Elatior Begonia, Winter Flowering Begonia, Begonia × hiemalis
begonias many women love for their beauty and long flowering. Small plants with dark green shiny foliage and flowers painted in delicate colors will not leave anyone indifferent.
Like many varieties of the flower, Elatior begonia is easy to grow at home.
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General information about begonia Elatior
Variety of begonias
Begonia Elatior is a perennial flowering plant. In its breeding, low-growing Socotran and tuberous begonias were used. The bush is medium tall, compact, its height is 0.3-0.4 m, the stems are fleshy, light green with a pink tint, the leaves are green, glossy, heart-shaped with jagged edges.
The petals are painted in different shades, the flowers are collected in several pieces in inflorescences up to 8 cm in diameter. They are simple and double, and the leaves of plants with simple flowers have serrated edges, and in plants with double flowers, the edges have deeper cuts.
Common varieties of beautifully flowering Elatior begonias that can be grown at home are Baladin, Azotus, Berseba, Annabelle. If temperature conditions allow, flowers can also be planted in open ground for the summer, and transplanted into a pot before the onset of frost. If the plants are not one variety, but several, then beautiful bouquets can be made from them.
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Begonias from the store
When buying a plant in a flower shop, you must first pay attention to its appearance. It should be well developed and completely healthy: the leaves should be green, smooth, not limp, free of spots, insects or cobwebs.
As for flowers, of course, many would prefer a plant with opened flowers, but it is better to take a specimen with buds that have not yet opened. An actively flowering plant will often drop flowers after a sudden change in conditions when stressed.
You can transplant only after flowering stops. There are cases when an emergency transplant is indispensable, for example, if the plant is cramped in a pot, which can be found out by the roots that appear on the surface of the soil.
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Transplanting begonias to a new pot
Begonia transplant
In nature, begonia grows in a hot tropical climate, so at room conditions, if from time to time to humidify the air in the room, it will feel comfortable.
Substrate and pot for begonias
substrate for begonias
An important factor is the soil in which the begonia will grow all year round. The soil suitable for this plant is loose, soft, well-permeable soil for moisture and air.The acidity level is 5.5-6.5 pH.
The easiest way is to buy a ready-made substrate for begonias, it can be found in vegetable growers stores. You can make it with your own hands from:
- good fertile leafy soil
- coarse sand
- wet fresh peat
- rotted compost
Be sure to add baking powder - perlite or foam balls - in the amount of ¼ of the total mass of the substrate. Before pouring the mixture into a pot, it must be disinfected - spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate or a non-toxic fungicide, and then dried.
Perlite
When transplanting a begonia, you need to select a pot for it, the size of which will be slightly larger than before. This is necessary for the normal growth of the flower. It is desirable that the pot be made of clay, not plastic; in containers made of natural material, flowers grow and bloom better.
If the pot is not new, some flowers have already grown in it, it must be cleaned of the remnants of the old soil, washed with warm water and dried. If this is not done, the begonia can become infected with diseases whose pathogens remain in the soil.
Transplant process
transplanted begonia
Transplantation is desirable to carry out every spring. Transplanting a flower is very simple: first, you need to pour a drainage layer on the bottom of the prepared pot. It can be small stones or expanded clay.
Then carefully remove the begonia from the old pot along with the earthy clod.. To make it easy to do, the day before transplanting, you need to water the plant, the earth will soften a little, and it will be taken out without difficulty.
At the final stage, it is necessary to fill the free space near the walls of the pot with a substrate and water the plant with warm water. The root neck of the seedling should be above the soil level, if it is covered with earth, it is likely that it may rot in dampness. Put the pot in its original place, for example, on the windowsill, where it stood before transplanting. It is not recommended to change the location of the flower, this can weaken it, and the survival period will last longer.
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Begonia care
The rules for caring for Elatior begonia at home indicate that she needs to provide normal lighting, watering and feeding. How to care for begonia can be seen in the photo and video, which are many on the Internet.
