Begonia is a tropical or subtropical plant, originating from the Asian, American and African regions. In the Begonia family, there are up to a thousand varieties. This plant is distinguished by beautiful flowers, colors and leaf shapes, so begonia, which is not too complicated to take care of at home, is well-known among many amateur gardeners.
Begonia is divided into three groups - tuber begonia, leaf begonia and bush begonia.
Begonia. Care and growing
Begonia is quite resistant to disease, but in order for it to develop correctly and have a beautiful appearance, it must be provided with appropriate care.
Moderation is precisely the requirement that begonia puts forward for our lives. Home care is necessary for her at the following temperature conditions: if it is summer, then twenty degrees will be enough for her, and in winter the temperature should be at least fifteen degrees Celsius. In this case, the room should be illuminated with bright diffused light, however, direct sunlight should not be allowed to enter the begonia.
To the question of how to properly care for begonias, you can safely answer that the first thing is to observe the appropriate humidity. To do this, use a pot with wet peat or a tray of water, where you should put the pot, but you should not put the pot directly on the water. To do this, pour pebbles on a tray (fine gravel is also suitable), and already put a pot of begonia on it, or install it on an inverted saucer. Periodically, it is necessary to humidify the air in the place where begonia grows. Home care requires occasionally spraying the room with water, but so that drops of water do not fall on its flowers and leaves.
If you wondered what types of begonias can be grown in your apartment, you can quickly reassure yourself. The answer is - all types of begonias can grow indoors.
Begonia should grow in fertile soil, in addition, it is necessary to ensure the complete absence of drafts. We must remember that you will have to water the begonia regularly. In summer and spring it can be watered with water, in which a solution of mineral fertilizers is diluted. The proportion of fertilizers should be this: one, a gram of mineral fertilizers is diluted in a half-liter jar of water, but you must first let the water stand for 24 hours from chlorine. This should not be done very often, twice a month will be quite enough.
If begonia is grown in a tight pot, it will grow slowly. But it is worth transplanting it into a larger tank, as it will give a lot of side shoots. Often you can observe a picture in which the shoots interfere with each other and their twisting will be a response to this. In this case, the appearance of the plant spoils, and additionally darkening of weak basal sprouts occurs. In order to prevent this, at the end of autumn or upon the arrival of spring, you should get rid of the old root branches, just cutting them off.
Begonia should be planted in mid-May on a glassed-in balcony or loggia. If you are the owner of good seedlings, then by mid-May it will already pick up the buds and bloom. But in case you have seedlings obtained from seeds, you need to hold it for a while in a bright place (for example, it may be a windowsill). But do not forget that direct sunshine begonias are strictly contraindicated.
When planting a root seedling, its neck should be placed in the soil for one and a half centimeters. If you plant a tuberous begonia, it needs to be deepened by two to two and a half centimeters for stability.
At the end of the planting procedure, a shadow should be provided for the plant for two to three days if the begonia, which you care for at home, is in a bright place.