Tuberous begonia - the birthplace of this plant is South America, and due to the formation on the roots of tubers, it got its name. On one inflorescence, both male and female flowers ripen, while female flowers are small, and male flowers are larger. Tuberous begonia has juicy stems, which are updated every year, the color of the flowers is the most diverse.
Begonia can be both small-flowered and large-flowered. Small-flowered begonia reaches a height of up to 20 centimeters, while the diameter of the flowers is only from 2 to 4 centimeters. Medium-flowered tuberous begonia has flowers up to 6 cm in size and reaches a height of 25 centimeters. Large-flowered begonias have very large flowers, which can reach up to 20 cm in diameter. There are also weeping begonias, but they have very nondescript flowers, and therefore this species is rarely grown.
Tuberous begonia - reproduction
These plants propagate both by seeds and by the method of dividing tubers, as well as by cuttings. Tuberous begonia has very small seeds and in one gram of them there can be about 20 thousand. After 4 weeks, when the second pick has already been made, the plants are planted in separate pots and only then planted in the ground. Tuberous begonia from seeds should be grown in a mixture of land, which consists of 1 part sand, 1 part humus, 2 parts of turf land, 2 parts of peat and 4 parts of leafy land. If you want to get begonia flowers in early summer, then planting must be done in early January. To obtain the seeds of this plant, you can artificially pollinate it with a brush.
If you want to propagate tuberous begonia by cuttings, you must select the largest tubers and plant them in December. Tubers are planted so that their tops are at the level of the soil. Boxes with tubers are left in a warm room where the temperature is within 20 degrees. First, roots will appear, and after the shoots. After the shoots reach a height of 6 centimeters, all cuttings are cut off leaving one leaf on each tuber. This is done so that the tuber does not die and there is the possibility of obtaining another cuttings. Rooting of cuttings takes place over 3-4 weeks, for this it is necessary to carry out their regular watering and protect from direct sunlight. After that, a well-rooted plant is transplanted into a separate pot and grown further.
When propagating begonias by the division method, only large, well-formed tubers are taken, on which there are from 4 to 6 shoots. To do this, cut the tubers in such a way that each part has at least one shoot. After the separation of the tubers has been carried out, the obtained sections are sprinkled either with charcoal or with a mixture that consists of heteroauxin and charcoal, they are taken in equal quantities. This procedure is done to prevent the process of decay and faster formation of new tubers.
After the separation of tubers, they are planted in specially prepared soil and grown at a temperature that should be within 20 degrees. Watering planted tubers must be done carefully so as not to cause them to rot.
Successfully wintered tubers are transplanted into dive boxes, while the upper part of the tubers is not covered with earth, this helps to prevent their rot and helps to awaken the kidneys. After the appearance of leaves, plants are planted in greenhouses. The soil should be more nutritious, the earth is poured on top of the planted tuber, the layer thickness should be about 2 centimeters. Plants grown in this way will begin to bloom in about three months. In greenhouses, flowers are until warm, and they are gradually hardened.
If you want the plant to bloom longer in the fall, it must be protected from night frost. After the onset of steady frost, the stems are trimmed to a height of 10 cm, the tubers are dug up and stored in a cool room. Then the stems are cut completely, and the tubers are stored in dry peat until spring.