Garden begonia: planting and care in the open field, cultivation and reproduction

The ornamental plant is found in the tropical forests of Africa and Asia, but it was brought to Europe from South America, the flower owes its name to Governor Begon from the island of Haiti. For a long time, an exotic guest grew up in greenhouses and heated greenhouses, decorated the window sills of apartments. Breeders have bred varieties of garden begonias for planting in open ground. Caring for a tropical guest does not raise many questions, and if you believe the legends, an amazing flower brings happiness and good luck to the owners.

Features and description of garden begonia

At home, a perennial shrub does not take root in the ground, but is fixed on tree trunks.In spring, the whole plant is covered with buds and blooms without ceasing for six months. The street begonia reproduces by tubers, has a small height, has a bushy shape, attractive leaves look like hearts.

Flowers of a tropical guest delight with bright and colorful shades, there are:

• white and yellow;
• burgundy and pink;
• orange and peach.

The root of the plant is large and massive. In response to care, proper care, the miniature shrub responds with long and abundant flowering.

Culture subspecies

Breeders based on the South American guest have created a thousand varietal begonias, and several double or simple plants planted in a flower bed give it an elegant and elegant look. In the open field, unfortunately, not all varieties of ornamental culture take root, the color scheme of which is simply amazing.

Tuber

Begonia forms a bush that grows up to 30 cm in height and is covered with large terry buds of various shades. In some varieties, the flowers resemble a lotus, in others - a rose or a carnation. Among this type of begonias, the Primadonna is bred in the gardens, the Golden Ball is popular.

Everblooming

Miniature bushes that barely grow up to 15 cm are planted in parks and squares. They have smooth small leaves of a rich shade. During the growing season, begonia is covered with pink, snow-white, red "caps" of flowers.

Ampelous

One of the varieties of an ornamental plant has long shoots that spread along the ground. The bushes are literally dotted with small flowers of various bright colors. An ampelous plant makes a very beautiful and elegant hedge.

Necessary conditions for growing

Begonia is a rather finicky culture, it is not always accepted even in the room, it often does not please with abundant flowering, it is affected by insects. To grow a tropical guest in the garden, you need to create optimal conditions for it, irrigate and feed it in time.

Humidity

Begonia must be properly watered so that the roots do not start to rot, drops do not fall on the leaves. In the garden, a place for a flower must be selected where groundwater does not approach the surface, or a drainage layer must be made. Tropical plant does not tolerate dry air, requires constant moisture.

Temperature conditions

Begonia comes from warm lands and can't stand the cold, but drops buds in extreme heat. Ornamental culture pleases with abundant flowering at 18-22 ° C during the day, at least 16 at night, but in summer the plant adapts to a higher temperature.

Required soil composition

Begonias have weak roots, so that it grows well, the earth must be loose and light, not retain moisture, let air through. The flower loves acidic soil with a pH of 5.4 to 6.5. To drain excess fluid, expanded clay or crushed gravel is poured under the plant. The southern guest cannot tolerate tannins.

Choice of location and lighting

Begonia does not like heat, and in the south it is recommended to plant it not in the area where the direct rays of the sun fall, but in partial shade. In mid-latitudes, for a tuberous flower, you need to select a well-lit place, closed from drafts and northern winds.

Planting begonias

If a flower is placed in a garden or in a flower bed every 20 cm, you get an amazing carpet. The pits are filled with compost and peat or a mineral complex containing phosphorus and potassium is poured. Begonia is watered and covered with sawdust or expanded clay so that moisture evaporates less.It is necessary to grow an ornamental culture in seedlings, when leaves appear, which happens after a week, you can move it to a flower bed in open ground.

When to plant

Begonia dies with slight frosts, which in the middle latitudes continue until the end of May, and in Siberia - until the beginning of June. A decorative flower is planted when warm weather sets in, and the cold should no longer return. You can send the plant to the flower bed in April and even in March, but cover it with special material.

Soil preparation

The site for planting begonias is dug up, freed from weeds, stones, debris, river sand, peat and humus are added. Fertilizers can be applied directly at the time of planting in the holes.

Combination with other plants

In landscape compositions, begonias are planted next to ornamental shrubs and flowers, a tropical guest is combined with iberis, surfinia, petunia or lobularia, which also bloom until the end of the season.

Planting technology

Begonia is propagated by leaf and stem cuttings, dividing the tubers, but you can breed an ornamental culture yourself in another way.

Seeds

To grow a he althy flower, you need to purchase seed in a specialized store. Small grains collected this year are planted in containers or boxes. Larger seeds are placed in peat tablets.

Eternally flowering begonias are sown in February, tuberous - from January to April. By spring, seedlings will have strong roots, and they will quickly adapt to new conditions.

Shanks and offshoots

Seeds are rarely used for planting begonias, since this method takes a long time to germinate. Planting by cuttings allows you to save the characteristics of the variety, the whole process consists of:

• from cutting stems;
• drying;
• rooting;
• placement in the ground.

The features of the parent specimen are not lost when a part of the leaf or its cutting is planted, but the plant in this case develops slowly.

Care and cultivation of crops in the open field

Having planted a begonia on the street, you need to carefully look after it, make sure that the rays of the sun do not burn the leaves.

