Indoor begonia - home care

Content:

Begonia: home care
Pest and disease control
Features of care in winter
What to do if begonia does not bloom
How to care after begonia has faded

Of the huge number of species and varieties of begonia (lat. Begonia), each grower will find a plant to his liking. The flower looks great not only in the garden area, but also in the interior of residential buildings. Having created ideal conditions for a tropical beauty, she will not be stingy with gratitude in the form of a lush bloom.

Begonia: home care

Caring for begonia is not much different from caring for other decorative flowering plants. It does not require much time and attention, but even under poor growing conditions, it will not show all its beauty. To maintain the health of the flower, it is necessary to choose the right place on the windowsill, ensure regular watering and humidification of the air.

Flowering of one of the varieties of begonia

First steps - caring for begonia after purchase

Immediately after the purchase, special care for the begonia will be required. If you do not carry out special events, the flower can, at best, adapt for a long time to home conditions or not give inflorescences in the coming years, at worst it can die.

How to care for begonia in a pot at home so that the shoots are branched and lush, and the flowering is long and bright:

choose the right place for growing. If the flower was brought into the house in the spring-summer period, then a window sill on the north side is better suited. If begonia appeared in the house in the autumn-winter period, it is worth giving preference to the western or eastern windowsill. The south side is not suitable for cultivation, since the sun's rays can burn the leaves and lead to various begonia diseases;
do not plant immediately in a new pot. The flower does not need to be disturbed for the first two weeks. If the purchase fell on the flowering period, then they do not touch it until all the inflorescences fall off. It is necessary to replant begonia only when the soil is in poor condition;
comply with quarantine. This concept refers to the isolation of a plant from other plants. This is necessary to protect other domestic flowers from possible infection if the purchased one has parasite larvae. You need to choose a place for quarantine right away, since begonia is difficult to tolerate permutations;
water it. It is not necessary to water and fertilize the plant for the first five days until it adapts to the new conditions. To replenish the moisture deficit, a vessel with water is placed on the windowsill.

If the begonia has endured the adaptation period well, then there will be no problems in growing it in the future.

Choosing a pot and soil for planting or replanting

Homemade begonia is transplanted:

after the adaptation period after purchase;
to stimulate flowering;
with poor soil quality;
when overflowing;
as the plant grows.

Note! Indoor begonia actively grows in universal soil or specialized for violets, which is rich in peat. The ground should be well air-permeable to avoid root decay.

You can prepare the soil yourself, but it will bring a lot of hassle and little benefit. At the bottom of the pot, drainage must be laid with a layer of at least 2 cm.

How and where to plant begonias? During each transplant, the pot is selected 3 cm wider than the previous one. The plant is removed carefully together with an earthen lump to avoid injury to the root system.

Regular feeding

Begonia requires mandatory feeding during the budding period. Fertilizer is applied during the entire flowering period until its end. Complex formulations without nitrogen content are used, which are added to the pot twice a month.

For your information! Nitrogen is essential for all ornamental plants, as it is responsible for the development of the deciduous mass. If you offer nitrogen to begonias at the time of flowering, then it will lose its buds.

Temperature regime

The begonia flower loves the average air temperature: in winter it can exist at 15 ° C, in summer at 22 ° C. The plant does not tolerate extreme heat, like frost. Even if the temperature goes beyond the comfortable range, it will be better than sudden changes in it. If it is necessary to move the pot to other conditions of detention, it is better to do this gradually.

Competent watering

The watering regime depends on the season. In summer, begonia flowers will dissolve in moist soil, while you need to be careful not to provoke stagnation of water and decay of roots. Moderate watering is done about once every three days. If the weather is hot and the pot is on the south side, daily watering may be required.

In the autumn-winter period, the frequency of watering is reduced, you need to focus on the state of the earthen coma. It can be moistened when the topsoil has dried out a few centimeters.

For begonias, the best watering option is soil impregnation. This is done as follows: a pot with holes is placed in a container with water, the soil itself will absorb the amount of moisture it needs.

Important! Distilled or filtered water is used.

Optimum air humidity

A tropical plant is accustomed to a humid climate, so at home it needs to provide similar conditions. If there is no humidifier in the house, a vessel with water is placed next to it. The second option is moistening by laying out wet expanded clay or gravel in a pan. Air humidity should not fall below 60%.

Note! It is forbidden to spray the leaves from a spray bottle, this can lead to their drying, the formation of brown spots on them.

Adequate amount of light

It is necessary to grow begonias in bright light, while the place is chosen in such a way that direct sunlight does not fall on the leaves and buds. In summer, the plant is shaded with a canopy or transparent tulle.

Pest and disease control

Coral begonia flower at home

You can understand that the plant is sick by the following signs:

dry shoots;
falling leaves;
faded greenery;
lack of flowering.