Lighting
Begonias on the windowsill
Begonias need bright, but at the same time, diffused light. It is best to put a pot with a plant on the east or west windows, and not on the south or north. In the latter case, the begonias will be hot in the summer and cold in the winter months.
Begonia does not need additional lighting in winter. At any time of the year, it cannot be turned in different directions towards the light. From this, the plant can drop buds and even leaves.
Temperature and Humidity
Begonias in trays
The flower feels comfortable at a moderate temperature (20-25 degrees). If the room is colder for a long time, the winter begonia will stop growing, it will not bloom well. With high soil moisture, it can get sick with root rot.
Begonia does not tolerate drafts, dry air, too cold or warm, does not like a sudden change in conditions. To increase the humidity of the air next to the plant, you need to put a small container with water or put a pot with it in a wide pan filled with wet moss. Leaves can not be sprayed, it is permissible to wipe them from dust with a damp cloth.
Watering and feeding
Top dressing of indoor flowers
Begonia does not like waterlogged soil, its roots, located in the soil, where water often stagnates, can easily rot and the plant will die. When watering, you need to remember that it is necessary to pour enough water under each plant so that the soil is moist, but not wet. But dry soil also has a negative effect on capricious begonia, in such soil it cannot grow normally, its roots quickly dry out and are injured.
You can determine when to water by an earthen coma, if drying is noticeable at a depth of 3-4 cm, the time for watering has come. Water carefully, pouring water over the edge of the pot. This will help save the stem from possible rotting. Water should also not fall on the foliage.
Water for irrigation should be taken warm, always settled or filtered, if it is from the tap. In your house, if there is a well, you need to water it with well water. In winter, melt water can be used. Melt and well water is clean, soft and more suitable for begonias.
As for dressings, in this respect the plant is quite unpretentious. It is easiest to feed him with complex mineral fertilizers, but take them in an amount 2 times less than indicated in the instructions. Preference should be given to nutrient mixtures with a predominance of phosphorus and potassium, it is these elements that stimulate budding and flowering. Organic fertilizers are not recommended.
While the plant is actively growing and flowering, it needs to be fed every 1.5 weeks. Only thanks to top dressing carried out with such frequency, begonia will be provided with all the useful elements for normal growth and lush flowering. After transplanting into a new pot, the first feeding should be done no earlier than 2 months.
pruning begonias
Pruning encourages flowering
When the bush grows to about 7-10 cm, you need to pinch all the branches at the same height, this will force the plant to release side shoots. The pinching point should be located above the kidney on the outside of the stem. An adult bush needs to be trimmed from time to time to give it a neat appearance. After a while, young shoots will begin to grow again, after which another flowering will follow.
Care after flowering
begonia flower
And after the begonia has faded, you need to take care of it: cut off all the flower stalks. Corrective pruning can also be done if the plant is too lush. From cut branches, cuttings can be made for propagation.
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Reproduction of begonia
rooted begonia cuttings
The plant can be propagated by 1 leaf or cuttings with 2-3 leaves. Vegetative propagation is not laborious and reliable, therefore it is recommended to use it not only for experienced gardeners, but also for those who are just getting acquainted with the culture.
As for the seed method of reproduction, it is not used at home, since Elatior is a hybrid, so begonias obtained from seeds will not have all the signs of mother plants. If it is really necessary to grow a flower from hybrid seeds, then they need to be purchased at the store, and not collected from your pets. You can germinate them in peat tablets, and after the appearance of 2-3 leaves, move the seedlings into cups with a substrate and grow them in them before transplanting into pots. Elatior does not belong to tuberous begonias, so this breeding option is not possible.
Propagation of begonia Elatior with a leaf or a cutting looks the same. Cuttings are best done in spring or summer when the plant is in its active growing season. You need to cut the stalk from the apical parts of the stems, it should be about 8-10 cm long, with 2 leaves and buds. You need to cut the stalk at an acute angle with a blade or knife.
Reproduction of begonia
Then, to stimulate rooting, put it for a day in a solution of heteroauxin or any root growth stimulator. After that, root the stalk in plain clean water. Change the fluid every day to keep it fresh. When roots appear on the handle, it can already survive in the ground.