Irrigation frequency

Water an ornamental plant recommends once every three days, in the heat - more often. Soft water is used to moisten the soil, you can make it by adding a spoonful of vinegar to a bucket of liquid. Suitable for watering a mineral water flower. Leaves do not need to be sprayed, otherwise brown spots appear on them.

To make the moisture evaporate less, pull out the weeds, loosen the ground, sprinkle the soil near the bush with peat or sawdust.

Fertilization

In order for the begonia to please with lush flowering, in the spring the plant is fed with a universal complex. In summer, the crop needs more phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen. You need to fertilize a tropical guest every 2 weeks.

Shaping a bush

When the begonia grows up to 60 mm, shorten the top at an angle and reduce the amount of watering. The flower starts lateral shoots, if their length reaches 10 cm, cut off the top above the kidney, which is located on the outside. Be sure to remove dried twigs and leaves.

Wintering outdoor begonias in a pot

Young tubers of the plant are dug up in October together with a clod of earth and placed in a container filled with peat. The leaves and stems of an annual flower often continue to turn green. Begonia in a pot is placed in a cool, but bright room and very rarely watered.In April, the plant is transplanted into a container with peat, and closer to summer - to a flower bed.

In the second year, the upper part of the flower is cut off by autumn, as it dies off.

Hibernates in apartment conditions

With the onset of October, the southern guest is watered less often. The entire ground part of the ornamental plant is shortened almost to the base, the pot is moved to a room where the temperature is not higher than 15 ° C. Begonia winters well in a warmed loggia, in a pantry, in a bath. Occasionally, the earth is moistened so that it does not dry out.

Storage of tubers in the apartment

Begonia growing in a garden or flower bed is dug up before frost. The upper part of the flower is cut to a stump, the tubers are dried in a dry and cool place, which are then put in a box with sand and sawdust and left in the apartment.

Begonia root can be refrigerated by wrapping it in a plastic bag, piercing holes in it, or simply wrapping it in paper.

In the basement

Dried flower tubers are laid out in boxes and boxes, covered with sand or peat mixed with sawdust. The containers are not taken to the cellar, where it is very humid, but placed in the basement.

Dangerous diseases and pests: control methods

Delicate and beautiful begonia growing in the garden or outdoors attracts insects and pathogens, causing it to lose its sophistication, dropping buds and flowers.

Powdery mildew

In damp and cool weather, whitish spots appear on the stems and leaves of the tropical guest, which quickly spread throughout the plant. To cope with powdery mildew, the aerial part of the flower is sprayed with a fungicide.

Grey Rot

With excess moisture, the microscopic fungus forms spores that are carried by the wind. Watery spots appear on the leaves, buds, stems of an ornamental plant, turning into gray rot. To save the begonia, prepare a solution by mixing several fungicides.

Aphid

Larvae and adult microscopic insects of yellow or green color cause great harm to plants, feeding on their juice. If an aphid started on a begonia:

1. The leaves turn yellow and dry.
2. Buds do not open.
3. Flowers fall.

To cope with the pest, prepare a solution of soap and tobacco dust, spray the bushes with infusion of onion peel, pour water with ashes, dust with ashes. Insects die when plants are treated with Aktellik and benzophosphate.

Spider mite

High air temperatures combined with excessive watering make holes appear on the underside of the begonia leaves, which rapidly increase in size, indicating a spider mite infestation. To save the flower, the ground part is sprayed with the Decis preparation or the Peretrium biological pesticide.

How to propagate begonias

To breed a tropical beauty, different parts of the plant are used. The flower is well received by green cuttings, it takes a long time to develop from shoots.

Tubers

The propagation method is used when a rare flower needs to be preserved. A part separated from a begonia tuber is planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse structure. When a sprout appears, watering is done with a sprayer.

Shanks

The top with 6 leaves is carefully cut off from a strong bush, treated with the Kornevin stimulant, flowers and buds are cut off so that they do not take strength from the plant.

The stalk is planted to a depth of 5 mm in a mixture of sand and peat, covered with a jar, polyethylene, a bag, or placed in a glass of water, where a spoonful of honey and aloe juice are added. Days after 10 days, the shoot sprouts.

Seed method

You can breed begonias using small seeds collected this year. But such a reproduction process takes a long time, and shoots from seeds do not always appear. The sprouts turn out to be very tender and fragile, they are kept in the apartment for almost a year, until the bushes form, which can already be transplanted into the open ground.

Gardener Secrets for Lush Blooms

In order for begonia to decorate a flower bed, to please with many buds, the plant must be regularly fed with complex fertilizer, cut off dried leaves, irrigate in time, but not overflow, carry out disease prevention, protect from pests. It is necessary to ensure that the ground under the exotic flower is not strewn with buds or petals, as this is fraught with the development of rot.

Gardeners recommend watering the tropical guest not only with mineral and soft water, but also with infusions made from onion peels, garlic shoots.

Flowers begin to crumble with excess moisture and high temperature. In this case, you need to shade the begonia, reduce the frequency of irrigation. When optimal conditions are created, the buds do not fall off, and the plant is covered with white, pink and scarlet flower caps.

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