is necessary when it is necessary to obtain a large amount of planting material. The sheet method is carried out as follows:
- To begin with, the most healthy leaf is selected.
- Cut it into squares. Squares should not be more than two centimeters.
- Further, these pieces are located on a substrate, in which peat and sand are mixed in equal parts.
- Everything is covered with polyethylene film.
- Ideally, two or three weeks later, the petioles should be rooted, until this point they can not only be touched, but generally removed the film.
- After the expiration of a period of three weeks, in case of rooting, you can open the film and ventilate them, but not longer than 30 minutes, and with each ventilation time is increased.
Stem
- For reproduction, a stem with 1-2 buds is selected.
- Next, you need to make a cut under the lower kidney, and above the top at a distance of 50 millimeters from the kidney. If there are leaves on the handle, then they are half cut.
- A shallow hole is made in the substrate, into which the stalk is inserted.
- Everything is covered with plastic wrap and aerated every 2-3 days. Instead of a film, you can use a bottle.
- Rooting usually occurs between 15 and 30 days.REFERENCE! In cuttings with the same begonia, the rooting period can be different.
Summing up, I would like to say that the red begonia is not very different from the typical representatives of the begonia, but this can only be said about the characteristics of planting, care and reproduction.
However, if we talk about the features of appearance, then this begonia is one of the most unusual. Red large buds can fascinate absolutely anyone, even those who are not interested in flowers in principle. Growing this begonia will be a joy for both beginner growers and experienced ones.
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