At first, he does not need a large pot, a small capacity of 8-10 cm in diameter will suffice. The stalk needs to be deepened into the ground by about 3 cm, placing it not vertically, but slightly obliquely. From above, cover the pot with a light film, having built something similar to a greenhouse over it.
Put the cutting in a bright, warm place, open the film every day for ventilation. Keep the soil moist, but not waterlogged or dry. Water with warm, settled water as needed.
How to propagate begonia Elatior can be seen in the video below.
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Well-groomed begonias delight with their flowering
Some growers believe that this plant needs a short day to bloom profusely, so it blooms best in late winter or early spring. But in fact, flowering does not suffer from increasing daylight hours, the bushes release several peduncles one by one, each of them has dozens of flowers that bloom in turn. Thus, flowering does not stop for several months.
It is also believed that store-bought indoor begonia Elatior often disappears after being brought home, as is often the case with greenhouse plants grown specifically for sale.
To prevent this from happening, you must clearly follow all the rules for caring for this delicate flower: provide him with the correct lighting, humidity, temperature, watering and fertilizing on time. Never transplant a flowering plant, you need to wait until it fully blooms and enters a dormant period.
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Spraying indoor plants
Not a single plant is immune from disease, this also applies to beautiful begonias. Any bush can get sick, but most often the diseases manifest themselves with improper or insufficient care, that is, the florist himself is often the cause of the disease of the flower.
For example, young, recently planted from cuttings, plants fall ill with a black leg. This happens if the ground remains wet for a long time after watering. You can save the plant by emergency transplanting into a new soil and treatment with fungicides, but such measures are not always successful.
The same thing happens with adults, already flowering specimens. You can avoid diseases with various rots and other fungal infections if you periodically carry out the procedure for treating the soil and the plants themselves with Fitosporin.
powdery mildew
This same effective biofungicide can help cure powdery mildew on a flower. Before processing, you need to remove leaves that are heavily affected by the fungus, and then spray the entire remaining plant, wetting it well.
Pests that can be found on begonias: spider mites, thrips, aphids. They are small and difficult to notice, but the oppressed appearance of the plant, the change in the color of the stem and leaves, the weakening of flowering may just indicate their presence. Measures to combat harmful insects are standard: as soon as pests are detected, the bushes should be treated with insecticides designed to destroy them (for example, Karbofos).
spider mite
As a prophylactic at home, you can use non-toxic biological products, for example, Fitoverm. When processed with a frequency of about 1 time in 1.5 months, the flowers will remain healthy.
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Begonias require systematic care
To care for begonia Elatior correctly, you need to know what mistakes flower growers make and how to fix them:
- If the leaves of a begonia become lethargic, sticky and shiny, then this is how it can react to a lack of moisture in the soil. You need to immediately water the plant, but with a small amount of water. Can't fill
- If the leaves have begun to dry around the edges, this may be a sign of a lack of moisture or damage from intense sunlight. You can correct the situation by adjusting the watering or moving the pot to where the sun will not interfere with the flower.
- Yellowing and drying leaves may indicate that the plant does not have enough nutrition. You need to feed him, the problem should disappear
- If the begonia is not sick, not deprived of care, green, looks good, but does not bloom, but only grows foliage, it must be fed with fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium. It is these chemical elements that are responsible for stimulating flowering. The use of nitrogen fertilizers, from which the green mass grows, respectively, to reduce
Knowing these secrets of begonia farming, it is not difficult to identify some problems and eliminate them in time.
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Begonia Elatior
Caring for Elatior begonia, if you know all its rules, will not be difficult. The plant reproduces very easily, from one acquired bush after a while you can get several young plants.
Elatior blooms long and luxuriantly, low bushes with rather large bright flowers, somewhat similar to miniature roses, and rich green decorative leaves can decorate any room and delight the owners with their flowering.
Video: How to grow begonia Elatior
How to grow begonia elatior
Begonia elatior: care, conditions for growing and propagating at home | (45+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews
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