To understand the reasons for the loss of signs of life in begonias, you need to familiarize yourself with common diseases and parasites.

Diseased plant leaves

First of all, you need to analyze the growing conditions of the plant, it often begins to wither due to non-observance of the temperature or light conditions.

For what reasons begonia starts to hurt:

dry leaf edges - improper watering, vascular bacteriosis;
falling leaves and flowers - dry air, insufficient watering;
dropping of buds, darkening of leaves and flowers - stagnation of water in the soil, spraying;
pallor of leaves - choosing the wrong place for growing, shade;
curling leaves from the sides - dry air or soil;
drying out of leaves - lack of feeding, spider mite;
sticky bloom on the leaves - scabbard;
gray spots on the leaves - gray rot;
white bloom on the leaves - powdery mildew (heat and dry air provoke its development).

If bugs were found in the soil or on the shoots, treatment is carried out only with insecticides. The pot is moved away from other flowers to avoid infestation.

Pests are initially removed mechanically, and the soil is replaced. You can buy a drug against parasites in a flower shop, the method and frequency of use is indicated in the instructions.

Important! It is necessary not only to remove the existing bugs, but also their larvae.

Features of care in winter

In winter, the plant is provided with rest. The better the begonia tolerates the autumn-winter period, the more buds it will give in the spring. There are no specific dates when you need to start putting the flower into hibernation, you need to look at the situation.

Plant begonia ever flowering at home and in the garden

The room temperature must be maintained at 16 ° C, watering is reduced to once a week. If the room is more than 22 ° C, abundant watering remains, the plant continues to grow and develop.

Note! Due to the reduction in daylight hours, the shoots will lose color and stretch.

How to care for begonia in winter: the pot is transferred to bright light, the sun's rays are no longer dangerous, they do not burn the leaves. After sunset, the plant can be provided with artificial lighting.

Begonia at the beginning of flowering

It is better to move the pot away from batteries and radiators. They dry out the air greatly, which begonia does not like. This is fraught with drying out of the leaves. If it is not possible to choose another place for the flowers, cover the heat sources with a wet rag, the evaporation of moisture will provide air humidification. Care must be taken to ensure that moisture does not get on the leaves, this increases the risk of infection with the fungus.

How to plant begonia in a new pot in winter? In the cold season, it is better not to disturb the plant. The root system takes a long time to adapt to new conditions, and during a period of dormancy and slow growth it may not take root at all.

If there is a begonia variety in the house that blooms all year round, then you do not need to cook it for winter. On the contrary, they provide a warm air temperature and an additional source of lighting. Only flowering varieties in winter are fed with mineral fertilizers.

You can transplant begonia in the spring when the growing season begins.

What to do if begonia does not bloom

Begonia is valuable because of its lush bloom. If the buds did not appear in the spring, this should alert the grower and force them to take additional measures.

Terry begonia flower at home

Why begonia does not bloom:

excessive or insufficient watering;
lack of light;
unsuitable temperature regime;
excess or lack of fertilizing;
drafts;
frequent change of places.

If the plant is weakened, then all the nutrients go to maintain its life, there is simply not enough strength for flowering.

The second reason the plant does not bloom is parasite infestation. If the pests appeared during the flowering period, then most likely the buds will quickly fall off.

The plant will be weakened if it is not provided with rest during the winter. It is difficult for an ornamental flowering plant to actively develop all year round, therefore a three-month rest is required.

It happens that the reason lies deeper, which not every florist will guess. The flower may not be suitable for the soil in which it grows, the drainage and even the pot.

For your information! Begonia blooms in adulthood. Until more than five rings have formed on its stem, there will not be enough strength and nutrients to set the buds. Reproduction is also carried out when the plant grows up.

Flowering can be stimulated. Artificially, the daylight hours are reduced to 9 hours (the plant is covered with a black film or cloth). Such an event is held daily for two weeks. Short daylight hours activate bud laying. During this period, complex fertilizer is applied to the soil. After that, daylight hours increase by about 2 times. Once the buds are open, extreme conditions can be stopped.

How can plants be supplemented

Note! Before flowering, the shoots are pinched 2-3 times. Thus, all the forces will go not to pull the stems in height, but to lay the buds.

How to care after begonia has faded

The flowering period ends with the onset of the first cold weather.Withered buds, dry leaves, shoots directed inward are removed. This allows the plant to be rejuvenated. You need to cut off the plants with a clean sharp knife, sprinkle the cut sites with activated charcoal or wood ash.

The flowering of begonia can be admired for a long time, but for the beauty of the plant, it needs a little help, providing the right growing conditions. Maiden beauty, as begonia is also called, is unpretentious, but ignorance of some of the nuances can negatively affect the growth and number of flowers.